Alfa Romeo 147 (2001 - 2009) 1.6 TS Sport 3d Owner Review

Bought this to replace a Fiesta mkV with the 1.3 Duratec engine. The interior was a big step up but is dated now compared with rivals such as the 1 series and Golf's from the late 2000's. This trim level is sparse on options, but does come with very nice alloys and a boot spoiler which improves the look of the car significantly. I would recommend finding one with leather and cruise control, though I did fit cruise to mine myself - this is an easy job. The suspension is rock solid - it's harder than on the z4 coupé I replaced this with and rides poorly over bumps and potholes. The wishbones are consumable at best and it was rare that none of mine were making some kind of noise! For the performance, fuel economy is poor and the car is expensive to tax. HOWEVER - I could forgive the car for all of this as when I bought this, 147's in general were ridiculous value, selling for half of what an equivalent A3/1 Series or Golf would cost. I bought mine for just under £4k, took it from 40k to 100k miles and sold for just under £1k 4 years later. They are also far more interesting to own and I always received positive comments about mine, even from people not interested in cars. The 1.6 is a fine engine and gave me no issues, though it does use some oil. I would definitely recommend one of the petrol's over the diesel's. Alfa Romeos just feel "special" in a way that something more ordinary never will. I'll definitely be back in an Alfa one day and I'm keeping my eye on the values of the 4c!