RE: Shed Of The Week: Alfa Romeo 147 Selespeed
Discussion
Sillyspeed was and always will be s
t. The rest of the cars aren't bad but you can get a lot newer for a grand. The 2 litre Manual is the pick of the bunch excepting the GTA. But as has been noted check for squeaky top arms, rattly anti roll bars, seized and stretched gearshift cables, noisy cam variators, imminent belt tensioner failure and imminent bottom end failure due to being run low on oil due to their high thirst for the stuff!
Apart from that they're not bad, lovely interiors, steer nicely and sound good - they've also aged well in my opinion.
Think I'm qualified to comment, I must have sold over 300 of them in the dim and distant past.
t. The rest of the cars aren't bad but you can get a lot newer for a grand. The 2 litre Manual is the pick of the bunch excepting the GTA. But as has been noted check for squeaky top arms, rattly anti roll bars, seized and stretched gearshift cables, noisy cam variators, imminent belt tensioner failure and imminent bottom end failure due to being run low on oil due to their high thirst for the stuff! Apart from that they're not bad, lovely interiors, steer nicely and sound good - they've also aged well in my opinion.
Think I'm qualified to comment, I must have sold over 300 of them in the dim and distant past.
I've had 6 Alfas (all bought with own money) the 147 has never really done it for me, but this looks nice enough and with a private plate it could look a newer car. Best Alfas I had were 75's - Twin Spark followed by 3.0, owned when they were current. Would love a 4C, but who wouldn't?
Nice shed though!, Alfas are a bit like Golfs and Minis, they don't sit in any particular social class, but normally mark you out as somebody who knows a bit about cars. Citroens also used to be but don't start me on that one.......
Nice shed though!, Alfas are a bit like Golfs and Minis, they don't sit in any particular social class, but normally mark you out as somebody who knows a bit about cars. Citroens also used to be but don't start me on that one.......
Jujuuk68 said:
My name is Julian, and I am an alfaholic.
I started with a a little 33 Green cloverleaf. Mainly at weekends for recreational use. The little boxer engine was enough give me a buzz, and desperately scrabbling for grip in the wet could be sort of thrilling. Even my first and second near miss of a throttle cable stuck open on the A23, and a steering wheel that remained riveted to the boss by 1 sole rivet on an over enthusiatic cornering manourvre didn't dim my enjoyment. Then a friend offered me a Sprint. By then, Alfa ownership was slowly taking over my life. Money spent on spares, meant I stopped seeing my friends. Thats when the main active ingedient, Fe2 O3 nH2O really started to get its hooks into me. Hours beside the roadside waiting for strange men men to turn up in vans to "sort me out". with a fix. About then, due to my alfaholism, I fell into bad company, started hanging around with a Sussex owners club on wet tuesday nights. Some of them had way bigger problems than me. There was one guy with a barn find gulia 1600. He was into it way too deeply. Should have warned me.
Then my decent into madness really began. A Gtv2000 which flexed on humpback bridges, leaked badly through the sunroof, with sills mad motworthy with gaffer tape and parts generally falling off like it was a clown car at the circus. It almost killed me at 120ish on the Brighton bypass, when the engine imploded (thrown a conrod?)and the police were called who had to perform an emergency tow at the scene.
But it still wasn't enough. Always looking for something bigger,faster, with all the issues that brings. Then one day, I just found myself at an auction. Within minutes I was wheezing home in my biggest deal yet - £750 of Alfa 75 Veloce 3l, (It's street name is "Milano), which did sufficient mpg to get me from garage to garage, with the odd total breakdown on the way.
I realised it had to stop. That was it. One final breakdown, and it went to scrap. I cleaned my act up, and obtained a diesel Clio as a company car. I started to see my friends again, got into a relationship with a girl who actually expected me to arrive at the appointed time on dates. I even had money to take her out. I thought I was over it. I actually managed to start saving for the first time in my life, after paying the final installment on the blown gasket repair to that lovely 3l v6.
But your always an alfaholic. I can't help myself. An ad like this brings it back to me, and now I'm scouring the ads for another cheap fix.
Damn you Shed....
