2003 156 JTS Manual 195,000km?

[MrJoshua98]

Evening all,

I'm looking at buying a 2003 156 and love the body and interior but the km's (195,000) have me a little worried. I know the timing belts have to be replaced every 50-60k, oil should be check often and to only go with Alfa mechs but other than that are there other issues that I should look for with the car? Especially one of this age?

Thanks for any input.

[alanm]

Mr Joshua,
Like any other make or model I think it will depend on its service history.
I very well maintained car with high kms could be in much better shape than a neglected one with low Klms.
It's sounds like you have done some research on the the 156 - the JTS engine must have frequent oil changes with the correct grade/quality of oil, or they can develop serious engine problems. Recommended Cam belt change is 60,000 Klms OR 3 years I think for 4 cylinder engines (period reduced by Alfa after too frequent belt failure).
The manual gearbox does not suffer from problems.
The upper wishbones in the front suspension get noisey as they wear out but these are relatively inexpensive to replace I think.
If you are looking at a JTS, you need to be a little more careful than you might with a twin spark or V6. The SA Alfa club site could put you onto a good Alfa specialist for a pre purchase inspection for peace of mind.
Cheers, Al.

[Neil Choi]

If you got a car in mind, speak to my mate Peter Axford at Eurosport (08) 8362 2333, you will not go wrong.  He will check out car for you.