Thinking about getting a 156 - viewed today - lots of Qs

[1ntense]

OK so I was planning on saving for a new car and was thinking about a golf gt tdi but passed an alfa 156 today (which has also been on the shortlist) with a for sale ad in the window.

I had a shot and really liked it, it was a 2ltr ts on a v plate. The driving position felt so much better than my saxo vtr it was unreal, Ive always hated the driving position of my saxo since the day I got it so this is a big issue for me.

The guy said he bought it from ebay cheap as the guy had tried to fit a new head and mucked up the cam belt change which resulted in him blowing his new head so sold it. The seller said he replaced the head, valves and cylinders, not sure how much that would have cost? It did feel pretty tight, not that much quicker than my vtr but the clutch, brakes and the engine in general felt in better condition and mine is a year or so newer.

Its up for £1450, 100k, as said above new head, cylinders and valves, serviced 1k miles ago including new filters, oil change, brake pads and spark plugs. Its got the tan leather but no alfa logo embossed, interior is clean and I would say in very good condition for the year. A few scratches where the key has been used on the drivers side and a few light scratches all round really. Also has a scuff on the front bumper and a slight crack on the bump strip on the rear bumper and a few stone chips there too. Cam belt has just been changed as well, no service history but the guy has receipts and pics of the work that he did on it.

What would you say its worth and what are good things to check/look for when checking the car over?

Also could someone describe the handling on them as pushing it a bit on a round about it went very slightly side ways lol felt like a bit of understeer, just want to make sure thats normal behaviour for an alfa lol

Thanks in advance

Danny

[snoopstah]

Is the price considerably lower than that of a similar car that hasn't had that engine history?

Do you know who did the work to replace the head etc.?

Personally I'd be reluctant to buy a relatively common car not known for its reliability that's had an engine rebuild, especially if the rebuild wasn't done by an Alfa specialist. If it's significantly cheaper than similar cars of that spec then it may be worth a gamble, but otherwise I'd probably keep shopping around, 156s aren't rare cars.

[1ntense]

Thanks for the advice mate. I know theres plenty of 156s about, Im just thinking that one thats had a rebuild may be better than one that hasnt in a way if that makes sense lol.

Ill probably go look at another few to compare but it did feel surprisingly tight for a car of that age and mileage. It does seem a pretty good price which I was told is negotiable and would be a step up from my current car.

[snoopstah]

1ntense said:

Thanks for the advice mate. I know theres plenty of 156s about, Im just thinking that one thats had a rebuild may be better than one that hasnt in a way if that makes sense lol.

Yup, but I'd still say it depends a lot on who did the rebuild.

If done by an Alfa specialist with no expense spared then yes, it's probably a good thing.

If done by the owner and his mate on weekends following instructions in a Haynes manual and using cheap copy parts, then I'd be a bit worried. That's not to say that the owner might not be an expert mechanic who has done a fantastic job, but it's very hard to determine that.

1ntense said:

Ill probably go look at another few to compare but it did feel surprisingly tight for a car of that age and mileage. It does seem a pretty good price which I was told is negotiable and would be a step up from my current car.

I'd definitely advise looking around even if you end up back with this car. It's very easy to get carried away when buying your first 'nice' car and buy the first one you look at -- I did the same when I finished Uni and decided I wanted a Seat Ibiza Cupra -- fell in love with the first one I saw.

Turned out to be a total lemon, fortunately it was still under warranty but in five months it was recovered 8 times, Seat spent more money on it in warranty repairs than I paid for the car, and I spent more time in courtesy cars than in the car I'd bought. Fortunately I'd bought it on finance, and got the finance company on my side so managed to reject the car and get my money back.

After that, I make sure that when I'm viewing a car, especially one I know very little about, I view several, so that I know what it should do and what it shouldn't do.

[Twincam16]

I'd go for an example with service history - there are plenty around for that price.

Also, Alfas are reliable as long as they are looked after (like anything really but for some reason people seem more willing to neglect Alfas then look surprised when they blow a head gasket), so no service history should have alarm bells ringing.

Also, they shouldn't understeer like that - sounds like the tyres might be worn out. A good Alfa shouldn't feel FWD in that way - the passive rear steering linkage, double-wishbone suspension, quick-rack steering and very grippy tyres should mean very sweet, neutral cornering. Mine started understeering after the tyres had worn heavily and the tracking was out. After a new set of boots and adjusted tracking, it handled brilliantly again.

So, yes, definitely get a 156 - but not this one.

[1ntense]

snoopstah said:

1ntense said:

Thanks for the advice mate. I know theres plenty of 156s about, Im just thinking that one thats had a rebuild may be better than one that hasnt in a way if that makes sense lol.

Yup, but I'd still say it depends a lot on who did the rebuild.

If done by an Alfa specialist with no expense spared then yes, it's probably a good thing.

If done by the owner and his mate on weekends following instructions in a Haynes manual and using cheap copy parts, then I'd be a bit worried. That's not to say that the owner might not be an expert mechanic who has done a fantastic job, but it's very hard to determine that.

1ntense said:

Ill probably go look at another few to compare but it did feel surprisingly tight for a car of that age and mileage. It does seem a pretty good price which I was told is negotiable and would be a step up from my current car.

I'd definitely advise looking around even if you end up back with this car. It's very easy to get carried away when buying your first 'nice' car and buy the first one you look at -- I did the same when I finished Uni and decided I wanted a Seat Ibiza Cupra -- fell in love with the first one I saw.

Turned out to be a total lemon, fortunately it was still under warranty but in five months it was recovered 8 times, Seat spent more money on it in warranty repairs than I paid for the car, and I spent more time in courtesy cars than in the car I'd bought. Fortunately I'd bought it on finance, and got the finance company on my side so managed to reject the car and get my money back.

After that, I make sure that when I'm viewing a car, especially one I know very little about, I view several, so that I know what it should do and what it shouldn't do.

I know what you mean mate, I made the first mistake on my first car after passing my test (my current car) and really regret not shopping around.

Im not about to make the same mistake again, dont worry about that lol

It sounds like the guy is pretty competent really as he buys and sells cars alot, then again I think its generally not the best idea to buy from a trader. He may well have done it on the cheap and got copy parts etc, as I said though the car did feel really tight but I wont be able to tell for sure until I compare it to others.

[1ntense]

Twincam16 said:

I'd go for an example with service history - there are plenty around for that price.

Also, Alfas are reliable as long as they are looked after (like anything really but for some reason people seem more willing to neglect Alfas then look surprised when they blow a head gasket), so no service history should have alarm bells ringing.

Also, they shouldn't understeer like that - sounds like the tyres might be worn out. A good Alfa shouldn't feel FWD in that way - the passive rear steering linkage, double-wishbone suspension, quick-rack steering and very grippy tyres should mean very sweet, neutral cornering. Mine started understeering after the tyres had worn heavily and the tracking was out. After a new set of boots and adjusted tracking, it handled brilliantly again.

So, yes, definitely get a 156 - but not this one.

Good advice mate, it probably is wise to shop around for one with a FSH and maybe lower mileage.

TBH it didnt exactly feel like it was understeering, it was more like the whole car wanted to go side ways lol not like the front wheels were losing grip. It may well be a tire issue as they were mismatched, though they did look like they had good tread on them.

One thing I did love without a shadow of a doubt was the interior and the driving position, both excellent IMO

[Mazda Baiter]

Cylinders replaced?

You might want to get that bit confirmed.

[1ntense]

lol whys that?

Im no mechanic so your thoughts would be appreciated..?

[miniman]

1ntense said:

lol whys that?

Im no mechanic so your thoughts would be appreciated..?

Because the cylinders are a fundamental part of the engine block - they are just holes! Not sure how one changes a hole. So either it has had a new block, or possibly the cylinders have been rebored (unlikely).

Plenty of cheap Alfas about without dubious history.

[nottyash]

Overpriced,
Knock about £500 off.
As I said in another thread I paid £600 for a 1999 2.0Ts from a Vauxhall dealer, it was a PX. 1 owner, FSH and 93K.
If you were to try and PX it, you would be lucky to get £600. They are a lot of car for the money, but not that one.

[Mazda Baiter]

Unless they are wet liners, the cylinders are integral with the block. What the bloke may have meant is the pistons were replaced as they could have been damaged if the valve timing had been set wrong.

They are not difficult cars to track down, don't settle for a pup. This one sounds like bad news.

[wiliferus]

This might be worth a read before you part with your hard earned wonga...

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[LuS1fer]

I was always surprised by how little, 156's go for on ebay.

[1ntense]

surely that could happen to any car though, the bottom end going?

regarding the cylinders, he must have meant the pistons, he was Polish so probably got confused lol

[rallycross]

recently sold a 156 2001 1.8 t/s 70k miles fsh, it went for £2k.

not in the slightest bit sporty to drive, but nice looking, really nicely finnished inside, let down due to soft suspension and overly-light steering.

whatever you do dont buy a sele-speed auto it will break and not be worth fixing...

[redstu]

Get a v6! But not if you're worried about mpg. Apparently the engines are more reliable, and they do sound good!

[duncancallum]

this has disaster all over it.

Walk away.

[Dick_Phallus]

redstu said:

Get a v6! But not if you're worried about mpg. Apparently the engines are more reliable, and they do sound good!

I'd second this. The V6 does seem to be a less troublesome bet, although you will pay more with insurance/fuel consumption.

As others have said DO NOT even consider buying a Selespeed. It will break and it will be VERY expensive to fix.

Edit: Just noticed it's up for £1450. That's too much.

Edited by Dick_Phallus on Sunday 11th April 20:26

[David87]

Overpriced indeed. I bought my two owner, 45k-mile, fully serviced 156 V6 for £1995 a couple of months back. Keep looking!