have this Alfa spider car on 2010 and is the italia version. when looking at one I was told the 2.2 is the engine to get. it sounds nice but as Matt said not fast but is a very nice cruiser.
problems so far in 2 years owning :
cooling plastic pressure screws are very weak, and break very easily. had 2 go and second time replaced all with metal screws
one of the hood motors failed but was not that expensive to fix even by Alfa dealer.
the time chain can be an issue and I raised the same concerns but as long as you service frequently then you should be ok. had our chain checked and so far all good. however only done less than 40,000
seats are very nice, boot is not bad for convertible and has surprisingly good storage inside.
my only thing is lights, get Xerox if you can, see more with candle than the standard bulbs... I've replace the standards however with highest LUM I can. one other minor thing is handling, it's not bad but seems abit floaty for me.
overall looks way way way better than mx5, sounds better, cabin is nicer place to be on long trips and it's an Alfa - what more can I say
have a girly I mean guy at work who loves his MX5's and said the latest is too refined and lost its drivingsoul, the model before was the better one to get if you want the newer model but the mk2 (I think) was the best one. either way nice cars but just too small.
back to the Alfa I do like S2000 and was looking at them to replace my daily drive but yep as you said about £8-10k for a good one......
get the Alfa