Please help to expand the love of Alfa Romeo!

[cafepassione]

I am Julian! Nice to meet the passionate ppl here!

I am about to buy an Alfa Romeo 2005 GT JTS, (SO EXCITED)!!! Can I please have some advices?
Reasons why I am buying---When this beautiful creature released in 2005, I was still in university but since then this car always on my computer wallpaper other than Salma Hayek!

To make my dream come true, I need your opinion!!!! Grazie!

1. How to use selespeed? any good/bad compare to manual/auto?
2. How much the car should worth? say it is 72k km, looks gd!(as always!)
3. Maintenance/regular problem should I notice? so I can keep extra cash for that! (I only start working 2.5yrs, so a poor man!, I have been giving $$ to familia issue, but now, I am gd to buy!, no more damn toyota echo!)
4. Do u have a list of estimate $ of maintenance? I now live in melbourne, is this expensive to fix? Parts?  I really thanks u to do this! I really want to get this right just in case!!!Esp, all my friends keep saying Alfa romeo is a shit car!I really hate that, they only know Audi A3A4!!! make me sick!
5. Resale value ok?
6. Why do you love/hate this?

Again, please tell me anything I miss! To be honest, i dont know much abt car!

THANK YOU THANK YOU GRACIAS GRACIE! Once I get the car this week, I will join here!! BE an ALFA MAN!!! YEAH!!!

[Rocco166]

Hi Julian

as a former 156 selespeed owner I'd recommend the manual gearbox - I did not have any issues with my car but the auto clutch on the selespeed IMO detracts from the overall driving experience and there are plenty of manual cars out there to chose from. I made the mistake of selling my 156 to a mate of mine and within 6 months he had spent thousands on the gearbox although he now has a lifetime warranty on it from the independant AR specialist that did the work.
As far as maintenance goes you can spend what your wallet will handle - I'd definitely advise against using a franchise non- specialist (automaster/lube mobile etc) as the AR is a complex and sensitive beast, better to find a good local specialist garage who have a passion for AR - you'll pay less than at a dealer and get the benefit of years of knowledge - I use an exellent AR guy in Perth and because of my years of loyal (and expensive) custom I get special deals and treatment which can help ease the pain of seeing the bill for a major service or replacing a major component in the engine. Using an AR specialist also means that you can be forewarned of any upcoming maintenance issues or replacement parts that might be required and so you can factor that into future service costs.
Overall the service costs are no more than you'd expect to pay for any european car and with my garage they actually have a chart of service costs for all Alfa's in the reception area so you can see how much each service costs for your model.
Parts are not such an issue - there are a lot of Alfa's being wrecked at any time and so there is always a supply of good s/h parts but it depends what you need - in some cases it's false economy to buy a used part when the new one is not much more expensive AND has a warranty, again my mechanic in Perth will generally give me the option of what part to use but I generally defer to AR genuine parts for my own piece of mind.
I won't comment on resale but generally you'll be able to sell your car to another enthusiast provided it's been looked after and it's a model that ppl want - again for ease of resale I'd recommend a manual 156 or a V6 auto not a selespeed - there are several 156 selespeeds for sale here in Perth that have been on the market for years (my AR garage has 2 cars that I test drove before I bought my own 156 Selespeed privately and that was over 3 years ago)
Finally why do I love AR so much??  My mum had a new Alfetta Sportivo when I was growing up and it's a car I always wanted to buy - the sound it made - the interior and the look of the car (although mum's was metallic brown) when I finally got my Guilietta I was hooked - the way the cars handle and drive is sensational and for the money you get a lot more enjoyment out of an AR than a Falcon or a Commobore....
Finally I guess there is the comraderie and sense of excitement that you get every time you get behind the wheel of your AR - every drive is a rush....
Hope you find the car of your dreams and the mechanic who will back you up - once that's sorted you'll never look back 

[Jekyll and Hyde]

Err.... he's talking about buying a GT, not a 156....

[cafepassione]

Thats alright mate! haha I changed my mind completely. I bought a Brera!!!!

[Neil Choi]

Brera is even better, nicer looking, well done and congratulations.

Come to the new members' night at Lance Dixon and if not a member (of the Alfa club that is), join up.

Neil

[Balocco]

Hey Julian,well done ,and now you are the proud owner of an Alfa,and futhermore a Brera,great car. Th reason why we all love Alfas,is that unlike the others such as the Toyodores,Falcomaz, or the Jerman cars is that all of them are like appliances,about as exciting as a washing machine or a toaster. Alfas are like a symbiotic machine that allows you to become united in the pleasure of driving,from point A to point B,the others are just sterile transportation devices. The downside is that Alfas demand and require proper and regular maintenance by knowledgable mechanics,neglect and indifference will sour your passion for these remarkable cars.