Advice on buying a used Brera
Discussion
Hi, I have a friend looking to change her Chrysler Crossfire for something more modern & with the list of requirements she has i.e. auto, big engine & slightly non-mainstream etc a very low mileage Brera 3.2 has come up on the list of 'possibles'.
Is there anything we should be mindful of with used Brera's that is common problem & what is the general feeling amongst owners? - would you buy another one?
Thanks
Is there anything we should be mindful of with used Brera's that is common problem & what is the general feeling amongst owners? - would you buy another one?
Thanks
I have had a few of these pass through my hands, I'm an independant dealer. I would suggest your friend drives one first before setting her heart on one, she may be disappointed, having said that she is coming from a Crossfire!
The Q-Tronic is very rare and in my opinion for a good reason, it's a CVT based auto and to drive I find them quite jerky, it also saps the performance - not good as there isn't much to start with and also harms the already poor fuel consumption.
If she is still smitten by the looks the things to check are tyre wear all round, if on 18s the tyres are very expensive, also check for any knocks from the front end - could just be suspension bushes but have known premature rack failure on these. Otherwise they are quite robust but do check the paint finish - they chip for England and Italy put together especially red ones - check the usual places but also A posts, leading edge of rear wheel arches and front wing tops, the aluminium trim inside is easily damaged also.
Check alfaowner.com for more info, not all of it biased!
The Q-Tronic is very rare and in my opinion for a good reason, it's a CVT based auto and to drive I find them quite jerky, it also saps the performance - not good as there isn't much to start with and also harms the already poor fuel consumption.
If she is still smitten by the looks the things to check are tyre wear all round, if on 18s the tyres are very expensive, also check for any knocks from the front end - could just be suspension bushes but have known premature rack failure on these. Otherwise they are quite robust but do check the paint finish - they chip for England and Italy put together especially red ones - check the usual places but also A posts, leading edge of rear wheel arches and front wing tops, the aluminium trim inside is easily damaged also.
Check alfaowner.com for more info, not all of it biased!
I recently (3 days ago) traded in my red Brera 3.2, for a red Brera "S" spec 2.2, so can hopefully help a bit. Although my car wasn't the auto, it was low mileage but did have a few issues.
Firstly, I'd agree totally with the comments about the Alfa Red paint. It is notoriously fragile, and when I got the car with 7500 miles on it, it had already needed paint to fix chipping on the rear wheelarches. It had also had a bit of paint on the front bumper. Look out for stone guards on the front side of the rear wheelarches, as these will help a lot. They were fitted from approx 2008/9 onwards
If it's low mileage and the registration starts with a "WN" prefix it's likely been a Hertz hire car, like my one was. This isn't a great issue but could explain the lower miles.
My tyres were 17" so not too pricey, but some main expenditure was a fix to the (driveshaft I think) involving an engine-out fix which was thankfully under warranty, power steering pump failure at 27k miles (£170-ish), and some suspension gubbins that needed £550 of work to pass it's first MOT.
I averaged 22 MPG in the V6, now getting 32-ish in the 2.2
Overall, I'd recommend getting one (can't comment much on the auto). It is a different/unusual car if that's what she's after, and it's often rare enough to see another Brera, nevermind one in the same colour. It has great presence and you can't help turning round to look at it when you get out it. I can't really fault it's reliability in the long run. It's a solid/heavy car, and this is what it's sometime criticised for. If she can accept a few Alfa quirks from time to time (and maybe gets a colour other than red), I think she'll be happy with a Brera
Firstly, I'd agree totally with the comments about the Alfa Red paint. It is notoriously fragile, and when I got the car with 7500 miles on it, it had already needed paint to fix chipping on the rear wheelarches. It had also had a bit of paint on the front bumper. Look out for stone guards on the front side of the rear wheelarches, as these will help a lot. They were fitted from approx 2008/9 onwards
If it's low mileage and the registration starts with a "WN" prefix it's likely been a Hertz hire car, like my one was. This isn't a great issue but could explain the lower miles.
My tyres were 17" so not too pricey, but some main expenditure was a fix to the (driveshaft I think) involving an engine-out fix which was thankfully under warranty, power steering pump failure at 27k miles (£170-ish), and some suspension gubbins that needed £550 of work to pass it's first MOT.
I averaged 22 MPG in the V6, now getting 32-ish in the 2.2
Overall, I'd recommend getting one (can't comment much on the auto). It is a different/unusual car if that's what she's after, and it's often rare enough to see another Brera, nevermind one in the same colour. It has great presence and you can't help turning round to look at it when you get out it. I can't really fault it's reliability in the long run. It's a solid/heavy car, and this is what it's sometime criticised for. If she can accept a few Alfa quirks from time to time (and maybe gets a colour other than red), I think she'll be happy with a Brera
I am doing about 35k miles a year in my 2.2 S and find the seats very comfortable, the later seats also have a cutout in the back that helps the rear leg room a bit. I love my S and I rate the reliability and build quality very highly, also it does not eat tyres due to the Prodrive geo changes. The non S Breras are more of a cruiser but still a nice car. A lot of Breras have been resprayed under the paint work warranty and the new paint seems to survive better than the original so it could be an idea to get one that has been done.
Im in a similar dilema at the moment.
Alfa Brera seems to tick the boxes for me at the moment.
Looking for a bit more of a grown up car with power. (Currently driving a White Fiesta ST)
Ive been looking at a new on the net and went to view one tonight.
57 Plate 3.2 V6
21k miles,
WN plate (So ex Hertz, anyhing I should be looking out for?)
Red
Just reduced to £10,900 whuch doesnt seem bad for the mileage!
