156 2.5 V6 or GTV V6

[davey68]

Hi all, due to work on the house (boo) and big holiday to Oz next year (yey) am thinking of getting a cheaper car to free up cash. Would like something interesting for around £6-7k and am looking at an alfa. Just to point out girlfriend has a Ka for round town general driving so would be a 2nd car for me. Love the style of GTV V6 but would the fact that its basically a mid 90s car be an issue? would the 156 be a better drive/better to live with? think my heart wants the GTV. Also is a twin spark worth considering for either? Any ideas?

[pdV6]

www.pistonheads.com/members/showcar.asp?carId=2981

[davey68]

Hi pdv6.. thanks for the link. I know you are a big GTV fan. Sounds like yours has been a really reliable daily driver which is good. What do you get out of her in terms of fuel economy? do you run it on optimax/super? Does it use much oil? ( i know the V6 is known to burn it a bit). Must say i love the style inside and out...very tempted. How much do you think a nice phase 2 car would be? I need to find a good Alfa specialist to look after it..

>> Edited by davey68 on Wednesday 14th December 10:32

[pdV6]

davey68 said:

Sounds like yours has been a really reliable daily driver which is good.

It certainly has! I was mentally prepared for far more grief than its given me!

davey68 said:

What do you get out of her in terms of fuel economy?

Around town it does about 18mpg and on the motorway probably mid-to-high 20's. The best run I ever had hit 30mpg average (but that was cruising at the legal limit in Swizerland for the entire tankful!)

davey68 said:

do you run it on optimax/super?

Optimax when I can, else super/97. Its probably all in my mind, but it "feels" happier on Optimax than 95.

davey68 said:

Does it use much oil? ( i know the V6 is known to burn it a bit).

Although the Alfa V6 is well known for liking the black stuff , mine doesn't use any! The handbook actually suggests that you need to check the oil level every 300 miles or "before long journeys" Sensible advice, if a tad impractical!

Mine went through only 2l in the first 8000 miles from new and since then has needed absolutely none at all other than changing it annually. I did restrict myself to 4000 RPM for the first 1000 miles, which may or may not have helped.

davey68 said:

Must say i love the style inside and out...very tempted. How much do you think a nice phase 2 car would be?

As ever, it depends on age, mileage and condition but I'd be suprised if mine was now worth any more than about £9k. Have a look at the Classified section over at GTVV6.com for some prices.

davey68 said:

I need to find a good Alfa specialist to look after it..

Again, ask at GTVV6.com for pointers regarding specialists in your area. I've just switched from main dealer servicing to a specialist in Bristol and am more than happy with the results!

[jamieboy]

I have an early phase II GTV V6, and it's great. As fast as you'd like, handles tidily for FWD (actually, handles tidily full stop), and nothing much has gone wrong with it.

But if it's the Golf in your profile that you'd be getting rid of, you need to think whether the Ka and the GTV combined would give you enough luggage/passenger space. The boot in the GTV is tiny, and the rear seats are only slightly bigger.

So if you need any sort of space at all, you probably need the 156. But if I were you, I'd try to convince myself I can travel light.

[davey68]

Thanks for the replys guys. i am tempted by the GTV i must admit. seems you can get a decent phase 2 for 7k. I need to find a specialist local to me to look after it, does anyone know any in the midlands? i have heard of peak alfa in derby but thats about it.
Also what are your thoughts on colours that suit the GTV? i find alfa red is nice but seems to show up scratches and swirls easily. I do like the grey colour, and vela blue/proteo red seem nice from pics.

[jamieboy]

Difficult to say with colours because it's all opinion, but I think it suits the more sombre shades.

I prefer the darker metallic proteo red (like pdV6's?) to the brighter Alfa red, and I prefer the metallic meteor grey (like mine) to silver. I think black suits the shape well, too.

[davey68]

i love that grey colour it really suits the GTV....proteo is nice too. im gonna check the classifieds new year. i need to drive one really to see how what they go/handle like and what the interior is like to live with/visibility etc

cheers

[pdV6]

Colour is a very personal thing. There were very few colour combinations that ARUK offered on the phase 2 cars. From memory, they are:

No cost:
Alfa Red
Black

£500 option (metallic):
Proteo Red
Sargassi Green
Vela Blue
Silver
Meteor Grey

£1000 option (pearlescent):
Nuvola Blue


Alfa red suits the car very well but does tend to fade if not looked after. Needs black leather!


Black looks very mean (especially with red interior - this combination seems quite sought after 2nd hand but very rare).


Proteo red IMO looks very classy. Suits the GTV much better than, say, the 156.


Sargassi green is pretty awful. Kiss of death come resale time.


Vela blue (dark navy metallic) is lovely, especially when teamed with tan interior.


Silver - looks good on the GTV but is quite common. Looks great with red interior.


Meteor grey - again, looks good on the GTV but can look very dull if not kept clean. Again, IMO looks great with red leather.


Nuvloa blue is very rare (not suprising, given the premium) and to my mind looks awful! Its a really light, wishy-washy sort of silver/blue/green colour, but does change a bit depending on light & angle.

[davey68]

thanks for the info pdv6...interesting pics. As for boot space i think i could probably live with the small GTV6 boot, i dont do much load lugging.

cheers