I first acquired my 98 GTV Twin Spark Lusso in early August 2006. My mum was selling it as she was buying another GTV, a brand new silver one from Reg Vardy. The problem for my parents was the dealers were not offering a good deal on trading it in, as there were a few stone chips on the bonnet and the front and rear bumpers are a slightly different shade of red to the bodywork, which I think is something to do with the plastic used.

Before buying the car my thought processes went like this: the plus points of the Alfa are it is more modern, less mileage, attracts less attention from boy racers than my Astra and it was designed by Pininfarina! Then I had second thoughts: it wasn't really the sort of car I would look at in Auto-trader and think hmmm I fancy one of those, also Alfas have a poor dealership network and always come around the bottom of JD Power surveys. I also did a bit of research on the car in the Alfa owners' club magazine and was surprised to read it was based on the Fiat Tipo platform…

On the plus side my parents had owned it for over three years, it was low mileage, only had two lady owners, it was red (the colour that suits it most in my opinion) and a Lusso so it had cool leather seats and air conditioning so I took the plunge and after getting an insurance quote (group 16!) I was an Alfa owner.

I did not get off to a good start with the GTV experience as when I went to move it off my parents' drive for a maiden drive, I put the bright red key in the ignition turned it over and nothing but that dreaded clicking noise. It was obviously a flat battery so I had to get a lift to buy a new battery and fit it as my first job. I never realised the battery was in the boot; good for weight distribution, not good for access when you need to change it though.

I remember my first impressions of driving it where how the interior felt quite claustrophobic, the windscreen was like looking out of a letterbox, what with being six foot plus I seemed too tall to get a good driving position. I found the gear stick had quite a long throw as well, but overall it was easy to drive, reversing was quite easy once I had worked out the length of the boot. Other features I liked were the Alfa badge stitched into the leather seats and the way the dash is slightly angled toward the driver with the three dials the focal point, it makes up for having the head unit at the bottom of the dash in front of the gear stick.

The first time I went for a spirited drive was when I was coming back from work on a Sunday. It was a dry sunny day, the stereo was on loud and I was in a good mood so I thought I would see what it could do. I exited a roundabout onto a carriageway and put my foot to the bulkhead and to be honest I was a bit disappointed, it wasn't as quick as the Astra! All was not lost though, it was a lot smoother and refined, it did its best to hang on to the roundabout and the engine did sound quite rorty above 4500rpm.

When my mates first saw it they liked the look of it, which I think is the car's best feature. The design has aged well when you think it debuted in the mid nineties. My impression is people think GTVs are expensive to buy, but nowadays early ones are quite cheap, especially the V6s. My friends' enthusiasm soon waned when they had to sit in the dreaded rear seats; these were obviously not designed for anyone taller than a gnome. Why don't they fold down? At least you would have a bit more luggage space. However I have managed a journey to the cinema with four-up, all around six foot tall; I had to put up with plenty of moaning though.

Negative points with my car are how it steams up inside so quickly with the slightest hint of a spot of rain. Even with the fan on, it struggles to clear the screen. Also I have learnt to never open the window ajar and drive off first thing with standing water on the roof as soon as you turn left or right you get a free shower via the window, which isn't pleasant in winter, and the electric aerial looks like it's from the eighties it detracts the look of the rear end when it is erect.

On the surprising upside, after over twelve months of Alfa ownership it hasn't let me down once. Although I haven't done a lot of miles, it has been to the 24 Heures du Mans this June with no mechanical problems. I took it for a service at a local Alfa specialist, W.A.D. near Wolverhampton, who commented that I had a good example, so let's hope it stays that way…