Alfa Romeo Brera (2006 - 2010) 2.2 JTS 3d (2008/58) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

I have spent 20 years driving around in sensible, family friendly, budget cars. Now my children have cars of their own, my Alpha says its "my time" to drive something I love instead of something practical that I need.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

The Brera definately has the WOW factor, and is quite rare. Lots of people comment on how lovely the car is, even strangers on the street. Although the Brera has 4 seats, there is very limited leg room in the rear. If my partner drives my car he has to take the front seat as far back as possible, leaving zero leg room in the back. It is therefore totally impractical for long family journeys, and we have to then rely on my partner's car Citreon C3, which is much more spacious internally.

Would you buy this car again and why?

Although I adore my car, I will probably buy something different next time, simply because it is very expensive to run. There are other quality cars out there that are much more economical on fuel.

What are you likely to buy next?

Possibly an Audi or BMW.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Franchised

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£14,000

When did you buy the car?

October 2010

Did you get a good deal and why?

After explaining that I worked in Financial Services, I managed to get approximately 4% off the standard APR quoted.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

What was the dealer like?

Friendly, helpful and not too pushy.

What's it like to drive?

The car drives like a dream, although perhaps not quite with the "umph" expected from a 2.2 litre, when first started. However, once its going, its very easy to forget the speed limit as the car does like to move, and easily cruises along the motorway in 6th gear.

What's it like to park?

The car is very easy to reverse into spaces, with rear parking sensors. However as I'm only short I can't see to the end of the long bonnet.

Have you had any problems with the car?

After collecting the car, I realised that the driver seat would no longer flip forward to allow passengers to access the rear. When opening the doors, the windows drop about half an inch and then adjust themselves when the car is started - within the first year of ownership, the motor for this failed and I had to have the parts flown in from Italy. That was an expensive week! The sun visor also failed very recently. Not great for a car that still only has 36,000 on the clock.

What's most practical about your car?

The huge boot.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?

As a female, gadgets don't really appeal to me. However I am very impressed by the huge boot and the car's overall beauty.