Should I avoid Selespeed gearboxes on 156?

[Frimley111R]

I'm looking at a cheapy run around and with a £1500 budget there are quite a lot of nice 156s. One or two have the selespeed gearbox and, tbh, I'd prefer an auto as my 156 will mostly only be used for communiting and general running about.

I've seen loads on the internet about selespeed gearboxes and how bad they are. Is it all a bit of hype on early cars or should I still avoid like the plague? Cars I am looking at seem to be from the early 2000's with c80k on them.

[crostonian]

Yes, unless you have access to cheap parts/donor car and an Alfa Examiner tool!

[Nigel_O]

I briefly drove a Selespeed 156 a couple of years ago.

I'm still waiting for it to change gear......

Horrible - avoid

I've also seen a string of selespeed cars at the Italian specialist I use - many have come from a Fiat/Alfa dealer that's simply given up on them

[Frimley111R]

Hmmm ok. Sounds like a definate 'Avoid!'

[Fulvisti]

They're not as bad as people say, just stay away from anything pre 2003, according to the local independant Alfa specialist they had them fairly well sorted after then.

[geoffphead]

I had a 2001 seles speed sportwagen from new,did 76000 miles without one issue of any sort.It was a company car and i passed it to my sales director, who after another 3000miles knacked the clutch and the gearbox went bang. It was a great car,albeit a little strange with the auto setting allowing you to roll backwards at lights.I would only run a seles speed Alfa as a company car, as a run-about with high miles not a chance !!. The bill for gearbox was in the thousands and that was 8years ago.

[Andymac100]

They are solid and reliable if looked after. I had a V registered car so quite early that had 90k on it when it was written off in an accident. In all that time it had only one selespeed issue which was a knackered pump relay. My wide used to drive it as an auto and I used the little buttons. It was in use daily, seems problem occur when they aren't used regularly.

[Tallbut Buxomly]

Seles are a bit hit and miss. I had a v reg and iirc the pump went (could have been the clutch) and i was quoted 800 by my local dealer to sort out but in the end they did it for 500.

I by that point in time had worked out that the car had been bodged together badly by its previous owner so it was not really the boxes fault it was probably just not installed properly to begin with.

It wasnt too slow you just have to learn how to use it.

Edited by Tallbut Buxomly on Monday 28th November 22:12

[Robsti]

Avoid! buy a manual it's a better drive anyway!