Alfa 166................
Discussion
....what to look out for, spending less than 2k and would like leather really. There seems to be some bargains out there, are the pitfalls similar to older Alfas (I ve had some in the past and currently drive a 155 TS. Been good!)
Used as a "daily" driver but in reality that means less than 6 journeys a week and will be covering much less than 3000 miles per year!
2.0 TS would be plenty....
Would appreciate all your comments chaps.
Mucho blige-os all.....
Dave.
Used as a "daily" driver but in reality that means less than 6 journeys a week and will be covering much less than 3000 miles per year!
2.0 TS would be plenty....
Would appreciate all your comments chaps.
Mucho blige-os all.....
Dave.
Worth buying for the looks alone i say .Honestjohn says
"Alfa Romeo 166 (1999 - 2005)
Good: Strong and enjoyable engines, tidy handling and svelte good looks.
Bad: V6 hard on tyres. Not the most charismatic Alfa.
What's Good
Svelte front wheel drive replacement for 164. 15' 6" long by 5' 11" wide and weighing in from 1,420kg to 1,510kg. 2.0 litre 155 bhp Twin-Spark, 2.5 24v 190 bhp V6 or 3.0 24v 220 bhp V6. Autoboxes optional with V6s. 5 year or 60,000 mile warranty from January 2004.
Facelift for 2004 (2nd photo). Priced from £21,750 - £29,900 on-the-road, now four models and a choice of three petrol engines; a 2.0 litre 16-valve Twin Spark unit with 6-speed manual transmission, a 3.0 litre 24-valve V6 allied to 4-speed Sportronic automatic transmission, and Alfa Romeo’s 240 bhp 24-valve 3.2 litre V6 powerplant. With 6-speed manual transmission, the all-aluminium 4OHC 3.2 litre V6 in the revised Alfa 166 develops 240 bhp at 6200 rpm, with a maximum torque of 213 lb.ft at 4800 rpm, giving the new Alfa 166 a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 7.4 seconds, and a maximum speed in excess of 150 mph.
Usergroup: www.alfaowner.com
Club link www.aroc-uk.com
Last updated 30-10-07
What's Bad
Not as charismatic as 156. V6 eats front tyres.
FIAT/Alfa joint worst for breakdowns attended by German ADAC during 2001. Alfa Romeo 2nd least reliable of 31 makes of car in 2002 'Which?' reliability survey cars 2000 - 2002; 3rd least reliable cars 1997 - 1999. Alfa Romeo had third highest warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 155.10 v/s lowest 31.93). Alfa Romeo 5th bottom of Reliability Index for 2004 combining average cost of repair of £392.88 with high 39.55 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies. Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk
What to Watch Out For
Complaints of pitting chrome and failing Xenon headlights that cost £555 each to replace. Check all tyres for wear regularly.
Some 166s have gone through REAR tyres in as little as 5,000 miles indicating that they have been supplied with the tracking badly out of alignment. If you notice severe premature tyre wear, take the cat to a laser tracking specialist such as www.alignmycar.co.uk and have them track it properly.
Timing belt failures of 4 cylinder twin sparks extremely common. Need new belts and tensoners every 35k - 40k miles or every 4 years whichever comes first.
Oil pumps of 2.0 litre Twin Spark engines prone to failure, leading to consequent failure of big ends.
Manual clutch pedals prone to developing play.
Recalls
30-4-2001: Problem of loss of hydraulic power assistance to steering. All RHD 1,900 166s imported to UK by April 2001 recalled to have oil cooler and refill system replaced. September 2002: TSB issued to change timing belts and tensioners at 36,000 miles rather than 72,000 miles."
"Alfa Romeo 166 (1999 - 2005)
Good: Strong and enjoyable engines, tidy handling and svelte good looks.
Bad: V6 hard on tyres. Not the most charismatic Alfa.
What's Good
Svelte front wheel drive replacement for 164. 15' 6" long by 5' 11" wide and weighing in from 1,420kg to 1,510kg. 2.0 litre 155 bhp Twin-Spark, 2.5 24v 190 bhp V6 or 3.0 24v 220 bhp V6. Autoboxes optional with V6s. 5 year or 60,000 mile warranty from January 2004.
