Used Alfa Romeo 166 1999 review and buying guide (1999 to 2005): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Alfa Romeo 166 (1999 to 2005) should you buy?

The V6 is the lesser risk in a 166, because the early belt failures that hit this car belong to the four-cylinder 2.0 Twin Spark and don't reach the V6. On the Twin Spark, the belt, tensioner and idler pulleys can let go from 25,000 miles, and since it's an interference engine, a snapped belt usually smashes the valves and often ruins the whole engine.

Lesser risk isn't the same as proven, though. Beyond a strict belt service (belt, tensioners and water pump every 48,000 miles or four years, whichever comes first) and an appetite for front tyres, there's little on the V6 either way, so it's a pick by elimination. The 2.0 Twin Spark is the one to approach most carefully, as its oil pump carries a warning too.

There's no sign the later cars, built up to 2005, shed the belt or oil pump problems, so judge each car on its receipts rather than its year. Early UK cars were recalled in 2001 because the power steering could lose its hydraulic assistance, and the fix was a new oil cooler and a refill of the system.

Which Alfa Romeo 166 (1999 to 2005) engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The 2.5, 3.0 and 3.2 V6 engines are the lesser risk in a 166, as the early belt failure that hits the four-cylinder doesn't extend to them. Their belt service is strict, though: belt, tensioners and water pump every 48,000 miles or four years, whichever's sooner, with a metal-impeller pump fitted as the replacement. An overdue V6 needs that job done before anything else.

Treat the 2.0 Twin Spark with care. After a run of failures, Alfa halved its belt interval from 72,000 to 36,000 miles or four years, set out in a September 2002 bulletin. The belt also turns the water pump, so a seized pump can throw it, and since the valves get hit when the belt goes, the damage isn't small.

That 2.0 engine has a second weak point: its oil pump can fail, and when it does the big-end bearings go with it, so a Twin Spark carries two engine-killing risks rather than one. The only transmission warning concerns the manual clutch pedal, which can develop play, so press it a few times and feel for slack before it bites.

What should you check when viewing a used Alfa Romeo 166 (1999 to 2005)?

Belt paperwork comes first, and it's the one thing not to compromise on. On a 2.0 Twin Spark, ask for a dated receipt showing the belt, tensioner and pulleys were renewed no more than 36,000 miles or four years ago; on a V6, the belt, tensioners and water pump inside 48,000 miles or four years. No receipt means having the job done straight away, before the car's driven any distance.

With the bonnet up and the engine running, listen at the belt end for a rattle or whirring, and look around the water pump for weeping coolant. On a Twin Spark, the engine cutting out suddenly and refusing to restart is how a belt failure shows itself. For early cars, ask for proof the power steering recall was done, and check the steering stays light at low speed.

Look hard at all four tyres. V6 cars get through their fronts quickly, and some 166s have worn out a set of rears within 5,000 miles because the tracking was badly out from new, so tyres worn far beyond what the mileage suggests mean the alignment needs setting properly. Check both xenon headlights work, and look over the chrome trim for pitting.

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

What does a used Alfa Romeo 166 1999 cost to run?