Alfa 156 a good or a bad choice?
Discussion
They have their foibles, but maintenance is essential. I would suggest going for the 1.8 as it is a particular sweet spot in the engine range.
1- Cambelt - 3 years/36K on TS engines
2- Upper wishbones. Check for squeaks/play
3- Roll bar bushings can get clunky
4- Roll bar drop links (in fairness a weakness in any modern car these days)
Flawed in every measurable way the 156, but a delight to drive. The total is greater than the sum of the parts. Loved mine.
1- Cambelt - 3 years/36K on TS engines
2- Upper wishbones. Check for squeaks/play
3- Roll bar bushings can get clunky
4- Roll bar drop links (in fairness a weakness in any modern car these days)
Flawed in every measurable way the 156, but a delight to drive. The total is greater than the sum of the parts. Loved mine.
Great choice, as above if it has been looked after it won't be any worse than anything else the same age. I love mine, I've had it three years and don't want to change it. I took a 159 for a drive recently with a view to changing, but it was no where near as enjoyable to drive. The 156 is a nicer place to be.
Definitely a good choice. The secret is that alfas aren't unreliable (as much as any other car). I bought a 2.5 v6 156 off ebay for peanuts and it's been one of the best cars i've owned. It wasn't my first alfa. I took it to my local lytham italian car specialist who changed the cam belt and gave it a service and confirmed that it was a sound car.
Bought mine - 2.0TS Sportwagon - just over a month ago and I love it !
If you buy a cheap one you just have to be prepared to work through the faults that will crop up, prioritise them into faults you have to fix to remain legal/running, faults you would like to fix to make the car better/nicer to drive, and faults you can put up with.
I love the looks of mine, I love the way it shifts between 3000 - 6000rpm, the engine note when you give it some stick is lovely and the steering is fabulous - so sharp and the rack is very quick which might take a bit of getting used to.
In addition to the faults already mentioned check for cooling system issues :
Thermostats stick open meaning they run cold and drink fuel
Low speed fan resistors fail meaning that if it does get hot it will get really hot before the main fan kicks in
There is a common issue with the rear ligh bulb failure warning circiut failing - this means a light on the rev counter, your o/s/r sidelight will be slightly on all the time and subsequent battery drain.
It can be repaired if you know what you're doing with electronics or needs a replacement rev counter - I fitted my replacement yesterday only to find it produced a different fault.
So when you test drive it as with any car make sure all the warning lights go out, and if the yellow tell-tale for bulb warning flickers or stays on with the lights off you almost certainly need a new rev counter.
36k / 3 year cambelt changes are a MUST - the 2.0 has balance belts and tensioners too which increases the cost of this ( indy's charge £250 or so for a 1.6/1.8 or £300 for a 2.0 )
Finally be aware that 1.6/1.8/2.0 TS need 8 spark plugs - the cheapest I have found the correct NGK's is £65 !!!!
If you buy a cheap one you just have to be prepared to work through the faults that will crop up, prioritise them into faults you have to fix to remain legal/running, faults you would like to fix to make the car better/nicer to drive, and faults you can put up with.
I love the looks of mine, I love the way it shifts between 3000 - 6000rpm, the engine note when you give it some stick is lovely and the steering is fabulous - so sharp and the rack is very quick which might take a bit of getting used to.
In addition to the faults already mentioned check for cooling system issues :
Thermostats stick open meaning they run cold and drink fuel
Low speed fan resistors fail meaning that if it does get hot it will get really hot before the main fan kicks in
There is a common issue with the rear ligh bulb failure warning circiut failing - this means a light on the rev counter, your o/s/r sidelight will be slightly on all the time and subsequent battery drain.
It can be repaired if you know what you're doing with electronics or needs a replacement rev counter - I fitted my replacement yesterday only to find it produced a different fault.
So when you test drive it as with any car make sure all the warning lights go out, and if the yellow tell-tale for bulb warning flickers or stays on with the lights off you almost certainly need a new rev counter.
36k / 3 year cambelt changes are a MUST - the 2.0 has balance belts and tensioners too which increases the cost of this ( indy's charge £250 or so for a 1.6/1.8 or £300 for a 2.0 )
Finally be aware that 1.6/1.8/2.0 TS need 8 spark plugs - the cheapest I have found the correct NGK's is £65 !!!!
carbon chris said:
Definitely a good choice. The secret is that alfas aren't unreliable (as much as any other car). I bought a 2.5 v6 156 off ebay for peanuts and it's been one of the best cars i've owned. It wasn't my first alfa. I took it to my local lytham italian car specialist who changed the cam belt and gave it a service and confirmed that it was a sound car.
I will echo the above. BTW, the only one to go for is the 2.5V6. Don't be put off by fuel economy the 2.5 is pretty good (28mpg on a run, er...a bit less around town 
) and what extra you put in the fuel tank you don't have to put in the sump. The 2.5 does not consume oil the way the twinnies tend to. Add to that the 5 year/72,000 mile cambelt change and quite frankly the running costs are similar.There's quite a good one on the classifieds right now
I've had several 156s in the last 18 months - all 2.0 JTS models for some strange reason.
The first one kept coming up with the usual "Motor Control System" errors, but drove OK. The second one, the cambelt snapped, and wrote it off. The third one also kept coming up with MCS errors, due to a coked up lambda sensor. They all had squeaking, groany suspension.
I've currently got a W reg Spider convertible, with lots of little niggly problems, but it was cheap (hell, they were all cheap!), and next week I collect a 3.0 GTV.
So, while they do suffer from more than their fair share of problems, there is just something about them that makes you come back for more!
The first one kept coming up with the usual "Motor Control System" errors, but drove OK. The second one, the cambelt snapped, and wrote it off. The third one also kept coming up with MCS errors, due to a coked up lambda sensor. They all had squeaking, groany suspension.
I've currently got a W reg Spider convertible, with lots of little niggly problems, but it was cheap (hell, they were all cheap!), and next week I collect a 3.0 GTV.
So, while they do suffer from more than their fair share of problems, there is just something about them that makes you come back for more!
I would echo the comments above.
My first Alfa was a 1.8TS, and it was an excellent car. The 1.8 is a gem of an engine, they are a bit thirsty for oil, which needs to be kept up to the top mark all the time with the correct grade. Cambelts most important, as are the auxilliary belts/tensioners which can have a knock-on effect if they fail.
Definitely worth finding a good local Alfa independent garage to service/maintain it, as Alfas need people who know their 'quirks' ! I always say to folk that it made a great difference to mine when I got my indy to set the 4 wheel alignment correctly ( the rear if not set properly can cause the inner tyre edge to wear ), and then you will see just how well they can handle.
I am now on my second 156, a 2005 JTDM 150 which has been remapped to about 185, and my opinion is that the 156 is one of the best handling affordable saloon cars...( it is much better than my E36 BM 328 for instance !)
And, if I may mention other fora on here (!) I have found alfa 156.net and alfaowners.com to be extremely helpful ( there is no Haynes manual for the 156!!), as there are people on there who really are experts !
My first Alfa was a 1.8TS, and it was an excellent car. The 1.8 is a gem of an engine, they are a bit thirsty for oil, which needs to be kept up to the top mark all the time with the correct grade. Cambelts most important, as are the auxilliary belts/tensioners which can have a knock-on effect if they fail.
Definitely worth finding a good local Alfa independent garage to service/maintain it, as Alfas need people who know their 'quirks' ! I always say to folk that it made a great difference to mine when I got my indy to set the 4 wheel alignment correctly ( the rear if not set properly can cause the inner tyre edge to wear ), and then you will see just how well they can handle.
I am now on my second 156, a 2005 JTDM 150 which has been remapped to about 185, and my opinion is that the 156 is one of the best handling affordable saloon cars...( it is much better than my E36 BM 328 for instance !)
And, if I may mention other fora on here (!) I have found alfa 156.net and alfaowners.com to be extremely helpful ( there is no Haynes manual for the 156!!), as there are people on there who really are experts !
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