Look under the bonnet, between the strut tops and the windscreen – there should be a black triangularish piece of foam (one each side). Lift it out and look underneath for rust. Also check the drainage channels aren’t blocked. Paint chips badly, so check the leading edge of the bonnet carefully. The valence might look tatty, but its plastic so won’t rust. Drop the front windows fully, then raise them again, making sure the glass stays in the channel. They can (and do) tilt slightly, which causes the glass to come out of the channel and either not close properly at the top, or fail to go up all the way. They can be adjusted so its not the end of the world. A typical issue of the Alfa Romeo 145 is dried up doorrubbers. Dried up doorrubbers causes windnoises and even can damage your paint. They can be replaced easily. Check all the electric’s work (it is an Alfa!) and especially the airco if fitted (an option?). Trembling heatshields (exhaust) can be spotted on Alfa Romeo’s 145. They can be fixated easily.

Suspension
Look for even tyre wear – one tyre worn on one side only will mean the suspension is out of alignment. A set of matching tyres is a good sign of a caring owner. Check the wheels for curbing damage – not only expensive to replace/refurbish, but another sign of a careful owner. Check front lower wish bone bushes and fusee parts (MOT failure), they can be worn. The front suspension can be a weak part of the Alfa Romeo 145. Wear and tear can be felt by oversensitivity of wind and instability by tracks on the road Squeaking offside suspension may in fact be engine mounts. If it occurs on lateral movements (slam the drivers door), it’ll be engine mounts. Alfa Romeo’s 145 can have squeeking brakes too. Most of the times this is caused by so called “glazed” brakes. Squeeking does not have to mean trouble, but keep your brakes checked regularly and when they are “glazed” they need replacement.

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