156 or 147

[Alfalfa]

Lads,

My cousin has recently run into trouble with his Subaru and is looking to get a new car. Yesterday I suggested looking at a 156 and he's got a little smirk on his face over the idea. He's never owned an alfa and is your typical "they're not reliable" yada yada yada. Quote, "logic is holding me back"

I don't really have much knowledge on the new models, so I've told him I'll ask you lot for some advice.

He's got a young family but has a maxima to do the family car stuff. This would be his daily drive, commuting from outer eastern suburbs to the city. I would say he's looking to spend around 15-20, will confirm when i know

What would you say is best suited for him, off the top of my head I told him post 2004 156 JTS 2.0 Manual. Basically because less things to go wrong with the manual, and i've heard a bunch of stuff about the selespeeds, repair cost in v6s compared to 4 bangers.

But like i said, I really don't know much at all...do the 147 and 156 share a lot of mechanicals? Basically are they the same car just one's a hatch?

So, without further ado I'd like to open the forum to discussion.

Remember, we're trying to convert a sensible to an Alfisto!

[jayarr]

Hi,

key differentiators for me:
JTS versus twin spark
JTS can be very thirsty for oil
Bigger boot versus small hatch area
Small boot opening versus hatch!

Would not recommend understating that the horror stories can come true, and that service at a experienced Alfa workshop (though not necessarily a dealer) is a good thing.

Cheers.