What a fantastic post, made me smile. I started with a a little 33 Green cloverleaf. Mainly at weekends for recreational use. The little boxer engine was enough give me a buzz, and desperately scrabbling for grip in the wet could be sort of thrilling. Even my first and second near miss of a throttle cable stuck open on the A23, and a steering wheel that remained riveted to the boss by 1 sole rivet on an over enthusiatic cornering manourvre didn't dim my enjoyment. Then a friend offered me a Sprint. By then, Alfa ownership was slowly taking over my life. Money spent on spares, meant I stopped seeing my friends. Thats when the main active ingedient, Fe2 O3 nH2O really started to get its hooks into me. Hours beside the roadside waiting for strange men men to turn up in vans to "sort me out". with a fix. About then, due to my alfaholism, I fell into bad company, started hanging around with a Sussex owners club on wet tuesday nights. Some of them had way bigger problems than me. There was one guy with a barn find gulia 1600. He was into it way too deeply. Should have warned me.
Then my decent into madness really began. A Gtv2000 which flexed on humpback bridges, leaked badly through the sunroof, with sills mad motworthy with gaffer tape and parts generally falling off like it was a clown car at the circus. It almost killed me at 120ish on the Brighton bypass, when the engine imploded (thrown a conrod?)and the police were called who had to perform an emergency tow at the scene.
But it still wasn't enough. Always looking for something bigger,faster, with all the issues that brings. Then one day, I just found myself at an auction. Within minutes I was wheezing home in my biggest deal yet - £750 of Alfa 75 Veloce 3l, (It's street name is "Milano), which did sufficient mpg to get me from garage to garage, with the odd total breakdown on the way.
I realised it had to stop. That was it. One final breakdown, and it went to scrap. I cleaned my act up, and obtained a diesel Clio as a company car. I started to see my friends again, got into a relationship with a girl who actually expected me to arrive at the appointed time on dates. I even had money to take her out. I thought I was over it. I actually managed to start saving for the first time in my life, after paying the final installment on the blown gasket repair to that lovely 3l v6.
But your always an alfaholic. I can't help myself. An ad like this brings it back to me, and now I'm scouring the ads for another cheap fix.
Damn you Shed....
soad said:
Jujuuk68 said:
My name is Julian, and I am an alfaholic.
I started with a a little 33 Green cloverleaf. Mainly at weekends for recreational use. The little boxer engine was enough give me a buzz, and desperately scrabbling for grip in the wet could be sort of thrilling. Even my first and second near miss of a throttle cable stuck open on the A23, and a steering wheel that remained riveted to the boss by 1 sole rivet on an over enthusiatic cornering manourvre didn't dim my enjoyment. Then a friend offered me a Sprint. By then, Alfa ownership was slowly taking over my life. Money spent on spares, meant I stopped seeing my friends. Thats when the main active ingedient, Fe2 O3 nH2O really started to get its hooks into me. Hours beside the roadside waiting for strange men men to turn up in vans to "sort me out". with a fix. About then, due to my alfaholism, I fell into bad company, started hanging around with a Sussex owners club on wet tuesday nights. Some of them had way bigger problems than me. There was one guy with a barn find gulia 1600. He was into it way too deeply. Should have warned me.
Then my decent into madness really began. A Gtv2000 which flexed on humpback bridges, leaked badly through the sunroof, with sills mad motworthy with gaffer tape and parts generally falling off like it was a clown car at the circus. It almost killed me at 120ish on the Brighton bypass, when the engine imploded (thrown a conrod?)and the police were called who had to perform an emergency tow at the scene.
But it still wasn't enough. Always looking for something bigger,faster, with all the issues that brings. Then one day, I just found myself at an auction. Within minutes I was wheezing home in my biggest deal yet - £750 of Alfa 75 Veloce 3l, (It's street name is "Milano), which did sufficient mpg to get me from garage to garage, with the odd total breakdown on the way.
I realised it had to stop. That was it. One final breakdown, and it went to scrap. I cleaned my act up, and obtained a diesel Clio as a company car. I started to see my friends again, got into a relationship with a girl who actually expected me to arrive at the appointed time on dates. I even had money to take her out. I thought I was over it. I actually managed to start saving for the first time in my life, after paying the final installment on the blown gasket repair to that lovely 3l v6.
