Sometimes I am not sure if my stepdad Mike is more mentor or fellow addict who gave me my first taste. Mike has a passion for what a normie might call hopeless cases. His inventory of project cars includes an old XKE, a Westfalia that’s destined to move with him and my mom to Peru, and an e39 540i that’s been parked under an oak tree for six years.
Mike introduced me to the wide world of being a car guy, and it all started in 2007 when he brought home the first Alfa Romeo I’d ever seen. In this case, it was a red and black 1991 Alfa Romeo 164S sedan with a five-speed manual gearbox. To a 12-year-old me, the 164 was a flamboyant, fast, loud Italian four-door sports car made by a company I’d never heard of but somehow instantly loved. And it only cost Mike $3,000. I was hooked!
Fast forward 13-years to a pandemic-stricken L.A. I was healthy, I’d just graduated college, secured my first pad in L.A., and had landed a fun if not socially distanced job with an exotic car parts supplier in the Valley. So, after lusting for more than a decade, my Dream Alfa was looking more attainable.
On the first trip back home to Sacramento, I finally had The Talk with my stepdad. It was a pitch I must’ve rehearsed a thousand times in my head. And it finally came out something like this:
Hey Mike, you told me if I found a job and came up with three-grand you would think about selling me the Alfa. I got the job and the money. Is the deal still on the table?
His reply:
Sure. It’s yours.
I can’t really put to words what his casual ‘O.K.’ meant to me. The suspense had been eating at me for months and in a blink, I got what I had wanted since I was 12 years old. Holy shit!
I gave him the biggest hug. He tossed me the keys. And together we drove my first dream car all the way to the bank.
Back in L.A., my 30-year old “shoebox” felt like the coolest ride on the road. The Busso, three-liter, 200 horsepower, V6 made a Ferrari-like wail under every bridge and in every tunnel. And even with front-wheel drive, nose-heavy weight distribution, terrible steering lock, and a worn rack, my 164 still managed to blitz canyon roads with enough enthusiasm for me to embarrass a few Caymans. The 164 was the brightest, loudest car I’d owned since my own crapped-out 914 left me stranded roadside for the last time before I waved Auf Wiedersehen. The red and black bodywork, (my favorite color combination) never failed to make an impression.
I suppose it’s key, at this point, to give you a little broader perspective of where the 164 falls in Alfa’s history as well as my own. In 1987, a financially strapped Alfa Romeo unveiled the 164, a car that bore almost no resemblance to its Tipo Quattro stablemates: The Fiat Chroma, Lancia Thema, and Saab 9000. Alfa’s new sedan, the 164 was such a showstopper not only because it shared no obvious body panels with its badge-engineered trans-European counterparts, its bold Pininfarina body was something both as special and as singular as Alfa Romeo’s own iconic shield grille. The 164 was more than a pretty face with Alfa’s legendary Busso V6 under the hood. Jeremy Clarkson even called it the “Alfa Romeo License Loser” in a more contemporary review.
The Busso was a noteworthy engine in that it could only be matched for excitement by Lancia’s Ferrari-sourced 328 V8 in the Thema 8.32. More importantly, unlike Alfas of the 70s or 60s, all 164s were built with galvanized steel, and good weather stripping, so three decades on my car was rust-free.
Yet, when I solicited advice from Facebook Groups or gear heads friends, invariably the comments would come back at me like this:
Where are you going to find parts?
Have the timing belts been done? You are too young! You need something reliable (read: boring)!
Just buy a Toyota!
If you want fun, Miata is always the answer.
On the scale of bad ideas, buying a 30-year old Alfa Romeo for a daily driver ranks somewhere between talking up Chevys in Dearborn and vacationing in Chernobyl. Yet one month in, the Alfa made it to its first oil change – no problems. Even the hot girl at the local O’Reilly Auto Parts who handed me the new Bosch filter took notice of my new whip – and she really didn’t make a habit of noticing anything that wasn’t lifted and ready for Baja.
“Nice car. What is that?”
“It’s an Alfa Romeo. Italian.”
In my mind’s eye that’s when I remember her biting her lower lip. But maybe I’m embellishing a little – though – she did pull out her phone to take a shot of the car for her Insta.
The 164 seemed to strike the ideal balance between reliably, practical four-door transportation and visceral excitement – fun! As commutes go, the daily trips into the Valley were one of the highlights of my day. Two cranks and the V6 fired right up every morning. The shifter was a little sticky at first, that is until the gear oil warmed up, and then the action was precise enough to match that of any Honda. The front aftermarket racing seats were firmly supportive, the clutch forgiving, the symphonic Busso euphoric. The 210 to La Tuna Canyon Road felt like my own bit of Laguna Secca. Really, as far commuter cars go, there wasn’t much more I, or, I’d say any car guy could ask for from the 164.
So, what lay on the horizon then? Living the L.A. dream with the Dream Alfa? As it happens, plenty.
I like it, the 164 always worked for me and those intake runners make it the best looking V6 since, well, ever. S is BeSt too. Looking forward to part due. We need a picture of the 4,000 buttons on the center console and report if all of them still function… 🙂
That instagram picture – I recently (in the last week or two) saw that Lexus LS400 with the Toyota offroad paint and a lift with big wheels somewhere else, another site or perhaps YouTube? I recall it was a female owner. So weird to then see it in the background of one of your pics. I wonder if it belongs to your fan at O’Reilly’s. Or maybe you’re her fan, something like that anyway.
Wasn’t hard to find at all. Get the number next time!
https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a36524494/natasha-adams-1990-lexus-ls400/
You guys! You weren’t supposed to figure that out!
Since this was the first FWD Alfa we got here, it took me (as a former owner of two RWD Alfa’s) a while to get used to the idea. But compared to the Milano, they sure got the styling right. Especially in rosso con nero. Nice!
Yes, such a beautiful engine. Sigh.
The side view really reminds me of my Peugeot 405, which was also styled by Pinninfarina at approximately the same time. Not to be a buzzkill; I’d rather have had the Alfa but there was no way I could have afforded one at the time.
I hope this story has a happy ending!
Absolutely, the Peugeot 405 and bigger 605 (below) and the Alfa Romeo 164 followed the same Pininfarina-recipe.
I remember seeing one of these (for the first time) on the Wheeler Dealers TV program a few years ago. The hosts really liked the Alfa, and the kicker was they sold it to someone who drove a clapped out version of the same car. IIRC.
A person really has to like a car to buy the same version twice.
I enjoyed your article, and is that a parking lot shot of your car at work?
When the last gasoline engined car dies, and transportation is strictly and solely performed for us by computer-driven electric boxes with the souls of toaster ovens, men will remember Alfa Romeo and weep.
When we flew from Nashville to Atlanta to buy our used Milano from Spruell Motors, we were picked up at the train stop by Todd Spruell in a brand-new 164. My wife got really excited and said, “Is THAT what we’re getting?” I had to tell her we were getting the funny-looking previous model …
About ten years later we were in SoCal, and in a complex no-money deal I swapped a Citroen non-runner Tania’s dad had given me for a running 164S, and she had her dream car. Black with a 5-speed, it was ridiculously quick off the line; dropping the hammer in 1st gear gave an immediate effort by the steering wheel to break both wrists, interrupted by the engine hitting the rev limiter. Driven more reasonably, that was pretty much the only time its FWD was obvious; on a canyon run the difference between 164 and Milano was mostly weight and size.
I would have much preferred a standard model; the plastic cladding was too easy to damage, and the spoiler on the trunk lid was too heavy for its springs, in addition to using up much of the rear view. After a few years Tania used it less and less frequently, and finally it was started and run maybe once a month. Eventually I gave it a cleaning up and took it to the annual Best of France & Italy show, with a FREE TO GOOD HOME sign taped to each side – the same price I’d paid, really. Two young restorers took it home.
As for Dad’s Citroen? My friend got it running … and you can see it on “Jay’s Garage”, where it’s been for about 20 years.
Sometimes, although not often, the best cars are free.
Makes up for all of the not-so-great ones that cost an arm and a leg.
You have good taste. I have been daily driving a 92 164L with a 5 speed for almost 3 years now. I bought it for a song from a fellow Italophile friend, after pestering him for quite a while until his wife agreed to relinquish it. The nastiest job I’ve had to do is the notorious HVAC steppers but otherwise it’s just been normal old car maintenance and foibles. I just turned over 99,000 kms on mine, it was only driven sparingly before I bought it and has never seen winter driving (nor will it under my watch).
