D8UGF

I know the alfa 156 has been debated to death on these forums, was wondering if any of you have any experiences of yourself or friends/family etc
owning a 147 Alfa? Particularly the 1.6/1.8 twin spark, manual, lusso model.

Really like these little cars but am a bit put off by the alfa reliability rep.

Also are there any alfa forums as the only one I could find was aroc and you need to be a member to join the forum.

Thanks in advance

Dougie

Dave_A

A mates got one, does very little milage, so wear and tear is minimal on it. Its a lovely car, finish inside is great, rides well, pulls reasonably strongly (its the 1.8 lusso). Exterior, pretty good, one of the doors hangs down slightly and the paint finish is a little dodgy in places (his words not mine, it looks fine to me).

relaibility wise, it had to go back to the garage the day they bought it because the throttle potentiometer was full of crap (this was a new delivery milage car). It then had problems some engine warning lights coming on etc, and had a new wing mirror because the old one whistled. I think there may have been a new steering rack as well (but I may be confusing this with someone else).

All in, if you've got a new one with warrenty then just make sure the dealer is up to scratch and will be prompt. Parts aren;t held in stoc in the uk, they have to be ordered in, apparently.

Residual value at trade in time isn't great, unless you go for another alfa.

Dave

D8UGF

Dave,

Thanks for the input, much appreciated.

Been looking at 51plates or thereabouts, so hoping the "new car foibles" have been ironed out. TBH the depreciation bit doesnt worry me too much as it seems to be a drawback of owning any car at the moment, second hand values are on the floor they seem to be going for around the 6-7k mark, so not going to be losing huge sums of cash on it (hopefully).

Cheers

Dougie

LeeMac

iTrader: (1)

get the 2.4 diesel, chip it, get 200bhp, bargain

penfold118

My dad had the 156 selspeed ( ? ), the car was great but there were a few probs with the gearbox and the main delears were so bad, so if you end up getting one find a decent specalist....

147_TS

currently im driving Alfa147 1.6 (120hp) 5-door, a little modded... the car is 4 years old, got 56.000 miles on the counter, was always parked outside (even in winter with temperatures about -20C degrees), never garaged...

it runs perfectly, no matter of outside temperature, never had any problems... this car attracts quite a lot attention cuz of its styling, it looks faster then it really is

steering is very sharp (almost like for women, very easy) and the suspension is a bit stiffer compared to Golf, Astra etc but you will love it if you like driving a bit faster, the only thing Alfa doesnt like are poor quality roads, you have to pay more attention to ride because you dont get so much response from the soft steering wheel and car tends to behave unpredictably when on bumpy roads (you can always slow down so its not much of an issue)

interior is great, very warm and of high quality, thers plenty of room in front and moderate room in the back but 4 people could be transported quite comfortably, 5 people only for short distances

the engine has GREAT sound, if you buy a nice aftermarket muffler it will get even better... you can rev the engine until 6800rpm... the gearbox is quite accurate

the only thing i dont like is changing the bulbs in headlights, theres not so much room to operate and everytime i have to change bulbs i have to be alone cuz i curse a lot... so if you can, you should buy it with xenon light

but generally, its a really nice car with good reliability, only bad thing about Alfa is that they dont have any turbocharged engines, if you want performance your only choice is 3.2litre V6 monster

if you want to buy used car, watch out for early 156s, they had some reliability issues but later 156s are OK, 147s are perfect...

DarkStar66

I owned a 147 2.0TS for two years and did quite a lot of miles. I think 147_TS has said most of what I would have.

It was very reliable and the engine sounded great when you floored it. I would recommend the 2 litre if you want something that goes (almost) as fast as the car looks. It is also the only engine with variable valve timing so you don't have to thrash it to go fast. I found the suspension too soft and high so I had it lowered by 25mm. This made a big difference but also gave me problems with speed humps because the engine is very low in the chassis. There were a few annoying 'quirks' like the clutch that bit rather quickly which made progress in traffic queues tricky and a sun visor that was either up or down, there was no in between.

Some of the dealers are supposed to be awful but the one I used was very good, better than my local Subaru dealer so far.

The problem with getting a 156 now is that a brand new replacement is due early next year which may effect secondhand values of the current model. There's also a 147 facelift due soon.
I can recommend the forum on http://www.alfaowner.com .

gso

I had a 147 1.6 Lusso for 3 years which i changed for my WRX... Absolutely loved it to bits... everything about it (apart from speed) was great.... handling...lovely...interior...top class... everything is nice to touch and look at... everything is crafted beautifully... just turn on the lights at night and stare at the gorgeous red dials

Engine note was amazing.... I had an aftermarket exhaust and it sounded awesome... I drove everywhere with my windows down... Reliability... Good (forget what people say about Alfas and electrics... their greatly improved)... As 147_TS says.... changing light bulbs is a pig of a job.. I've never been able to do it... The on board computer is handy though as it tells you which bulbs are out.

Get one with a BOSE system.... you'll love it

Back to reliability.... I only had one problem.... on the week when i was shopping for cars... parked at a honda garage.... timing belt snapped... the car had done 46,000 miles... so if your going second hand check to see if its been changed.

D8UGF

Brilliant info lads thanks.

Penfold, will deffo be the manual, heard about the selespeeds being expensive and quite easy to go wrong.

Lee Mac: Have had a high 200bhp car for over six years now and to be honest gettin a bit pissed off at bein on first name terms with all the petrol station cashiers

DarkStar: Think I might split the difference and go for the 1.8TS Lusso (in grey if poss) Looking to cut costs a bit (fuel, insurance etc)

Only thing I am concerned about is I live in Strathclyde and we dont have any such things here known as a "smooth road", the roads are a disgrace and its like driving off road every time you go out.
That said I would like to put lowering springs on it as my only niggle with the 147 styling is that it sits too high at the back.

Many thanks

Dougie

DarkStar66

I definitely agree but the standard shocks are a bit soft and you end up scraping the nose if you hit a dip. So I bought some adjustable dampers from Autodelta for the front and it worked wonders.