How sensible is a Alfa GTV (916 flavour) as a daily/weekend?
Discussion
Right chaps
This summer i'll b selling my TVR to bung the money towards the house deposit fund. I have access to another V8 ragtop to the Tiv will be a bit surplus....yes I KNOW I will miss her
Anyway once the Chim is gone I want something to use weekends/evenings as my other transport is my Kangoo van.
Now I was thinking something a bit different, not too dull BUT also not mental as I don't want TVR mpg really. So I thought Alfa GTV in 2.0 guise. Pretty, not a eurobox and compared to a TVR i'd go as far as sensible!
My budget would be around 1k and i've seen plenty of early ones with good histories and recent belt changes about for that money
Done the usual insurance checks and it would be within reason, though more than my Tiv.
So chaps what is there to look out for when viewing these beasties? Oh and what can I expect MPG wise? anything over 12-15 around town is a bonus!
This summer i'll b selling my TVR to bung the money towards the house deposit fund. I have access to another V8 ragtop to the Tiv will be a bit surplus....yes I KNOW I will miss her
Anyway once the Chim is gone I want something to use weekends/evenings as my other transport is my Kangoo van.
Now I was thinking something a bit different, not too dull BUT also not mental as I don't want TVR mpg really. So I thought Alfa GTV in 2.0 guise. Pretty, not a eurobox and compared to a TVR i'd go as far as sensible!
My budget would be around 1k and i've seen plenty of early ones with good histories and recent belt changes about for that money
Done the usual insurance checks and it would be within reason, though more than my Tiv.So chaps what is there to look out for when viewing these beasties? Oh and what can I expect MPG wise? anything over 12-15 around town is a bonus!
I have a GTV V6 (had another before).
I don't know much compared to some but let's see:-
- On the twin spark, it is even more important that you have proof the cambelt has been done. They should be done every 36k miles without fail.
- There should be no rust anywhere really.
- Check for dents on the body as they are REALLY prone to car park knocks.
- Check for noises from the rear suspension.
- Check for reluctance to rev/flat spots 4-5k when accelerating hard as this will mean a new MAF is needed probably.
- Wind noise around the doors.
There's probably quite a bit more but I've forgotten!
Over to someone else..
I imagine you will get 28 - 30 mpg combined on the 2 litre. I get 24 - 25 combined on the 3 litre V6. Not sure what you will get around town but surely at least 20 - 22.
I don't know much compared to some but let's see:-
- On the twin spark, it is even more important that you have proof the cambelt has been done. They should be done every 36k miles without fail.
- There should be no rust anywhere really.
- Check for dents on the body as they are REALLY prone to car park knocks.
- Check for noises from the rear suspension.
- Check for reluctance to rev/flat spots 4-5k when accelerating hard as this will mean a new MAF is needed probably.
- Wind noise around the doors.
There's probably quite a bit more but I've forgotten!
Over to someone else..
I imagine you will get 28 - 30 mpg combined on the 2 litre. I get 24 - 25 combined on the 3 litre V6. Not sure what you will get around town but surely at least 20 - 22.
Read Petes damn excellent review/blog:
http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...
Also moving this to Alfa forum
http://www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?car...
Also moving this to Alfa forum
Lots of info here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&...
I've had mine for nearly 5 years and it's been virtually utterly reliable. It was the 5th one I saw, had clearly been well looked after and I've made sure it has had its belts done appropriately too.
Had a couple of wheel bearings replaced, had a temporary dodgy lack of intermittant wiper (easy fix), temporarily wrecked the door lock mechanism when I squirted de-icer too liberally into the locks and therefore stripped all the grease out (squirted white grease into the locks and they work brilliantly now) and a dodgy connector on the bonnet light on switch which affected the alarm, so I've removed it. The exhaust need replaced at the back. That's been it. Bought it with 68 k on the clock, although it had a new engine block fitted just before then. It's on about 105k on now. I am considering selling it, if you're interested!
Seriously, they're good cars if you find one that's been looked after. Go for a post 1998 ph2 model as the interior is so much nicer. I get 30mpg driving it enthusiastically, about 36mpg on a good run with a steady right foot. They don't rust. It uses a wee bit of oil, but well within normal for a twin spark.
PM me if you want more details / info. There's also a good buyers guide on the alfaowner.com website.
Had a couple of wheel bearings replaced, had a temporary dodgy lack of intermittant wiper (easy fix), temporarily wrecked the door lock mechanism when I squirted de-icer too liberally into the locks and therefore stripped all the grease out (squirted white grease into the locks and they work brilliantly now) and a dodgy connector on the bonnet light on switch which affected the alarm, so I've removed it. The exhaust need replaced at the back. That's been it. Bought it with 68 k on the clock, although it had a new engine block fitted just before then. It's on about 105k on now. I am considering selling it, if you're interested!