Parts are shockingly cheap for some items, shockingly expensive for others. A timing belt is 15$ from Rockauto, a fuel pump support is shared with 1990s Ferraris and is priced accordingly. There are North American specialists for most items, worst case you order from Europe on eBay.
Really the ownership experience is relatively undramatic for an old Italian machine. The mechanical bits are proven and the rest is Bosch stuff shared with contemporary BMWs and Mercedes. Just be gentle with the trim and controls, they tend to be fragile and hard to find. Other than that it is no worse than any other European car from the early 90s.
A striking car and a striking engine. I remember seeing a full page ad for the car in the Irish Times. The grille and v-feature on the front seemed so wild and expressive. I didn´t like it. And then I loved it. The design has aged very well – I can see nothing that could be improved. The interior is genuinely special. Alfa finally got the hang of interiors with this car. The 75 was still a bit below par; the late-model 33s alright but this interior had no reason to apologise. I wish you many happy miles in the 164.
Devereaux – Alfa Romeo – Busso – Sacramento. Just perfect. Good story David, enjoy the 164!
All Alfas are addictive. My first car was an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint “Normale”. Followed by a Giulia TI Berlina that was stupid fast with an uprated Veloce engine I got out of an OSCA(!) racing car. Next Alfa was a Giulia 1600 GT Veloce coupe that was recycling itself into iron oxide as you looked at. Lesson learned: never buy any Alfa that came from the Midwest. Those were followed several years later by an Alfa Spider 2000 Veloce that was great fun but not very practical as a daily driver w/o air conditioning in Sacramento, California Summers with 100 degree days. I then discovered my first Alfa 164S. It was one of my favorite Alfas. Fast, comfortable and with acceptable heat and air conditioning, especially for an Italian car. That car was built for high speed cruising. It kept urging you to drive it faster. In a moment of weakness I sold it to a friend eho frll in love with it after driving it. About 6 months later I saw an advertisement on Craigslist for an Alfa 164S that needed work, but was pretty cheap. We went too look at it and bought it, mostly because it had that great Alfa combination of racing red exterior with a butterscotch tan leather interior in very good shape. The seller said it had electrical problems that his mechanic had to sort out. It needed new shocks/struts, new exhaust, the A/C snd stepper motor gears replaced, and a new timing belt. Eventually it was fully sorted out (or so I thought). It was great fun while it lasted.
Did 99000 miles in mine. It was always the car to get people out and taking about it – and I’ve had some nice cars… Sorely tempted to get another – well, another Busso V6 anyway
Here’s some color and movement – and sound! – to go with Mr DD’s excellent post. Worth it if nothing else for the noise.
The guy here, Mr Hubnut (forgotten his actual), is an eccentric delight, and delights in his eccentric passion for Underwhelming Cars of History: I hasten to add that, despite its flaws, 164 surely ain’t one of those. Enjoy!
I had a 1995 164 Quadrifoglio, one of the last to be imported by Alfa before they quit the market. Loved, loved, LOVED that car. The only car I’ve ever owned where people would stop me on the streets, at gas stations, wherever, to find out what it was. That Busso V6 with 24-valve heads was simply glorious. And yes, the chrome intake runners were very cool. It was a great driver, and plenty fast for the day.
Unfortunately, those 24-valve heads came with a design flaw that causes the timing belt to chew off teeeth and jump timing. No bueno. That’s why the timing belt had a 30,000 mile replacement schedule. Mine failed at 23,000 miles. Alfa graciously offered to give me a new $29 belt, but refused to cover the engine damage (it was out of warranty by then).
Mine jumped timing on I-95 just outside of Savannah, GA coming home from the Amelia Island Concours. Many, many bent valves. cost me about $6,500 to repair all the damage. I won’t even talk about the stepper motor, the steering rack, and the $1,700 apiece electonic adjustable struts. Or the failing clear coat. Or the oil pressure sensor that crapped out repeatedly. Oh, and when timing belt broke, it dumped raw fuel into the exhaust anfd killed the cat converter. Unobtanium.
After the engine massacre, I sold the car. I hated to see it go, but I had a new baby and we couldn’t afford to keep pouring money into it. Still, i shed a tear when it drove off down the street. Turns out I couldn’t really afford an itanlian mistrerss after all.
Great post! I’m in Sacramento too with my 92′ 164S!