1995 ALFA ROMEO ALFA 146 1.7 I.E.16V - EUROPEAN IMPORT US TITLED

 

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Vehicle is currently located in Tucson, AZ - We are always available and happy to assist with shipping.

This vehicle has been legally imported into the US under the 25-year-old NHTSA Exemption import law. It comes complete with all correct import documents (Customs Clearance, EPA, NHTSA/DOT exemption forms and original AZ title ready to be transferred to the new owner.

NOTE TO CALIFORNIA CUSTOMERS: Please note that this vehicle cannot be registered legally in California without extensive emission compliance work. There are Companies that do offer this service but the time and financial resources necessary to accomplish this task might well exceed the value of the vehicle. We also strongly discourage registration in Hawaii as the process has been notoriously difficult for these kind of vehicles.

We have imported many cars in the US. We just love to do it! For more information see our website: www.xpecialmotors.com/carimport

 

Here below you will find 440+ photos, 8 videos and a very detailed description. You should have enough elements to get a very good idea on how this car looks and feels. We value your time and interest and we are positive you will do the same. Should you have any other questions do not hesitate to get in touch via Ebay messenger or via e-mail: info@xpecialmotors.com

 

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE 400 PHOTO GALLERY ON A SEPARATE WINDOW OR JUST SCROLL DOWN TO SEE IT IN THE EBAY LISTING

 

DESCRIPTION

This is probably the only Alfa 146 in the US. It features the last expression of the famous Alfa Romeo Boxer engine that debuted many decades ago. The Alfa 146 debuted in 1995 and was produced until 2001 in Italy. The cars were originally designed by Chris Bangle (Alfa 145) and Centro Stile Alfa Romeo under Walter de Silva's supervision (Alfa 146)

This 1995 Alfa Romeo 146 was imported to the US from The Netherlands in October 2020.
The car is finished in metallic Rosso Proteo 195. Its 1.7 liter 16V 4-cyl boxer sends power to the front wheels through a five-speed manual gearbox.

This car has the following factory installed features:

Front fog lights
Color matching side skirts
Exclusive design cloth style sport seats with Alfa Romeo logo pattern
Driver Airbag
Exclusive 5-hole Alfa Romeo alloy wheels on 195/55 R 15 tires
Power steering
Power locks
Power windows (front and rear)
Tilt wheel
Delay intermittent wipers
Rear defroster
Rear window wiper
Rear wing
Donut size Alfa Romeo spare tire with Genuine Alfa Romeo jack in the trunk.

This Alfa Romeo DOES NOT HAVE A/C  - Not an included factory option on this example.

 

EXTERIOR

The car paint is overall in very good condition. The paint is believed to be original on most panels.
Being 27 y.o. the paint has some imperfections, dings, scratches and scuffs.
Some chips have been touched-up by hand.

All small imperfections on paint/body are shown on the photographs.

All trim sections are present.
No major dents or major rips in the front and rear bumper other than the regular wear you would expect from a 25+old car.
The Alfa Romeo front grille is brand new.

Chassis and wheel wells are mostly rust free and still wear the factory paint and undercoating. A very good thing to note is that late production Alfa do not suffer from the big rust problems as much of their ancestors, as their frames are galvanized.

The undercarriage is in great shape. No abnormal tar or oil traces.

However, the car is not perfect. There are some traces and points of rust in the front bottom and on the suspension springs as the car spent most of its life in the Netherlands. Please see pictures for more details.

The roof is clean and in great shape. All glass is original Alfa Romeo Stamped OEM and it is in perfect shape. There are some microscopic sized chips on the windshield that do not bother the viewing area.

This car is 27 years old. Please have reasonable expectations.

 

INTERIOR

The car interior is in great shape for the age and mileage. It is a fun, simple and streamlined interior, reminiscent of a simpler motoring era. It has a spacious and uniquely Italian interior. The seating position in the Alfa 146 is very typical of this model and overall very pleasant. The pedals are slightly left of the center axis and great for double clutching/heel and toeing.

All components inside are present, nothing is missing, broken or damaged. All controls and switches are individually tested and are all in working order.

The dashboard has no cracks and/or dings. Cluster lights are working correctly but I believe some lights are not turning off all the time. Glove box is clean and it closes perfectly.

This Alfa 146 features gray cloth sporty style front seats with Alfa Romeo embroidery. All seats are in perfect working condition, free of rips and tears and they all have been professionally vacuumed, dry cleaned with specific car upholstery cleaning products and plastic covered for extra protection until delivery.

The rear seats in the 146 are split two thirds one third which is also very handy and the rear head rests removable so you get a comparatively flat load area.

The carpeted floor has been completely washed, dried and detailed to look as new as possible It is covered with plastic protector until the car gets delivered. Headliner is clean and in great shape.

Steering wheel is in very good shape.

All door panels are in great shape for the age. No major cracks no tears, major rips, on any of 4 the panels. There are some rips on the bottom of the driver's side door panel (see photos) and the door handle trim on the passenger's side door has  a crack (again, see photos) All panels and door jams have been cleaned and detailed.

All power windows, central lock, front courtesy lights, fan, heating, wipers options work.
Rear trunk light is not operative.

 

ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION

This is the last evolution of the famous Alfa Romeo Boxer engine with a quad-cam 16 valves and very interesting design ideas that came with it since its inception

Power comes from the 1.7L 16V fuel injected famous and reliable 4-cylinder Alfa Romeo boxer engine.
Although 129 HP might not sound like much by today's standards they all feel there on this nimble compact Alfa weighing a mere 2,700 lbs.

