Alfetta or GTV6?

[Mat Francis]

Hello to all!

heres the background first

-i am 17
-i currently own an alfetta, wouldnt swap it for anything (except another alfa of course!)
-although i am not capable of maintaining the car myself, dad knows his stuff and is only too willing to help, so any maintenance can be done by us

i have a feeling that i might be able to pick up a GTV6 pretty cheaply, and after looking at a few pictures and learning a bit more about them it seems like a very attractive idea. however, what does concern me is the ongoing running costs that might come with one. the alfetta is pretty good at the moment, driven sensibly we consistently get around 23MPG, obviously less if it is getting thrashed. can somebody give me a realistic figure for a GTV6? also, i am not sure how i would go with insurance, as its not looking too shit-hot even with the alfetta at the moment. if anybody can point out a few pros and cons of the issue it would be greatly appreciated. any other information that is likely to make me sway towards the GTV6 would go down pretty good as well i think

cheers

[Simon Aarons]

Hi Mat,

I have owned a GTV6 for the past two and bit years now and after driving a Alfetta and a 4 cyl GTV for a while i have found the V6 to be a much nicer car to drive on a daily basis.

Fuel consumption completely depends on your driving style with the V6. I rarely fill the tank - i usually put about $40 in which ends up being about 25 litres or so. Just the other week i travelled just under 200k's before the petrol light was stuck on (even when turing right!!). This works out to be about 12-14 litres per 100k's. Not too bad considering most driving is around town and that it is a 22 year old engine with 225,000k's!!!

I dont tend to have a heavy right foot but if you did probably expect only 130-150k's from 25 litres. The car is great on the open road! A easy 600k's from a full tank (75 litres) but tends to be quite thirsty if stuck in Stop/Start traffic!


With insurance i first insured the car when i was on P plates. Basic third party was just under $400 - extra $150 for fire and theft. Full Comp i believe was around $2500!! These are prices from Just Car - other companies classify a GTV to be a 'HIGH PERFORMANCE VEHICLE' and must be over 25 to insure. HAHAHAHA!


Overall they can be a little more expensive in all aspects - even repairs but they are a great car to drive. The V6 is a beautiful engine which sounds amazing. Stiffen the suspenson a little and you get a supurb handling road car which is also great on the race track!

Hope this helps you out!!

Cheers.

[Mat Francis]

Thanks Simon, that was exactly the sort of thing i was after. Hopefully i will soon be driving a GTV6 as well!

[Mat Francis]

sorry everyone, forgot to ask this bit!
am i correct in assuming a GTV6 is a 160 series? or does it still fall under the 116?
we have endless spares for 116 series cars, but i am assuming that most of these will not be usable in a GTV6?
the particular point of interest here is the gearbox. i am not worried about bad syncro's, but i have a feeling the 75's have a LSD? is this the case for a GTV6? i have much to learn yet.

[Luke]

Hi Mat,

I've got nothing of value to add to this thread, other than I think I saw your car at the Phillip Island Classic. I've got an Alfetta sedan too, red one. If this is indeed your car, it looks good!


Oh yeah, pretty sure the GTV6 is a 116 series car.

[Mat Francis]

haha. yes, you are correct, that is my car at phillip island. and if i am not mistaken, you were parked about three cars up, and have original mags? i have to admit i might of drooled over your car for a few minutes at some stage. thanks for the input anyway, much appreciated!

[Luke]

I run GTV6 rims actually, but yes, I was parked a few cars up from you for a little while.

Straying further off topic for a second (sorry), who is your insurance provider for the Alfetta? I've not insured mine yet, but had a quote from the RAC, who grossly under-value the car. Shannons was recommended to me, but unfortunately they don't deal with drivers under 25.

[Jekyll and Hyde]

we have endless spares for 116 series cars, but i am assuming that most of these will not be usable in a GTV6?
the particular point of interest here is the gearbox. i am not worried about bad syncro's, but i have a feeling the 75's have a LSD? is this the case for a GTV6? i have much to learn yet.

