166 V6 auto versus 159 2.4 JTD manual versus 156 2.5 V6 q-system auto

[Fast Eddie]

opinions invited -
ignoring colour combos, price, odometer, service history etc -

what would your preference be over a 2007 3 litre 166 V6 auto, a 2006 159 2.4JTD diesel manual or a 2005 156 2.5V6 Q system semi-auto?

Particularly interested to hear from people who own or have owned these models.

[lombardi]

I own a 166 semi auto,having owned beemas and alfas all my life,this is by far the best smoothed performance and general joy of ownership i have ever experienced--the efforts gone into designing and producing this car is phenomenal,finish is perfect,the engine is a masterpiece-the seats are unbelievable- first after driving to thredbo tha i have had no stiffness in my back.the electrics are german functionality and the style is italianissimo,u cant go wrong.159 is a beut car,make sure though the engine is not the one produced by holden--YUK--..CIAO

[Jekyll and Hyde]

As much as I love the sound of the alfa quadcam, out of those 3 it would actually be the 159 I'd pick, for 3 main reasons:
The shape/style of the 159, the surprising performance of the 2.4JTD (and make no mistake, those oil burners have awesome pickup down low with almost no turbo lag), and the manual gearbox.

[AGM155]

Another more than happy 166 owner here...its well screwed together with a fantastic engine, gorgeous interior and its just full of little touches that make it really pleasurable to own...

Find a nice one, budget for a set of Konis and you'll have a cracking car.