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Brera - do I take the plunge?

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2K views 29 replies 11 participants last post by  ricky1750 
#1 ·
Hi guys and girls, long time no see :thumbs:

Right, so I've owned my 147 (1.6TS) for 3 years now and it still manages to put a smile on my face every time I'm out in it. I can honestly, hand on heart, say it has been an absolute pleasure to own.

However, I'll be 26 this September so I'm looking for something a little bit quicker and a little more refined (wow, that sounds far more pretentious than I intended :lol:)

Yesterday I test drove an '06 Brera; it was the 2.4L JTDM version (about 210bhp I think) and to cut a long story short, I fell in love. I mean seriously - this car just blew me away, it's leagues ahead of my (much loved!) 147. I almost signed there and then for it but I decided to be mature for the first time in my life and go away / do my sums. Turns out I made the right choice - I'll have to be saving for another month or so just to afford the £1500 insurance.

:wow:

Anyway, I'm sold on it entirely... but I can't help wondering why they're so rare; I very seldom see them on the roads. Are there many known problems with them or is it simply the styling that puts people off?

Any advice very welcome! :)

Oh, and I also test drove the MiTo Cloverleaf. A very nippy, fun car but the Brera was more 'me' - much more laid back and not batshit insane :lol:
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Yes. I moved from a 147 to a Brera and have not regretted it. It is the ultimate stylish Alfa with build quality and refinement leagues above the 147 and many other cars.

Rare as it is an impractical (no rear seats) expensive Alfa coupe car. People would rather pay £25-30K on an Audi TT or BMW Z car. Fools.

The 2.4 you drove would be a 200BHP car as the 210 was 08 and on.

The Brera is a comfortable and stylish cruiser. It is relaxing in any engine choice, the Mito QV is a different type of car altogether.

Go for it.
 
#3 ·
Cheers!

I didn't realise the 210bhp was '08 onwards. To be honest, I'd probably take it to Autodelta after a year or so to give it a bit more life :) it certainly felt nippy compared to the 147. Well, when the turbo kicked in - before that it was sort of "Are we even moving? There seems to be a bit of tUUUUUURRRRBOOOOOSHI-"
 
#8 ·
I'd really love to test a GT.

The test drive was hilarious - I had the sales guy sat next to me and my dad effing and jeffing in the back because he was so cramped - he's as tall as me (6ft 2") and 52 :lol: He was NOT happy being squashed up back there :D
 
#12 ·
Anyway, I'm sold on it entirely... but I can't help wondering why they're so rare; I very seldom see them on the roads.

I think we could go on for months arguing on why there are not so many around.. it's some great car (along with the 159).. i do know several people that moved (sort of forced) from a 159/Brera to some other car, and seriously regretted what missed, and people moving from "something else" to a 159/Brera because of the recent price cuts, being impressed by it... it surely isn't the most sporty Alfa around, but i still find almost impossible to find any "normal" car looking so good, combined with a great handling and comfort.


Are there many known problems with them or is it simply the styling that puts people off?
No there are not many known problems.... and the ones that are there are common to any diesel (if talking about the 2.4)


Any advice very welcome! :)
Go for it if you love it :D and prepare to smile every time you see it in the garage, and every time you drive it :D
I would suggest considering a 1750TBI instead of a 2.4JTDM (not sure about the rules in UK about taxes and insurance, but in Italy it's quite cheaper to run the 1750), you avoid the diesel related troubles (EGR/DPF), it handles even better, fuel consuption is pretty much the same... or, of you want a diesel, consider the 2.0JTDM instead.
 
#13 ·
I probably wouldn't be able to insure a 3.2 V6, much to my disappointment (25 years old, 5 years no claims :( )

To be honest though, any engine would suit me! I do prefer petrol (they sound FAR nicer in my opinion) but then the torque a diesel offers isn't to be sniffed at.

I can't lie, insurance wise I'm punching above my weight here so a 3.2 isn't possible - the 2.4L JTDM is going to cost £1300 - £1500 :lol: I'm prepared to pay it though, such is my love for the Brera! It genuinely blew me away.
 
#15 ·
Changed from a mapped 1.9GT last week to a 2.4 Brera SV, brilliant car stunning looks and the performace from the standard 2.4 blows the mapped 1.9 to bits :)

I very rarely have more than me and the Mrs in the car, but when we do take the Pa in Law out for a drive my Mrs is ok in the back she's only short :lol:
 
#18 ·
Thanks all! Advice very much appreciated. Oh and sorry ricky1750, I missed your post just above mine :(

Going off what everyone has said, I would plan on having it remapped etc ASAP, so hopefully the economy thing wouldn't be an issue for long. It perhaps isn't practical given the current price of diesel (yay for making a by-product far more expensive than it should be - I guess they have to rip us off on everything these days) but I wouldn't notice a huge difference anyway... my 1.6TS only does 29-30mpg :lol:

I'll let you know when I'm sorted. Realistically it'll be June - July, maybe August. I'm going to have a good shop around and get my head around the different engines etc. Thanks guys, hugely appreciated :thumbs:
 
#19 ·
Go for the Brera, I moved from a 2.8l Audi A4 to the 2.2 JTS. The Brera is a heavy car and it'll hit you in Fuel consumption regardless of which engine you go for. I'd steer well clear of the Diesel as the implications involved "if" your turbo goes - are just to catastrophic to imagine. Driving with the cruise control helps a bit, but I'm realistically getting about 15l/100km with my heavy foot.

Oh, and while you won't beat a hot hatch at the robots, you don't need to. You've thrashed them in style and austerity. There really isn't a prettier looking car around for anything less than Maserati Money.

The build quality is just as good if not better than any german compatriots in the same bracket. Except for maybe the later TT, but the 2nd hand values are sky-high for them.

The '06 model I've been driving for 6 months hasn't put a foot wrong aside from an iffy battery. But that's easy enough to take care of.

PS now that it's been discontinued from the line-up. This is your last chance to own the car Clackson reffered to as the 'Angelina Jolie' of automobiles.
 
#20 ·
Yeah - it certainly is heavy! I'm no weakling but I almost fell back into my seat trying to push the door open; it took me by surprise :lol: I couldn't believe the weight in it compared to my 147s doors!

Driving in SA is far, far more rewarding on the whole than over here. You jammy thing, you! :p I have family over there living in Bocksburg - I visit them every few years and they take me to Cape Town etc. Bloody LOVE South Africa. Some of your roads are just out of this world :thumbs:
 
#21 ·
Can't argue with you there. There's one in particular, if you were to take the N7 up to the border of Namibia up until you hit the N14. About 500km of the most pristine un-policed tarmac I've ever seen all the way to Augrabies. Through some of the strangest landscape imaginable.

Worth the Three bazillion liters of petrol to get there. Often used by all the rich Gautengers to test their 911's and Modena's.
 
#22 ·
I went from a Fiat Stilo 1.2 to a Brera 2.4!! Needless to say what difference that made!! SInce i have had a remap/dpf removal/egr closed. I cannot tell you the smile it puts on my face on a daily basis. Completely agree with all the comments on here. Its a real head turner and performance once remapped is phenomenal. I'm paying about the same in insurance as you have been quoted and its worth every penny. The 2.4 road tax of £200 vs 3.2 road tax of £450+ is defo worth thinking about....
 
#25 ·
Hey

just putting in my 5 cents, I recently upgraded from a 147 (1.9 100HP) to a Brera 3.2 Q4. The 147 brought me alot of pleasure and even after 3 years I still loved that car, got me hooked on Alfa's. The upgrade to a Brera is as buying my 147 all over again; big grin on my face every time i drive it!
As the Brera is also far more exclusive (a real head turner) that just makes the car even greater!
I think this upgrade should be a no brainer, in whatever motorisation the brera is far superior to the 147; go for it!

greets

downfall101
 
#28 ·
Tell you what, someone sub me the OBSCENE amount of money I'll need for insuring the 3.2 at my age and I'll go for that instead ;)

I can't lie - I'm always going to prefer petrol. A diesel engine will never sound as nice in my opinion... but then there's a lot to be said for torque in my book. I love that feeling of being shunted back into your seat as you take off; you get bucketloads more in a diesel so they're alright by me ;)
 
#30 ·
Get the 1750 (or try it at least :D )... you will get low insurance costs, a Euro5 engine, diesel-ish torque, and a petrol engine than can match an M3 on a 70/120 (km/h), it's a pretty nice engine, not perfect, but really nice, and a great match with the rest of the car.
What you will NOT get, though, is the nice noise (but there are plenty of ways to get around that... if you really want you can put a terminal that sounds better)... and the high revs...

Another option (which is not ralated to the Brera though) if you can RIAR (or anyting similar) an Alfa in UK, you could think about getting a GT 3.2 V6, and get a discounted insurance for it, as an historical car.. My RIAR 156 GTA insurance is something like 120 pound, which is a 70% discount. :D
 
#29 ·
Well said previous post! I have been driven in 2.2 and the 3.2 and whilst the sound track is undoubtably better, not one has that harsh power delivery that you get in the diesel. You never really feel like you are going that quick. Also on boost, the diesel doesnt sound that bad! All that together with £400+ road tax, overall the diesel isnt a bad alternative.

Stefano
 
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