Used Alfa Romeo 159 review and buying guide (2005 to 2011): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Alfa Romeo 159 should you buy?

A 2.4 JTDm diesel is the lesser risk in the 159 range, because neither of the two High known faults on this car touches it. One hits the timing chain on the 1.9 and 2.2 JTS petrols, the other the M32 manual gearbox behind the 1.9 JTDm. That doesn't make the 2.4 trouble-free: there's little on record for it, which isn't the same as a clean record, and one owner's belt failed at 66,000 miles.

The 159 was only ever sold as one generation, from 2005 to 2011, so the engine and its paperwork matter far more than the year. The 2.0 JTD is the other diesel without a High fault against it, though its dual-mass flywheel has been reported failing the same way it does on the Insignia that shares its drivetrain. On a 2005 to 2007 car, check the recall work was done.

Only buy a JTS petrol with receipts showing frequent oil changes, since sludge is what stops the chain tensioner working, and the chain stretches between 40,000 and 80,000 miles. A 1.9 JTDm with a manual gearbox is the one to be most wary of: on top of the M32 bearing fault, it's the diesel with the longest list of problems on record, from swirl flaps to the EGR valve and DPF.

Which Alfa Romeo 159 engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

No 159 engine comes out clean, so treat the 2.4 JTDm as the lesser risk and judge it on its belt paperwork. One owner paid £613 to have the belt and water pump replaced on theirs, and another's belt failed at 66,000 miles. A single report also says oil pumps for this engine couldn't be found anywhere in Europe at one point, so parts supply isn't guaranteed.

The 1.9 and 2.2 JTS petrols carry a High known fault: oil sludge blocks the hydraulic tensioner, the timing chain stretches, and it shows between 40,000 and 80,000 miles. One report blames 20,000-mile service gaps and reckons oil changes every 10,000 miles are more realistic. That same report puts the 3.2 petrol's chain in the same boat, so don't treat the bigger engine as the way round it.

Don't buy a 1.9 JTDm with a manual gearbox unless it passes the gearbox test. Its M32 six-speed has a High known fault where the bearings go, bringing a loud whine in fifth and sixth and a lever that moves as you accelerate or lift off. The engine itself has a long list against it too: sooted swirl flaps, EGR valves, choked DPFs, oil pumps, dual-mass flywheels and turbos.

The 2.0 JTD sits in between. It hasn't got a High fault, but its dual-mass flywheel has been reported going the way the Insignia's does, and one owner's Sportwagon developed a flat spot that was put down to a clogged EGR valve. On the TBI petrol, one owner found the transmission sticking when reversing uphill, along with a strong smell of clutch.

What should you check when viewing a used Alfa Romeo 159?

Hear the engine start from cold, because a rattle on a 1.9 or 2.2 JTS is the first sign of a stretched timing chain, along with an engine warning light, a loss of power or a rough idle. Ask for receipts showing the oil's been changed at short gaps, not just stamps at the long factory intervals. If the seller won't let you hear it cold, that tells you something.

On a 1.9 JTDm manual, hold fifth and sixth for a while and listen for a whine, then watch the gear lever as you accelerate and back off in first and fifth; if it moves, the bearings are failing. On any 1.9 JTDm, ask for the cambelt and water pump receipt, as specialists want it done every 72,000 miles or 5 years. A seized pump can throw the belt and wreck the engine.

Get a look underneath. One report describes front subframes rusting through poor factory paint badly enough to fail MOTs, with patchy underseal letting rust start on the floorpans. Check the inner shoulders of both front tyres too, since heavy wear there is on record and it's been linked to the front toe setting. On a diesel, ask whether the brakes have ever felt as if they'd gone; an intermittent servo fault is on record, and a new master cylinder cured it on some cars.

Two recalls came out in 2007, so ask for proof they were done on an early car. The first covered cars from 2005 to 2007 with a fault that could lead to a loss of control, and the second a small batch of 2007 cars whose brakes could fail. With the bonnet up, look where the radiator hoses pass the fan housing, as they've been reported chafing there.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

Should you buy an Alfa Romeo 159 939 series (2005 to 2011)?

Yes, if it's a 2.4 JTDm or 2.0 JTD with its paperwork, because the two High known faults on the 939 series land on the JTS petrols and the 1.9 JTDm manual. The 1.9 diesel's described as a lovely thing to drive, and that's the trap: it's the engine with the most failures on record, and the M32 gearbox it's paired with in manual form is the one whose bearings fail.

On the JTS petrols the timing chain is what goes, stretching between 40,000 and 80,000 miles once sludge has blocked its tensioner. On the 1.9 JTDm, the water pump runs off the belt and can seize and throw it, wrecking the engine. Its swirl flaps can soot up and jam too, leaving the car smoking or short of power, and fixing it properly means a new inlet manifold in a job that can take six hours.

Owners have reported smaller faults as well. One 2010 car's speedometer stopped working at 37,000 miles while the mileometer carried on, one 1.9 JTDm had both keys intermittently failing to switch off the immobiliser, and one car lost its rear spoiler at speed because too little glue held one side on. None of these is a known fault, but they're worth asking about when you test the electrics and look round the bodywork.

What does a used Alfa Romeo 159 cost to run?