stu83

Used to get around 320 max before it needed filling in my TSI, it'd usually warn me around 280-300 miles. My majority of my driving is a crap commute though.

Meh, it's put a much bigger smile on my face in the last month than the Octavia did over 18 months, so it's worth it. My Octavia went wrong twice in this time, so it'll be interesting to see how the Alfa fares. The Alfa also came in at number 3 in the "best cars to own", which considering the scarcity of them on the roads is pretty damned impressive.

Just like you make use of the heated rear window to warm your hands as you're pushing your broken down Skoda It's not only Alfa who has a reputation best left in the past!

The same happened to me @butchvrs, I just couldn't gel with the car or get excited about driving it. I started to nit-pick at it and almost start to resent it weirdly. Almost swapped it three times in the 18 months I owned it. Ended up trading it in towards a new Alfa Giulia Veloce last month, which has re-ignited my love of cars ... Both driving and detailing.

They're really good. The snowfoam doesn't dwell all that much, but it cleans well and doesn't take off wax etc. The wheel cleaner and iron fallout removers are both very good. Not tried the shampoo - I've used autoglym conditioning shampoo for as long as I can remember. Might be time for a change.

Yes, another Bilt Hamber fan

Yep, I've pretty much always owned fast cars, and not because I drive everywhere at 10/10ths, as I don't. There's something nice about knowing the power's there should you wish to use it, and having something more special than the run-of-the-mill models, both in looks and performance. The sporty / higher end models usually have better components too, ie multi link rear suspension, upgraded brakes etc which I feel makes them better to drive on a daily basis ... And you don't have to drive them fast to reap those benefits. For that I'm more than willing to put up with the little higher running costs. Just my opinion.

Do it, it's worth it for the extra wheel protection alone!

Yeah, I had a GT a few years back and it let me down frequently. Still loved it though. I think Alfa are in a different place now, and thankfully if the worst happens I have 3 years of warranty and breakdown included . They're aiming for a higher segment now and general consensus is that they're as solid and reliable as any German rival ... Not that it says much with the number of failures BMW and Audi drivers face! Agree again with the dealer network - thankfully I live near(ish) to the UKs best Alfa dealer, Beechdale in Derby, where I've bought mine from. I'm only 20 mins from Research Garage in Nuneaton too who are also reportedly fairly decent.

I'd say mine at the moment is a handsome car ... I think JohnnyType2 was commenting on YMe's comparison. Definitely have no issue with the way my Octy looks or goes ... It had a Shark remap to 288bhp / 467NM after all! If everyone liked the same things then the world would be a very boring place.

Yep, the Octavia is a very VERY good car in vRS form, but the Alfa is a different proposition altogether. It's just different too, hardly seen any on the road and only one Veloce.

It's absolutely bloody brilliant, especially on congested motorways (M42 from 9-10 during the evening). You can just set a distance, set the max speed, and semi-relax. Takes a while to trust it, but once you do you'll love it. I will really miss it.

How about the looks, the spec, the chassis, the build quality, the Italian leather, the attention to detail? The fact they wanted to keep weight down so it has a carbon fibre prop-shaft? Dare I say the soul, the passion? The fact it's RWD? There's a night and day difference sitting in and driving them both, and I'm coming from a really highly spec'd VRS 230.

I'll post some pics over the weekend once I've got it back home. Its a shame it didn't work out with the Octavia, just really didn't connect with it unfortunately. First stop on Sat is Shark Performance to get the remap removed - thought it's the least I should do even though I'm trading it in. Didn't like the idea of someone unknowingly buying a remapped car.

Thanks. It was an amazing offer - they are MUCH cheaper than you'd expect with dealer discounts, finance contributions etc. I actually didn't go in with the intention of buying one, but the deal was so good and financially it just made really good sense. Lovely car to drive, it really is at 3 Series / A4 quality levels.

The red calipers and the red leather interior really set it off

Yep, it is. It was in stock at the dealer ready to go. Not even registered yet!

Cheers everyone! I've got some bits in the garage if anyone wants them for free: White MK3 VRS spoiler - few scrapes on the paint from when I decided to have it vinyl wrapped by Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. MK3 VRS 230 (Pre-FL) original suspension springs - from when I swapped them out with the Eibach sportlines. Both are free to anyone who wants to collect from B77 or from my work address in B10. I know this should be in the for sale section (please don't be angry mods) but I'm giving them away and no longer a Freedom member ... And probably not going to renew due to the subject of this thread!

280 rampaging Italian stallions! Apparently it's more like 300-310 with the cars they've had on rolling roads. Really looking forward to it - came from an older Alfa to the Skoda and loved it.

Well it's happened. The Octavia is going. A few things had been bugging me about it recently, notably the jerkiness of the DSG box and how it had a life of its own, various rattles which have appeared and can't be tracked down, the road noise etc ... So I decided to start having a look around at the market out of interest. Turns out my 230 is worth a lot more than I thought. Since I financed it with cash and a personal loan I had a lot of equity in it. Adding to that an amazing PCP deal I've secured I've traded the Skoda in for a brand new Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce in Stromboli grey. Always wanted another Alfa and the price was an absolute steal. Managed to get a brand new one in stock in the spec I wanted for about £7k off list, plus another £2500 dealer contribution. Add to that a really good offer for my car and I've ended up freeing up enough cash from the deal to pay off the remainder of the bill for my upcoming wedding ... So winner all around. It goes next weekend, and I will probably miss it a bit, but damn the Alfa is gorgeous and drives so well! I may still lurk around here, and after being a member of numerous car owner forums over the years I can honestly say you guys are by far the most helpful and friendly. All the best guys! Stuart

I've got a lovely Pre-FL 230 with the diff, fully loaded with Columbus MIB2, android auto, heated windscreen, washer jets and front and rear seats, adaptive cruise, lane assist etc etc ... Bought it used to save on the huge depreciation and saved a fortune. It would have been over £34k new at list price! Don't regret it, apart from having a crisis and almost swapping for a megane 275 last summer. It's even better on the eibachs with the Shark custom remap :-)

I ended up going for 235/35 tyres when they were replaced - they actually give some sort of rim protection. Kerbed two of mine pretty badly while I had the standard 225 tyres ... Still waiting to get them properly refurbed.

100% this. Made too many mistakes going cheap / DIY with stuff, ie having my spoiler wrapped local to work and them ruining it completely. And damaging the spoiler in the process. I learned and just bought a pre-painted spoiler. Same with my alloys - they'll be going to a proper company some time this year for a full refurb. Or I'll buy some new ones and sell the current ones for cheap on eBay. For me nowadays the finish and quality are by far the most important things.

Looks very nice. Needs a black spoiler!

Might take you up on that at some time!