[cp76]

After a two week wait due to holidays and weather, i finally picked up my 159 today. Its in Alfa Red with Black leather and 18" 7 hole alloys and i have to say i think it looks great! The 2.4 feels good in 3rd, 4th and at motorway speeds, there's a bit of lag in 1st and 2nd but i guess that's diesels for you.
Overall, early impression are very good, the handling feels good and the interior is a great place to be, certainly didn't take long to find a comfortable driving position. Here are a couple of quick photos i took with my phone, so sorry about the quality but you can't have a new car thread without a couple of pics
Looking forward to asking more questions
CP

 

[Squadrone Rosso]

Looking good - love the wheels

 

[alfamoment]

Well done, CP76 that's one good looking Alfa, just love the red
nothing wrong with the pics too !
Agree found a comfy seat pos within 5 mins still loving the driving experience 5 months in!
enjoy !

 

[nigelread]

Very Very Nice :thumbs:
Enjoy

 

[alfacool]

Looks great.
Alfa red making a comeback, get in.

 

[andypj]

Looks fantastic!

Well done & happy motoring!

 

[SlyFox]

Welcome!
You have chosen wisely.
Mine is now 18 months old and also loving it in this weather (winter tyres):thumbs:

 

[the graduate]

Looks fab and i do love the wheels

 

[cp76]

Took it to work this morning so the first chance to give it a good run, mainly single carriage A roads and the way it dispatches a couple of cars and a lorry on an overtake is very good. It feels like a very solid car and the ride is excellent, i've had 2x BMW coupe's(330, 320cd) and a Porsche Boxster S before this and i have to say its build quality is pretty much on a par. The only thing i've found which is probably not great is the gear box, which can be very notchy when cold, once it warms up it's better but still not silky smooth. I really like the dash layout and the extra unusual touches which you get, the double window trip computer is a great idea and very useful.

My wife is nearly 8 months pregnant hence the move into something with a bit more space, i was really stumped to begin with what car i could get which would keep the petrol head in me satisfied, could do 20k+ miles a year with relative economy and be fun to drive (and look good ). Then i saw a 159 on the mway and was suprised how reasonably priced they are for the equipment and 200bhp (with potential for 240), from that point on the search started.

So far I'm very pleased with my choice, there are a couple of things i'd like to do to the car. First off is a remap (it's my birthday next month!) i'm based near Andover and believe AHM is just outside Hook so will make some enquiries with them. I'd also like to add Bluetooth and iPod/USB capabilities, i've already found the ICE section to be extremely useful but obviously any further help is most appreciated.

Thanks for the kind words so far, here's to many miles of happy motoring.
CP

 

[wynne71]

Gorgeous looking car. I love those 18 inch wheels on the 159. Am busy saving for my own set!

 

[n13roy]

Looks VERY smart indeed, and I bet it puts a big smile of your face driving it around too.........

 

[alfamoment]

Somehow I think you may do more than 20k this year i'm estimating at least 5k extra to commute just for pure driving enjoyment, roll on summer!!!!

 

[gibo909]

I do love people posting their new cars on this forums and that people actually do take the time to have a look and comment. Any other owner's site would be too bored of seeing 2000 BMWs purchased per day to even consider bothering!

The car looks great, liking the wheels

 

[cp76]

Agreed, thanks everyone for taking the time to comment and yes the wheels sort of sold me the car, i'd seen a couple with the standard wheels which looked good but just loved these. I've also never really been into red cars as such but there's something about the Alfa Red which i can't really explain.

Another great drive home from work as well just one thing there seems to be a slight smell of something similar to diesel but smells more burnt. I know this could be the DPF but it seems to linger around the car most of the time at the moment, any ideas?

 

[ultraviola]

Great car and choice of colour. I'm sure you'll enjoy it more as the weather improves! Afraid I can't help with the burning smell (never had diesel) although the one time I noticed it was the other week when I was somewhat exuberant taking off from some lights

 

[gdg992002]

Very nice and congratulations.. The red is a fantastic colour which I must admit I was a little scared of leaving it in car parks etc.. when I purchased mine as it stood out so much! But you only live once!

I recommend getting some mud-flaps (which in my opinion look pretty good) on it before you start seeing the dreaded stone chips!

Enjoy as I have every second!

 

[MikeyRules]

Looks stunning in Alfa Red and that wheel combo, and welcome to AO :thumbs:

250bhp is easily reachable in the 2.4, and Aidy at AHM is well recommended in your part of the country...

As for the burning smell, the diesels regenerate by super heating the DPF burning all the soot away, when the sensor in the system senses a build up, so it could well just be that. If you stopped and got out, you'd also hear the exhaust making a 'pinking' sound as it cools down afterwards.

 

[yuri2k]

congratulations for your choice. It will bring you much joy, surely. Let us know how the remap went.