Its at some of those car hypermarket places, as soon as I went through the trip computer I saw the "service" section which was outdated.
It also has the paint guards on the rear arches.
My parents had a 156 back in the day, it seemed to be reliable until the air-con went and they want alot of mollah to remove the dash for a fix.
I commute 30miles per day, all A roads, is it going to murder me on fuel basically? 6th Gear cruising during the week at 30mpg? Or should I be realistic and say 22-25?!
Alfa Brera seems to tick the boxes for me at the moment.
Looking for a bit more of a grown up car with power. (Currently driving a White Fiesta ST)
Ive been looking at a new on the net and went to view one tonight.
57 Plate 3.2 V6
21k miles,
WN plate (So ex Hertz, anyhing I should be looking out for?)
Red
Just reduced to £10,900 whuch doesnt seem bad for the mileage!
Its at some of those car hypermarket places, as soon as I went through the trip computer I saw the "service" section which was outdated.
It also has the paint guards on the rear arches.
My parents had a 156 back in the day, it seemed to be reliable until the air-con went and they want alot of mollah to remove the dash for a fix.
I commute 30miles per day, all A roads, is it going to murder me on fuel basically? 6th Gear cruising during the week at 30mpg? Or should I be realistic and say 22-25?!
Merp said:
Im in a similar dilema at the moment.
Alfa Brera seems to tick the boxes for me at the moment.
Looking for a bit more of a grown up car with power. (Currently driving a White Fiesta ST)
Ive been looking at a new on the net and went to view one tonight.
57 Plate 3.2 V6
21k miles,
WN plate (So ex Hertz, anyhing I should be looking out for?)
Red
Just reduced to £10,900 whuch doesnt seem bad for the mileage!
Its at some of those car hypermarket places, as soon as I went through the trip computer I saw the "service" section which was outdated.
It also has the paint guards on the rear arches.
My parents had a 156 back in the day, it seemed to be reliable until the air-con went and they want alot of mollah to remove the dash for a fix.
I commute 30miles per day, all A roads, is it going to murder me on fuel basically? 6th Gear cruising during the week at 30mpg? Or should I be realistic and say 22-25?!
Double check that it is Hertz. It probably is but it could just as easily be a management car from the same batch. If it's got the paint guards that's a good sign however they might have been retro-fitted as I don't believe they were standard initially (could be wrong on this). Alfa Brera seems to tick the boxes for me at the moment.
Looking for a bit more of a grown up car with power. (Currently driving a White Fiesta ST)
Ive been looking at a new on the net and went to view one tonight.
57 Plate 3.2 V6
21k miles,
WN plate (So ex Hertz, anyhing I should be looking out for?)
Red
Just reduced to £10,900 whuch doesnt seem bad for the mileage!
Its at some of those car hypermarket places, as soon as I went through the trip computer I saw the "service" section which was outdated.
It also has the paint guards on the rear arches.
My parents had a 156 back in the day, it seemed to be reliable until the air-con went and they want alot of mollah to remove the dash for a fix.
I commute 30miles per day, all A roads, is it going to murder me on fuel basically? 6th Gear cruising during the week at 30mpg? Or should I be realistic and say 22-25?!
It sounds like a good buy for the mileage. Just look at the paint VERY closely and in a good light (i.e. the arches might be off colour if they've had work but the other paint is original). If it looks unchipped at the front it's probably had some paint since new. If the (resprayed by Hertz) Alfa Red paint job on the front of mine was anything to go by DO NOT jet wash it as the lacquer will easily peel around any chips (repaired or not).
On a final note, sorry to say it but I was lucky to get 23mpg, and that's with a lot of motorway miles, and no hooning. You'll never get anywhere near 30mpg with the V6 in a Brera
Merp said:
Going to look at a 2.4tjdm SV tomorrow! Blue with the horseshoe alloys!
I'm still not sold on the 2.4, I went on a test drive with a friend in one and we noticed horrific turbo-lag on it below about 1800rpm. Perhaps it was just because he was used to an N/A petrol engine, but we nearly got into serious trouble pulling onto roundabouts (more than once) and getting absolutely no acceleration for that vital few seconds. If you can get used to the driving style then it's seriously quick once it spools up but I think I'd still rather suffer the economy drop of the 3.2 V6 and get the instant response in return.Symbolica said:
I'm still not sold on the 2.4, I went on a test drive with a friend in one and we noticed horrific turbo-lag on it below about 1800rpm. Perhaps it was just because he was used to an N/A petrol engine, but we nearly got into serious trouble pulling onto roundabouts (more than once) and getting absolutely no acceleration for that vital few seconds. If you can get used to the driving style then it's seriously quick once it spools up but I think I'd still rather suffer the economy drop of the 3.2 V6 and get the instant response in return.
It is a shame as earlier versions of the 2.4 were very flexible. You soon get used to it however. The later 210 versions are slightly better in this respect.
crostonian said:
....and while they were at it the bumper, bonnet, front wings, A posts and leading edge of C-pillar!!
Alfa are well aware that there are issues with Brera paintwork caused by soft paint and the wide front track kicking up stones at the rear of the car, they are re-spraying cars under the paintwork warranty because of this and my car is being assessed for this next week.My old Mitsubishi Grandis was newer and lower mileage than my Brera when I sold it but it was in a far worse state with loads of scratches and stone chips some of which were going rusty. When I complained to Mitsubishi they did not want to know and said it was normal wear and tear.
A work colleague of mine has just sold his 2 year old Subaru and the paint on the front bumper was literally falling off due to chipping and failure of the lacquer.
So Alfa are not alone in having problems with water based paints but they are at least willing to sort it out.
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