Advice on Alfa 147/159/GT
Discussion
I’ve been looking for a car that I can use for work. I only do around 5k a year. I have seen a few Alfa’s that I like but I don’t know much about them. I have around £2500 to spend. If anyone could tell me of problem areas that would be great. As well as Specs and Engines, part costs etc.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223965643781
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223965645018
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223965643781
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223965645018
Edited by Mr.Nobody on Tuesday 28th April 19:25
Diesel for 5K a year is nuts - got for petrol.
The 147 TS is a nice little car. The only risk with them really is the engines do like to drink oil, and many are neglected. Once the oil pressure light comes on, they're toast. Other than that it is all test drive stuff: does it clonk on bumpy roads, does it go, stop and does it have big holes in the sills.
If you can't work on it yourself, a cheap Alfa is an expensive proposition. If you can work on it, 147s are very cheap fun motoring.
The 147 TS is a nice little car. The only risk with them really is the engines do like to drink oil, and many are neglected. Once the oil pressure light comes on, they're toast. Other than that it is all test drive stuff: does it clonk on bumpy roads, does it go, stop and does it have big holes in the sills.
If you can't work on it yourself, a cheap Alfa is an expensive proposition. If you can work on it, 147s are very cheap fun motoring.
rxe said:
Diesel for 5K a year is nuts - got for petrol.
The 147 TS is a nice little car. The only risk with them really is the engines do like to drink oil, and many are neglected. Once the oil pressure light comes on, they're toast. Other than that it is all test drive stuff: does it clonk on bumpy roads, does it go, stop and does it have big holes in the sills.
If you can't work on it yourself, a cheap Alfa is an expensive proposition. If you can work on it, 147s are very cheap fun motoring.
Thanks for that. I do like them. You could say that about any car if you think pragmatically, all used cars break and some are more expensive to fix than others. An Alfa maybe one. Even the cheap one for less than a £1000. Looks great and has quite a lot of paperwork and good service history. I wanted something different than your everyday small hatch. The 147 TS is a nice little car. The only risk with them really is the engines do like to drink oil, and many are neglected. Once the oil pressure light comes on, they're toast. Other than that it is all test drive stuff: does it clonk on bumpy roads, does it go, stop and does it have big holes in the sills.
If you can't work on it yourself, a cheap Alfa is an expensive proposition. If you can work on it, 147s are very cheap fun motoring.
I don’t have any mechanically expertise, but there are plenty of specialist.
The 2.0 TS is the best. Even over the V6 - that has an extra 150kg over the front.......
I am on my second 147 Selespeed. Brilliant car. Not too difficult to work on. Cam belt is a right pain though! For about a grand you get 160bhp, a/c and heated seats (on the Lusso).
Good handling and fun. And that compares to my many other cars.....
Happy to answer any questions.
I am on my second 147 Selespeed. Brilliant car. Not too difficult to work on. Cam belt is a right pain though! For about a grand you get 160bhp, a/c and heated seats (on the Lusso).
Good handling and fun. And that compares to my many other cars.....
Happy to answer any questions.
147 is very dated, the GT uses the best of the 147 and 156. Its a lovely comfortable car and surprisingly reliable as long as you get one that's had the cam belt done and is free from rust it will be a great car. 2.0 Petrol is the engine to go for as a diesel would be pointless for that kind of mileage. I loved my GT and do miss it. I have a MiTo now and its a surprisonly good car. Have you looked at Mitos or Guiliettas?
MonkeyMatt said:
147 is very dated, the GT uses the best of the 147 and 156. Its a lovely comfortable car and surprisingly reliable as long as you get one that's had the cam belt done and is free from rust it will be a great car. 2.0 Petrol is the engine to go for as a diesel would be pointless for that kind of mileage. I loved my GT and do miss it. I have a MiTo now and its a surprisonly good car. Have you looked at Mitos or Guiliettas?
