Older cars just seem quicker. The Honda Civics, primarily the Type R variants, are being deleted in Europe because of emissions standards, very sad as they are cracking cars, though Honda did manage to make a great car shite with the new Type R.
Personal experience tells me that Alfas are actually reliable, though that's just from 1 145 cloverleaf and a 147. Nothing went wrong with either motor.
Japanese motors are very reliable. I just haven't liked very many of them and think Lancias and Alfas have been more characterful and better looking over the years. Not exclusively at all, both have produced some fucking pigs and both have enormous reliability issues to put it mildly.
But I like German motors, I have one, my last one was German and I expect my next one will be too UNLESS I manage to find an Alfa 147 GTA that hasn't had the balls rocked off it.