alfa 159 owners, what will your next car be?

[poohbah]

I hear he offers a free fire safety check on all busso engined cars too...

[wantok]

Here in Brisbane there is no longer any Alfa dealership, you have to head north to the Sunshine Coast (Noosaville) to find the nearest. One other in QLD, a thousand miles north to Cairns. This leaves the many 159 owners struggling to find a service centre with enough experience including the software for the motor and, if needed, selespeed. After a few years of so called annual services, long established 'CL Bodyworks' Alfa specialist was able to do the necessary selespeed check as well as other items that had been overlooked by another so called Fiat/Alfa agent that did a 'basic' service, though at considerable expense. How do the many Brisbane 159 owners cope?

Baz seems to know his stuff and is a great contributor to the forum however I have never had any dealings with him...as yet

In the past I have found Chris at CL in Albion to be good but agree he is also one of the more expensive providers around.

I used to use John French at the Gabba for both my  old 147 Twin Spark and then the 147 GTA but it became a bit difficult for me logistically in the end as I live on the North side

Ferris Lee and his guys at Quattromotive in Nundah look after several old and new Alfa's and all the Alfas in our family (147 GTA, Giulietta and my old mans 159 and his 156 race car) and they have all the diagnostic equipment and to date we have found them to be fair and reasonable on pricing.

The is also Cam Wright at Automation in Enogerra who works on a lot of exotic Italian and European cars and is also spoken of highly by Alfisti here in Brisbane.

Cheers,
Wantok


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[wturnbull]

Here in Brisbane there is no longer any Alfa dealership, you have to head north to the Sunshine Coast (Noosaville) to find the nearest. One other in QLD, a thousand miles north to Cairns. This leaves the many 159 owners struggling to find a service centre with enough experience including the software for the motor and, if needed, selespeed. After a few years of so called annual services, long established 'CL Bodyworks' Alfa specialist was able to do the necessary selespeed check as well as other items that had been overlooked by another so called Fiat/Alfa agent that did a 'basic' service, though at considerable expense. How do the many Brisbane 159 owners cope?

Baz seems to know his stuff and is a great contributor to the forum however I have never had any dealings with him...as yet

In the past I have found Chris at CL in Albion to be good but agree he is also one of the more expensive providers around.

I used to use John French at the Gabba for both my  old 147 Twin Spark and then the 147 GTA but it became a bit difficult for me logistically in the end as I live on the North side

Ferris Lee and his guys at Quattromotive in Nundah look after several old and new Alfa's and all the Alfas in our family (147 GTA, Giulietta and my old mans 159 and his 156 race car) and they have all the diagnostic equipment and to date we have found them to be fair and reasonable on pricing.

The is also Cam Wright at Automation in Enogerra who works on a lot of exotic Italian and European cars and is also spoken of highly by Alfisti here in Brisbane.

Cheers,
Wantok


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Thanks Wantok,
I'm more than happy to accept the high cost of making up for less than very thorough 'annual' services over the past few years provided I can rely on at least a couple more years of relatively inexpensive servicing. My 159 has low mileage 32,000 km over 8 years. I would need to consider selling in future if servicing costs keep blowing out over the medium term.

Cheers - BillT


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[As the day goes]

A car that was around $70,000 when new 8 years ago.  Servicing costs seem pretty good compared to new cars.

[wturnbull]

Agree about costs even though compensating for the lack of thorough servicing over the last couple of years this amounted to well over $2,000. Still can't understand why manual would be preferred over Selespeed, particularly the six speed close ratio setup on the 159.
Should mention I paid a lot less than the $70,000 as my 159 was sold as a demonstrator. I've been the sole owner.


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[fgv]

kaleuclint - i think you are right, i will have to accept reality or just get one of the last few cars that fit my preferences.
i didn't know about the new type handbrakes.. is that what things are coming to? i was initially excited about the search for a new car but now i realize there's not a lot that i would actually want. oh well =)

[kaleuclint]

Isn't it ordinary when there is so very little on the market that you aspire to own??

I could go a Macan S; they seem to be superb but not cheap and I'd make an exception about not wanting an SUV.  And I need to check out the newer Volvos; impressed by some that I've seen in traffic.

[Garibaldi]

Personally I find modern cars boring and uninspiring. They all look like they have come out of the same mould. And don't start me on the stylists "how many crease lines can I get in a panel" competition. 

[poohbah]

I can't stand all the meaningless doodads. Who needs cruise control, reversing cameras/sensors, sat nav, auto wipers and lights etc?

Somehow I've always managed to control speed with my foot, look in my mirrors and out the rear window, read a map book and press a switch if it rains or gets dark...

[kaleuclint]

2018 XC60.  Not available with flappy paddles.  235kW supercharged/turbo.  It'll be cheaper than a Macan...

[Garibaldi]

Reliable and cheap to run. 

[poohbah]

Nooooooooooo!

[Craig_m67]

I don't mind that, ha!
Maybe not the black wheels

[As the day goes]

Who needs airbags?  Drive like a nanna, on a Sunday morning and you wont get in an accident.

[fgv]

kaleuclint - exactly.. i wondered if it was just me being picky, but nothing really turns my head when im driving past traffic most days..

Garibaldi - yes i guess there is some sense to sharing the platforms and technology.. but they do look similar. it's like they all follow the trend every few years. i remember reading car magazines in the 90s as a kid - and the cars had their own identity and were exciting..

poohbah - totally agree on the meaningless stuff.. are people really that incapable of doing stuff themselves nowdays? and that's more electronics to go wrong over the years as well..