possible new alfa owner

[geoff g]

Hi all i am looking at buying an alfa romeo for the first time as i know nothing about these  cars (other than they look great)i thought that this would be the place to come for unbiased opinions.
I am looking to buy approx from the year 2003 up and i am liking the 147 ,156 and mostly the 166 being a v6 in a sedan, I am also looking to spend from 10k up to around 15k. Is there any thing i should know about these cars before i go out and purchase one these fine machines ?
The car will not be a every day driver though it will get driven 2 to 3 times a week ,any help hints or idea`s to what i should be wary of i would appreciate greatly.
Thank you

[Joe Garra]

I reckon a manual 156

[colcol]

A manual 147 or 156 depending on whether you want a sedan or hatchback, there is also a 156 station wagon that looks great too, the 166 was a Alfa Romeo luxury car, they had poor resale value, and there are not many around, make sure it has a good service history, take it to an Alfa Romeo specialist, look on the Forum list of service providers, don't take it to the RACV, for example, they know nothing about these cars, the 147 has front, side and curtain airbags, stability control and a great airconditioner, the early series 1, 156 had front airbags and so so airconditioner, the series 2 156 had front, side, curtain airbags, stability control and slightly better airconditioner, it came with the [JTS] direct injection engine, the 147's and early 156's used the twin spark engines, they are all Fiat based engine,[which is fine], the 156 could also be had with a 2.5 V-6 engine that was a true Alfa engine, and has a lovely engine note, in 2004 there was a series 3, 156 that was facelfted with a restyle from Guigaro, which has the Guigaro badges on the front gaurds, these models ran until they were replaced by the G.M. engined 159, the 147 was facelfted midway through its life, with different grille, headlights, tail lights and interior, and the availability of a ripper, made by Fiat diesel motor, these have retained their used prices far better than the petrol motored 147's, all the petrol motored 4 cylinder Alfa's need a cam belt change every 50,000 klms or 3 years, the V-6's and diesel's have a longer cam belt change interval, some great cars and buying out there, Colin.

[John Hanslow]

147's seem good value.  Just make sure that servicing is up to date including the timing belts etc as a cheap car could cost you a few thousand dollars once brakes, tyres and the belt are changed.

It's like any car, buy the best example of the car you want that you can afford.

Cheers

[tony8028]

And not Selespeed...

[trippytipo]

I wouldn't even consider a Selespeed, unless you have the funds set aside for an eventual actuator and/or accumulator replacement. The 2.0 Twin Spark engines come to life after 3000 RPM but can be pretty sluggish under that in city traffic. The GTA would be cracker of a car, but I've heard it chews through petrol, tyres and suspension like no other. I think the 2.5 V6 is a good compromise between power and economy in a manual, though the Q-System is no slouch either.

Look out for:

1. Service History - following the Alfa Service schedule at a minimum, more regular services obviously demonstrate more pampering and care of the car.
2. Suspension - rattling and creaks from the front suspension are not normal, though quite common.
3. Timing Belt - 3 years or 60,000 km for all Alfa 156 models in Australian conditions.
4. Cooling - Thermostat failures are common, look out for the temperature gauge not rising fast enough or not dropping when the fan kicks in at 90 C.
5. Transmission - Gear changes should be smooth when warmed up and clutch should engage without any stickiness or noise.

In general, parts are cheaper than other European marques, provided you shop around. 

All the best!

[geoff g]

Awesome thank you guys very much for your informed suggestions, I guess my next step is to start looking i will post here if or when i do buy an alfa
Cheers 

[geoff g]

May have found one Though the high K`s concern me a little but i know the car has been very well maintained by gulsons of Canberra. The salesman said would let it go for $9800 leaving me some room if it needed any work done.Have not seen many of these car for sale in our area i am really liking the shape and and general look of the 156.
http://www.drive.com.au/used-cars/alfa+romeo/156/act+-+all/detail.aspx?id=36675323&lid=36675323&pg=2&pp=8&d=0&from=53

[Darryl]

So it is a selespeed and "Selespeed pump and actuator were replaced at the last service". Now, I suppose you can look at that as being a "service item" that has been done.... Or you can check what that cost and take it as being the reason for the advice not to go near them... Though apparently people are figuring out how to fix/reco the actuators so its getting cheaper....

[abyssus]

Selespeeds take a week or so to get used, I'm enjoying mine now.

In the process of getting my first clutch rod adjustment done with a retired mechanic mate of mine and a copy of MultiEcuScan.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Selespeeds take a week or so to get used,

No no, they usually last about 3 months before they leave you stranded on the side of the road.  (Sorry, couldn't resist)

[abyssus]

Selespeeds take a week or so to get used,

No no, they usually last about 3 months before they leave you stranded on the side of the road.  (Sorry, couldn't resist)

Hah!

I've done a bit of reading on them since I got mine, the main issue looks like local mechanics aren't familiar with them and rely heavily on guess work that leads to problems.

Had the same problem with a nuff-nuff Mechanic who tried fixing my old Honda and ended up buggering something else up every time.

Upside is, all the complaints about that mechanic got me in contact with our current guy who takes care of my car and I take care of his computer. Its a good deal.

[Domenic]

Selespeed cars aren't that bad. As long as the mechanics servicing the car has an idea on how the system works it shouldn't be a problem.

My brother has been servicing/re-conditioning/rebuilding selespeed pumps and actuators for years. As long as the mechanic calibrates the clutch pin every time you get the car serviced it should be fine.

The only thing with selespeeds, is that yes, selespeed components do wear out, just like everything else on the cars, like brakes/pads/suspension components/tires. The thing that scares people away is that they go to a dealer to get the selespeed system fixed and freak out at the bill of $5-6k, and half the time the dealers miss-diagnose the problem, because for them it's easier to just replace the item.

If the car works enjoy it as much as you can, even if it doesn't, it still looks good sitting in the drive way so you can still feel happy that you own an Alfa Romeo and it's AWESOME!!!

[abyssus]

Selespeed cars aren't that bad. As long as the mechanics servicing the car has an idea on how the system works it shouldn't be a problem.

My brother has been servicing/re-conditioning/rebuilding selespeed pumps and actuators for years. As long as the mechanic calibrates the clutch pin every time you get the car serviced it should be fine.

The only thing with selespeeds, is that yes, selespeed components do wear out, just like everything else on the cars, like brakes/pads/suspension components/tires. The thing that scares people away is that they go to a dealer to get the selespeed system fixed and freak out at the bill of $5-6k, and half the time the dealers miss-diagnose the problem, because for them it's easier to just replace the item.

If the car works enjoy it as much as you can, even if it doesn't, it still looks good sitting in the drive way so you can still feel happy that you own an Alfa Romeo and it's AWESOME!!!

G'day there, thanks for the reply.

I've spent a bit of time over the last month reading up on the euro alfa forums and agree with you 100%.
It's a pretty sad state for local mechanics when if its not a holden or a ford then its straight into the too hard basket (same situation with my old Honda)

Since I got the car I've picked up the FiatECUmonitor software, cable and got some help from my retired mechanic mate to adjust the clutch rod, which was about 1cm out of its 28cm (+/- 0.5cm) spec range. Now the shifts are brilliant and it feels like a completely new car to drive.

Next on the list of things to check is to look at the actuator or the related hoses because it can lurch a bit and takes ~2mins before it gets the right pressure up from a cold start.

But yeah, its not rocket science, just got to spend the time to learn how it works and give it some respect.