RE: SOTW: Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6
Discussion
DeltaEvo2 said:
Sorry 187-189 BHP you are right, thanks for the correction... :-)
I can't believe BMW people are having a go at Alfas...just look at the thing! BMW look s*it compared to any Alfa and this car won:
1998 Italian Super Touring Car Championship - Alfa Romeo 156 D2, Fabrizio Giovanardi
1999 Italian Super Touring Car Championship - Alfa Romeo 156 D2, Fabrizio Giovanardi
2000 European Super Touring Car Cup Winner - Alfa Romeo 156 D2, Fabrizio Giovanardi
2001 FIA European Touring Car Championship - Alfa Romeo 156 D2, Fabrizio Giovanardi
2002 FIA European Touring Car Championship - Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Super 2000, Fabrizio Giovanardi
2003 FIA European Touring Car Championship – Alfa Romeo 156 Super 2000, Gabriele Tarquini
Possibly kicking a BMW or two? :-)
We know Giovanardi is a good driver! List doesnt mean much as a racing car isnt really a road car. They are not production cars. Things like JD POwer surveys are more appropriate to road cars then racing stats. I can't believe BMW people are having a go at Alfas...just look at the thing! BMW look s*it compared to any Alfa and this car won:
1998 Italian Super Touring Car Championship - Alfa Romeo 156 D2, Fabrizio Giovanardi
1999 Italian Super Touring Car Championship - Alfa Romeo 156 D2, Fabrizio Giovanardi
2000 European Super Touring Car Cup Winner - Alfa Romeo 156 D2, Fabrizio Giovanardi
2001 FIA European Touring Car Championship - Alfa Romeo 156 D2, Fabrizio Giovanardi
2002 FIA European Touring Car Championship - Alfa Romeo 156 GTA Super 2000, Fabrizio Giovanardi
2003 FIA European Touring Car Championship – Alfa Romeo 156 Super 2000, Gabriele Tarquini
Possibly kicking a BMW or two? :-)
I've had mine for over a year now and it's been a bit of a mixed bag, all in all.
Positives:
Positives:
- Mechanically it's been staggeringly reliable. Only left me stranded once with a flat battery (though I'll forgive it that because it turned out to be the original). It's even survived the previous owner topping it up with oil and then neglecting to replace the cap. It's also needed a replacement radiator and cambelt change.
- Looks good, nice interior, engine sounds good for an I4, it gets a lot of positive comments anyway.
- Drives pretty well and the throttle, clutch (original at 94,000), gearbox and brakes are all smooth and light, but effective.
- Suspension is made of lasagne, which becomes immensly frustrating when you need to replace it every MOT
- Grounds out on speedbumps thanks to the low plastic engine tray. Which is now broken and costs a fair bit to replace
- Drinks a bit of oil. Not a big issue if you remember to check it. Strangely it only seems to do it on long motorway trips, I could probably drive for months around town without it using a drop, must be the sustained high revs.
- Even though it picks up nicely above 3000rpm it's actually quite sluggish below that, I'd even call it poor in that respect, which can be irritating driving it sometimes.
Great shed. My wife has a 156SW that she loves to bits. I'm quite fond of it too as it happens. It has been mechanically reliable, except for a couple of minor faults that could have happened on any make - MAF went.
Ok its not the fastest or most expensive car out there and it does seem to eat some bits, namely tyres and suspension, for breakfast but as we enjoy driving it we can forgive it for that!
Ok its not the fastest or most expensive car out there and it does seem to eat some bits, namely tyres and suspension, for breakfast but as we enjoy driving it we can forgive it for that!
Really? Because both of mine (a 230 and a PZ) would happily keep up with 147 and 156 GTAs in a straight line and piss all over them at the first sign of a corner.
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No chance sir, I've got personal experience with the 156 V6 and RX8 230 and the 2.5 V6 beats it in straight line performance. In the corners, that win goes to the RX8, but a well set up 156 with uprated Eibachs and Koni FSD's will sit on the Mazda's tail until it see's a straight, then it will say good bye :0
As for a 156 GTA vs RX8, the RX8 stands no chance in a straight line race, or in gear acceleration.
As for the corners, it's not far off either
GT 3.2 vs RX8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_54q-5msuo
[/quote]
No chance sir, I've got personal experience with the 156 V6 and RX8 230 and the 2.5 V6 beats it in straight line performance. In the corners, that win goes to the RX8, but a well set up 156 with uprated Eibachs and Koni FSD's will sit on the Mazda's tail until it see's a straight, then it will say good bye :0
As for a 156 GTA vs RX8, the RX8 stands no chance in a straight line race, or in gear acceleration.
