Alfa Romeo 155 - '80s retro or posh Tipo?

Do it!

They're fantastic cars.

Early 'narrow body' cars are worth pennies, but come with the 'classic' Alfa all-alloy twin-spark / twin-cam / 8v lump. Avoid the 1.8 as it doesn't come with power-boosting variable timing. (it's essentially the same engine as fitted to my 75 in 2.0 form).

Later 'wide body' cars generally come with the Fiat based 16v TSpark lumps. 1.8s are fine, 2.0s are better - the 2lt has a balancer shaft to smooth things out. There's a handful of 8v TSparks in a 'wide body' shell, but they're very rare and quite desireable.

If you're buying a 16v, check the service history *very* carefully - especially for cambelt changes. Alfa originally scheduled them at 72k miles, but most Alfisti do 'em on 36k. At a push you can make 48k on a belt. They also burn oil, so check really carefully for knocking from the lump. Ask the owner how often they top up the oil - if they say 'doesn't use any, mate', then run away. If they're a knowledgable and careful owner they'll tell you around every 1k miles. (Hard driving, however, can see oil drop from max to min in a few hundred miles).

V6s make a glorious noise, but they're a pig to work on. As I recall, all 155s came with the 2.5 24v lump (don't think it ever got the 12v). Be very careful with belt changes on those - as with the TSparks, you ideally want to see changes on 36k miles, including a full tensioner kit and water pump. (Same applies to TSparks, but also add a variator change). Rear bank belt tensioners have been known to go 'ping' leading to very high rebuild costs.

Any rusty one should be viewed with suspicion, as Alfa galvanised all 155s. PAS pumps are a weakness on 8v cars, and racks have been known to leak. Front suspension bushes can wear quickly if driven hard, changing them transforms the car.

Check all electrics - especially if it's a Super with climate control (it rarely works these days - I'd avoid them myself, unless it's blowing out ice-cold air and there's no visible defects with the control panel). Mine didn't have any real electrical hassles, but, as with anything made by Magnetti Spaghetti, you should check carefully.

For what it's worth, a good 164 handles equally as well as a widebody 155 and isn't *that* much bigger. I wouldn't rule them out.