RE: SOTW: Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6
Discussion
Lot's of moaners on here about Alfa (as expected).
I think you either get bitten by the bug or don't - there's absolutley nothing more to it.
..... I mean at the end of the day it's just a car
but then i'm biased, i've had six, over the last twenty years.
And i've just bought one of them back ('66 Duetto).
If you want reliability (?) buy a Golf - we've got one of those too - which hasn't had not one fault in ten years.
Hence the Alfa purchase - live a little.
I think you either get bitten by the bug or don't - there's absolutley nothing more to it.
..... I mean at the end of the day it's just a car
but then i'm biased, i've had six, over the last twenty years.
And i've just bought one of them back ('66 Duetto).
If you want reliability (?) buy a Golf - we've got one of those too - which hasn't had not one fault in ten years.
Hence the Alfa purchase - live a little.
Edited by craig_m67 on Sunday 18th July 07:09
Howard- said:
Never heard what this engine sounds like, yet everyone seems to rave about it. Can anyone show me any youtube videos or whatever, that accurately portray how it sounds? 
This should cover it.Wanted one of these for years now. Never plucked up the courage to buy one...
craig_m67 said:
Lot's of moaners on here about Alfa (as expected).
I think you either get bitten by the bug or don't - there's absolutley nothing more to it.
..... I mean at the end of the day it's just a car
but then i'm biased, i've had six, over the last twenty years.
And i've just bought one of them back ('66 Duetto).
If you want reliability (?) buy a Golf - we've got one of those too - which hasn't had not one fault in ten years.
Hence the Alfa purchase - live a little.
I think you either get bitten by the bug or don't - there's absolutley nothing more to it.
..... I mean at the end of the day it's just a car
but then i'm biased, i've had six, over the last twenty years.
And i've just bought one of them back ('66 Duetto).
If you want reliability (?) buy a Golf - we've got one of those too - which hasn't had not one fault in ten years.
Hence the Alfa purchase - live a little.
/thread
Regarding to this 156 and the scared people: you CAN'T go wrong for this money. Even if it only works for a week, you'll still love it. But considering it's reputation, it'll work and be equally reliable as the same year BMW, which will be A LOT more expensive.
It looks the part, sounds the part, and has some "go" in it, all for a couple of hundreds. What more do you want?
DuncanM said:
tr7v8 said:
DuncanM said:
I bought an Alfa 156 V6 for £850 this time last year and ran it for 9 months.
I absolutely loved it! The engine really is great and worth the money just to experience it.
The car itself was nice with excellent steering and a not bad FWD chassis.
Looks wise I consider the 156 as a really special car and prefer it to the 159.
I would still have this car if it hadn't failed spectacularly on rust at MOT time.
So, my question to other 156 owners (lovers!), do these cars rust or was I just unlucky?
It was really bad and the only reason I sold on.
Special cars and no mistaking, they make more sense than most cars at this price point for a petrol head.
Has to be V6 though in my opinion
.
Duncan
Rusty 156, never heard of that especially to MOT fail level. Certain it hadn't been crash damaged, where was the rust?I absolutely loved it! The engine really is great and worth the money just to experience it.
The car itself was nice with excellent steering and a not bad FWD chassis.
Looks wise I consider the 156 as a really special car and prefer it to the 159.
I would still have this car if it hadn't failed spectacularly on rust at MOT time.
So, my question to other 156 owners (lovers!), do these cars rust or was I just unlucky?
It was really bad and the only reason I sold on.
Special cars and no mistaking, they make more sense than most cars at this price point for a petrol head.
Has to be V6 though in my opinion
.Duncan
The rust was very heavy down the sills and front driver's wing.
I must say I bought it on a whim and notice the rust but didn't realise how severe it was.
If you're saying that these cars don't typically rust then I think they are hands down the performance bargain in the SOTW sector
.I'm kinda glad I had lots of fun with mine and sold it on though as I have a fond affection for them rather than what could have been big bills and misery (only bought as a runabout).
Duncan
Pat H said:
Ali_T said:
What happens when a 147GTA meets a well sorted, healthy RX8 on track...
I had an Alfa GTV with the 3.2 V6 and it was a pretty nasty thing to drive on the limit.The understeer was bad and the brakes weren't up to the job.
In a straight line it was wonderful and it made a lovely GT car. But it had too much power for its chassis and that made it a all a bit ragged if you tried really hard.
The 2.5 V6 in my current 156 makes for a more pleasant motoring experience, as the power/handling/braking compromise is better resolved.
The 156 is more of a comfortable saloon with mild sporting pretentions. It suits its FWD platform, but there is no doubt that the BMW E36 and many other cars provide a more satisfying drive when you are really trying.
I use my 156 as a daily driver and it performs this task faultlessly. It is a charming and relaxing car that feels far more special than the modest cost of admission.
But unless it had fairly major chassis surgery, I think it would make a crap track car.
It doesn't surprise me that an RX8 can give a GTA a pasting on the track.
As for the 156 V6 shed, I'd struggle to find more fun and a better noise for the money!
The Alfa V6 (not shi**ty GM based V6) in all its variations is a fantastically characterful engine, I've had a few including a 164QV 3.0 24v, a 155 2.5 12v and a 75 3.0 12v, all of them are an absolute joy to blast through tunnels in!
Alfa`s are generally a huge risk, I`ve known of pampered, regularly serviced cars 156`s & 166`s that have ripped cambelts & destroyed big ends for no apparent reason at under 50,000 miles, yet I have a neighbour who`s had one for 3 or 4 years, he`s an ex banger racer & has a history of killing road cars in no time, he revs the b
ks out of it from cold, he redlines it constantly, he`s never serviced it, he`s run this 1999 2.0 with no oil showing on the dip stick for God knows how long, & yet, its still going strong... it did have an electrical issue that would cause non starting, he nearly put a match to it (thats the kinda guy he is, he`s also had 3 head ons in it & the air bags didnt work in any of the crashes!), several TDC sensors, ignition components, connection clean ups & a TB clean out seemed to solve it... or was it just luck.... we wont know till it does it again...
ks out of it from cold, he redlines it constantly, he`s never serviced it, he`s run this 1999 2.0 with no oil showing on the dip stick for God knows how long, & yet, its still going strong... it did have an electrical issue that would cause non starting, he nearly put a match to it (thats the kinda guy he is, he`s also had 3 head ons in it & the air bags didnt work in any of the crashes!), several TDC sensors, ignition components, connection clean ups & a TB clean out seemed to solve it... or was it just luck.... we wont know till it does it again...LondonItalian said:
Alfa`s are generally a huge risk, I`ve known of pampered, regularly serviced cars 156`s & 166`s that have ripped cambelts & destroyed big ends for no apparent reason at under 50,000 miles, yet I have a neighbour who`s had one for 3 or 4 years, he`s an ex banger racer & has a history of killing road cars in no time, he revs the bks out of it from cold, he redlines it constantly, he`s never serviced it, he`s run this 1999 2.0 with no oil showing on the dip stick for God knows how long, & yet, its still going strong... it did have an electrical issue that would cause non starting, he nearly put a match to it (thats the kinda guy he is, he`s also had 3 head ons in it & the air bags didnt work in any of the crashes!), several TDC sensors, ignition components, connection clean ups & a TB clean out seemed to solve it... or was it just luck.... we wont know till it does it again...
Sounds like a lovely fella! Get him on pistonheads to share the miracle working he clearly manages with Alfa twin spark engines.ks out of it from cold, he redlines it constantly, he`s never serviced it, he`s run this 1999 2.0 with no oil showing on the dip stick for God knows how long, & yet, its still going strong... it did have an electrical issue that would cause non starting, he nearly put a match to it (thats the kinda guy he is, he`s also had 3 head ons in it & the air bags didnt work in any of the crashes!), several TDC sensors, ignition components, connection clean ups & a TB clean out seemed to solve it... or was it just luck.... we wont know till it does it again...Let's be honest is this really you?
I've had my 156 V6 since new 12 years ago. I've still got it because we can't bear to part with it. It has been extremely reliable - no major engineering work (one routine cambelt). The taut steering, the wonderful howl at high revs, the rear door handles... The car has soul - and that's so hard to get these days.
So don't hold back. And at the price they're at now, if it doesn't work - get rid of it just get another. And once I'd found Lombarda in W London to look after mine - fantastic service - its all beeen a wonderful experience.
So don't hold back. And at the price they're at now, if it doesn't work - get rid of it just get another. And once I'd found Lombarda in W London to look after mine - fantastic service - its all beeen a wonderful experience.
glendon said:
I'm assuming that was a standard GTA in the Video? If not it'd surely attack the corners more convincingly with a Q2 diff and a set of Koni's fitted, IMO those mods are essential to the GTA to get the most out of it.
But that strays into comparing modded cars with unmodded and opens a can of worms. The point is that, despite all the power, the GTA just isn't convincingly quick.
Pat H said:
Ali_T said:
The point is that, despite all the power, the GTA just isn't convincingly quick.
The GTA is blindingly quick.Until it encounters a bend.
Pat H said:
Ali_T said:
The point is that, despite all the power, the GTA just isn't convincingly quick.
The GTA is blindingly quick.Until it encounters a bend.
No it's not M3 quick, but then it's not M3 money...
The Black Flash said:
Cylinder bore from a 164 with 154,000 miles on it. Note almost total absence of wear:
The v6 engines will run for years and years - they just need looking after properly, i.e. regular oil, filter and belt changes.
Which kinda begs the question why you have a picture of a cyliner bore?!The v6 engines will run for years and years - they just need looking after properly, i.e. regular oil, filter and belt changes.
Dave_ST220 said:
The Black Flash said:
Cylinder bore from a 164 with 154,000 miles on it. Note almost total absence of wear:
The v6 engines will run for years and years - they just need looking after properly, i.e. regular oil, filter and belt changes.
Which kinda begs the question why you have a picture of a cyliner bore?!The v6 engines will run for years and years - they just need looking after properly, i.e. regular oil, filter and belt changes.
If you are going to be a smart ar$e - just remeber some people have decent memories
FWDRacer said:
Dave_ST220 said:
The Black Flash said:
Cylinder bore from a 164 with 154,000 miles on it. Note almost total absence of wear:
The v6 engines will run for years and years - they just need looking after properly, i.e. regular oil, filter and belt changes.
Which kinda begs the question why you have a picture of a cyliner bore?!The v6 engines will run for years and years - they just need looking after properly, i.e. regular oil, filter and belt changes.
If you are going to be a smart ar$e - just remeber some people have decent memories
"Didn't it sh!t itself monumentally - ran its mains"
Can you translate that to English? I guess you are trying to be smart & claim it lunched itself? Pretty obvious manufacturing fault at 1400 miles Vs a design fault.
Dave_ST220 said:
Which kinda begs the question why you have a picture of a cyliner bore?!
The engine's being modified and transplanted, so I'm giving it a spruce up whilst I'm in there. I took the pic for a thread in the Engines and Drivetrain section.And I'm an engine pervert <rubs thighs>
The Black Flash said:
Dave_ST220 said:
Which kinda begs the question why you have a picture of a cyliner bore?!
The engine's being modified and transplanted, so I'm giving it a spruce up whilst I'm in there. I took the pic for a thread in the Engines and Drivetrain section.And I'm an engine pervert <rubs thighs>
Alfitsi said:
I've got one of these, exactly the same, save red leather instead of black. It broke my heart to find out my car is a shed. But the reputation is unfounded. Dodgy electrics? Not with mine. Leaks? Never heard of this either. Engines are brilliant but impossible to work on, hence the high cost. But the engine noise on a good A road, the knowing looks you get from other drivers, and just loads of cool car factor.
Stand out from the crowd, impress your mates, have a cuore sportivo.
Fear not, Alfitsi - SOTW is a badge of honour, not something to be ashamed of (most of the time) Stand out from the crowd, impress your mates, have a cuore sportivo.
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