As for the corners, it's not far off either
GT 3.2 vs RX8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_54q-5msuo
Defo best shed in ages, sometimes SOTW makes you have a real good look at yourself, at your wallet too. Unfortunately i have found myself living in such a bad area for snarl ups (just inside the south west corner of the M25) that such a car is completely out of the question. i'm gonna move... I still think that people that change cambelts on cars under £1k are missing the whole spirit of shed ownership, if you own a shed the worst thing that can happen is that you have lots of little niggles, battery, wishbones (especially on fords), alternator, cv joints, steering rack, leaks etc, they are the big problem. You can't buy a new car cos something small has packed up you just have to fix it then it goes on and on, if a cambelt snaps its not a problem its just the end of the car buy another one.
Re : the oil filter
it is not easy to access, I took mine to national and after dropping the oil they found that they couldn't get to the oil filter. So free oil change!
A couple of months later took it to kwikfit, checked under the car and found that they hadn't been able to change it either! But I'd been charged for it! 2nd attempt and whilst it took 3 of them they managed it!
The front lights are not easy if you have long fingers either!
And with regard to oil consumption there is a sticker in the window to remind you to check it!
it is not easy to access, I took mine to national and after dropping the oil they found that they couldn't get to the oil filter. So free oil change!
A couple of months later took it to kwikfit, checked under the car and found that they hadn't been able to change it either! But I'd been charged for it! 2nd attempt and whilst it took 3 of them they managed it!
The front lights are not easy if you have long fingers either!
And with regard to oil consumption there is a sticker in the window to remind you to check it!
Pommygranite said:
10 Pence Short said:
Pommygranite said:
Majority of those who have had a modern alfa have loved them and had very few issues. Majority of those who have never had an alfa preach unreliability.
I loved my 156 and I wouldn't think £1000 on this is any worse than £1000 on any other car. In fact the v6 is the more reliable of the range.
Not sure the statistics work with you on that one.I loved my 156 and I wouldn't think £1000 on this is any worse than £1000 on any other car. In fact the v6 is the more reliable of the range.
Edited by Pommygranite on Friday 16th July 11:22
Also the v6's don't have many of the twinspark's issues.
Note, this isn't a JD Power survey based on 'satisfaction'. It's a survey based upon actual faults and the cost of fixing them.
In summary, as far as reliability goes, they're still s
t.http://www.warrantydirect.co.uk/press/117.doc
Edited by 10 Pence Short on Friday 16th July 16:02
Oilchange said:
National/Kwik-fit????
they should know better. they must do thousands of oil changes, if I can change the filter with the car up on two small ramps and my upper body almost entirely under the car then they can do it on a ramp with easy access. They're being lazy
Or, the owner should know better than to take any car you half care about to those fools.they should know better. they must do thousands of oil changes, if I can change the filter with the car up on two small ramps and my upper body almost entirely under the car then they can do it on a ramp with easy access. They're being lazy
Oilchange said:
National/Kwik-fit????
they should know better. they must do thousands of oil changes .............They're being lazy
yes Indeed!they should know better. they must do thousands of oil changes .............They're being lazy
National also couldn't adjust the tracking as they claimed the track rod ends were both seized! Yet I had changed a steering gaiter only 3 months earlier! Mustn't know my own strength.
ExPat2B said:
This is a good looking engine. The Alfa has a couple of flat alloy panels and 6 shiny pipes.
Thats all they are, shiny pipes. I sometimes struggle to belive what magpies petrolheads can be, oooh look its SHINEY = instant love. Just fit some shiney pipes and forget about the infamous problems with this engine. f
k it, next time I build something I am going to put some really shiney pipes on it and not built it properly, and it seems some people will just forgive any faults.If you want your car to be as good looking, get the alloy intake polished up with a flapper wheel. But please don't think this engine is an incrediable piece of design.
And all those drooling about the sound, well, most all V6's sound wonderful with an intake and exhaust, sorry but the Alfa is nothing special. And there are beter V6s for your money that the Alfa.
Edited by Rusty-C on Friday 16th July 16:35
Edited by Rusty-C on Friday 16th July 16:38
jamcam23 said:
Really? Because both of mine (a 230 and a PZ) would happily keep up with 147 and 156 GTAs in a straight line and piss all over them at the first sign of a corner.
No chance sir, I've got personal experience with the 156 V6 and RX8 230 and the 2.5 V6 beats it in straight line performance. In the corners, that win goes to the RX8, but a well set up 156 with uprated Eibachs and Koni FSD's will sit on the Mazda's tail until it see's a straight, then it will say good bye :0As for a 156 GTA vs RX8, the RX8 stands no chance in a straight line race, or in gear acceleration.
As for the corners, it's not far off either
GT 3.2 vs RX8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_54q-5msuo
10 Pence Short said:
Note, this isn't a JD Power survey based on 'satisfaction'. It's a survey based upon actual faults and the cost of fixing them.
In summary, as far as reliability goes, they're still st.
Do you know which of the current cars are included in that?In summary, as far as reliability goes, they're still s
t.According to their website, they only have figures for the 156 and the 147, with only the facelift 156 really pulling down the average. The one which is still in production, the 147, gets 98.55 - perhaps not brilliant, but not atrocious either.
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