Looking at Alfa Wagons

[SweetFelicia]

Hi there,

I'm looking at some Alfa Wagons in view to buying, a little further down the road.

I have never had an Alfa, but have owned most other non-European cars (59 Holden Ute, Nissans, Datsuns, Toyota etc and one lovely 69 Merc). I love driving a car that drives well and the Alfa's look great. Are they very expensive to upkeep? I believe there are some models with issues regarding timing chains etc, so just wondering what you Alfa lovers out there reckon?
I was looking at cars under $10,000 and pref with the V6 motor unless anyone suggests otherwise. I need a wagon for long trips.

Cheers! Felicia.

[Citroënbender]

Have you tried the fruit machine approach?

Put your physical criteria into Carsales (body shape, fuel type, number of cylinders, transmission type, budget+20%, mileage, age) and give it a whirl.

It can often bring up interesting possibilities.

[poohbah]

Felicia,

Your question is a bit open ended - but from your comments, you would be considering a 159 wagon, or for less upfront an earlier 156. These are both getting quite old now, so understand that age does bring extra maintenance bills.

I have never owned a 159 (circa 2005 - 2012 I think) so my familiarity on them is quite limited. However, I believe it is extremely difficult to find a wagon with the V6. Most seem to be the 2.4 diesel. Apparently the unicorn to go for is a 1750 turbo-petrol, but they appear almost mythical.

Have a read of the 159 section on this forum. Lots of great advice for you on there about this very topic.


If you look further down the price list, you could look at a 156 Sportwagon (circa 97-04). Again, very rare to find one with a V6 (which in the 156 series is the classic "Busso" - 159s have a GM derived block). So you are more likely to find a 2.0 Twin spark (earlier models) or 2L JTS (later ones).

I am onto my second 156 sedan (both V6) and yes they are fantastic.

Regardless of what you are after, the key things to watch for are proof of regular maintenance. Nothing will break your heart faster than a 156-159 that has been neglected by a prior owner.  But a well maintained one should be perfectly acceptable - it will cost a lot more to maintain than a Toyota, but remembering that, you will have paid next to nothing to purchase it in the first place. My current car (a 98) cost me about $3800 three years ago. I get mine serviced every 6 months by an Alfa specialist (not a dealer though - they will rob you blind).

Firstly, its often a good idea to buy off someone in the Alfa club - who may have more empathy with the buyer and will be more honest about the car's good/bad points. (Have a look in the sale/wanted section of this forum). Regardless, make sure you get a pre-purchase inspection by a mechanic who is familiar with Alfas.

Critical items in the 156: cambelts and water pump must be changed every 3 years or 60,000km (whichever is reached first - this is non-negotiable or catastrophic engine damage is awaiting around every corner). Usually costs about $1500 to get that done. so make sure you know when it was last done. If its overdue, and you still want to buy, I'd demand that it either be done first, or that the cost is deducted from your purchase price (as a starting point in negotiations) - then have it towed to a workshop for it to be done before you drive it.

Things to consider on a test drive: does the front suspension crash over bumps? If so, the front lower control arms will need replacing. After five mins driving, the temp gauge should also be sitting on 90C, and fan come on just above that. If its sitting well below that when cruising, it means the thermostat needs replacing - not costly but important.

Have a sniff - if you smell fuel in the cabin, it means the seal where the fuel pump goes into the tank is leaking. Common fault after a few years, and depending on how its repaired can be a few hundred bucks.

Check that all the electrics are working - they can be a bugger to fix. And the AC - don't settle for the old "it just needs a re-gas". Rarely is it that simple - more likely the compressor is knackered.

[poohbah]

For example:

156:
www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/Alfa-Romeo-156-2004/SSE-AD-5829955/?Cr=0
www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/Alfa-Romeo-156-2004/OAG-AD-16837684/?Cr=1

159:
www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/Alfa-Romeo-159-2010/SSE-AD-5840572/?Cr=5

[Craig_m67]

Easy

Under $10k
Wagon
Long trips (Country mileage?)


159 2.4JTD Sportwagon
Go for 2008 or later as it has a redesigned rear seat for better leg room
Also has some changes to make it lighter
The 2.4JTD gets the bigger front brembos like the V6
Being a derv it uses much (much) less fuel
Auto or manual (auto is a Japanese box, very reliable when the sealed for life oil is replaced)

Options included a sunroof, fancy seats and roof bars.. dual climate air
Or the Ti; stunning interior and exterior, lowered, expensive tyres

I'm a fan of the Blue, it's rare though

The 156 never came in a V6 wagon, you have to make one
Or you could go for the GT, although only a two door hatch, built on the Sportwagon chassis

[poohbah]

I didn't realise they never imported v6 156 wagons here Craig. Sure seems to be plenty of v6 156 wagons in gta trim overseas.

[Craig_m67]

I didn't realise they never imported v6 156 wagons here Craig. Sure seems to be plenty of v6 156 wagons in gta trim overseas.

Yep, for some reason Aust. decided they weren't sexy enough. Just madness.

In my opinion the GTA Sportwagon is the best looking 156 variant made.  Swapping a V6 into a wagon is straightforward, just laborious and expensive unless you have a donor V6 car hanging about.. a few have been done I'm told.

There is also at least one personal import GTA Sportwagon over here - and Sooty of course .

[Citroënbender]

Yep, for some reason Aust. decided they weren't sexy enough. Just madness.

It was the Ateco era, wasn't it?

[poohbah]

Cheers Craig, completely agree the gta sportwagons are THE business. I presume Alfa made some in rhd? If so, surprised no grey imports from the UK have surfaced.

[CDH1750]

I'm now on my second 159 Sports wagon, 2.4 diesel.
First was a 2010 which was written off with hail damage, so brought it back from insurance company with view to have fixe privately, it was them crashed into whilst stationery, this time not repairable, had done 175,000 km's.
Went looking for a replacement and ended up with a 2008 again Sports Wagon diesel 2.4 but this one is the Ti model. Has 125,000 km's with very solid service records so brought it for $12,500.
These are a lot of car for the money you pay, by that I mean all the features they come with are far superior to anything local or imported, for which you would pay lots more.
The Sports Wagons look the goods and recently had a comment from a gent in a car park thinking it was a new model, as he hadn't seen one before.
Lastly the 2.4 diesel has plenty of power when needed for fast overtaking.
Good service records plus a prepurchase inspection by an independent Alfa Romeo mechanic is the key.