Facelift for 2004 (2nd photo). Priced from £21,750 - £29,900 on-the-road, now four models and a choice of three petrol engines; a 2.0 litre 16-valve Twin Spark unit with 6-speed manual transmission, a 3.0 litre 24-valve V6 allied to 4-speed Sportronic automatic transmission, and Alfa Romeo’s 240 bhp 24-valve 3.2 litre V6 powerplant. With 6-speed manual transmission, the all-aluminium 4OHC 3.2 litre V6 in the revised Alfa 166 develops 240 bhp at 6200 rpm, with a maximum torque of 213 lb.ft at 4800 rpm, giving the new Alfa 166 a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 7.4 seconds, and a maximum speed in excess of 150 mph.
Usergroup: www.alfaowner.com
Club link www.aroc-uk.com
Last updated 30-10-07
What's Bad
Not as charismatic as 156. V6 eats front tyres.
FIAT/Alfa joint worst for breakdowns attended by German ADAC during 2001. Alfa Romeo 2nd least reliable of 31 makes of car in 2002 'Which?' reliability survey cars 2000 - 2002; 3rd least reliable cars 1997 - 1999. Alfa Romeo had third highest warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 155.10 v/s lowest 31.93). Alfa Romeo 5th bottom of Reliability Index for 2004 combining average cost of repair of £392.88 with high 39.55 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies. Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk
What to Watch Out For
Complaints of pitting chrome and failing Xenon headlights that cost £555 each to replace. Check all tyres for wear regularly.
Some 166s have gone through REAR tyres in as little as 5,000 miles indicating that they have been supplied with the tracking badly out of alignment. If you notice severe premature tyre wear, take the cat to a laser tracking specialist such as www.alignmycar.co.uk and have them track it properly.
Timing belt failures of 4 cylinder twin sparks extremely common. Need new belts and tensoners every 35k - 40k miles or every 4 years whichever comes first.
Oil pumps of 2.0 litre Twin Spark engines prone to failure, leading to consequent failure of big ends.
Manual clutch pedals prone to developing play.
Recalls
30-4-2001: Problem of loss of hydraulic power assistance to steering. All RHD 1,900 166s imported to UK by April 2001 recalled to have oil cooler and refill system replaced. September 2002: TSB issued to change timing belts and tensioners at 36,000 miles rather than 72,000 miles."
Edited by tali1 on Sunday 31st August 17:38
Cam belt..... cam belt and CAM BELT. Water pump should be done at the same time. Any spimping on that the walk away.
THe suspention cause be exspenive to fix. Cheak for inside wear on the tyres. THe upper wishbone make a clunk noise on all of them.
THe left indactor don't cancel. Make sure the COde for the ICS is known.
THe sat nav is useless and the telphone system, sunroof and xeon lamps are rare 17" horseshoe alloys add value.
Head to Alfaowner.com for more information.
THe suspention cause be exspenive to fix. Cheak for inside wear on the tyres. THe upper wishbone make a clunk noise on all of them.
THe left indactor don't cancel. Make sure the COde for the ICS is known.
THe sat nav is useless and the telphone system, sunroof and xeon lamps are rare 17" horseshoe alloys add value.
Head to Alfaowner.com for more information.
When I bought mine lots of cars on sale were due an expensive service, people ditch them just before they have to pay out on servicing them.
Not sure of the 2.0l service shedule, best phone an Alfa garage and ask what servicing is due on a car of the age/milage you are looking at. My V6 was due cambelt, pump and plugs which with the rest of the service comes to about 1000 quid. Still a very cheap car compared to the equivalent Bimmer though even with that factored in. Having
done that, the next service schedule was about 200 quid so it isn't like you always have to pay out.
Not sure of the 2.0l service shedule, best phone an Alfa garage and ask what servicing is due on a car of the age/milage you are looking at. My V6 was due cambelt, pump and plugs which with the rest of the service comes to about 1000 quid. Still a very cheap car compared to the equivalent Bimmer though even with that factored in. Having
done that, the next service schedule was about 200 quid so it isn't like you always have to pay out.
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff