Thoughts on the Alfa 164?

I have driven a '94 164LS just over 5 months every day without a hitch. Of course when I purchased the car I had some maintenance completed, installed a new radiator, tires, a few other odds/ends some of which were necessary and some were not, like having the LCD readout for the climate control repaired. The cam belt/de-tensioner and brakes were done by the PO right before I bought it. I commute 62 miles round trip (most all on the freeway) to and from the office everyday so I am going to hopefully rack up the miles on this one.

So far I can say the car is a very comfortable and safe sedan with quite good build quality. The 3.0L double over head cam four valve engine is smooth throughout the rev range right up to red line. So far it has proved a reliable and comfortable daily driver. I bought this example with 134K miles and I am hoping to get another 100K on it and then move on. My Alfa Romeo mechanic friend told me several of his clients have logged well over 200K miles on their 164's without any major issues. I believe it all depends on how one maintains, or if they maintain their cars at all. The main down side I see in 164 ownership is the lack of spares and with the miles I am racking up on this one I don't expect to own it for much over three years into the future from this point. Lastly the 164 is of course a front wheel drive and rather large sedan so the their has always been the debate amongst Alfista if it is a genuine Alfa Romeo or not.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Short answer, Great car. Pretty Damn dependable and can be bought for a song. You have to be a lover of the Italian iron though to fully appreciate it.
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I love my 164s.I have had 4 of them over the last 16 years and can say they are good daily drivers.
You can get most of the parts from ARDONA or whatever they call themselves now as long as you have a part number.The 1994 24 valve was as reliable as a truck until the gearbox went out
at 135,000.Its not a collector car and never will be.Its just nice 1980-1990s transportation with
a little bit of FIAT/Alfa style.I like the GTV 6s better if you want a Alfa V6.I have 2 along with several other Italian sportscars.
Here is one of my GTV6s.The other is a Balocco SE.
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If you really want an Alfa, wait a year and a half. They are coming back to US with a sedan.

 

One of my 164s in downtown Chicago.Its still my daily driver!!!!
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All very nice cars here by the way! Go back and compare the 164 styling to the BMW 5 series of the day or the MB of the day.
Pininfarina's styling of the 164 is unmatched and they still look good some 17yrs later.

 

I have a spare 1991 164 engine block for sale, complete but need bottom end rebuild.

We sold the car with a new motor but still have the original complete block.