Personally I'd spend less and get a 2l with toys.

The engines are pretty strong as long as they've have their oil changed.
Make sure that he belts / tensioners have been changed as well

SteveH will be along in a bit to explain what keys you need.

FWIW I've only ever driven Alfas, and I've never been let down by one
except:
a) A fault that I knew existed, but didn't get fixed
b) Total, *complex* rebuild which had some teething troubles.

HTT

A 147 as a 'family' car..have you seen the size of the boot? How
'tiny' is your 'family'? Even the 156 is compact, but bearable, for
very small family use. Internally, a 156 is 1 inch wider than a Mk3
Astra but shorter.

These cars have, time and time again, proven to be unreliable and
expensive to run. Look at every big survey of users. However, many do
have reliable Alfas - like me. Mine is vastly more reliable than the
last car I had, which was an Astra! The big 'but' is that I didn't go
for the delicate petrol engine. The V6 2.5  isn't as delicate as the
twin sparks but drinks fuel and wasn't a great seller so was dropped
by Alfa.

That's probably more because he has difficulty fixing them if they're
broken..now for the proof...

..if he puts a broken car on his Forecourt, that's hardly surprising!

Understandable.

Ouch! Gutless engines and you'll have to watch the oil level EVERY DAY
you drive it. I hope you get one that hasn't been run low on oil at
any point. The 2 litre is better (I agree with Catman) but the diesels
are better again IMHO. Gutsy, lively performers and a more reliable
engine. Cambelts have a better chance of lasting UK specified
intervals and they don't drink oil. Fuel consumption is much better
than petrols too.

If you must get a newer one, the 1.9 JTD (140hp) is great but I prefer
the sound of the 2.4 5 cylinder. I've never heard a 4 cylinder diesel
sound I liked.

I've had my nearly 96000 mile (84k at purchase), 2000 X reg V6 since last
June.  Here's a little run down of what I've spent on it.  I'll split it
into two sections, one for items which would have had to be replaced on any
car, and one for Alfa specifics.

Any car expenditure :

New brake pads and discs all round (Delphi ones from www.buypartsby.co.uk 
and DIY (less than £200 anyway), or silly money at dealers £60 for ONE
disc).
New silencer (s/steel deep tone one from Autodelta, £200 or so) (worthwhile
if you're planning on keeping the car)
New intermediate silencer (£120 from independent, third party product)
New catalytic converter (£155 from independent, third party product)
New wheel bearing (£120 I think, from independent).
84k service at Alfa dealer (think it was around £190 or so)

There are no prices here that are over and above what you might pay for a
Ford under similar circumstances, until you start looking at timing belt
change prices, particularly on a V6.  I would imagine the 2.0 and below are
not so bad in that respect.

Alfa specific :

Air conditioning hot/cold actuator failure (£120 at dealer)
New undertray for engine (£80 at dealer, DIY fitment)

Driving hard and fast over undulating surfaces can ground the tray out,
depending on your suspension, it's a notorious 156 trait.  From what I've
read, the air con is also weak hence it's listed here, in practice it's
fine.

So, am I p'd off yet?  Nope, I wanted one of these since I saw it on TV back
in 1997/98, and I still stare at it.

If you can get one with a full Alfa history, and it's been looked after, you
should be perfectly fine.  After that, maintain the service record at an
authorised Alfa outlet, but get worn and weathered components (exhausts,
brakes etc) done at an independent.  Engine work, well, I'd stick with Alfa
for that... And if you get a lowish mileage one, then you shouldn't need to
spend as much as me in your first year.

If you have a laptop, I'd recommend getting Alfadiag and an interface to
give the ECU a regular check up for faults.

Enjoy your new toy.

Rgds

Stuart