gitaman

How many services in that time? Not sure actually. Probably at least two. Also had a wheel alignment which has left it with the typical wear on the inside front tyres. I will have that fixed in the next couple of weeks.

Mine's a 2001 with 14,660. No that's not mistake. Searched around and found a little old couple who kept it locked in the garage and drove it to the shops once or twice a week. Hardly even run in I reckon. Had it two weeks. Very happy. Gitaman.

Hey there. I followed Hando's thread on fitting the Grom kit yesterday and it was really easy. Took me no time at all. Thanks for posting that Hando. At one point I wasn't too sure about how to release the top tray piece, but you just grab and pull. Same for the bottom one. I only just picked up my car yesterday..... in fact the Grom kit arrived right before I went to get it. I'm very impressed with the factory stereo and the ipod works great. Have a go. you really can't go wrong. Blair.

Thought you might all like to read a review of the current model of the Alfa 156 GT. This is a direct quote from The Dog & Lemon Guide to Cars... a New Zealand publication profiling every car on the market (here). "Oh dear; another lemon from Alfa Romeo. Unreliable in the extreme, owning a 156 has been an unpleasant experience for many people. The 156's only redeeming features are those two qualities that have kept Alfa Romeo in business for decades: style and sheer driving pleasure. That's when it's not in the garage, of course. Owners tell a sorry tale of crook engines, gearboxes, steering, brakes, heaters, and electrical accessories. That's the major *****-ups, then there's the minor ones like rattles, poorly fitting trim and water leaks. Even as a 'driver's car' we have a few gripes: the turning circle is poor, the manual gearbox whines noticeably at motorway speeds, there's no grab-handle on the boot, and the standard stereo is pretty crummy for a vehicle that costs this much. Further, the 156 is expensive, it will plummet in value and cost a king's ransom to fix when it gets old. Despite what you may think, we take no pleasure in pointing out another Alfa debacle (sigh). The Italians have a saying which goes something like: "take what you want and pay the price". It was probably written about cars like this." Dog & Lemon's overall rating: "Avoid like the Plague!" Dog & Lemon's IS 200 rating: "Recommended" The other Alfa reviews are just about as bad. Hope you enjoyed. Gitaman.

Unfortunately no. Can sometimes find the 200 Gita in manual, and we have heaps of RS 200s with the more powerful 4 cylinder engine in the sedan version. Most of the 98 and 99 models seem to be RS 200s. But so far as I can tell the 300 doesn't come with a manual option. I'd love to get a sedan but I need the extra space and the folding back seats.

Thanks for the help folks. My wife told me I'm over-thinking this whole fuel economy thing and that she wants a 300. Strangely the 200 estates here fetch a higher price. I've been doing some figures and it looks like even a 300 will get considerably better economy than my current 2 litre Nissan Primera with the damn stupid CVT gearbox and 6sp tiptronic. That car has been a massive disappointment! Cheers, Blair.

Hey folks. I'm a new member looking at buying an Altezza Gita (ex Japan) which is more or less the same spec as the Lexus Sportscross. I can get either an AS 200 or AS 300 and right now I'm starting to favour the 300 since I seem to be able to get a better deal on one, and I like the look of the 5 speed box as opposed to the 4 spd. I've trawled the old threads looking for some figures on fuel economy and all I've found are some vague comments along the lines of you don't drive them as hard so the difference isn't much. Has anyone got any figures to throw at me? I've checked the spec sheet, but I'm guessing these figures are manufactuer supplied, so I am dubious. Help? Please? Blair.