Fiat or Alfa

[andrewlee]

I am thinking of buying either a Fiat Coupe or an Alfa GTV. Any thoughts re living with these, costs of running, headaches and niggles etc.

I also fancy a Honda Prelude, as I currently run an old CRX. Reliability will therefore not be an issue, but I am drawn to something Italian (again) Any thoughts from Prelude owners?

Thanks

[Craig007]

A mate of mine had an Alfa GTV and had lots and lots of problems with it.

[furrycheeky]

I personally would have neither Italian car. I work in a garage and we have sold both vehicles in the past and they don't age well mechanically nor interior trims.
The Honda Prelude as you say is reliable but boring. The last of them could have 4 wheel steering which is very expensive to repair and is the only real repeated problem I see with them at work.

[Impret-Sir]

Personally, id take the Fiat, The Alfa looks great, inside and out, but its an 'old school Alfa', hence creaky build, massive depreciation and manic torque steer, (no LSD or traction control). Add in the tiny boot and rear seats, and its hard to argue for it, especially for what they cost. It does have one of the best looking and sounding V6s in the world, and could be love at first glance for any petrol head by virtue of that alone. However, the Fiat is faster, it handles better, also sounds good, (its straight five is as smooth as a V6), and there is a sensible amount of room inside. Against it is a sometimes lumpy ride, and the turbo does suffer from a fair bit of lag at low revs.

[Impret-Sir]

Oh, and a Prelude?, ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz!