never owned an alfa , looking to buy a gtv
Discussion
I`m replacing my golf gti and think its about time in my life that I finally bought an alfa romeo,I really love italian cars but have never owned an alfa romeo .I like the looks of the 90s gtv and would hope that the rest of the car is as good. Any advice on what models to look for/ignore and what to look for when buying.It seems the 3.0 is the better car but I`m guessing a bit too thirsty for me. At what kind of mileage does the car start requiring more work/parts.
regards Roberto
regards Roberto
just bought an 1800 TSpark 145, which IIRC shares the same engine base as the 2.0 GTV does it not?
and that's a doddle to work on, had it in bits on Saturday. Beware though, TSpark means 8 plugs at £98 from factors
Clutch prices I've had were cheap enough, as are brakes. Can't see GTV being much dearer TBH. But hey, on PH I could be wrong
and that's a doddle to work on, had it in bits on Saturday. Beware though, TSpark means 8 plugs at £98 from factors
Clutch prices I've had were cheap enough, as are brakes. Can't see GTV being much dearer TBH. But hey, on PH I could be wrong
Read this, rather than repeating it all here : http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gtv-and-916-sp...
V6 mpg is going to be 20-25, TS is around 30-34. So neither are that great.
V6 will cost more for a cambelt change (£600+ instead of £300+)
V6 will cost more to insure.
Apart from all that V6 is the one to get http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scFNcpnCNFE
They are all of an age that means they will have some problem or other. Ignore mileage and look at history.
V6 mpg is going to be 20-25, TS is around 30-34. So neither are that great.
V6 will cost more for a cambelt change (£600+ instead of £300+)
V6 will cost more to insure.
Apart from all that V6 is the one to get http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scFNcpnCNFE
They are all of an age that means they will have some problem or other. Ignore mileage and look at history.
.:ian:. said:
Read this, rather than repeating it all here : http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-gtv-and-916-sp...
Ignore mileage and look at history.
For reference, V6 cambelt change is available for £400 at Alfa Workshop (Royston based). Cheapest I've seen is £375 at A for Alfa (Aylesbury based).Ignore mileage and look at history.
The V6 is the one. Sod the fuel.
Cambelts should be changed more frequently than recommended by Alfa, most accept every 5 years / ~ 32000 miles.
No rust problems really. Obviously electrical gremlins should be a sign to run away.
The windows aren't always the best fit, some are a bit buffety, some rattle when fully lowered.
Look for damage on inside of door where it bangs against the seatbelt when you shut it. If there's none of that, they've probably at least taken care on that front...
Airbag warning light is very common, but most people don't worry about it. Again, might be a sign of how much care they take, same as silly things like faded badges and so on. If they've neglected these sorts of things, what else have they neglected...
Should have 2 keys, a valet key and a master key from memory.
If you've never owned one, just accept that there will be low points, and there will be high points, and you'll be a happy camper
If you're not sure about the V6, don't drive one. You'll feel it come alive at 4000rpm and you'll have to have one...Edited by SturdyJ on Tuesday 29th November 09:22
If you're going to buy an Alfa you may as well make it a V6.
Don't make the mistake of doing what I did first time round and buy the first one you see. It was an OK car and I thought it drove pretty well - having just bought another V6 I'm shocked at how different they feel. My new one is so much tauter and crisper to drive its untrue.
Rear suspension is less of an issue on V6's as it was suitably beefed up.
Buy on condition and history - finding a good one is not that easy but a car with a solid history will not cost that much more and will probably save you a load more in the medium / longer term
Don't make the mistake of doing what I did first time round and buy the first one you see. It was an OK car and I thought it drove pretty well - having just bought another V6 I'm shocked at how different they feel. My new one is so much tauter and crisper to drive its untrue.
Rear suspension is less of an issue on V6's as it was suitably beefed up.
Buy on condition and history - finding a good one is not that easy but a car with a solid history will not cost that much more and will probably save you a load more in the medium / longer term
Just bought a GTV V6 myself and I love mine. The V6 is an excellent engine with a noise to die for. A lot of them will have an aftermarket exhaust but don't let this put you off, for me a aftermarket exhaust was a must have.
Have a look here for the service schedule to give you an idea on costs Alfa Workshop
I'm getting about 25 MPG at the moment when driving normally.
Most of the points on buying one have been covered by other posters, I can only stress that you don't buy the first one that you see, they really vary in quality, I looked at about 7 cars in total and the quality varied greatly. Look for knocking sounds coming from the suspension, check it's had a recent campbelt change or factor that into to your offer. If you can afford the V6 go for it you won't regret it.
Have a look here for the service schedule to give you an idea on costs Alfa Workshop
I'm getting about 25 MPG at the moment when driving normally.
Most of the points on buying one have been covered by other posters, I can only stress that you don't buy the first one that you see, they really vary in quality, I looked at about 7 cars in total and the quality varied greatly. Look for knocking sounds coming from the suspension, check it's had a recent campbelt change or factor that into to your offer. If you can afford the V6 go for it you won't regret it.
num2uk said:
A lot of them will have an aftermarket exhaust but don't let this put you off, for me a aftermarket exhaust was a must have.
