Advice on purchasing 147 GTA

[MJF]

Hello

I am looking at purchasing a 2006 147 GTA, Manual, No Q2 with 50,000Km on the clock.  Assuming no issues with service/general history, what should I be looking for when I inspect and test drive the car?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Cheers
Michael

[bix]

Hi Michael,
According to EVO magazine (issue 107):
1. Make sure the service history is in order
2. Original water pump is an issue and should have been changed from plastic impellor to a metal one. (replacing one means removal of belts, tensioner and two idle pulleys so probably not cheap)
3. Cambelt should have been replaced by a dealer/alfa specialist due to special tools needed to do the work
4. Mass airflow meters need to be changed around 110000kms (can cause engine flat spots and poor idling)
5. Oil filters are difficult to get to and often neglected causing main bearing failures (oil should be 10w60)
6. Diffs are known to overheat - hence the Q2 diff option
7. Clutches should last 110000ks (tell tale sign is the clutch gets heavy)
8. keep away from Selespeed (although rare)
9. Knocking and creaking behind the dash is said to be the front anti-roll bar sliding due to worn bushes
10. 147 power steering pipes can corrode around the clips
11. The original 305mm brake rotors (pre December 2003) are known to warp - particularly from track use
12. Bonnet catches have been known to fail from the release mechanism not being greased
13. The body kits have unique wings, quarter panels and bumpers and can be awkward to repair so check them all

"Both [156 and 147] offer a wealth of thrills and sensations from behind the wheel..."

I love these cars. Good luck in your search!



Engines are very reliable (provided they have been following the proper service intervals)

[colcol]

Hello Michael, make sure it has a good service history, and has all the correct service items done and was serviced by a Alfa Romeo service agent or an Alfa Romeo independant service specialist who knows these cars, the main thing to look for are cam belt changes, if i remember correctly it is 3 years OR 60,000kls, whichever comes first, if these are not attended to, a damaged motor will result from cam belt breakage, if you can have a talk to the place that previously serviced the car and ask if there are any issues, but for peace of mind have it checked out by one of our sponsors on the Alfa Club web site, our club members use them as they know Alfa Romeos, the water pumps on V-6's had plastic impellars and they split and spin on the shaft on the freeway, causing the motor to boil, these are replaced at a cam belt change, make sure the oil has been changed when required and it is the correct type, if yours hasn't got a Q-2 limited slip diff, then get one, as the original diffs in GTA's were a weak point and diffs have been known to break when backing out of a driveway in the morning, and when it breaks it takes the gearbox case with it, ouch!, the front suspension had issues, so check out the top and bottom control arm bushes, the sway bar bushes and the rose joints on the end of the sway bar,these will cause an annoying rattle and of course check for accident damage such as misaligned panels ripples in the body work, paint colour mismatches and overspray, etc, and for Alfa Club members in Victoria there is a 147-156-166-spider-gtv-932 series workshop night at Maranello Pur Sang Motors on Friday 27th May, bookings phone 0407 090 826 or email drtool@bigpond.co.au, Colin.

[bix]

Ha ha, jinxed ya colcol 

[shiny_car]

Cambelt is 3 yrs or 60K km, whichever is sooner. Just to clarify.

As suggested, water pump can be changed to metal impeller version when the cambelt is done. It should then last the lifetime of ownership.

Check that the 'water temp' sits at 90 degrees when the car is warmed up, give/take 5 degrees. Definitely shouldn't be below 80 degrees (or a lot higher than 90); this suggests a problem with the cooling system, though not necessarily expensive. Usually a faulty thermostat, but could be water pump failure too. If temp doesn't reach the ideal operating temperature, the ECU can retard performance (eg: run excessively rich fuel mix); no big deal, but can waste fuel and you won't have full potential of the engine.

Check interior wear and tear:
*inside grab handles on doors, window switch pad, steering wheel, steering wheel stereo controls
*driver seat leather wear
*climate control dials: 'well used' can lead to them losing the normal 'notched'/detented rotation, and they become free-spinning

I suppose it depends what you're willing to accept, and how good a car you want.

[wankski]

AFAIK, the actual ALFA recall notice was this:

IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM ALFA ROMEO
As of 13/11/2006 the official service interval on cambelts on 1.6l, 1.8l, 2.0l Twin Spark engines and 2.0l JTS engines in all models of all ages has been reduced to 36,000 miles or 3 years (whichever is the soonest).


the revision down from 5/100k to 3/60k affects only the fiat 4s...

the arese v6 is a completely different tensioner/cambelt design.... infact 99/100 the only thing that fails on the v6 is the tensioner... keep an eye on it, and it should be right (tension is set by its mounting screws! so you can imagine how the belt may come loose! but sometimes it shits itself)

the v6 is still recommended at the original 5/100k - but yes - they have failed and being even moe expensive to fix - better sooner rather than later...

[John Hanslow]

This may be a simple reply, but after you have given the car a test drive and checked the books, make sure that you/they take it for a prepurchase inspection at an Alfa Specialist - could be a dealer or a workshop.

the $100 or so dollars is money well spent and they know what to look for and the info can be part of your final negotiation.  

[John.Heidemann]

The belt replacement is definately the big ticket item. Make sure it has already been done. I stretched mine to 4 years but I was very nervous towards the end.

Also, the Q2 is an amazing upgrade. Makes the car handle perfectly (almost) and the rumoured being bullet proof over the stock diff is reassuring. I love mine - with the dollar where it is at the moment bring it in yourself from EB spares in the UK and get it fitted ASAP.

About the only thing that I've worn out so far is the driver side floormat. Currently on my third revision. They are thin and wear quickly and cost a mint. I've just had a heal mat fitted over the original and hope to get longer out of it now.

You will enjoy the car. 

[wankski]

yea.... q2, like so...   

[MJF]

I can't thank you all enough for the great advice!   

I will have plenty to look for when I inspect the car and will probably have to print out this page just so I don't forget anything!

The owner returns from overseas in two weeks so I will be sure to post and update.

I will definately have a Q2 diff installed sooner rather than later as I don't want to get stuck in a busy car park when the standard item blows up...or end up on the wrong side of a narrow mountain road when I plant it

Thanks again everyone!

[shiny_car]

the v6 is still recommended at the original 5/100k

^^^ This goes against what I've been told.  If you've been told that from an Alfa Dealer, fair enough. What is 'printed' in manuals and stuff can of course be outdated.

I have always been under the impression from my dealer, and from UK forums, that 3yrs/60K applies to the 24V Arese V6.

[wankski]

yeah, shiny - it's still good advice and I won't wait that long on my 6, but the offical dealer notice was the 4s only...

with any belt system, better safe than sorry...

that said, the v6 belt is totally different from the 4 and does not have the waterpump driven by the cam belt (stupid!) and the belt is pretty big and does not have the same radius bend thanks to the 60 degree V...

the main issue on the v6 timing system is the tensioner...

[colcol]

And with ALL timing belts excessive city idling, where you dont go far but your motor turns over a lot and wears out the belt, dusty conditions where dust and sand wear the belt out and hot weather will cause the belt to dry out and loose its elasticity, this is why some cars have timing belts fail before the recommended change of the timing belt, on the twin sparks and JTS's the water pump is actually used as a tensioner, so instead of a tensioner robbing power from the engine, a water pump is multi tasking, tensioning the belt AND driving water thru the block, this is one of the reasons modern engines are good on fuel and develop good power, because friction is reduced, thats the good news, the bad news is the water pump is buried behind the timing belt and to change the water pump, would cost you as much as a timing belt replacement, because you have to remove the timing belt to remove the waterpump!, so every second time you do the timing belt service, change the water pump, that is minimum 100,000kls or every 6 years, or whichever comes first, and if you have a worn water pump, then the worn bearing in the pump will cause the belt to run at a angle, or if the water pump starts to leak coolant onto the belt, then the coolant will cause rapid destruction of the belt, causing engine failure, Colin.

[wankski]

^^ +1000. exactly. only can add that coolant is real slippery, so that def does not help.... belts can break but more often slip teeth...

[Jekyll and Hyde]

on the twin sparks and JTS's the water pump is actually used as a tensioner.

Err.... who told you that?  Yes, the water pump is driven by the cambelt on those engines, but it is certainly NOT a tensioner.  The tensioner is a seperate component.