Alfa Romeo 156 Price Guide

The Alfa Romeo 156 broke the mould when it launched in 1998. Walter da Silva’s styling, with its cleverly hidden rear door handles and aggressive stance, made every other compact executive look pedestrian. It won the European Car of the Year, and for a brief moment Alfa Romeo was the coolest brand in the car park again.

The Range

Available as a four-door saloon and five-door Sportwagon estate, the 156 launched with 1.8 and 2.0-litre Twin Spark petrols and a 2.5-litre Busso V6 producing 189bhp. The gruff but effective 2.4 JTD five-cylinder diesel arrived in 1999. The 1.6 Twin Spark followed in 2000. The Selespeed automated manual was offered on the 2.0 TS. The 2002 facelift introduced the 2.0 JTS direct-injection engine (less impressive than the Twin Spark it replaced), a more powerful 2.4 JTD, and the 3.2-litre V6 GTA with 247bhp. A final facelift in 2003 restyled the nose and added the excellent 1.9 JTDm diesel. Production ended in 2005 after around 680,000 cars.

What Goes Wrong

The Twin Spark cambelt story is the same as the 147: the factory interval was halved to 36,000 miles after premature failures. Change the belt, tensioner, rollers, and water pump as a set. The 2.0 JTS direct-injection engine was unreliable and suffered emissions problems — avoid it. The 2.5 V6 was thirsty and the car was too softly sprung to exploit it properly. MAF sensor failures cause poor running across the range. Selespeed gearboxes are trouble-prone. The platform rusts underneath, so always inspect on a ramp. Suspension bushes wear quickly, particularly the front upper wishbone and lower arm bushes.

The GTA

The 156 GTA used the same hand-built 3.2 Busso V6 as the 147 GTA, installed in the longer 156 body. Around 4,657 were built (2,984 saloons and 1,673 Sportwagons). The Selespeed was an option but only around six manual Selespeed 156 GTAs were sold in the UK – there’s a reason for that, too. Stick with the manual. Early 305mm front brakes are regularly upgraded to the later 330mm items. The GTA is a flawed diamond that several sources state rewards modification: the right suspension setup, a limited-slip differential, and uprated brakes transform it from a fast but wayward saloon into something genuinely special.