The stock exhaust has about 4 big heavy silencing sections on it, and the engine is surprisingly muted as a result. Exhaust noise is basically non-existent, you can just hear the gorgeous engine note.As such, an aftermarket exhaust would be highly recommended, it'll probably save a lot of weight too...
SturdyJ said:
The stock exhaust has about 4 big heavy silencing sections on it, and the engine is surprisingly muted as a result. Exhaust noise is basically non-existent, you can just hear the gorgeous engine note.
As such, an aftermarket exhaust would be highly recommended, it'll probably save a lot of weight too...
One regret I have with the 3.0 GTV was not fitting an aftermarket exhaust. As truly wonderful as the Alfa V6 sounds, from the exhaust end it was so silenced it was like listening to your favourite album through a speaker stuffed with potato. The 2.5 as fitted to the 156 trounces it in that area. It must be the V6 though, the Twin Sparks aren't especially economical anyway so you may as well go all the way and buy the proper, V6 engined one.As such, an aftermarket exhaust would be highly recommended, it'll probably save a lot of weight too...
To be honest, there's not that much to look for. Belts/water pump etc as usual on an Alfa, to do the job right with all associated gubbins (tensioners, idlers, pulleys and water pump must be done at the same time) you're looking at little change from a grand. The doors are flimsy and are prone to dents, and you need to make sure you have all the keys including the brown master. Suspension is stronger than most Alfas, its a bonus if you can find one that's been Powerflexed.
ETA - Check for uneven tyre wear on the inside edge! GTVs are very sensitive to tracking, I made this mistake by not checking thoroughly enough... 4mm in the middle, bald on the inside edges of all four tyres!
They're also very rowdy on the wrong tyres - Toyos or another decent quality tyre are needed or else the road noise is laughable.
Went for a test drive today in a low milage excellent conditon gt v6.but I was very udisappointed,the car was not as responsive as I would have expected.I can only compare this to my current daily drive which is an 88 m k 2 golf gt i.To be fair the drive wasn't very long and I would imagine it would shine more,but the engine(not exhaust) was very muted,with not a lot of torque and the steering wasn't very direct.
Try another. The steering on a gtv is pretty direct due to the rack gearing and the ride / handling combo excellent. I've only driven one V6 and while the torque at very low revs wasn't great, it just surged after about 2000rpm.
Exhaust note will be muted - there's about 4 silencers on the thing. Very very restrictive system designed with california in mind. Spend a couple of hundred quid and it sounds epic.
Exhaust note will be muted - there's about 4 silencers on the thing. Very very restrictive system designed with california in mind. Spend a couple of hundred quid and it sounds epic.
I will certainly try another one, maybe 2lt might be better.I would have liked my next car to be an alfa and the gtv is the only modern alfa that I like the look of.I know the exhaust sound can be improved but what about the engine noise,may be K&N filters?.I also found the seats didnt give much lateral support,can you get better ones from a specific model ?.
regards Roberto
regards Roberto
I agree with you re the seats, unfortunately all 3 litres had leather apart from the overpriced Cup. The cloth seats in the post 1998 non-lusso are the best imo, apart from the rare as rocking horse s
t full leather electric Recaros.
The 3 litre you drove must have been a hound, please try another. Otherwise your Golf must be a beast!
t full leather electric Recaros. The 3 litre you drove must have been a hound, please try another. Otherwise your Golf must be a beast!
As above, aftermarket exhausts sound great but do not for the love of god fit an unsileced decat. Total waste of money and they sound awful. Really bad. The v6 really needs some restriction to sing. Also i spent £170 on a CDA carbon air intake jobbie and it sounded lovely but lost me power. Think Alfa did a good job with the inlet side of things. Fit a cat back and enjoy it.
+1 on GTV cups. Why spend £5k on a GTV with cosmetic add ons when you can have a 147 GTA for £6k? Madness. GTV cups are overpriced. IMO worth £500 more tops. PS the one you drove needs front bushes + possibly a MAF. Their not the fastest things in the world but lacking in torque they are not (compaired to other V6's at the time)
+1 on GTV cups. Why spend £5k on a GTV with cosmetic add ons when you can have a 147 GTA for £6k? Madness. GTV cups are overpriced. IMO worth £500 more tops. PS the one you drove needs front bushes + possibly a MAF. Their not the fastest things in the world but lacking in torque they are not (compaired to other V6's at the time)
Edited by exgtt on Saturday 10th December 22:41
Its been a few weeks since my last post and after seeing a few more gtvs Ive decided that I want an alfa with carbs and chain drive cams(I prefer the old skool noise),ie an early 80s gtv 2.0.But there dont seem any for sale,I would prefer the rubber bumper model.If anyone has any leads for a good car,I would much appreciate it.regards Roberto
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