What car, Shed estate. 156 Sportwagon?

[Tuvra]

I have recently sold my "shed" Saab 9-5 Estate 2.3T SE, the car was fully loaded and a lovely car although its sheer thirst and clumbersome Automatic box made me think I had to move it on. I got £430 for the car on a 99p start ebay auction, by the time I paid the fees I received somewhere around £390, I was truly gutted and one lucky ebayer walked away with a nice car (nice bloke actually).

Anyway, one month later I am missing my "shed estate" and I have resorted to scanning ebay religiously for a bargain car to replace the Saab, I have been watching manual diesel cars closely although there seems to be little available for under £900, most are either dogs, moon mileage or in very poor condition. I then thought I can live with any fuel car (Diesel, Petrol or LPG) as long as the fuel costs are low. I have looked at all the alternatives and it seems bargains (especially diesel) are difficult to find, I have even slipped into the thinking that "if its the same to run as the Saab (20mpg around town) I don't mind as long as it is quick", I am thinking a manual HOT Aero Turbo / T5 V70 etc.

Anyway, my search hasn't turned up much. I have made a few genuine offers but it seems ebayers turn down offers, leave the auction run and then receive the same as my early offer plus 10% on top which they have to pay ebay anyway. My ideal car is an E46 estate with any engine, the ones that sell for under £1k are usually rough and have rust/engine issues and have high mileage (160k+).

So last night I stumble across an Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon, I love the look of these and most meet my desired spec (leather, manual, modern looking, lowish miles) however I am worried about the reliability of them. The most widely available car for my budget appears to be the 2.0 Twin Spark (TS), does anyone have any information on the reliability of these cars? The one I have my eye on has 109k on the clock, recent cam belt replacement, lots of history etc. It genuinly seems like a bargain however its 300 miles away and my theory is if it seems to good to be true, it usually is.

Being a former (new) Alfa owner I don't mean to jump on the Alfa "unreliable" bandwagon, however, these 156's have me worried. Can anyone tell me about the engine and other issues to be found in the 156SW? The looks and the interior obliterate everything else at this price level, its the oily/electrical bits I have no faith in

Any comments on other engines found in SOTW money SW's would also be appreciated

Feel free to make other suggestions, live links always help

Requirements:

• Powerful or Economic
• Reasonably modern looking (no 850's etc)
• Manual
• Leather
• Estate
• None moon mileage
• Good/detailed history
• Tax & Test preferably
• Budget around £900, £1k absolute maximum

[Tuvra]

the stigs dad said:

St220 estate or accord type r estate

No chance at my budget.

trashbat said:

Fairly reliable - the TS ain't bad, the later JTS more problematic. Cambelts not being done and low oil (do weekly checks!) are the obvious hazards.

Suspension bits need replacing often. Tyre wear can be bad but alignment obviously helps. Electricals are generally sound but depend on age to an extent - early ones are Magneti Marelli, newer ones are all Bosch. I think this happened around the interior facelift so let us know what age you're looking at. Expect the usual problems like MAF etc, but nothing spectacular. The 156 is pre-CANBUS so reduces potential headaches.

Alfa specialists are generally very good - where are you based? So is the owner community (Alfaowner), especially for technical questions.

Thanks for the detailed response

This is the one that has caught my eye: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160914415565?_trksid=p51... I am not sure whether or not this is a facelift car? How do you tell if it is a facelift TS? I have read that the TS is more reliable than the later JTS engine, I have also read it is more "fun" than the JTS although I read this on an Alfa owners site (I tend to take the comments on OC websites with a pinch of salt, the spectacles are usually very big and very pink).

[Tuvra]

Thanks guys. If I could get a good reliable Alfa Romeo 156SW with any engine, I could cope with 28pg.

The trouble with the Saab was it was a boring drive and was very hard to "push on" unless you was on a motorway, booting the car and trying to get the gearbox into the right gear was like asking a homeless person living in Central London how much council tax was South Wales i.e. after some time, it would stutter a bit, make some noise and then give you an answer that you think is right, although your not even sure yourself.

As far as the boot goes, its only to take a dog cage really, I can put the seats down to carry the small amounts of stock that I carry

[Tuvra]

eltax91 said:

Arn't e36 (as apose to e46) tourings plentiful under this budget? Seem a little unloved to me.

I could live with an E36, trouble is I am a fussy beggar and the car has to catch my eye. One ticked all the boxes and was literally just down the road, unfortunatley it was dark green with tan leather. This is my "shed" car so I want it as neutral as anything so ideally silver with black leather and some nice (biggish) alloys. Nice & presentable to look at but not nice enough to draw any form of attention.

The Dogs involved are a French Bulldog and a Pug, so not too big

[Tuvra]

Ten Four said:

All boxes bar leather... but wrx seats are so comfy!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-SUBARU-IMPREZA-WRX-...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Subaru-Impreza-WRX-2002-...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/M-REG-Subaru-Impreza-2-0...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Subaru-impreza-turbo-/16...

I never thought I could live with an Impreza, its just the image, the older cars are a definite no, no. The newer cars featured are nice enough though, especially the blue car if it didn't have the carbon bonnet. Am I right in suspecting this will go for much more than £1k? Seems cheap?

Also, I can't see my girlfriend being happy to drive an Impreza, she hates the image more than me.

[Tuvra]

Thanks for the advice guys, I have found this: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Opinions? Mega Bork potential but cheap enough, I see this is the 1.8 not the 2.0.

I have found a Mondeo Ghia X 2.0 Duratec Petrol (Fully loaded with leather) locally, advertised at £1100 with 108k on the clock, I may ring him and try and get him within budget (£1k), Its a nice looking car, and as mentioned a great all rounder, knowing a Ford Main dealer Mechanic with 30 years service (and the parts discount that comes with it) make this very attractive. Still, the Alfa is one amazing looking car...