Dante's Italian toy - 2011 Alfa Romeo 159

[Dante]

As I eluded few months back in Oliver's Giulia thread, I was contemplating the idea of getting an Alfa 159 in Romania. I've always liked this car ever since it came out and since they are now old enough and therefore relatively cheap and I decided to buy my own car and keep it there,  I pulled the trigger.

Originally I was hopping to find a sportwagon but in the end I went for the sedan version as it seemed to be a better unit after all - low mileage, 2 owners, driven very little in Romania (imported from Belgium in 2024).
Buying a car remotely and in a totally different market it's rather challenging but luckily I had local help from a family member plus the seller was a nice guy and a car enthusiast.

The car is not my ideal color combo or package but in this case I went for the best unit I could find as they are quite rare as-is and I wanted to have it before I arrive so I can spend some time with it.

So what it is: it's an 2011 Alfa Romeo 159 sedan with the 2.0 JTDm (diesel) engine good for 136 hp (there is a version with 170 hp) and 6-speed manual.
The car is dark grey (Grigio Titanio Metalic) on black leather interior. It had 128K km on the clock when I got it. I left it at just over 130K km.

The car is pretty well equipped for its vintage with navi, auto-everything, rear parking sensors, etc.... It's missing some of the features available at the time but nothing I can't live without.

I was pretty happy with the cosmetic condition inside and out - some wear on the driver seat, few small dents and scratches according to age but other than that pretty clean. In fact, one of the reasons I jumped on this unit despite not being a sportwagon was the low mileage. Most of the cars there are around 250K km and up so this one was an unicorn at 128K km.

Before I picked it up the car went to an Alfa mechanic to bring it up to spec - fluids, filters, timing belt (the timing belt on these is 60K km and it was due), accessory belt, front brakes, front bearings, new tires. All wear items and maintenance items I normally do on a used car. I also installed LED front lights as the OEM lights are known to be crap on these.

It took me 5 min to get used with the clutch which has a different feel than the BMW but after that it was Ok. The engine doesn't leave you wanting for more and unless you are at idle, there is little give away that it's a diesel. The car has a solid feel at highway speeds and very comfortable and planted (it's a bit heavier than the Germans of the same era). I would say that at 130-160 kmph it's more comfortable and quiet than the BMW.
On the mountain roads where I did part of my driving, has been very compliant and predictable. The steering is nicely weighted and direct and of course it's hydraulic. It's a bit front heavy, but it's still nice to drive and the diesel torque comes in handy and it's very rewarding.

All in all it's a nice car to drive on all kind of roads, with good road and steering feedback and a rather compliant suspension even on bad roads which are aplenty. The oldies are (still) goodies....

The interior is also nice a nice place to be with a premium feel. I like the driver oriented center console trimmed in real dark aluminum. Yes, it has an Italian flare, very different than the BMW/VW/Audi feel - the Italians like their screws and they are not shy using them in visible places like the lower dash bits.
The seats are nice to look at and sit in (better than E90).

Unfortunately I didn't have time to fully detail the car and go over it in detail and therefore I don't have proper pictures but post one from the mechanic's shop.

[Gurgie]

Very interesting purchase, congrats!! I assume you plan on spending regular time in Romania then, like a yearly visit for a couple of months?

The seats must be quite comfy if they're better than E90 ones, as I found the ones in Bella's 323i to be fantastic... not Volvo V70 fantastic, but close.

[Dante]

Very interesting purchase, congrats!! I assume you plan on spending regular time in Romania then, like a yearly visit for a couple of months?

The seats must be quite comfy if they're better than E90 ones, as I found the ones in Bella's 323i to be fantastic... not Volvo V70 fantastic, but close.

I spend a few weeks in Romania every year and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Usually I get a loaner from a cousin, but I decided to get a cheap (disposable) car and keep it there. This plus my old desire to own an Alfa 159 contributed to my decision.

Yes, IMO, the seats are nicer than the ones in the E90 (I don't have the sport seats) both design wise and comfort.
I don't have the sport seats in the Alfa either - just the standard leather seats which are quite sporty and nicely bolstered. I've been driving long distance in it (6h+) and I was still fresh at the end. Not something I can say about the E90 after about same time. But that could just be me. IMO, Alfa is a better long distance cruiser than E90.