But your always an alfaholic. I can't help myself. An ad like this brings it back to me, and now I'm scouring the ads for another cheap fix.
Damn you Shed....
What a fantastic post, made me smile. I started with a a little 33 Green cloverleaf. Mainly at weekends for recreational use. The little boxer engine was enough give me a buzz, and desperately scrabbling for grip in the wet could be sort of thrilling. Even my first and second near miss of a throttle cable stuck open on the A23, and a steering wheel that remained riveted to the boss by 1 sole rivet on an over enthusiatic cornering manourvre didn't dim my enjoyment. Then a friend offered me a Sprint. By then, Alfa ownership was slowly taking over my life. Money spent on spares, meant I stopped seeing my friends. Thats when the main active ingedient, Fe2 O3 nH2O really started to get its hooks into me. Hours beside the roadside waiting for strange men men to turn up in vans to "sort me out". with a fix. About then, due to my alfaholism, I fell into bad company, started hanging around with a Sussex owners club on wet tuesday nights. Some of them had way bigger problems than me. There was one guy with a barn find gulia 1600. He was into it way too deeply. Should have warned me.
Then my decent into madness really began. A Gtv2000 which flexed on humpback bridges, leaked badly through the sunroof, with sills mad motworthy with gaffer tape and parts generally falling off like it was a clown car at the circus. It almost killed me at 120ish on the Brighton bypass, when the engine imploded (thrown a conrod?)and the police were called who had to perform an emergency tow at the scene.
But it still wasn't enough. Always looking for something bigger,faster, with all the issues that brings. Then one day, I just found myself at an auction. Within minutes I was wheezing home in my biggest deal yet - £750 of Alfa 75 Veloce 3l, (It's street name is "Milano), which did sufficient mpg to get me from garage to garage, with the odd total breakdown on the way.
I realised it had to stop. That was it. One final breakdown, and it went to scrap. I cleaned my act up, and obtained a diesel Clio as a company car. I started to see my friends again, got into a relationship with a girl who actually expected me to arrive at the appointed time on dates. I even had money to take her out. I thought I was over it. I actually managed to start saving for the first time in my life, after paying the final installment on the blown gasket repair to that lovely 3l v6.
But your always an alfaholic. I can't help myself. An ad like this brings it back to me, and now I'm scouring the ads for another cheap fix.
Damn you Shed....
Chapeau!
And exactly what an Alfa does to you. Since getting mine I've been browsing Giulietta QV's.....
A great looking car. Almost bought a 2.0l 147, but took a facelift 156 2.0l JTS instead. I can only comment on my own experience, as opposed to internet cliches, but my 156 really was a nightmare. 5 years old, full Alfa history. Everything that could break or fail on the car did. Trying to minimise the number of warning captions on the dash was like playing 'Simon' from the '70s...
It looked great inside and out, had an average chassis and average engine. I'd have another Alfa though, but if I ever do it'd be a GTA or GTV V6.
My Lancia Delta HF Turbo didn't miss a beat at 10 years old+ though (other than the gearbox case splitting in half, and the bodywork dissolving in rain like a sherbet flying saucer).
It looked great inside and out, had an average chassis and average engine. I'd have another Alfa though, but if I ever do it'd be a GTA or GTV V6.
My Lancia Delta HF Turbo didn't miss a beat at 10 years old+ though (other than the gearbox case splitting in half, and the bodywork dissolving in rain like a sherbet flying saucer).
trashbat said:
Incidentally, what was the system like when used elsewhere?
According to Wiki it (the Magneti Marelli system) got used in the F355 F1, the AM Vanquish and BMW's first-generation SMG.
Having tried both the BMW and Ferrari implementation of it, as well as the Selespeed in a couple of 156s (all when the cars concerned were no more than 3 years old), it ruined every one of them compared with their manual counterparts.According to Wiki it (the Magneti Marelli system) got used in the F355 F1, the AM Vanquish and BMW's first-generation SMG.