Seriously, they're good cars if you find one that's been looked after. Go for a post 1998 ph2 model as the interior is so much nicer. I get 30mpg driving it enthusiastically, about 36mpg on a good run with a steady right foot. They don't rust. It uses a wee bit of oil, but well within normal for a twin spark.
PM me if you want more details / info. There's also a good buyers guide on the alfaowner.com website.
theironduke said:
Right chaps
This summer i'll b selling my TVR to bung the money towards the house deposit fund. I have access to another V8 ragtop to the Tiv will be a bit surplus....yes I KNOW I will miss her
Anyway once the Chim is gone I want something to use weekends/evenings as my other transport is my Kangoo van.
Now I was thinking something a bit different, not too dull BUT also not mental as I don't want TVR mpg really. So I thought Alfa GTV in 2.0 guise. Pretty, not a eurobox and compared to a TVR i'd go as far as sensible!
My budget would be around 1k and i've seen plenty of early ones with good histories and recent belt changes about for that money Done the usual insurance checks and it would be within reason, though more than my Tiv.
So chaps what is there to look out for when viewing these beasties? Oh and what can I expect MPG wise? anything over 12-15 around town is a bonus!
I have a 916 spider 2.0L its an 03 and returns around 30 to 35 if I dont boot it too much, its a great lil car, clutch sticks for a fraction sometimes, windows have a life of their own and uses oil .Engine was replaced only 7k ago by a previous owner.It has loads of character and I love it. I have had 3 alfas in the past and you have to forgive them their quirks but as a TVR owner you will be used to it. I currently run a Tusc S mk2,Mk1 Golf GTI cabby and the alfa. Previous tvrs include Chim 450, T350T,Tamora.Things to look for are any signs of smoking, check service history is main dealer, suspension should be rock solid with no noise.Electrics can be a bloody nitemare, so check everything works several times.This summer i'll b selling my TVR to bung the money towards the house deposit fund. I have access to another V8 ragtop to the Tiv will be a bit surplus....yes I KNOW I will miss her
Anyway once the Chim is gone I want something to use weekends/evenings as my other transport is my Kangoo van.
Now I was thinking something a bit different, not too dull BUT also not mental as I don't want TVR mpg really. So I thought Alfa GTV in 2.0 guise. Pretty, not a eurobox and compared to a TVR i'd go as far as sensible!
My budget would be around 1k and i've seen plenty of early ones with good histories and recent belt changes about for that money
Done the usual insurance checks and it would be within reason, though more than my Tiv.So chaps what is there to look out for when viewing these beasties? Oh and what can I expect MPG wise? anything over 12-15 around town is a bonus!
Overall get a well loved car and give it a 20mile test drive, look at temps and all should be warmed up by then. good luck
ps you will miss having a Tiv so much, think twice before selling your chim
I had a 916 V6 GTV as a weekend car and enjoyed it. Around 25mpg on longer runs and sounds good too. Never let me down but did have fun and games with the wipers. Took them all apart and found nothing wrong, back together again and no further problems. Sold it when a oil cooler problem started as access is poor on this and the parts are expensive.
You may struggle to find one for £1k though
You may struggle to find one for £1k though
JACK6284 said:
I had a 916 V6 GTV as a weekend car and enjoyed it. Around 25mpg on longer runs and sounds good too. Never let me down but did have fun and games with the wipers. Took them all apart and found nothing wrong, back together again and no further problems. Sold it when a oil cooler problem started as access is poor on this and the parts are expensive.
You may struggle to find one for £1k though
Seen plenty of TS coupes for around a grand. Not looking for a V6 really, needs to be a 4 pot to justify it.You may struggle to find one for £1k though
I have 2 of them, both 99 phase 2's. One is a daily driver and I've had no issues with it at all, and averages about 33mpg. Other is work in progress, and needs some TLC but nothing too major, apart from an alternator, which was a bit of a nightmare job. Daily has about 5.5k in bills and reciepts from the last owner in the last few years, other has over 7k. !! Both look mint, drive perfectly and have NO electrical,engine or gearbox issues.
Price of both of them together gave me enough change out of a grand to buy a nice 145 Cloverleaf!
Brilliant cars!
Price of both of them together gave me enough change out of a grand to buy a nice 145 Cloverleaf!
Brilliant cars!
Edited by tiffx19 on Thursday 19th April 19:46
I run a 2004 2.0 JTS as my station car. It's a wonderful machine; beautifuly coherent, the suspension, steering, gearing and power all perfectly matched. Very happy with the 2.0 litre. The JTS I think was the first petrol engine with direct injection and is a punchy unit. It's also lighter than the V6 so understeers less. I get 400 miles to a tank on my runs to the station - 15 miles each way. These cars are very reliable if well maintained but they use oil and you must check the oil every week. Change the cambelt every 3 years or 36k miles. Find a good specialist who knows these cars as they have their quirks and can be tricky to setup right. Jamie Porter at Alpha Workshop has a very helpful buyers guide on his website. Good luck!
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