WTD: 156 SportWagon JTS Manual

[Tas156]

Gday Guys,

Firstly to introduce myself, my name is Ben and i'm new here , I have been looking around for a new car for a while and have finally decided it has to be a 156 SportWagon, basically the specs I am looking for are as follows:

SportWagon
JTS
5 Speed Manual
Moderate K's
Good service history

I am prepared to travel to either Victoria or NSW or maybe further for the right car!

Am happy to talk price for the right car!

Please reply here if you have one that you may be thinking off selling or know of one and we can talk further.

Thanks in advance
Ben

[John Hanslow]

Interesting choice, these are not a lot of manual 156 Sportswagons to be found.  I think these is a black one for sale but thats about it.  Good luck.

[Davidm1600]

Hey good idea Ben to join up to the forum, and sorry that in the end as discussed last night we decided to keep my wagon, but yes they are an excellent choice, as you know.   It was a difficult decision for me.  Hopefully someone might know of a JTS Sportwagon available. 

It does seem as if there simply are not too many manual wagons around as compared to selespeeds.  All the very best in the hunt for one.  Cheers Dave

[John Hanslow]

Check car sales, cars guide , drive etc.

Here is car sales link:

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/results.aspx?Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32%7c1%7c%7cpCar_PriceSort_Decimal%7c1%7c%7cpCar_Make_String%7c0%7c%7cpCar_Model_String%7c0&N=1216%201247%201282%201252%204294967249%204294967222%201562%201622&SearchAction=N&Qpb=true&sid=11DE326B5442&keywords=&Nne=15

No knothing about the cars/vendors but a Giugiaro update 2004 model looks ok, or for value, the MY2000 Twin Spark which should not be discountered.

Make sure car is checked out by a Alfa Specialist before purchase as good negotiating factor if anything needs repairing.

[Tas156]

Thanks for the input guys,

Firstly David, no worries mate I completely understand why you want to keep it. It's a top car!

Thanks too John for the link to those cars, I did send the guy with the late model one an email a day or so ago but have not heard back. Whats the story with the other one? Are the early cars OK? Whats the TwinSpark like compared to the JTS? Who would I get to take a look at it in Victoria given i'm in Tassie?

Thanks again
Ben

[John Hanslow]

Look its up to you what you may prefer.   I have a Twin Spark Sport but often think about considering upgrading to a 2004 JTS ti.  New look & new technology.  The JTS is a more powerful motor.

Howerver it does have issues with the coils, previously not fully understood and expecsive to replace but know known and cheaper parts available.  Some owners have had no trouble at all with the JTS.

A general opinion I have heard is that the Twin Spark is a better engine and the car is better.  Not sure about that, but if you can get a good car cheaper that is almost the same, then that could be a low milage option.

Do not forget, with a purchase, stamp duty, Road worthy perhaps a repair and service there goes about $1,000 easily.  A good low milage car that has a service record, i.e. belt change by 60k or 3 years, regular service etc. 

Depends where the car is but referring to our Sponsors list (web page top right side link) which is not that clear, you have a dealer in Melb city Zagames, a dealer in Doncaster.  Also Alfa Specialists in Clayton, the Italian Job, Bayswater - Monza Motors, Maranello Pursang in Brunswick.  The owner must be near one of those and a prepurchase inspection is about $100.  Really worth it.

Good luck.

[Davidm1600]

Hi John, when you mention trouble with the coils in the JTS model what actually are you referring to??  I have had my 156 JTS (03 model), for now a bit over 2 years, bought at 89500 on the clock now has 102500 and thankfully it has been trouble free apart from an engine management sensor dieing. Cost to replace it including labour was minimal, $240.

As to the differences between the Twin Spark and JTS models, there are quite a lot, and not just in the interior, but as well I think traction/stability control, 6 airbags, better sound system, improved AC system, let alone fuel economy and yes slightly more power.  Please don't misunderstand me a Twinnie is a decent motor as we all know, and worth considering.

My car, as Ben is familiar with it given he wanted to buy it, is a 2 owner from new with full and correct service history.  I do agree with your advice about getting a car with the full service history, that major service items such as the belts have been done on time, and as low Kms as you can find.

I think the real problem here for Ben, hence he might need to be patient is that (a) sportwagons are rare in comparison to sedans and (b) manual sportwagons are even rarer than selespeed models. 

When I last looked on Carsales etc, out of 80 or 90 ?? 156s for sale, there were only 11 wagons, one of which (the black 04 model) was a manual, there is also a  twinspark white manual sportwagon in sydney currently on ebay for $10K plus the other one you found, which makes a total of 3 for sale in the country.  That is not many to choose from.

I took a chance on mine with no pre-inspection, as I too live in Hobart and the car was in Sydney, and didn't know anyone there to get it checked out.  But I do agree at the same time that the cost is minimal and it is good insurance before purchasing.

[John Hanslow]

I know what you are saying.  You have a good car and you maintain it accordingly - and thus it has not let you down.  I think earlier on the coil issue was not quite well known and correctly diagnosed. Thus previous threads mentioned $600 fix.  Of course now it's much cheaper with availability of supplies about.

Yep!  Not many cars on the net to meet Tas156 request.  I do not look at ebay, normally Carsales or similar. 

As this leaves two cars , one in Victoria with current rego and Vic RWC and service history, that's a good buying opion for anyone - as long as its the type of car you want.  Otherwise there it may take some time to locate a suitable car.

[L4OMEO]

Hi Ben
The other question is: does it absolutely have to be a Sportwagon? They're more versatile than the sedan but you're not gaining a huge amount in terms of actual loadspace. This would open up a lot more options for you.

If you do find one out of state I'm sure there will be someone on the forum in the region who would be happy to check it out, even if only to determine whether a pre-purchase check is worthwhile.

Good luck with your search.
Rory

[Davidm1600]

Hey Rory, that is true what you say with the rear seat up, but when folded down it is a different story.  I can get my mini mal (surfboard) plus my wife's board in and gear, I don't think you could do that with a sedan.  I have also previously carried 12 (6 pane colonial windows stacked high) in the rear.  I can't speak for Ben as to his reason wanting a sportwagon but for me, it is just so more practical than the sedan.

[L4OMEO]

Yeah fair call David, you're absolutely right. I was just considering their relative load spaces with seats in place. To get a surf board in my sedan I'd need to feed it through a mulcher first 

Overall the Sportwagon's a much more practical proposition. It's also one of few wagons for which you could argue is better looking than the sedan on which its based.

Rory