The Alfa Romeo 166: Thoughts?

"My citroen won't start" (lucasboechat)
10/01/2014 at 20:06 • Filed to: None

Plenty of them on the market, all of them top of the line V6, incredible design (in my mind at least). What does Oppo think about it?

I imagine it is pretty unreliable.

DISCUSSION (56)

Brian Silvestro > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:08

BEAUTIFUL

If you go from one unique obscure sedan to another, I'd be okay with that.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:09

It looks bad.

/Come at me bros.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:09

Yup

Alex B > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:09

Looks cool. Yet another car I wish was available in America.

jkm7680 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 20:10

But dat interior.

Otherwise, what you said seems valid.

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:10

I'll have the same mindset as you, the design is nice. and reliability is probably meh...

Typical Italians. They can't make something last, now can they?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:10

You'll have to change your name to 'My alfa won't start'

My citroen won't start > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 20:11

That is understandable, most people think the front looks a bit silly.

My citroen won't start > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
10/01/2014 at 20:12

Italian cars live on looks, they can be outdated and broken, but they will always look nice, and that is enough for me.

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Brian Silvestro
10/01/2014 at 20:12

It's not beautiful, don't let that badge blind you from the truth!

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:14

That rear 3/4 view ain't helping. That front overhang is bad.

My citroen won't start > Brian Silvestro
10/01/2014 at 20:14

I refuse surrendering to the beige.

trynthink > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:14

I mean, they are probably practically giving them away because of depreciation, so why the hell not? The front end looks droopy but you can always open the hood and look at the engine instead.

Brian Silvestro > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:15

GOOD

Brian Silvestro > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 20:15

YOU'RE WRONG

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > Brian Silvestro
10/01/2014 at 20:17

OPEN YOUR EYES AND FACE THE TRUTH. NOT ALL ALFAS LOOK GOOD, AND THIS ONE LOOKS BAD.

My citroen won't start > Alex B
10/01/2014 at 20:17

I'm sure there are some 166 grey imports, they were the go-to cars to Italian Embassies.

My citroen won't start > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
10/01/2014 at 20:20

I think I might enjoy that, how about Both my Citroen and Alfa won't start.

My citroen won't start > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 20:21

Does this help?

Kinja'd!!!

My citroen won't start > Brian Silvestro
10/01/2014 at 20:24

He is incredibly wrong.

Kinja'd!!!

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:25

It's in there the wrong way.

jkm7680 > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:26

Pininfarina obviously wasn't present for this one. And if they were, the drunkenness was high.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:26

Not my favorite Alfa. I'm sure it's really nice to drive, but it's got a face only a mother gorilla could love.

My citroen won't start > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 20:27

Kinja'd!!!

Brian Silvestro > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:27

MMMMMM

CRider > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:29

The back, side and interior look great. The front looks a bit droopy. 3/4 would hoon.

My citroen won't start > jkm7680
10/01/2014 at 20:29

Centro Stile Alfa did it and Mr Walther.

My citroen won't start > CRider
10/01/2014 at 20:30

The engine is the greatest selling point, not because it's good or powerful, but because it looks incredible.

jkm7680 > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:30

Are you sure Mr. Jack Daniels wasn't responsible?

But the interior is HNRGGHHHHH-Worthy.

My citroen won't start > trynthink
10/01/2014 at 20:31

They have depreciated a lot, and most were owned by enthusiasts, so mileage is low.

My citroen won't start > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
10/01/2014 at 20:32

This mother gorilla loves it hahah.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:33

How about "Help! I ran out of money!"

Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:34

Kinja'd!!!

My citroen won't start > jkm7680
10/01/2014 at 20:35

The backseats are incredible and the engine is wonderful.

Kinja'd!!!

So worthy.

My citroen won't start > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
10/01/2014 at 20:36

In 3-4 weeks that is very likely.

jkm7680 > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:37

Ooohhhh, If only the outside was designed with the same sense of nice as the inside, Haha.

It's got to be unreliable still though. That's something that you don't get a choice about.

My citroen won't start > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 20:38

The only reason its in there the wrong way is so people can see all the CHROMEY BITS.

That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 20:42

Hey man, everybody likes different things. I wouldn't kick it out of my garage, that's for sure, I just can't get past the nose. I prefer the 164, there's a little foreign car shop up the road that always has like 4 of them being worked on...surprise surprise.

My citroen won't start > That Bastard Kurtis - An Attempt to Standardize My Username Across Platforms
10/01/2014 at 20:48

I quite like the sloping design, but yeah the 164 looked a bit nicer.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 21:30

So purdy.

Axial > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 21:40

Front is super squinty, rear is super squinty, and the gauge cluster is "meh."

Ports > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 23:05

It's not real pretty, but what worries me is the long nose and that big engine hung way out there. Understeer, anyone?

Ports > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 23:05

It's not real pretty, but what worries me is the long nose and that big engine hung way out there. Understeer, anyone?

Ports > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
10/01/2014 at 23:05

It's not real pretty, but what worries me is the long nose and that big engine hung way out there. Understeer, anyone?

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > My citroen won't start
10/01/2014 at 23:38

I think the second gen is better.

Kinja'd!!!

My citroen won't start > TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut
10/01/2014 at 23:42

It is, but they never imported them here.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > My citroen won't start
10/02/2014 at 07:11

Don't fall into the trap of assuming a modern car is unreliable because the same manufacturers' cars from the '70s were (where Alfa's stereotypes were born).

I've daily driven a 2.5l V6 Alfa 156 for years with sod all problems. The only thing that went wrong bar wear items was a MAF sensor (a part shared with damn near all Bosch-injected engines of the same era).

That's from the same time as the 166, so I wouldn't think reliability would be any worse than a BMW or Audi of the same era (and lightyears ahead of a Mercedes, they weren't so great during the late 90s/early 00s).

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > My citroen won't start
10/02/2014 at 07:14

Oh, and that engine is an absolute jewel. Really great, and lots of room for improvement power-wise :) check out Autodelta for bolt-ons (albeit a little expensive).

My citroen won't start > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
10/02/2014 at 10:31

I worry in the same way I'd worry about owning a BMW or Audi, finding parts and people with expertise in a third world country is quite hard.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > My citroen won't start
10/02/2014 at 10:58

Hmmmm, which country do you live in?

Admittedly, Alfa aren't as good as BMW and Mercedes at providing parts support for their older cars. There's a couple of bits for my 156 that you can't get OEM any more, but there are a couple of manufacturers for most wear items here in the UK. Plus, the V6 engines are well supported as they've been used in Alfas all over :)

My citroen won't start > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
10/02/2014 at 11:28

Brazil, Fiat messed up and ruined Alfa here, although in it's first years all 164 owners got a private parking lot in Sao Paulo's international airport. All 166's here were owned by enthusiasts so there are a few with less than 50k miles, a couple under 9k miles, yes nine.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > My citroen won't start
10/02/2014 at 11:29

Bloody hell, that's not bad. How did Fiat mess up Alfa in Brazil? They've messed up Alfa in various different places in various different ways. I'm curious :)

My citroen won't start > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
10/02/2014 at 11:40

Parts were scarce and you had to wait months to get your car back, the fiat mechanics had no clue on how to work on the cars. Fiat left Alfa owners to their own luck, sales got lower and lower and they eventually stopped importing them in 2006, one company wanted to keep importing them but Fiat said no.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > My citroen won't start
10/02/2014 at 11:50

Nice half-arsed effort at bringing them into the country then :S shame as Fiat are strong in South America, so if they'd trained up their mechanics properly and got a good supply chain going they'd have a great dealer network for them

My citroen won't start > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires
10/02/2014 at 11:54

Fiat Brasil is only strong because they sell (and have sold for the last 30 years) the cheapest cars availabe, and as 70% of the Brazilian population is poor, they sell billions of them

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > My citroen won't start
10/02/2014 at 17:49

If any car should have a glass hood, the V6 version is it.