RE: SOTW: Alfa Romeo GTV T Spark
Discussion
I looked into getting one of these as a daily driver about a year ago (only 6 miles to work and back each day). After quite a lot of reading I decided against it.
Cam belt changes at 30k intevals!
Suspension bush degredation beyond normal
Dodgy electrics
High driving position
Front Wheel Drive
As much as I like them as a car I couldn't justify the purchase.
I have an 18 year old MR2 Turbo that in my opinion looks better, is infinitely better built and goes a fair bit quicker than even the V6. If my qualification as a true Petrol Head is not justified because I haven't owned a monumentally unreliable car then so be it - I will offer you guys a lift when I see you broken down and see if you still believe the same......................
People only say that true Petrol Heads have owned an Alfa because they want someone else to experience the pain and financial suicide that they went through despite being warned!
Cam belt changes at 30k intevals!
Suspension bush degredation beyond normal
Dodgy electrics
High driving position
Front Wheel Drive
As much as I like them as a car I couldn't justify the purchase.
I have an 18 year old MR2 Turbo that in my opinion looks better, is infinitely better built and goes a fair bit quicker than even the V6. If my qualification as a true Petrol Head is not justified because I haven't owned a monumentally unreliable car then so be it - I will offer you guys a lift when I see you broken down and see if you still believe the same......................
People only say that true Petrol Heads have owned an Alfa because they want someone else to experience the pain and financial suicide that they went through despite being warned!
I was in the market for a Spider a couple of years ago. Went to look at a lovely black one with tan leather but was left a bit cold...the interior just felt very plasticky and was a far more squeaky and rattly than my older MX5 but the big killer was the driving position, jst felt too high and not in the least sporty...didn't feel liked the car was wrapped around me like the Mazda did or even my old XJS.
Still lovely looking things though!
Still lovely looking things though!
Riggers said:
da_murphster said:
Riggers said:
After all, even if it does go epically wrong, you're only going to lose £975 quid.
That is just not true!I naively bought a 190k 156 v6 for about £1700 - looked great (interior holds together well, galvanised means body looks good)
Cost me the same again over the 18m I had it - got to the stage where I had to renew my AA cover in g/f names as my premium had gone up so much (got recovered home for Christmas last year!)
Main problems with these cars is they are just not built for maintenance - wheels bearings - big job, changing oil filter - nightmare, changing the rear spark plugs - PITA.
I also found sourcing second hand spares to be difficult and expensive. The V6 was a peach and caused no problems….unlike the rest of the car.
I was lucky in that I found a cheap enthusiast garage that made it bearable but in the end I got bored of chasing faults and pretty much gave it away on fleabay – probably worth a fortune if I broke it.
To buy this shed I would suggest buying a ‘spare’ car for parts, having a sense of humour, deep pockets and a backup plan.
I would only buy another alfa if it either had a warranty or an absolutely flawless enthusiast service history.
Everyone did love it though – considering it was my ‘shed’ people do come and talk to you slightly misty eyed about Alfas!
Edit: All said though, I was going out to buy a oil burner passet when the 156 distracted me - I'm pretty certain I would have no stories to write about that - is part of the 'soul' of an alfa the nurturing you have to do. I'm glad I have scratched the itch but wont be doing it agaain quickly. My TVR cost me less to run!
Edited by da_murphster on Friday 12th November 11:37
I appreciate what you're saying, though
The things that go on these (well certainly on the 156) is the small niggles that are annoying difficult/expensive to sort. You fix one and find another.....repeat to financial ruin. You basically have to decide where to draw the line.
Like I said the 156 I bought had 190k on it and the engine was still running strong.
Obviously completely different price wise but the £5k rebuilt alfa would probably worth out cheaper than this SOTW after a few years!
I now drive a cheap E39 530i – I am still gob smacked how well it built and easy to maintain it is compared to the Alfa.
Also the V6 drink fuel at a truly alarming rate!
Ref the above you really REALLY have to be careful buying them. Buy a lemon and the above will happen. Buy a good one and you will laugh all the way to the bank.
(Though my suspicion is that they don't drive that badly - the multi-link rear suspension was quite trick for the time and I doubt 155bhp is enough to cause horrendous torque steer)I ran one for a year until i got my current 328 in May. Took it from 87,000 to 101,000. Cost me a service and a set of front tyres! Superb cars, very reliable and cheap to run. Downsides are, fairly juicy on fuel and MASSIVELY unpractical (eventual reason i ditched mine). Rear seats are laughable and the boot struggled to fit a pair of shoes in!
As for driving, they make a lovely raspy engine note, and while not fast they are quick enough. The steering was great if a little light and the ride was one of the best ive experience. On the hard side but perfectly acceptable. They require more frequent servicing than most, but its not expensive!
Miss the looks, always used to look back when i was walking across the carpark. I also genuinely looked forward to driving it and going for a drive. A friend has just bought his first alfa and first thing he said was he 'got' what i was saying when you describe what its like to drive.
Little fact for beards: The front bonnet(clam) was the largest composite panel on a production car at its release in 1996.
Riggers said:
The Crack Fox said:
I love these, great SOTW, but no mention of how they drive ? It's not all about the looks, is it ?
I'll leave that up to you guys - I've never driven one! (Though my suspicion is that they don't drive that badly - the multi-link rear suspension was quite trick for the time and I doubt 155bhp is enough to cause horrendous torque steer)
As for driving, they make a lovely raspy engine note, and while not fast they are quick enough. The steering was great if a little light and the ride was one of the best ive experience. On the hard side but perfectly acceptable. They require more frequent servicing than most, but its not expensive!
Miss the looks, always used to look back when i was walking across the carpark. I also genuinely looked forward to driving it and going for a drive. A friend has just bought his first alfa and first thing he said was he 'got' what i was saying when you describe what its like to drive.
Little fact for beards: The front bonnet(clam) was the largest composite panel on a production car at its release in 1996.
Edited by S3_Graham on Friday 12th November 12:50
If anyone fancies scratching the Alfa itch with something a little less 'shed-like'...may I suggest...
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2210896.htm
Unbiased suggestion obviously...ahem.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2210896.htm
Unbiased suggestion obviously...ahem.
Gizmo! said:
Alpha? Alpha
Nice car mind. I've always wanted a V6 Cup, black with tan, but the fact they're FWD saddens me
They didn't make the Cup with that colour combination unfortunately - it was only available in red in the UK, and it didn't come with leather (though the Cup's seats had a lot more lateral support than the leather ones).Nice car mind. I've always wanted a V6 Cup, black with tan, but the fact they're FWD saddens me
I had a 2003 2.0 Twinspark in red with tan leather with the 17" teledials, but without the rear spoiler. I absolutely loved it, but I agree the V6 would take it into another league altogether. As someone else mentioned earlier, GTV's weight really can blunt performance. The 2.0's fine once you're on the move, but you really need to give it some revs pulling away from a standstill or it really bogs down.
Its nice to be different...
...I dont like these. nerv liked the styling. The front lights, the crease up the side, the rear end slope/lights
Just never liked the look of them. The overall shape, and the questionnable reliability reminds me of...no, I cant say it....can I?..... the TR7.
...I dont like these. nerv liked the styling. The front lights, the crease up the side, the rear end slope/lights
Just never liked the look of them. The overall shape, and the questionnable reliability reminds me of...no, I cant say it....can I?..... the TR7.
Car probably registered and sat a few years waiting for a customer....Alfa never seem to learn, replaced 155 with a 156 but same old problems with suspension: ridiculously priced parts, but a good opening for an enterprising person to supply just suspension bushes. Ignition key troubles just as 155 had -have three keys all a bit naff. Better not mention the cambelt problems...my two MG Maestros 2.0ltr(super tow cars, so please don't laugh!) never had a new cambelt in 100,000+ miles, and the 156 insurance in spite of over 50 years NCD double that for my Ferrari 308. Alfa (156 Estate in red with full beige leather) lovely to look at......but it's got to be 'goodbye Alfas'....why can Fiat make a car with no such problems: I can get 60-70mpg from the near 10 year old Brava 1.9TD on a run. Nuff said.They are a beautiful looking car - truly a classic shape and will be sought after one day because of it. I remember there was a long waiting list for them in 1996. The slightly later interior (Momo leather?) looks great too, especially in this colour.
My brother bought a Spider new in August 1996, a red lusso with black leather, and kept it for nine months before trading it in for a 328i convertible.
It drove well (though not as good as the BMW) and it looked superb! It was a lovely thing, a little jewel of a car.
Unfortunately, it also confirmed most of the negative stereotypes of Alfa-Romeo's too. It broke down more than once. It had myriad trim problems. Some of the paint washed off. The last straw was the rear suspension suffering some sort of collapse on a trip to Scotland. Though it was repaired under warranty his faith in the Alfa was gone; he had been stranded by a brand new car too many times. He still talks fondly of it to this day though; it did have charm.
Off topic, it always amuses me how so many love the tan interior in Alfas, but in a Jag the same colour is dismissed as "hearing aid beige!"
My brother bought a Spider new in August 1996, a red lusso with black leather, and kept it for nine months before trading it in for a 328i convertible.
It drove well (though not as good as the BMW) and it looked superb! It was a lovely thing, a little jewel of a car.
Unfortunately, it also confirmed most of the negative stereotypes of Alfa-Romeo's too. It broke down more than once. It had myriad trim problems. Some of the paint washed off. The last straw was the rear suspension suffering some sort of collapse on a trip to Scotland. Though it was repaired under warranty his faith in the Alfa was gone; he had been stranded by a brand new car too many times. He still talks fondly of it to this day though; it did have charm.
Off topic, it always amuses me how so many love the tan interior in Alfas, but in a Jag the same colour is dismissed as "hearing aid beige!"
Cracking shed!
It's about time!
DannyVTS said:
If it was manufactured in 1997 and registered in 1999, it would have a T/V plate
It was manufactured in 1997, hence the R plate. I wonder if it was made and registered and then just sat for 2 years, or maybe the initial service history has been lost
More likely they spent 2 years trying to get it started.........It was manufactured in 1997, hence the R plate. I wonder if it was made and registered and then just sat for 2 years, or maybe the initial service history has been lost
dbdb said:
Off topic, it always amuses me how so many love the tan interior in Alfas, but in a Jag the same colour is dismissed as "hearing aid beige!"
That's because they are different colours!!Alfa "Natural" leather is a tan colour.
Most Jags are cream or magnolia which are much lighter than tan. In fact a bit like a beige hearing aid!
![](http://thumbsnap.com/sc/MQ0cYxJQ.jpg[/img]</a> <a href="http://thumbsnap.com/PsBe8eiN" Target="_blank">[img]http://thumbsnap.com/sc/PsBe8eiN.jpg)
Very nice,just the right colour combo IMO also. As long as the cambelt has been changed should be fine. My 156 belt snapped at 60090 miles and the warranty ran out at 60K. It was done under warranty in the end but much damage was done and it was never the same again. I think Alfa had a re-think on the 72K belt change reccomendation due to so many failures. Always fancied one of these coupes.
jamieboy said:
Gizmo! said:
Nice car mind. I've always wanted a V6 Cup, black with tan, but the fact they're FWD saddens me
They're FWD, no argument, but the rear suspension makes them feel less FWD than you might think.A bigger problem for you might be that the V6 Cup never came in black, never came with full leather, and the half-leather wasn't tan.
You could get black-and-tan on a (much nicer to look at and mechanically identical) non-Cup V6, though?
It's the rear spoiler that I like on the Cup, so I'll need to attach one to a non-Cup then
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