02 147 selespeed thoughts!

[deewhy]

Hi guys! Looking at buying a car and saw this alfa 02 selespeed 80k for 9k. Love the styling etc... buttt am quite worried about serving/maintenance, and the selespeed gearbox, which I've heard nothing good about. Should I be considering this car at all? I might go inspect the car on the weekend, so is there any key/vital points I should look for?

thanks a bunch,

D

[zingero]

Hello deewhy
the selespeed subject is quite a touchy one.
ive had an alfa 03 147 selespeed for just under a year now and had no problems with it.
Its one of those things that can go at any moment. without warning.
check that it selects all gears with the engine off and ignition on reds.
test it in auto and manual modes and check the paddles behind the steering wheel work as they sometimes break if they have had some rough usage.
If you like the car, i suggest you take it for a long test drive as they do play up after they have warmed up if there is a problem.
otherwise go for the full manual version.
good luck!
and happy motoring

[deewhy]

Hey zingero thanks for the reply.

No manuals around me at the moment, so i'll see how is upon inspection. I'm guessing a VIN check is vital?

[stradale]

Check the service history in the handbook. And ask were it was last serviced and if any work or repairs have been done on the car recently

[deewhy]

Just got a reply back from the seller the 70k major service was done at ASV (I think they have workshops around oz, seems to specialise in euro cars.) It had cambelt and water pump done. Just had its recent logbook service at Kmart 82k*.

Is there anything specific to transmission or what not I should ask? When I'm test driving, as I haven't driven a selespeed before, what should I be on the lookout for?

EDIT: She says shes owned it for 3 years and never had any problems with it, and got a RWC this arvo. Is this enough to suggest there's no pressing issues on the car?

[stradale]

Take the car for a long test drive with the seller in the passenger seat [or hot seat] ask questions about the reliability of the car or cost of servicing
you have the ball in your court if you are driving
Alfa Romeo's are not like toyotas, so you should not expect service costs and repaires to be in line with the more "POPULAR " cars.
Can you afford an Alfa Romeo?   

[Jekyll and Hyde]

Is there anything specific to transmission or what not I should ask? When I'm test driving, as I haven't driven a selespeed before, what should I be on the lookout for?

EDIT: She says shes owned it for 3 years and never had any problems with it, and got a RWC this arvo. Is this enough to suggest there's no pressing issues on the car?

No.  A RWC only means the car is roadworthy.  Technically a car with a blown engine could probably be considered roadworthy, as long as the brakes work and have sufficient material, the lights work, etc etc.

Contact one of the workshops in the club sponsors list, and organise a pre-purchase inspection.  Won't cost you much, but will give you a good appraisal of cars condition, and may save you thousands.  If the seller won't agree to present the car to your choice of ALFA specialist for an inspection, walk away.  Don't bother with an RACV or similar inspection, they'll tell you all about small dents, scratches in the paint, etc etc, but they wouldn't have a clue what to look for mechanically in an Alfa.

[wankski]

what jekyll said. spot on mate.

to give u an idea, an alfa specialist inspection will cost you $100-200, but is chicken feed compared to the costs if something goes wrong...

the ball is in your court... if the seller says no to independent inspection, move on... not hard to find a dozen or more 02 147 seles for sales for that money or less...

(which is probably a bit high btw)

[deewhy]

He seems to want to sell asap so I guess price is always negotiable like always. But I'll see if I have time on the weekend for an inspection (lives in my suburb), and go from there. Whilst driving, should I keep an eye or ear out for anything that shows previous signs of neglect?    

Also if I do come to the point where I get the car checked, should I get someone from an alfa dealership, or from a workshop like ASV (where the car was serviced for its major and seems to specialise in euro cars.)

Cheers again guys,

D

EDIT: link of the car if anyones interested

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9228372&__Qpb=true&Cr=2&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|0||pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__No=15&__N=1216%201247%201252%201282%204294967249%20900%20410&silo=1011&PriceTo=410&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=56&__sid=128DB70CC8A8

[wankski]

as always make sure everything tracks smooth and straight...

selespeed specific... u will only know when u drive a couple first... but u'll know...

listen for the pump to prime when u open the door...

generally the system should be smooth enough, if the car judders on 1st, that is not normal, despite what some will say... it may be a calibration issue or it may be more serious (clutch kit) and look at the 1-2 change in particular... if it is excessively jerky it could be likewise a few things ranging from cheap and 5min to sort, or thousands + hrs labour..... also, go up to a drive way and see how it holds with some throttle and again in reverse....

you should take it to an alfa specialist... 'euro' is not good enough without knowing the place IMHO... if that means dealer so be it... u have to hook up the system to an examiner, and u'd have to know the system well enough to see if the system may leave you with issues down the track..


as always with any of these cars when and where was the cambelt done, did this include waterpump? if the variator hasn't been done, u can expect to have to do that next cam belt change... its 3 yrs/60k btw... and yes, even if u travel 20k in the last 3yrs, it's due.

[tony8028]

I had the same sort of choice when I was buying a month or so ago....

There are far more Seles on the market and they are usually a bit cheaper (even thought they are more expensive new!).

While you may have no probs what so ever with it.....on the other hand, is it really worth the risk....that was what I asked myself.

Yes, plenty of people have ZERO problems with Seles but a quick search on google for "selespeed issues" brings up so many search results that I just couldnt take that risk.

I believe the later ones are more reliable ...but check out carsurvey.org for people's experience on 147 Selepeeds from the early 2000s....some horrific stories out there!

Plus, the manual is SO much more fun to drive !! Surely you'd agree ?

Good luck, you'll love your 147...i am still drooling over mine !