My 2007 Alfa Romeo 147

codesurge: I would get the car lowered. Envision it 40mm lower...looks good, huh?

Yeah, I know what you mean. While it's tempting to add various mods, I'll probably hold off making any immediate changes till I get more accustomed to the car. Definitely keeping it in mind for the future though. Thanks for the advice!
 
even if it breaks down in singapore you're only going to be a maximum of 30km away from the dealer :p
 
The front license plate kills the whole look of the front. Can you remove it easily/legally?

he lives in singapore, they're nuts about enforcing the law over there, hell you get fined for discarding chewing gum on the streets instead of a trash can.
 
he lives in singapore, they're nuts about enforcing the law over there, hell you get fined beaten sensless for discarding chewing gum on the streets instead of a trash can.

Fixed. :p
 
he lives in singapore, they're nuts about enforcing the law over there, hell you get fined for discarding chewing gum on the streets instead of a trash can.

probably one of the reasons it's one of the cleanest places i've ever been :p
 
even if it breaks down in singapore you're only going to be a maximum of 30km away from the dealer :p

That's why I'm getting an Alfa here and not Stateside. Imagine being on the interstate in the middle of the night and having the Selespeed die on you. <_<

At least over here, I can walk/bus/taxi if Alfa's renowned reliability issues strike home.
 
That's why I'm getting an Alfa here and not Stateside. Imagine being on the interstate in the middle of the night and having the Selespeed die on you. <_<

At least over here, I can walk/bus/taxi if Alfa's renowned reliability issues strike home.

Selespeed has been out now for ages, I think they shouldve fixed most of the issues by now. Ive owned a 2002 car with it and it worked fine (most of the time :D ). The only more serious problem ive had was that when it was cold it was very very jerky. And the occassional flashes of random errors that were not really there. I think in 5years time they must have fixed all this. Because the major problem with selespeed is in my opinion that nobody outside the factory really knows how to fix it.
 
Selespeed has been out now for ages, I think they shouldve fixed most of the issues by now. Ive owned a 2002 car with it and it worked fine (most of the time :D ). The only more serious problem ive had was that when it was cold it was very very jerky. And the occassional flashes of random errors that were not really there. I think in 5years time they must have fixed all this. Because the major problem with selespeed is in my opinion that nobody outside the factory really knows how to fix it.

Actually the hydraulic seals.....

147's are wonderful cars, I had to spend a while with a customers 147 GTA after we rebuilt it (it got driven into the ocean and hydraulic'd the poor motor)

Wonderful choice! :drool:
 
Okay, so I've spent a fair bit of time with the car so far and just do a short writeup on my thoughts to this point. Might be informative to those folks in the US who are eagerly awaiting Alfa's return Stateside, although they probably won't be bringing the 147 over. :p

First off, no mechanical failures with the car. The roar of the 2.0L Twinspark is as sweet as ever and the Selespeed hasn't given up the ghost yet. Mind you, it's not the perfect gearbox; it's pretty awful when stuck in traffic jams, 'cos getting on and off the throttle in first gear (with the occasional upshift to second) is a lot jerkier than what you'd get in a proper slushbox or a proper manual. The city mode is there to be ignored. It does save you from working your left leg, but there are compromises to be made.

Build quality has been passable, but wouldn't rate much higher than that. The hood was slightly offset to one side, the right rear wheel well lining had a portion that came loose and the factory fitted stereo wasn't mounted to be completely flush with the surroundings. Minor niggles that the dealer fixed when I pointed out the issues, but they were there when I collected the car.

Being an Alfa, there are a lot of minor quirks that you have to get used to. Features like electrically-folding wing mirrors are missing (even my friend's Yaris has that!), but you get height-adjustable headlamps instead. There's a lock on the gas cap that you have to manually unlock to pump gas - it's a bit strange in Singapore 'cos the gas stations have pump attendants that handle the whole procedure for you, so having to walk over and unlock the cap for them just seems a bit awkward. Guess it wouldn't be as big an issue if you pumped your own gas. Even a detail like having a tire pressure label on the car itself is overlooked, so you'd have to pull out the manual in case you happen to forget the recommended pressures.

She's a sweet daily driver. The chassis feels solid while the suspension is sufficiently stiff without making the ride unbearable. There's a small windy road that I take everyday to go to work, so it gives me the opportunity to give the engine a nice workout twice a weekday. That short blast is sufficient enough to improve even the crappiest of days! :D

I'd love to get more photos and perhaps even a video, but the recent rainy weather hasn't helped. Perhaps another time, then.
 
Mmm... Love Alfas. I hope they do well when they come back to the US market, I'd buy one as my first new car (Over an Impretza, which is my current plan).

EDIT: I have to agree. A good car on a nice twisty road will cure any bad day. Unless it snows every 3 days like it has been doing the entirety of winter over here. It's snowed 35 times. It normally snows like, 5.
 
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