I've had my Alfa for just over a year now, and got a very good deal on it, since then the car has just continued to impress me!! I've been in nice cars before, and lets face it, you know your in one when the seats feel like they should be in your home as a settee set, this is the feeling the 164 gives you. It is a first for comfort and space, plenty of legroom in the front and the back, even if you do have the front seats all the way back. But the hidden beauty of this car is its performance, it may look big and bulky, the side view being the sexiest angle as Pinin Farina have made the car resemble an overweight Ferrari, but when you put your foot down you can tell that this was always meant to be a sports car. It has given me much pleasure pulling alongside a boy racer in his Golf, or Escort at the lights with them eyeing up the car and revving their mediocre engines, and when the lights go green leaving them standing there trying to get out of first gear.
Fuel consumption can be a pain, doing around 20 miles to the gallon, but as long as you remain calm on the accelerator the car will run quite economically.
The only disadvantage I have had with the car is the electric's, the fan system takes time to lock onto a setting as it is motorised, and the lights do not come on when I open the door, but hey these are faults that I am more than happy to put up with when I've got 2.0i Twin Spark power under the bonnet!! And the ability to fit two grown men into my boot (Not that I've tried!!)
If anyone gets the chance to pick one of these up for less than £3000, DO IT, you won't be disappointed!!