Thats a terrible reason to cut a car from a shortlist, theres a reason theres loads on the roads and imo great cars. They're cheap to run and maintain and the diesel engines go forever. They may not be very desirible but for the money they cant be sniffed at. Regarding Alfa im sure i read somewhere that from 05 onwards some germans got involved in the business somewhere and as such the quality/reliability has increased massively. Id still love to get a 156 GTA but they seem to have gone back up in price from a year ago
So you'd buy a car you don't want? That makes no sense at all. Its a massive investment and you should spend your money wisely based on what you want (or desire). There are very few better reasons for not buying something than "I don't want it"
I didnt say id buy a car i didnt want, i was saying if i was looking to buy a newer car, and was looking at saab 9-3s, x-types, the mondeo would obviously be in shortlist of cars to look at aswell. I might not go for the mondeo but i certainly wouldnt refuse it because its too common!
I wasn't aware you could get the vRS in diesel. I realise thats not been stated as an absolute requirement but in terms of economy the 2.0t gets nothing like the 1.9tid fiat engine. To be honest it gets no more than my 9-5 which sits nicely in 30-35mpg. Having said that I really liked the way the vRS handled, I just wasn't keen on the interior. Fair enough... All i'm saying is that I wouldn't even have it on my shortlist because I don't want one. Its the same as saying I don't want a petrol car... there are plenty of great petrol engines out there blah blah blah. Its entirely subjective.
Alfa 159 is pure Win. Big fan of everything Fiat/Alfa here (except for that red F1 team... ) I personally own a Fiat Bravo 1.4l Turbo 150bhp. Good fun. As a Mr Clarkson said in a review "In order to want the Bravo, you have to want something that's not quite as good as a Golf. Except in driving feeling and looks. I am eyeing those Alfa Giulliettas (the QV ones, specifically) very intimately now, as I have driven an Alfa 147, a 159 and a MiTo recently, and they're all GREAT (even though the 147's are apparently a bit... erm... shiny and brite (do you speak micra?) i.t.o. reliability.
That's fair enough. However your original post came across as meaning that there being plenty of mondeos on the road as a bad thing. They're a great car, and thats why they're popular.
Well yeh, for me it is a bad thing, thats why it's subjective... its also a pain as i'd end up with a jag that is no better than a Mondeo but pay more for it!! More fool me I guess!
Actually the X-type is a better car, but not by much. Basically, the soundproofing is better, and the front door/window seals are better so there is less road noise, plus they come with better toys. Some of the V6 versions are AWD, but the setup can be transplanted to an ST220....