[Firm]

Congrats! Its a good looking car, and I bet it's nice to have your own wheels when you travel over there. Do you have someone that keeps it up while you're gone? As you know, if it sits totally unused most of the year it's going to give you trouble.

[Dante]

Congrats! Its a good looking car, and I bet it's nice to have your own wheels when you travel over there. Do you have someone that keeps it up while you're gone? As you know, if it sits totally unused most of the year it's going to give you trouble.

Yeah, this was a consideration but I do have family members which will be moving it from time to time. I also have a cousin close by with a home shop where I can do little jobs if need be.
The only set back from my original plan was that it didn't fit in the garage with enough room to walk in front of it so I have to keep it outside covered.   

[Dante]

One oddity with this car is the position of the engine air filter which is in the void in front of the right front wheel.
To get access to the box you have to raise the car and work from underneath... Not something that the average Joe would normally do I would imagine  .

Another is the front of the car is very low to the ground so you have to be very careful driving on uneven surfaces (very common occurrence over there).

[Firm]

Air filter placements are getting whacky....My XKR has them in front of the wheels too, one on each side, but to access them you need to remove (or at least partially remove) the fender liners. Kinda ridiculous.

First step in replacing the Cabin filter in the Maserati is "remove wiper arms".

[Johnnymac]

Definitely a cool looking sedan.  So you mentioned it is t your "ideal" spec, so what would the ideal spec have been for you? 

[Dante]

Definitely a cool looking sedan.  So you mentioned it is t your "ideal" spec, so what would the ideal spec have been for you? 

This would've been my ideal spec but with the 170hp to be whole (same engine with a different tune).

https://www.autovit.ro/autoturisme/anunt/alfa-romeo-159-ver-sportwagon-2-0-jtdm-16v-dpf-turismo-ID7HHbLJ.html

In fact I briefly spoke with the seller at the time but then he "disappeared" when I asked him if he agrees to take it to a local shop of my choosing for an inspection. He pulled it off the site shortly after and few days ago resurfaced with a lower price (few months back he was asking 4,900 Euro).

There is a lot of this going on over there in used market, especially at lower prices, where people try to sell cars with hidden defects and in general poor condition and in many cases they succeed. Rolling back the km is also a common practice from what I've learned in the process.

It was revealing for me to find out that when you shop under 5,000 bracket you shouldn't ask too many questions as you should have low expectations. An this is not a country with generally rich population.

LOL...When some of the friends & family heard what I got and what I paid for the car, they asked me if it runs    When they saw the car, they were surprised of the condition and that is actually running very well...

Lots of them don't have first hand experience and don't know to look beyond numbers and anecdotes when it comes to cars although they all have an opinion because they've "heard" things

[Dante]

Air filter placements are getting whacky....My XKR has them in front of the wheels too, one on each side, but to access them you need to remove (or at least partially remove) the fender liners. Kinda ridiculous.

First step in replacing the Cabin filter in the Maserati is "remove wiper arms".

I guess with some brands, they assumed people would take them to the shop for everything rather than DIY anything.

With Alfa, you need to open the air box cover from the bottom (6-8 screws or so). It's also a bad location for the box due to the risk of getting damaged from road debris or hitting things (it's towards the lowest point, which is really low) and then sucking water in.

[RRocket]

Nice ride, man!!

[Dante]

Few more tidbits about the car...

It was buit on a GM/Fiat platform that was supposed to be used for some future Caddy models  among others. The platform was designed for larger cars and as a result it ended up being heavier than intended. In the end only Alfa 159 used this platform.

With 2009 facelift Alfa put it on a bit of a diet and dropped around 45 kg or so by using more aluminum plus new Fiat engine(s) and transmission (before they used mainly GM/Saab/Opel powertrains).

The rear suspension looks different than what I'm familiar with. I wonder if it resembles to anything sold here (?!)

The front is a double-wishbone setup with both arms aluminum. I didn't snap any pictures of the front suspension but it's pretty straight forward.The oil pan is aluminum as well.
The front control arms are rather pricey as a result - lower is about $300 and upper about $150 (tax in) from Lemforder. There are many other aftermarket options though for as much as half-price.

[Blueprint]

Very nice toy! Congrats!

[HannibalSmith]

Nice!

[TheHire]

This is really cool, I like them a lot!