A new 'new' guy...

[dean]

Hello everyone and thanks for this opportunity to join the forum.

Im after some advice, that will hopefully lead me to join in as an official owner of an Alfa.... Yep thats right i don't own one yet. Hence why I'm here....

It may well be a common question asked, so forgive me if I'm re laying old tracks.. here goes ;

I want to purchase a 156 Alpha, the JTS selespeed to be precise, but Im a little wary of reliability. Doing as one should these days I have researched about parts, servicing s reliability etc etc, & I keep coming across warnings about gearbox issues, cam belt nightmares, ludicrous parts prices and workshops that overcharge as soon as you roll in witha AR....

Can you guy's elaborate on this truth / fallacy. The Alpha will be an everyday car. What I am looking atm is a 2002 156 selesspeed JTS sedan. 80k on the dial @ $11850.

From what i have gathered if you treat her right, you shouldn get tp many issues, on the other hand treat her bad and she will rip out your pockets!!

Any advice on what i should be looking for when i inspect the car would be very much appreciated.

Soz if i have rambled on in an introductory part of the forum.

Hope to see you around

cheers and happy motoring

[dehne]

first thing first if you want people to reply you need to spell corectly it is ALFA and secondly is ur heart set on a sillyspeed because if i were u i would get a manual and as far as prices for servicing and parts it all depends on where you go and who you know
  but other than that hopefully welcome to the ALFA world  you will enjoy it

[dean]

Thx for the friendly welcome. Note i have edited my spelling!

This forum is a fantastic source for newbies like me trying to get a handle on 'smartly' buying a first Alfa.... well done everyone.

I Have decided to steer clear of any selespeed models, and have focused my search on the 2002 156 monza. The one I am looking at is asking $14k for a 57km car.Its hard to believe these cars have depreciated so much!

Still to ascertain if it has replaced the cam belt & variator yet. Does anyone know of a reliable workshop in NSW (Syd) that can inspect the vehicle?


Thx in advance for any help guys n grls

[franck]

gday dean dont know where you are in syd but a very good mechanic that i have been with for 25yrs is michael his workshop is in fairfield hts the number is 97286111 he has worked on my cars from 124 sport bc to gtv6 and 911, doesnt replace if not needed and doesnt waste your money.cheers and good luck

[dean]

Thanks franck. If or when i get my monza I will look him up. Much appreciated! But the car already sold... So I am still in the market for
a 02-03 156 Monza V6 semi auto..... does anyone know of any for sale?Manual or semi auto doesn matter, as long as it has low k's and is silver or black!

[John Hanslow]

Have a look on carsales/carpoint.  The V6 is a full auto, but manual one are sometimes available and regarded as a better car because the auto not as tight as you would expect.

Remember that the updated model 2003/2003 (JTS for the 4 cylinder) that you are after has been improved somewhat and has more airbags, stability control etc.  The old model (pre 2002) includes the sportier Monza with the green cloverleaf badge at the back which is similar specs.

So the updated model has a range of Monza specs as standard,  but no badge.  You can pick the car by the headlight washer jets on the front bumper and colour coded side mirrors.  Also the new trim on the dash.

There are a few good value ones around and check the service records for trouble free motoring.

Cheers.

[MD]

I am in total denial.
For me front wheel drive Alfas just don't exist....
I think I caught the Porsche 924 bug

Nevertheless, welcome. I am sure there are many converts here that will help you out.

[L4OMEO]

For me front wheel drive Alfas just don't exist....

Hi Dean, and don't worry, not everyone here believes that for it to be a 'real' Alfa it must boast rear-drive/X-number of cylinders/transaxle set-up. In my experience the 156 can inspire (and infuriate) as much or little as many of the others.

Orazio Satta, one of Alfa's famous designers, once made the following statement: 

'Alfa Romeo is not just a car factory: its cars are something more than automobiles built in a conventional manner. Enthusiasm for a means of transport is a kind of disease. It is a way of life, a very special way of seeing a motor vehicle. Something that defies definition. Its elements are like those irrational traits of the human spirit that cannot be explained by logic'.

Good Alfas - real Alfas - are the ones that encapsulate this, whether their make-up is humble or exotic.

Welcome to the club!

Rory

[MD]

Dean,

You said you needed advice..well, it's a big world out there and everyone has an opinion. Ultimately you will give them all a shake down and work out what your own expectations are. I commend Rory for his most welcoming greeting as opposed to my somewhat bombastic one.

Having said that here is the harsh reality:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Orazio Satta Puliga (October 6, 1910 in Torino - March 22, 1974 in Milan)[1] was an Italian automobile designer known for several Alfa Romeo designs.

He studied mechanical engineering (1933) and aeuronautical engineering (1935) at the Politecnico di Torino and joined the design department of Alfa Romeo (March 2, 1938), working under the direction of Wifredo Ricart. Satta followed Ricart as head of design (1946), overseeing the 158 and 159, Alfa Romeo 1900, Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Alfa Romeo Montreal and Alfa Romeo Alfetta. He later became central director (1951) and finally general vice president (1969-73), before retiring due to Brain Cancer.

I am not aware of front wheel drive Alfas being a standard production line prior to his death and so  this philosophy quoted must be assumed to represent thinking at the time referring to rear wheel drive sports cars.

Contempory thinking is now dictated by Fiat, a mass market producer competing for the global dollar. Even Fiat aren't completly stupid and so the Alfa flagship 8C is rear wheel drive and guess what, it's a TRANSAXLE.

Thanks for the opportunity to give you MY advice.