If you can only drive an auto for whatever reason, then admittedly it's a case of Hobson's choice and the Q-Tronic system in the V6 156 was s
t also - and I'm not a die hard manual-uber-alles enthusiast, I love a decent automatic/semi-automatic and have chosen them over manuals before (usually ZF autos of 5 speeds or more). BMW SMGII (E46 M3) was light years better than SMGI and the variation of it employed in non-M E46 325/330i is very good too and a sportier drive than the more usual conventional autobox in them. Very rare though.
Likewise wouldn't touch a Selespeed at ANY price or under warranty or not, too much grief consistently reported and experienced with ones I've known attempt to pass through the trade. I've yet to see one successfully retailed and not just ended up overage and disposed of at auction. One almost made it, but ended up getting brought back and the customer refunded as it borked. Worked enough to make it through a BCA hall though...
Bought my then wife a 147 1.6 cheaply to run around in. 50k miles, FASH and so on, noted that it had had thre eout of four sets of wishbones replaced, sure enough ended up replacing the fourth, plus the cambelt and tensioner. Fix one bit of the suspension one week and a week later another starts knocking. Was glad to get rid of that too. Again, at (Ebay) auction and for a loss, not something I make a habit of with our own cars, but every time I've taken a chance on something French or Italian.
Edited by Zwolf on Sunday 31st August 15:10
Gliaviate said:
In my experience good examples of the older Alfas were really great cars and I still have a 115 S4 Spider.
Right: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...My dad had one of the first 156's in the country back in 98 and even then Selespeed was a word that you'd avoid like the plague!
I loved that 156 though, still really like them and feel I'd love one but could never bring myself to part with the cash.
After 3 years he traded the 156 in for a 147, according to him it was much nicer to drive, and to be in in general, but for me, the 156 looked a million times better.
Alfa's have nearly always been the car I didn't buy..
For my 3rd car, I was looking at a 146, but ended up sticking with my Jetta for another year and then buying a Mini.
7 years ago, I went out looking for a 90s GTV (or possibly a Spider) and bought an Elise.
After using the Elise daily for a couple of years, I needed a more sensible car for winter, looked at 147, but ended up spending less on a Punto HGT.
The Punto went as we ended up with 4 cars for a while, and my other half had an old A4 for her long commute whilst I used her mk1 mx5..)
Eventually, Audi gone, and a garage consisting of an Elise, a vx220 and an mx5 for sale, a sensible 4 seater was required.
I looked at various 156, and remember narrowing it down to a pair of 156 and a Leon Cupra. We both sat in a perfect looking 156, all the right bits, and I asked to test drive the Leon.
When the Leon was needing replaces, enough was enough. I've had my 159 for about 20 months now
I loved that 156 though, still really like them and feel I'd love one but could never bring myself to part with the cash.
After 3 years he traded the 156 in for a 147, according to him it was much nicer to drive, and to be in in general, but for me, the 156 looked a million times better.
Alfa's have nearly always been the car I didn't buy..
For my 3rd car, I was looking at a 146, but ended up sticking with my Jetta for another year and then buying a Mini.
7 years ago, I went out looking for a 90s GTV (or possibly a Spider) and bought an Elise.
After using the Elise daily for a couple of years, I needed a more sensible car for winter, looked at 147, but ended up spending less on a Punto HGT.
The Punto went as we ended up with 4 cars for a while, and my other half had an old A4 for her long commute whilst I used her mk1 mx5..)
Eventually, Audi gone, and a garage consisting of an Elise, a vx220 and an mx5 for sale, a sensible 4 seater was required.
I looked at various 156, and remember narrowing it down to a pair of 156 and a Leon Cupra. We both sat in a perfect looking 156, all the right bits, and I asked to test drive the Leon.
When the Leon was needing replaces, enough was enough. I've had my 159 for about 20 months now
Jujuuk68 said:
My name is Julian, and I am an alfaholic.
