Should I buy an Alfa GT

[harry1972m]

Hi All,
I am thinking about buying a used Alfa GT either the 2.0 or the 3.2 V6 - I have always had company cars for the last 15 years but am taking a cash option next month.
I have ran a BMW coupe sport for the last 2 years and do not like it - I am no stranger to Alfa as I had a 156 veloce before the BMW and the other half has a 147 2.0 Lusso - both have had loads of reliability issues but I am used to that as I am also a TVR owner !!

Is the 3.2 the one to have and are their any real horror stories out there ???

What sort of running costs can I expect on an annual basis.

And most importantly how good are the GTs generally.

There no 3.2's for sale near where I live and will therefore be travelling 100 miles plus to view so any advice would be gratefully receievd.

Cheers
Graham

[cirvy]

Had mine for 2 years, can totally recommend them, V6 is fantastic. So good in fact, i'm selling my Brera to buy another

Only downside.... 20mpg!

[DavidCane]

I had one and loved it. I sold it earlier this year as it simply wasn't getting used enough.

I saw my old one driving around last week, and really wanted to get it back Stunning looking cars, no real reliability problems at all. Just a few niggly interior trim issues which people on the alfa owner forums have worked out how to fix.

I would not recommend the 2.0 though. If you're not gonna buy the V6, then you can only really choose the diesel. It may seem like an absurd choice but it's got so much more torque than the 2.0l, it really is the faster car in real world driving. It also manages to sound rather good when being revved

[pacoryan]

I'm lookingfor one too, but 20 mpg!!!! Is that in "normal" use??? That is appalling. I get 30 out of my 9-5 Aero which is a heavier and more powerful car!

I still want a GT though, and it can only be a V6 really.

[cirvy]

The diesel is fantastic, quite nippy if chipped & my mate gets 45mpg from his, outstanding really. Having had various engines in Alfas over the years, my next would be a diesel!

[harry1972m]

Cirvy,
That sounds interesting as I am struggling to find a decent V6 without having to travel to the ends of the earth - whats the cost of chipping the diesel and what sort of gains can be produced also where does this.
Thanks in advance
Graham

[cirvy]

harry1972m said:

Cirvy,
That sounds interesting as I am struggling to find a decent V6 without having to travel to the ends of the earth - whats the cost of chipping the diesel and what sort of gains can be produced also where does this.
Thanks in advance
Graham

I have heard that the chip costs about £350 & it has just increased the BHP to 185 from 150 on my mates car, it increases the torque also & he's still getting a whopping 40+ mpg. I reckon in real world driving, there would be little to gain from the V6 ( as good as it is ). It will be a chipped diesel GT for me next, & thats coming from a V6 Brera!!!

[wombat rick]

The current Alfa diesels really are outstanding engines (I'm a 2.4 5 cyliner fan) and seem to respond very well to chipping - although really it's remapping these days rather than exchanging the chip.
Angel Tuning come very well recommended from a number of people and they seem Alfa nuts!

www.angeltuning.co.uk/

[L100NYY]

I worked for Alfa Romeo for 8 years and had many and varied models over the years.

By far my favourite was the 1.9JTD GT, it had oh sooo much style and charisma, plenty of space and the torque from the diesel engine gave it more than ample performance.

I still get a funny tingly feeling when I see one on the road (sad I know!) and would whole heartedly reccommend one, in fact I am trying to convince my father to get one at the moment.

I still think the GT is one of the best looking new cars out there regardless of price and every journey felt that little bit more special than being in a normal eurobox. I was never let down in the car, in fact thinking about it, I was never let down in any of my Alfa's, and if I was in the market for such a car I would not hesitate to have another.

Oh and that re-map sounds very tempting too!

Just look at it -

[timr69]

I bought myself a GT a month ago and it's absolutely fantastic.
If I was still doing a high mileage I would've had no hesitation in going for the JTD but now I no longer have an 80 mile a day commute the V6 was an easy choice. Having said that I drove a 5k mile JTD and was impressed how punchy and free revving the engine was, especially compared with the 8 valve version in my old Stilo.