[L4OMEO]

Harsh reality? Your Wikipedia quote doesn't respond directly to anything I said so I'm not sure where the harsh reality lies. The point I was making (with Satta's help) is that what makes Alfa Romeos special are the intangible qualities; the soul, if you like. Influenced, undoubtedly, by the technical specification, but not dictated by it. The magic of the simple-on-paper Sud bears this out.

To say its bad because its front-drive is as naive as saying it's good just because it's got a transaxle. The gorgeous 8C with its theoretically 'perfect' configuration has received numerous lukewarm reviews on its dynamics – is that due to it being rear-drive? Having a transaxle? Both? Neither? Of course rear-drive is the best option for a car like this, but that alone doesn't guarantee much.

In my opinion there is a place for all configurations. My best handling car has been rear-drive; the most, fun front-drive. I'd prefer a good example of one over a bad example of the other.

MD I see you've posted a new thread on this topic elsewhere in the forum, I'd suggest we transfer any further dialogue to that one and leave Dean in piece! Hopefully your thread will spark some interesting debate between open-minded individuals, but if it's just a case of proponents from either side of the fence standing their ground then I'll probably give it a miss.

Apologies for my part in this thread hijacking Dean, I'll restrict any further comment to the helpful variety! But, I hope you can see that the enthusiasm we Alfisti have for our cars is shared and debated with the same passion!

Cheers everyone
Rory

[MD]

Apologies Dean, I just have to make a brief response to clarify my previous point.

Rory,

Harsh reality? Your Wikipedia quote doesn't respond directly to anything I said so I'm not sure where the harsh reality lies.

Apologies if the point is not self evident.

The issue is that you are referencing an Alfa espoused philosophy to a man who died before Alfa mass produced front wheel drive cars so the evolution of this philosophy was obviously founded upon rear wheel drive cars.

If you are still not happy, you might care to take me to task on the new topic set. Cheers

[L4OMEO]

Never stopped being happy MD, I enjoy debate and rarely get grumpy over it - hope the same applies    And I have no credentials to take anyone to task here!

Thanks for the clarification because I didn't feel your point was self-evident. My point was that, in my opinion, Sattas's statement is as applicable today as it was in his own era. Obviously there have been technological advances or developments since (of which FWD is one), but the good Alfas are the ones that still encapsulate the philosophy.

Sorry MD, this probably looks like a weak attempt to get the last word in to this thread; not the intention at all. As I said before, I hope your other thread sparks some interesting, well informed and open-minded dialogue on the subject.

All the best
Rory


PS Dean, I hope you're still there!

[ProvaRacing]

If I may make a comment, somewhere else on here someone said "encourage more newer Alfa owners to join the club" (or words to that effect)...may I suggest one of the changes to happen is when someone turns up at the club meeting that the sniggering stop whenever someone mentions they own a modern (post 1994) Alfa...you can just hear the murmuring over the creaking joints hmmm. Now I'm not that young either but I accept the marque for it's good and bad, just as I do with Ferrari...they have had their controversy too with questionable F1 cars and some road cars but I love the marque and what each car represents.

I will take some liberty to suggest if Orazio Satta (whose quote still appears on the new car brochures) if he were alive, would have been proud of the 155 domination of the 1995 BTCC (incl. over RWD BMW) as any previous Alfa Romeo victory, perhaps more so due to the effort to prove the first FWD Alfa could match nay beat the rest.

So lets cut the silly banter or I'm going to declare the only true Alfa's to be the ones from 1910 before Nicola bought the company and added his surname, Romeo in 1915.

Oh welcome Dean to the world of free speak.

[dean]

Wow, well thx everyone for your 'advice'!

I test drove a 03 156 on sunday. The V6 semi auto. I AM IN LOVE!! What a motor car the alfa is.
Im not a young lad, & whilst im not a race car driver, i have had many, many different kinds of cars ; from my jeep i have now to a 1967 mini as my first car in 1993! I have never, and i mean never had such an experience as that short 20 mins or so in any car. Im not sure i can describe it, all I know is that i wanted more!!! If the front wheel drive is an inferior example I DONT CARE!! I dont need to test drive another car again...

All i know is from what i have found out the 156 was a long awaited return to glory days for Alfa Romeo... At least thats what every comment and review harps on about ; and this i found out last sunday. This car was not a great example, it had 160+ on the odo and had a front left suspension issue,... and it was an an auto... i cant wait to find a well kept 156 in manual... i quite honestly think it will blow me away.

That pedigree rumble the v6 growls, her sexy lines and luxurious ride... all for under 20k!!! Honestly how can you knock it. I honestly felt none of the typical front wheel drive weaknesses that i expected. She just ate into corners, begging for more. Although i couldn push it in any more i know she could handle more than i could demand... easy, and I like to think i can drive.

I have so much to learn about this Italian pedigree beast... and i have every intention of doing exactly that.

For me there is no other car.

[L4OMEO]

Hi Dean

We can (and do!) debate the pros and cons of one configuration over another until the cows come home, but at the end of the day if it pushes your buttons then that's all that matters.

Couldn't agree more, the Alfa V6 is a magnificent engine and makes an event out of every trip. Problem for you might me finding one as a manual, they're comparatively rare but do come up from time to time. Your other option might be a Twin Spark manual, but it sounds like the V6 has got under your skin so a four might just not cut it.

Check the classifieds on this site, a recall a V6 manual on offer recently which might still be available. There are always plenty of people here willing to help check a car out for you inter-city or state.

Enjoy your search

Rory