Would it be an exaggeration to say that? Alfa Romeo owes its survival to the 164? Definitely to some extent. With its high build quality and well-thought-out ergonomics, it even conquered the business market and pulled the entire brand out of the doldrums. Nowadays, the front or four-wheel drive top model faces the threat of extinction, but that cannot be blamed on the product itself.
Text & photography: Aart van der Haagen, archive • Technical support: Arie Vreugdenhil (A-Repair)
Up or down. That's it for Alfa Romeo at the introduction of the 164 at the IAA Frankfurt in 1987. The new flagship had to succeed and put the manufacturer recently taken over by Fiat back on the map, after the difficult XNUMXs with quality problems and the aftermath in the following decade.
To be on the safe side and to eliminate teething problems, the newly appointed management even postponed the introduction to export markets for a year, also because Italian customers were filling up their order books en masse.
The 164 succeeded and how. A production number of 273.857 units was for one Alfa a world achievement in the higher sedan segment and even the outdated 33 and 75 benefited from this, which attracted renewed interest. Suddenly the business market found its way to the illustrious, yet often criticized brand from Milan on a large scale and leasing companies dared to calculate their rates relatively competitively. Previously an unthinkable situation.
Very best
Put all prejudices about Italians and shoddy product quality aside. Here we have a car that proves the opposite. Connoisseurs know that the 164 is among the very best Alfa Romeos belong to history and anyone who considers that to be 'relative' should know that the list of weak spots is very short and rust barely has a hold on this ravishing sedan of Pininfarina design.
The fact that buyers at the time mainly complained about some wind noise says it all: there was virtually nothing else to complain about. Is it all hosanna then? Unfortunately not, which is purely due to the disastrous parts supply. Even for things like shock absorbers and cooling system components, you have to dig deep into the network of collectors and specialists to keep such a car on the road. Without any reservations, this is where the biggest source of concern for an owner lies, making possible daily use a challenge.
De Alfa 164 in itself would be perfect for this, thanks to its reliable technology, comfortable suspension and seats, excellent power steering and excellent road holding. The business market of about thirty years ago knows all about this.
Enjoy the extensive purchasing advice that we published in the January issue. With all known weaknesses, purchasing advice, extensive technical data, reference work, specialists. Everything you need if you want to buy one, are looking for one or one Alfa Romeo owns 164. The January issue is now on newsstands.
Had a new condition, or. NL copy, QV, 4-wheel drive, with all possible options, as well as the 6-sport gearbox. Antacite, with black perforated leather. Needed a more practical car, put it up for sale, and guess what;
The Dutch are too cheap to spend money on a nice car. The car was bought by an American, who gave the asking price. So it's a shame that many beautiful people go abroad!
I imported my Croma TDID from '96 (a 'sister' of the 164) from Italy 6 years ago, but my Fiat/Alfa/Lancia specialist from Soest (formerly Eemnes) always knows what to find in a short time. Exhaust, headlights, clignoteurs, radiator, ball joints, control arm rubbers, brakes, etc.
I myself have gone through http://WWW.SUBITO.IT managed to arrange a (new!) towbar and other chairs / sofa / door panels.
The parts problem doesn't just affect the Alfa 164 and its direct brothers from Lancia, and Fiat, but many cars of this generation for the simple reason that when the accountants started worrying about storage costs of parts, masses of parts simply ended up on people's laps after the mandatory delivery periods (or discarded for non-metallic parts). Dealers also have nothing left because there are simply no dealers left from that time (Alfa dealers with a contract longer than 5 years can be counted on 2 hands throughout Europe) so old dealer warehouses are no longer there. Shame.
Thom
As an enthusiast, I once had a 100 Audi 1974 coupe.
At the time (and now) not even a single wear part was available anymore.
Then it becomes more of a life task instead of a hobby to keep such a car.
Since then, I have always researched the available parts before purchasing a new classic.
It's a shame, because a lot of beautiful things will definitely disappear in this way.
One had a dark green 164 with a 2.0 liter engine. Bought in The Hague. Had it for a short time with my son and had it polished to a high gloss, beautiful new Borbet rims with brand new tires. Unfortunately stolen in front of our house for a short time. Silently very carried away or something in the night. Sad and sad. My son and I still remain in love with it. Ruud
I drove it for 4+ years with great pleasure and without any problems, but when the power steering showed a leak at 98.000 km, the leasing company no longer allowed me to drive it, because it was at the end of the lease term. So unfortunately hand it in.
The Lancia was called Thema and the 4 models did not share the chassis, but the platform. As far as I know, no body part of a 164 is 1 to 1 interchangeable with another car from the Tipo Quattro quartet 🙂
It was worth mentioning that the 164 shared its chassis and part of the bodywork with the Croma from parent Fiat and the fantastic Saab 9000 and 'sister' Lancia, the Trema (which was also available with a Ferrari engine).
I always thought they were sleek cars. I never suspected, let alone knew, that the supply of parts was such a problem. Very unfortunate of course. I have never seen a four-wheel drive one myself.