I started with a a little 33 Green cloverleaf. Mainly at weekends for recreational use. The little boxer engine was enough give me a buzz, and desperately scrabbling for grip in the wet could be sort of thrilling. Even my first and second near miss of a throttle cable stuck open on the A23, and a steering wheel that remained riveted to the boss by 1 sole rivet on an over enthusiatic cornering manourvre didn't dim my enjoyment. Then a friend offered me a Sprint. By then, Alfa ownership was slowly taking over my life. Money spent on spares, meant I stopped seeing my friends. Thats when the main active ingedient, Fe2 O3 nH2O really started to get its hooks into me. Hours beside the roadside waiting for strange men men to turn up in vans to "sort me out". with a fix. About then, due to my alfaholism, I fell into bad company, started hanging around with a Sussex owners club on wet tuesday nights. Some of them had way bigger problems than me. There was one guy with a barn find gulia 1600. He was into it way too deeply. Should have warned me.
Then my decent into madness really began. A Gtv2000 which flexed on humpback bridges, leaked badly through the sunroof, with sills mad motworthy with gaffer tape and parts generally falling off like it was a clown car at the circus. It almost killed me at 120ish on the Brighton bypass, when the engine imploded (thrown a conrod?)and the police were called who had to perform an emergency tow at the scene.
But it still wasn't enough. Always looking for something bigger,faster, with all the issues that brings. Then one day, I just found myself at an auction. Within minutes I was wheezing home in my biggest deal yet - £750 of Alfa 75 Veloce 3l, (It's street name is "Milano), which did sufficient mpg to get me from garage to garage, with the odd total breakdown on the way.
I realised it had to stop. That was it. One final breakdown, and it went to scrap. I cleaned my act up, and obtained a diesel Clio as a company car. I started to see my friends again, got into a relationship with a girl who actually expected me to arrive at the appointed time on dates. I even had money to take her out. I thought I was over it. I actually managed to start saving for the first time in my life, after paying the final installment on the blown gasket repair to that lovely 3l v6.
But your always an alfaholic. I can't help myself. An ad like this brings it back to me, and now I'm scouring the ads for another cheap fix.
Damn you Shed....
I think I must have it as well.I started with a a little 33 Green cloverleaf. Mainly at weekends for recreational use. The little boxer engine was enough give me a buzz, and desperately scrabbling for grip in the wet could be sort of thrilling. Even my first and second near miss of a throttle cable stuck open on the A23, and a steering wheel that remained riveted to the boss by 1 sole rivet on an over enthusiatic cornering manourvre didn't dim my enjoyment. Then a friend offered me a Sprint. By then, Alfa ownership was slowly taking over my life. Money spent on spares, meant I stopped seeing my friends. Thats when the main active ingedient, Fe2 O3 nH2O really started to get its hooks into me. Hours beside the roadside waiting for strange men men to turn up in vans to "sort me out". with a fix. About then, due to my alfaholism, I fell into bad company, started hanging around with a Sussex owners club on wet tuesday nights. Some of them had way bigger problems than me. There was one guy with a barn find gulia 1600. He was into it way too deeply. Should have warned me.
Then my decent into madness really began. A Gtv2000 which flexed on humpback bridges, leaked badly through the sunroof, with sills mad motworthy with gaffer tape and parts generally falling off like it was a clown car at the circus. It almost killed me at 120ish on the Brighton bypass, when the engine imploded (thrown a conrod?)and the police were called who had to perform an emergency tow at the scene.
But it still wasn't enough. Always looking for something bigger,faster, with all the issues that brings. Then one day, I just found myself at an auction. Within minutes I was wheezing home in my biggest deal yet - £750 of Alfa 75 Veloce 3l, (It's street name is "Milano), which did sufficient mpg to get me from garage to garage, with the odd total breakdown on the way.
I realised it had to stop. That was it. One final breakdown, and it went to scrap. I cleaned my act up, and obtained a diesel Clio as a company car. I started to see my friends again, got into a relationship with a girl who actually expected me to arrive at the appointed time on dates. I even had money to take her out. I thought I was over it. I actually managed to start saving for the first time in my life, after paying the final installment on the blown gasket repair to that lovely 3l v6.
But your always an alfaholic. I can't help myself. An ad like this brings it back to me, and now I'm scouring the ads for another cheap fix.
Damn you Shed....
Went from a 1.6TS 147 to a 2.0TS 147 to a 155 2.0TS to a 156 2.0TS now a 1.9JTDm GT.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff