Alfa 147 How good/bad?
Discussion
I'm coming back to the UK next month after 10 years abroad and need something cheap and entertaining.
Having had Fiats and Lancias years ago I'm now feeling the need for an Alfa to use as a daily.
The 147 looks to fit the bill - 5 door with 3 door looks, peppy 1.6 or 2.0. - £1000 - £1500 for a sub-100k miler.
Good idea or a recipe for disaste
Edited to add -Search was my friend, loads to read.
Having had Fiats and Lancias years ago I'm now feeling the need for an Alfa to use as a daily.
The 147 looks to fit the bill - 5 door with 3 door looks, peppy 1.6 or 2.0. - £1000 - £1500 for a sub-100k miler.
Good idea or a recipe for disaste
Edited to add -Search was my friend, loads to read.
Edited by Whatty on Saturday 2nd August 11:48
Alos worth reading here :
http://alfaforum.co.uk/
I bought one a year and a day ago - passed it's first MOT yesterday under my ownership.
Mine is a second car for shopping , golf clubs - It's a 2 Litre TSpark Lusso on a 51 plate , had done 113000 m iles when i bought it , have only done 2000 miles in the last year - but it's been faultless - MOT initially failed on the brakes , fixed and passed for £200 all in.
Car gets about 400 miles from £75 worth of fuel, that's mostly town driving and a 10 mile journey to the golf club and back.
I paid £560 on eBay for the car, to someone who was emigrating - after getting annoyed with taking my other car up the muddy road to the golf club and trying to squeeze clubs in all the time.
Great little car , fun to drive.
Mine hasn't had a cambelt (possibly will need waterpump also) change since 2008 - It was originally recommended every 7 years, 70000 miles - this was quickly revised by Alfa (i believe) to 3 years , 30000 miles after problems were seen. Cost is about £500 for the job.
I'll make a decision on whether or not to have this done at some point this year...or will just run the car into the ground.
Road tax is £280 per year on mine.
http://alfaforum.co.uk/
I bought one a year and a day ago - passed it's first MOT yesterday under my ownership.
Mine is a second car for shopping , golf clubs - It's a 2 Litre TSpark Lusso on a 51 plate , had done 113000 m iles when i bought it , have only done 2000 miles in the last year - but it's been faultless - MOT initially failed on the brakes , fixed and passed for £200 all in.
Car gets about 400 miles from £75 worth of fuel, that's mostly town driving and a 10 mile journey to the golf club and back.
I paid £560 on eBay for the car, to someone who was emigrating - after getting annoyed with taking my other car up the muddy road to the golf club and trying to squeeze clubs in all the time.
Great little car , fun to drive.
Mine hasn't had a cambelt (possibly will need waterpump also) change since 2008 - It was originally recommended every 7 years, 70000 miles - this was quickly revised by Alfa (i believe) to 3 years , 30000 miles after problems were seen. Cost is about £500 for the job.
I'll make a decision on whether or not to have this done at some point this year...or will just run the car into the ground.
Road tax is £280 per year on mine.
I've only just bought a 55 plate147 JTDm Lusso for my 80 mile commute and so far very happy.
It's a lovely place to be with thick pleated cream leather like a 70's Maserati! I know it's a diesel but I thrap it on the motorway and get 47 mpg. It' also rides very well.
Mine had new brakes all round, new wishbones and the cam belt and water pump have been done and recent service.
Still drives like an Alfa with terrier like handling and an egg you on mentality.
I'd say just make sure it's been looked after and you should be fine. I think they are very underrated and off the radar of the German loving hordes. I paid 3k for mine but happy with that given the condition.
It's a lovely place to be with thick pleated cream leather like a 70's Maserati! I know it's a diesel but I thrap it on the motorway and get 47 mpg. It' also rides very well.
Mine had new brakes all round, new wishbones and the cam belt and water pump have been done and recent service.
Still drives like an Alfa with terrier like handling and an egg you on mentality.
I'd say just make sure it's been looked after and you should be fine. I think they are very underrated and off the radar of the German loving hordes. I paid 3k for mine but happy with that given the condition.
It's a great little car. Much more entertaining and nippier than a Guiletta. I had a diesel one and it gave me nothing but joy. At the end the clutch was worn (that is likely down to me and my driving style) and the suspension was creaking profusely, so likely worn bushes. Apart from that nothing bad to report.
Awesome little car - I miss mine a lot. It hit me with a hefty bill for suspension a brake parts - upper wishbones and a knackered caliper, but that was it. The only other expense, apart from consumables, was the 5-year cam belt change.
In terms of fuel economy - I achieved a lifetime average of 37.7mpg, which was comprised of a lot of town driving during the week and some a-road fun at the weekend. It's now in the hands of somebody who does mostly motorway miles and it's doing over 50mpg.
All this and 170bph with a tonne of torque.
In terms of fuel economy - I achieved a lifetime average of 37.7mpg, which was comprised of a lot of town driving during the week and some a-road fun at the weekend. It's now in the hands of somebody who does mostly motorway miles and it's doing over 50mpg.
All this and 170bph with a tonne of torque.
As a big big Alfa fan I'd say not bother with the later 147 
My wife has owned hers from new, so this year it will be 8 years old in November.
Its a 1.9 diesel JDTM and though the engine is great, the damn thing since it turned over 60K miles (its now at 80K) has become an absolute pain to own.
It seriouly costs more per year to keep on the road than my 20 years old aircooled 911, and the 911 only does about 2K miles less per year then the Alfa.
Everything from worn out suspension to constantly requiring new glow plugs. It seems every other day it is blowing bulbs, plugs or has an electrical fault. On average we are shelling out around 1.5K per year to include servicing, and this has been the same for the last 3 years.
She owned the 'MK1' version petrol engined, it never went wrong ... never. I owned a 156 GTA Sportswagon, did 100K miles in it, and in that time it blew one number plate bulb, a rear window switch packed in and a £20 relay failed. Cheapest car I ever owned.
I know well that Alfas have their own little electrical gremlins etc, but seriously with the later built 147s, they are pants.
Buy an early one IMO.
My wife has owned hers from new, so this year it will be 8 years old in November.
Its a 1.9 diesel JDTM and though the engine is great, the damn thing since it turned over 60K miles (its now at 80K) has become an absolute pain to own.
It seriouly costs more per year to keep on the road than my 20 years old aircooled 911, and the 911 only does about 2K miles less per year then the Alfa.
Everything from worn out suspension to constantly requiring new glow plugs. It seems every other day it is blowing bulbs, plugs or has an electrical fault. On average we are shelling out around 1.5K per year to include servicing, and this has been the same for the last 3 years.
She owned the 'MK1' version petrol engined, it never went wrong ... never. I owned a 156 GTA Sportswagon, did 100K miles in it, and in that time it blew one number plate bulb, a rear window switch packed in and a £20 relay failed. Cheapest car I ever owned.
I know well that Alfas have their own little electrical gremlins etc, but seriously with the later built 147s, they are pants.
Buy an early one IMO.
Had a 147 JTD lusso from new [53] and it has been without doubt THE best car we have EVER had. We're thinking about changing for a Brera but can't find the right one at the moment. [if we do then ours will be for sale]
You get from these cars what you put into them, looked after they're fine. It goes quite well too and the guy who services it thought it had been chipped [it hasn't]
I'd get one for sure.
You get from these cars what you put into them, looked after they're fine. It goes quite well too and the guy who services it thought it had been chipped [it hasn't]
I'd get one for sure.
Edited by macdeb on Friday 10th October 21:44
Good car with a surprisingly up-market interior in the Lusso version. Nicer steering than on any newer electric-assisted cars and a good ride, provided the suspension isn't clapped out. On the down side, they drink oil which isn't really a problem, but replacing worn suspension bushes is costly and fairly frequent. And watch out for a floppy gearlever - replacing the cables and freeing up the seized actuator is horribly expensive. I like them.
I owned a 2002 1.6 T Spark Lusso from about 2007-2010, and it was spot on 
As has already been said, the interior is surprisingly upmarket - even by today's standards! The engine notes are sublime and the sound system in particular was brilliant. It handled like a shopping trolley with a baby elephant in it, but that added to its character and made it more fun
Over all it was a brilliant car, and the only car I've ever genuinely felt gutted to leave on the forecourt when trade in time came. I kid you not - I was close to shedding a tear.
It's true what they say about Alfa Romeos. They're often impractical, they handle like crap, so on and so forth... but there's something about them. They are more than the sum of their parts... they really do have a soul!
As has already been said, the interior is surprisingly upmarket - even by today's standards! The engine notes are sublime and the sound system in particular was brilliant. It handled like a shopping trolley with a baby elephant in it, but that added to its character and made it more fun
Over all it was a brilliant car, and the only car I've ever genuinely felt gutted to leave on the forecourt when trade in time came. I kid you not - I was close to shedding a tear.
It's true what they say about Alfa Romeos. They're often impractical, they handle like crap, so on and so forth... but there's something about them. They are more than the sum of their parts... they really do have a soul!
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