I’ve not really as I only have about £3k to spend. So I’m ideally looking to spend about half that and hopefully buy a good one. A diesel GT/147/156 shouldn’t be an issue for low mileage, as they don’t have a DPF
My GT has now done 261,000 miles and has been utterly reliable
Proper four-seater, with a huge boot, but decent Coupe looks.
The petrol-engined versions need to be bought with care, but the diesels are generally bullet-proof if they have been looked after, and are just as quick as the petrol versions after a light remap (170-ish bhp)
They can rust quite badly - floor pans and sills, mainly. Suspension arms should be treated as consumables. Electrics are fine, as is interior trim. Check for tyre wear on the inner edges (front and rear).
A good one is great - a poor one will put you off Alfa’s for ever
My GT has now done 261,000 miles and has been utterly reliable
Proper four-seater, with a huge boot, but decent Coupe looks.
The petrol-engined versions need to be bought with care, but the diesels are generally bullet-proof if they have been looked after, and are just as quick as the petrol versions after a light remap (170-ish bhp)
They can rust quite badly - floor pans and sills, mainly. Suspension arms should be treated as consumables. Electrics are fine, as is interior trim. Check for tyre wear on the inner edges (front and rear).
A good one is great - a poor one will put you off Alfa’s for ever
I'd agree with the GT Diesel, but the petrol engines are also bulletproof the problem is neglect when they were a few years old which tends to show as they get older.
The problem with older Alfa's is that they dropped rapidly in vale second had and became affordable for people who preferred not to maintain their cars. Now buying one can be a bit hit and miss. I would go for a well maintained but older 147/GT over a neglected 159, and probable a GT as it's still a very nice looking versatile car.
The late JTS engine is loaded with emission control gear which can throw up fault lights. The diesel's only really suffer with clogged EGR valves.
From a corrosion perspective the older cars they suffer from sill corrosion where they have been jacked up badly at the base of the front wings and at the back. The rear top suspension mounts corrode on poor examples.
The top front suspension arm can knock - original ones can last around 70,000 miles on uk roads - cheap replacements can start knocking after just a few months. The front antiroll bar bushes can also cause a knock and it's an expensive pain to replace. As with many cars front droplinks can knock but are cheap to replace.
On the diesel check the front oil cooler pipes as corrosion can cause a sudden and catastrophic engine failure as it can lose all oil.
The problem with older Alfa's is that they dropped rapidly in vale second had and became affordable for people who preferred not to maintain their cars. Now buying one can be a bit hit and miss. I would go for a well maintained but older 147/GT over a neglected 159, and probable a GT as it's still a very nice looking versatile car.
The late JTS engine is loaded with emission control gear which can throw up fault lights. The diesel's only really suffer with clogged EGR valves.
From a corrosion perspective the older cars they suffer from sill corrosion where they have been jacked up badly at the base of the front wings and at the back. The rear top suspension mounts corrode on poor examples.
The top front suspension arm can knock - original ones can last around 70,000 miles on uk roads - cheap replacements can start knocking after just a few months. The front antiroll bar bushes can also cause a knock and it's an expensive pain to replace. As with many cars front droplinks can knock but are cheap to replace.
On the diesel check the front oil cooler pipes as corrosion can cause a sudden and catastrophic engine failure as it can lose all oil.
I’ve seen this one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223965643781
It MOT History looks okay and it’s had the cambelt done.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223965643781
It MOT History looks okay and it’s had the cambelt done.
Mr.Nobody said:
I’ve seen this one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223965643781
It MOT History looks okay and it’s had the cambelt done.
Nice colour, black leather is always nice. Those wheels (17” Supersports are a great touch but they always seem to be flaky, I had a set refurbished, blasted and powder coated by a local guy for £200 and it makes a huge difference https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/223965643781
It MOT History looks okay and it’s had the cambelt done.
Daveb257 said:
Nice colour, black leather is always nice. Those wheels (17” Supersports are a great touch but they always seem to be flaky, I had a set refurbished, blasted and powder coated by a local guy for £200 and it makes a huge difference
I think they could do with a refurb tbh. It's a nice colour, and looks to be a good car.
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