[harry1972m]

Thanks for your replies all, test drove the 1.9 jtd on Saturday and although suprisingly impressed as I do not like diesels, I have decided its not for me so am on the search for a 3.2 V6 - have posted a want it ad on PH so if anyone knows of a good example on the market then please let me know.
Cheers
Graham

[L100NYY]

harry1972m said:

Thanks for your replies all, test drove the 1.9 jtd on Saturday and although suprisingly impressed as I do not like diesels, I have decided its not for me so am on the search for a 3.2 V6 - have posted a want it ad on PH so if anyone knows of a good example on the market then please let me know.
Cheers
Graham

Good luck Harry, any particular colour/specs that you are after?

[harry1972m]

I am thinking towards Gabbiano blue with dark leather interior my only other constraints are full Alfa history, HPi clear and preferably under 20K miles - I am not really one for toys, I have had my BMW Coupe for 2 and a half years and there are buttons on the dash I haven't even pressed and have no idea what they are for so its fair to say that its more about the driving qualities of the car than the bells and whistles side of things.

[cirvy]

harry1972m said:

I am thinking towards Gabbiano blue with dark leather interior my only other constraints are full Alfa history, HPi clear and preferably under 20K miles - I am not really one for toys, I have had my BMW Coupe for 2 and a half years and there are buttons on the dash I haven't even pressed and have no idea what they are for so its fair to say that its more about the driving qualities of the car than the bells and whistles side of things.

A very good choice.

[pdV6]

harry1972m said:

full Alfa history

Don't be put off by a specialist history - it will probably have been better looked after as a result!

[L100NYY]

cirvy said:

harry1972m said:

I am thinking towards Gabbiano blue with dark leather interior my only other constraints are full Alfa history, HPi clear and preferably under 20K miles - I am not really one for toys, I have had my BMW Coupe for 2 and a half years and there are buttons on the dash I haven't even pressed and have no idea what they are for so its fair to say that its more about the driving qualities of the car than the bells and whistles side of things.

A very good choice.

Indeed, my JTD was Gab Blue with black leather and the 17" wheel upgrade. The V6 comes with 17"'s as standard albeit a slightly different style but if you can find one with the 18" they really do look stunning. However they do ride/handle much better with 17" alloys though. Tough call.

My ideal spec would be a V6 in moon blue with tan leather and 18" alloys (I know, I know I'm a bit vein!). Oh and I'd find a way of changing that ruddy Bose stereo that comes as standard in the V6.

[jwyatt]

harry1972m said:

I am thinking towards Gabbiano blue with dark leather interior my only other constraints are full Alfa history, HPi clear and preferably under 20K miles - I am not really one for toys, I have had my BMW Coupe for 2 and a half years and there are buttons on the dash I haven't even pressed and have no idea what they are for so its fair to say that its more about the driving qualities of the car than the bells and whistles side of things.

I have to say I saw a GT in the bright blue, whatever it's called (is it Brilliant Blue?) in the local stealers, with tan leather, and it was OMG-gorgeous, a real eye-catcher and it looked twice the RRP's worth. If there are any in that spec, take a look!

[harry1972m]

Yes - totally agree with regard to specialised as apposed to main dealer as my 156 was a company car via a lease company and I sought permission to use a local independant due to the level of incompetence of Alfa dealership also my other halves 147 is looked after by independant for this reason, my main concern was keeping within warranty as I recently arranged to travel 150 miles to veiw one only to find on the morning I was heading off that they did not have a service record for a 1 year old with 14K on the clock and were unwilling to attempt to do any research on service record - I speak from experience that this will invalidate any warranty cover - we had a snapped drive shaft on the 147 and the dealership would not honour under warranty as one of our services was 900 miles above the reccomended mileage - after a lot of arguement and confrontation we came to a mutual arrangement in the end.

[Pacoryan]

I'd love to find a dark blue one, mileage is irrelevant to me, so if you discard one let me know, there don't seem to be many out there.

Got my eye on Dijon (? the met bright blue) blue one at the moment, top of my budget but hey-ho it's a V6 and beggars etc etc...!

[tom-w]

I've had my 3.2V6 GT from new (May 04) we've now done over 90,000miles together, unfortunatley body is looking a bit worst for wear, stone chips and parking dents! What can I say, love the car. Can get at best about 28mpg, maybe because spend most of my time on the motorway. Two suggestions, find a good dealer, I can tell you of one particularly bad one and check the oil level every week.
Have fun, you won't regret it.