This 146 has great handling and great vehicle dynamics. It has a fast and direct turning radius, lower center of gravity, lower hood line, and it is an incredibly fun to drive car.

Engine starts beautifully and the sound of this classic Alfa Romeo 4-cylinder boxer engine is great music to anyone's ears. Idling speed is correct and stable with the typical small burbling and vibration of the boxer engine. The car accelerates smoothly, with the peculiar and very throaty Alfa sound. There are no engine knocks or hesitation of any sort. The 5-speed manual transmission shifts gears perfectly. Clutch pedal is smooth. No major front or rear noises at all.
The engine compartment has been cleaned  and it shows no major signs of missing or displaced parts, just regular wear and tear.

The car gets into operating temperature correctly, radiator fan engages at the right temperature.

According to the previous owner, original listing and attached sticker that was included with the sale (now dislodged) the timing belt/water pump service was performed in 2018 at 121,970 kms.

The car was serviced here in the US while under our ownership.

Work performed in the US -  March 2021 include:

•    Replaced valve cover gasket left and right banks
•    New oil and filter
•    New air filter
•    New fuel filter and check fuel lines
•    New rear hatch struts
•    Replaced power steering return hose
•    Replaced coolant line T-hose
•    New rotors front and back
•    New front and rear brake pads
•    New battery
•    Accessory belt inspection

Work performed in the US - October 2021 include:

•    New front wipers
•    Inspected and cleaned all tail lights and connections
•    New radiator (as preventive maintenance)
•    New thermostat (as preventive maintenance)
•    New radiator fan switch (as preventive maintenance)
•    New genuine Alfa Romeo gear lever assembly
•    New genuine Alfa Romeo front doors lock mechanisms
•    Fuel lines inspection

WHEELS, TIRES & BRAKES

Stock tire sizes are 195/55 on 15 inch 5-hole alloy rims. rims are in great shape, however one wheel has a few dings (see photos)

Tires have good theread, however they have a manufacture date of 2014.

This Alfa 146 has independent brake circuits with servo assistance that incorporate the front discs and rear discs.

Original compact size spare tire and jack in the trunk

WHAT IT'S NOT 100%

We have owned this car for a while and took pleasure in slowly fixing and updating what we wanted. Car runs very well, however down the road, the suspensions and various rubber inserts will probably need to be slowly looked at as some of the components are sometimes squeaky on speed bumps. Not all the cluster/climate illumination work. The trunk light does not turn on. The hazard switch does not always work. Not sure why. We did not spend time investigating this minor issue. As mentioned above there are some traces of rust as the car has spent 25 years of its life in the Netherlands. There is some rust on the springs and on the front undercarriage (see pictures)

 

PARTS, MAINTENANCE, AND DRIVING EXPERIENCE

The driving experience on this Alfa 146 is excellent. With its very low to the ground seating position and a moderately stiff ride it is a real blast to drive on twisty roads. The 146 has always been widely praised for its handling, particularly the sharp, responsive steering.

The weight distribution makes it like a dream around the bends and the sound and the smell of that flat four is very endearing

Maintenance on this Alfa 146 is relatively simple. There are not many complicated electronics parts.  Parts are very reasonably priced and can be easily found online. UK, France, Germany and Italy are usually the best countries to sources for parts. Stateside, Alfissimo in California, Di Fatta Bros. in Maryland and Center Line Alfa Romeo in Lafayette, CO are also usually a big help when it comes to Alfa Romeo Genuine Parts. With the sale you will receive a series of PDFs manuals, maintenance books, technical magazines and service books that will help the new owner with virtually anything maintenance related.

 

EXTRAS

This car is sold and delivered with the following extras:

- Set of spare parts:  previous radiator, extra Alfa Romeo rear wing, assorted Alfa Romeo keys, set of door rubber seals, etc. (see pictures)

- 850-page Alfa Romeo Factory Alfa 146 workshop manual in PDF and other Alfa Romeo PDF inserts and literature.

- Engine drawings, Technical sheets, Advertising photos, Press releases, Spare parts catalogue, Spare parts supplier and Alfa 146 specific forums list

- New owner information package which contains a lot of information about your new car: Maintenance Info, Car Care Tips, internet resources, Press Articles,  ALFA ROMEO OEM Parts Identifier, Service Manuals, etc. We took the hassle out of looking for resources about your new vehicle so you have the time concentrating driving and enjoying your new car instead of looking for web addresses, info and crazy spare parts numbers and codes!

 

NOTES/CONCLUSION

This car is well preserved, all stock, no modifications. We have done a lot of maintenance ourselves. There are more details than can/have to be addressed to make it perfect.  It is a compact and wonderful entry level classic special series Alfa Romeo, guaranteed to attract fond admiration anywhere you take it!

This 1995 ALFA 146 is sold as-is with no warranties expressed or implied.

 

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VIDEO GALLERY

 

 

1995 ALFA 146 1.7 16v - Overall view and walk around

 

 

 

1995 ALFA 146 1.7 16v - Cold start - Interior view

 

 

 

1995 ALFA 146 1.7 16v - Cold start - Exterior view

 

 

 

1995 ALFA 146 1.7 16v - Cold engine running

 

 

 

1995 ALFA 146 1.7 16v - Warm Engine running

 

 

 

1995 ALFA 146 1.7 16v - Warm Engine running - Radiator fan engages

 

 

 

1995 ALFA 146 1.7 16v - Drive with us

 

 

 

1995 ALFA 146 1.7 16v - Interior functions

 

 

 

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PHOTO GALLERY