Most body + interior parts should swap, most mechanicals probably won't swap.  Gearbox is not normally an LSD in a GTV6, unless a 75 box has been swapped in, but ratios are different to 4 cylinder, and output flanges/tailshaft etc are all bigger on V6.

[Mat Francis]

The Alfetta is insured with the RACV, but only for third party and theft. Dad looked at comprehensive, but only paid $2500 for the car and that was pretty much the cost per year even for him. sorry i cant help you much on that one

[scott.venables]

I can't really add anything about the GTV6s but the fuel consumption for my 75(same motor) is similar to what is posted above.  Gets 12-14 L/100km around town and the other weekend going to Phillip Island (I think I saw your car too!) got down to about 9.5. 

GTV6s are 116 series cars, and 75s and 90s are classified as 160.  This is despite there being more similarities between a 75 and a GTV6 compared to a GTV6 and a Giulietta which is a also a 116. It's probably easier to refer to them all as transaxles because most of the mechanical parts are interchangeable.

As a P plater, I found Just Car Insurance best. They're more understanding with modifications as well.

Scott

[Mat Francis]

thanks scott,
the fuel consumption figures is pretty much identical to my alfetta gets at the moment, but it needs the carbies rebuilt, which might help a little. so that part of it makes me very happy.
and yes, i was rather confused as to the GTV6 being a 116 series, but that makes more sense now.
mmmmmmmmmmmmm GTV6...

[Sir Lancelot]

A little slow to reply to this thread, but Simon is very much on the ball there. It's a treat to drive the V6, definitely prefer this engine, and basic suspension improvements are a must if you want to have better handling and a little more fun. The fuel consumption is very much a function of how hard you drive the car - a complete fill on premium fuel will top $60.
I also had 3rd party insurance with Just Car, where full comprehensive was $3000. Are you kidding me? of course I'm not paying that! Now I've got an agreed value on the car with Shannons, full comprehensive, it's brilliant - plus, there's a 10% discount on your annual cost if you hold a CAMS license! (pretty much pays for itself)

Just remember, if you buy a cheap GTV6, there will most certainly be a reason for this - for the longest time I tried to tell myself it would be a cheap car to maintain if I kept it in good shape - it will cost you. Heaps. Just be prepared for that if you can't fix it yourself. Generally there's always something to repair/replace/improve. But, I'd pay it all again for so many reasons, it's a brilliant car both on and off the track - I've even had one guy chase me through traffic to ask if I would sell him the car 

[ANT_GTV6]

Hi everyone

Even slower to reply. Ive owned my GTV6 for a year now and id never give it up. Apart from a flat battery, broken ignition swith and rough idle when cold, it runs perfect. My insurance is through CGU and its only $880 for comprehensive and im 21 so i dont mind it, it definately gets cheaper the older you get judging by the prices you guys were quoted. I usually get around 600kms to a tank which i thinks quite good.

Its definately a great car, just that exhaust note was enough to make me want one. After having one though the whole package is just superb, especially on the open road with heaps of corners thrown into the mix. I went to Alfesta at Mooloolaba just a few weeks ago for the saturday and did about 800kms in 1 day and it ran great until the ignition switch went in it at the Mantra Resort before a long trip back to Toowoomba which i only ended up getting back at 5:30am Sunday morning but the car didnt mind the cold weather.

I actually bought a second GTV6 four weeks ago to turn into a race car. So i have definately been bitten not only by the Alfa Romeo bug but the GTV6 bug aswell. So i recommend the GTV6 to anyone just make sure it is well looked after, unless you like a good restoration job(which i do for my new red one, if you can call making race car, restoration)

[Mat Francis]

thanks everyone for all the help
unfortunately the GTV6 i was looking at sold for more than i could scrape together (it was at auction)
i really hope it went to a good home
looks like il be sticking to the alfetta for now, until i get a better paying job
i am still determined to buy one, its just gonna have to wait a little
i can still dream in the mean time however..