Talk to me about GTV 3.0 v6

[cirian75]

Got a new job, don't drive to work any more so my 09 50mpg sensible suzuki swift is a bit boring no.

I do around 45 miles a week now, so why not 45 miles in something special

Always loved the looks of these

This one is drop dead pretty if overpriced

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

This one is nice too, but the "Amazing example fully resprayed and undersealed 2 years ago by Ferrari specialist" make me think why was it so bad to need one ?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

[george123]

Hi. There's lots of info on Alfaowner, no need to join (its a pain as can take forever) as you can just google ' Alfaowner GTV buyers guide'. Also a good guide here:

http://www.alfaworkshop.co.uk/alfa_gtv_history.sht...

Personally I think that red Cup for £10k is crazy for whats essentially a normal V6 with a horrible body kit.

This one is the one I'd buy ...

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C561572

Seller is obviously an Alfa enthusiast plus its a great colour combo & very low miles , also had a few worthwhile things done (power flexing , brakes) . No mention of a cam belt change (every 4/5yrs/70k miles) so budget for that plus worth having a quaiffe diff & lightening flywheel fitted at the same time - probably in the region of £1700 all in. You'd then have a very sorted GTV.

I've had mine around 2 yrs and love it more than the 147gta I had previously, coupes always feel more special. You need to keep on top of maintainance otherwise you'll hate it!

pro's
great engine
effortless acceleration, feels very quick
fantastic grip with the quaiffe fitted
great sense of occasion, feel special
comfortable on long run (although front seats have little lateral support around corners)

con's
cheap to buy but not to run properly (see above) - I budget around £1000/yr for servicing & other bits that invariably come up at service time the past 2 years.
steering is too light
unless its been resprayed, the nose will carry a lot of stone chips

[magooagain]

Can you get to look at them both soon? You should be able to see why there is a big price difference.

The silver one does look nice though. And the red is nice but a bit cheeky on the price.

[cirian75]

silver one is 7 miles away

those pics however are not the forecourt

they are taken at the Fujitsu campus near GMP HQ

website does not work

[MrC986]

I've had a range of cars prior to the GTV V6 I bought in Jan. 14 including several German jobs. I wanted a cost effective car that was pretty, sounded good (it now runs a decent exhaust) & wasn't going to lose my shirt on depreciation! Whilst my GTV was sub £2k, I've spent about £1k on it in the first yr including a big service/belt change. The blue GTV seems good value though you will find there aren't too many around & the level of maintenance given by owners ranges massively. The jury is out on aero vs non aero kit cars though they are great cars, but not out and out sports cars as the V6 is a heavy old lump slung out at the front! The 2.0 is supposedly a better balanced car according to those 'in the know'.

Try & buy a car with a recent cambelt change, FSH (including a stack of invoices) & a Q2 differential upgrade off an enthusiast owner who uses it as a second car. Andy665 had a lovely V6 he sold about 3 months ago as an example that was apparently a 'minter' & he didn't sell it for stupid money, so be patient & don't by the first you see. Look on Car & Classic as well as Alfa Forum for the classified ads & also PH (there are a couple of nice ones on PH currently from private sellers). Also get a list of Alfa specialists & get in contact with them & see what might be coming into stock?

If you buy privately, make sure you see all the recent history & phone the specialist who has serviced it & see if they remember the car - also you ideally want the invoices for all the work from the current ownership. Oh, & a cheeky but genuine offer to the seller in the depths of winter might provide you with a pleasant surprise

Edited by MrC986 on Wednesday 31st December 19:57

[Allandwf]

Do it! I've got two. They are reasonably quick, good looking, and not that many out there. Probably near the bottom of the depreciation curve now.

[Billiam]

Agree with the post above, prices are about as low as they can get because in parts, their worth more than the whole these days !! Had my V6 GTV for a couple of years now and i love it.. Only off road at the moment as cambelt is due and i have been spending all my money on my other reliable sports motor

They are not the fastest cars in the world, almost any modern V6 or big engined diesel will be quicker than it - but the likelyhood is that will be some boring german rep-mobile, Italians at least have style and character, their great fun to drive but Q2/Quaiffe is a must.. i spent more money taking my car to AutoLusso and having a recon box fitted plus Q2 than i paid for the car but it was worth it.. or at least my man maths say so !!

Last and certainly not least, it does have the greatest V6 ever made, the engine sounds amazing and looks it as well on the 90 degree mounting, showing them chrome inlet pipes off.. I would say a car with history is most important, mine had 105k miles on it when i bought it but the history and drive really showed how well it had been look after, im always suspicious of low milage cars, are they low because their not used/broken/cant afford to run etc etc but she now in very safe hands.. I was considering selling last year but looking at a new property now that can house my entire fleet so unlikely but if that changes, i will let you know because hand on heart i can say - she is a fine example..

In short, great fun without breaking the bank, back seats are non-existent and boot (especially if you have spare wheel) is a joke but fast enough to be driven hard with a great engine note to match - i also own a much quicker car, yet love to drive the GTV

[Chris Type R]

If you can, try blagging a test drive first.

There are a couple of niggles - seat comfort, very small boot, mega blind spot, FWD, etc, plus the usual Alfa issues with chocolate suspension parts etc.

I moved on to the 3.2 GT, which is more bland in terms of styling, but easier to live with.

[bqf]

I have a silver one with red leather, teledials, powerflexed, undersealed, 65k miles.

I loved it, but bought a Ferrari and so I can't store it. Might sell if you're interested.

[cirian75]

bqf said:

I have a silver one with red leather, teledials, powerflexed, undersealed, 65k miles.

I loved it, but bought a Ferrari and so I can't store it. Might sell if you're interested.

Reg/age

Miles

MOT

location

history

[george123]

cirian75 said:

Reg/age

Miles

MOT

location

history

Are you this rude when you speak to people face to face? You start a thread asking for info on a car, people take the time to give you an opinion and you reply like this to each post. Guess you must be very busy and important

[cirian75]

george123 said:

cirian75 said:

Reg/age

Miles

MOT

location

history

Are you this rude when you speak to people face to face? You start a thread asking for info on a car, people take the time to give you an opinion and you reply like this to each post. Guess you must be very busy and important

I'm sorry, it was not meant to be rude, just after some basic info besides the model, there was no need to sarcastic on condescending at the end either.

[TA14]

cirian75 said:

george123 said:

cirian75 said:

Reg/age

Miles

MOT

location

history

Are you this rude when you speak to people face to face? You start a thread asking for info on a car, people take the time to give you an opinion and you reply like this to each post. Guess you must be very busy and important

I'm sorry, it was not meant to be rude, just after some basic info besides the model, there was no need to sarcastic on condescending at the end either.

Well he's in Kent and it looks like it's a 1998 car http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car... I wouldn't bother about the MoT (if it's short ask him to put a new one on the car if you agree to buy it) and it's 65k miles so that just leaves history and as an enthusiast who's swapping it for a F it's a fair guess that it will be OK.

(FWIW I'd check tyres, exhaust, cam belt change, suspension bushes, oil cooler pipes and floor pan.)

[cirian75]

he says its been undersealed, I assume this is a preventative measure

[TA14]

I'd say;

1/. do you like the colour combination?

2/. are you prepared to drive to Kent to view it?

if yes to both then drop him an e-mail. If not let him know on here

[waynedear]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGYx-aPb_wA

[cirian75]

275 miles away eeeepp !

[Pat H]

GTVs?

I've owned two. Both were Phase 3 3.2 V6s.

Pretty quick. Sounded great. Handling wasn't bad. Enormous charisma.

Probably the worst seats that I've ever sat in. Claustrophobic. No ground clearance. Awful turning circle. Flanks very vulnerable to dings.

I liked both of mine, but a 156 has better seats, a more stylish interior, better build quality and feels just as special from the driver's seat. And, of course, a 156 is miles more practical. The 2.5 V6 in the 156 revs harder and sounds better than the bigger V6.

I rather like GTVs, despite their obvious flaws and there probably isn't a better time to buy one.

But I wonder whether a V6 GT isn't a far better prospect.

[Chris Type R]

Pat H said:

But I wonder whether a V6 GT isn't a far better prospect.

Already been hinted at

[Warnie]

I wanted a GTV, but then I needed rear seats and a boot. Both of which the GTV doesn't really have. So I went for a GT which looks far better to me up close then they do in photographs. I didn't appreciate the curves and how special the interior feels, as in the photographs they just look like a 147 inside. Problem is though, is that your talking nearer £5k for a decent one, where as GTV's can be had from £1.5k.