Shed of the Week: Alfa GTV
A seemingly smart and well cared for GTV - what's to stop you?
Still a stunner, even in grey
Anyway, when some desperate editor commissions Shed's pal to bang together a 'ten most disappointing car manufacturers' story, as they surely will at some point, Alfa Romeo is bound to feature at the very top of the list, coyly hiding on the last page so you have to scroll through all the other disappointments first. Groogh.
You'll probably have your own thoughts as to what constitutes a disappointing manufacturer, based on your own personal ownership experiences. Alfa is unique and special in this field in that they manage to disappoint not just Alfa owners but also people who have never owned, and will probably never will own, an Alfa, and so have no reason to feel anything - positive or negative - about them.
It's because everybody loves the idea of owning an Alfa, but only the slightly unhinged would ever actually take the step of buying one. This is not being rude. Alfaholics openly recognise their own sickness, signalling it with a resigned "what can I do, I'm hooked" shrug and a haunted grin.
When Alfas aren't disappointing you with their failure to live up to the styling (4C, Brera) they're disappointing you with their failure to live up to the basic expectation of running, new or old (aforementioned standard Giulia, various Quadrifoglio Giulia test cars and so on).
Let the four-cylinder versus V6 argument resume...
The grey paint is a bit Germanic for an Alfa, but the four original keys are correctly red so you'll have something nice and colourful to look at while you're sitting in the layby. Oh.
Here's some good news: the cambelt is just 8,000 miles old. In 2006 Alfa reduced the belt change frequency for the fours to a blink-like 36,000 miles or three years, whichever came soonest. Or perhaps more accurately, given it's an Alfa, if either came round at all. Ah.
Right, that's the end of the Alfa-slagging. Properly looked after, a Twin Spark GTV will reward its owner with many minutes of driving pleasure. D'oh. No, seriously, this one is a potential winner. In terms of care, it's received a hell of a lot this year. After a comprehensive suspension re-bushing and the fitment of new brake discs and tyres to get it through the MoT in May, it had a service. See what Alfas do to you?
The result is a GTV that appears to be all set up and ready to go. Which might make a cynic wonder why the vendor is selling it now.
The answer lies in the fact that the current owner didn't carry out any of this big work himself, having only bought the car a month or so ago. In that month he's given it a quick spruce up, which he has recorded for YouTube posterity as part of what seems to be a plan to become a motor noter himself.
Even the leather has been seen to for YouTube
We might deduce from his smart gaff in Putney that he's not short of a few bob. That could mean he'd actually be cool with the idea of taking a low-ball bid, even though he says he won't. Or it might mean he's under no pressure to flog it for anything less than the asking price. Oooh, the psychology of used car buying, it fair does your head in.
The video is quite instructional as it nicely puts across the GTV driving experience as well as the current owner's useful (for the next owner) interest in making the car as nice as possible.
What other jobs might lie in wait for the next fly to wander into the web? All jokes aside, mechanically speaking the 2.0 Twin Sparks are strong and very long-lasting. Rule one is, check the oil on a weekly basis. If it rattles a bit on startup that could be because the cam variator wasn't changed at the same time as the belt. If it feels a bit lacking in urge it might need a new mass air flow sensor. If it needs spark plugs, it's got eight and they're about a tenner each.
An encouragingly large wad of paperwork
The front-end paint chipping they're known for has been attended to, so no problem there for the moment, or ever if you're not bothered by this sort of thing. Rust is obviously going to be an issue on any old car. These Alfas were well galvanised but the floor pans eventually go. Dodgy electrics and Alfas go together like Hollywood starlets and producers, i.e. not very comfortably, but again the reality with GTVs is that they're not bad. If the air-con doesn't work it's unlikely that it will be mended by the traditional 'recharge'. The presence of all those keys, including the masters, will be a major blessing in the event of any electric-based repairs being needed.
Mrs Shed likes Italian cars almost as much as she likes Italian ice cream. Any opportunity to lick the nuts off a big Neapolitan, etc.
Car was bought a month ago as a youtube project to get a couple of videos done of smartening a car up. This is now done so I am reselling. I repainted the mirrors which were very corroded, touched up a few stone chips, replaced the split air intake, cleaned up the interior, engine and reconnolysed a faded part of the drivers seat. This car is in amazing condition, is very clean and drives amazingly well, a real bargain at the price.
It's had a service a couple of months ago, new filters etc. The miles are genuine and it's MOT'd until the end of May 2018. Loads of paperwork, all 4 original sets of keys and there's a decent Kenwood CD-stereo in there with USB-charger and AUX (ipod) input. Original GTV tool kit in the boot.
Recent mechanical upkeep (all through a reputable London Alfa garage):
2 new suspension arms
N/S inner drive shaft replaced
new brake discs
2 new rear tyres
new timing belt at 68,000 miles
Car located in Putney, SW15. Please don't bother with low ball offers which will be ignored. If you're genuinely interested please message and arrange to come and view the car.
Not allowed to put direct video links but if you go on you tube and search for "Alfa Romeo GTV number 27" the second video on the list shows some of the work I did.
Wouldn't have the balls to own an Alfa of this vintage as a daily but did own a 147 (in the same paint colour as this GTA funnily enough) back in the day which had a habit of breaking down at the most inopportune moments, notably in the middle of three lane sections of the A10 and the A406, however when it worked it was a peach!
I love the way Alfas always divide PHers. Generally speaking, you are either:
1. A dyed-in-the-wool (insert German brand here) fan who will pour scorn on any Alfa for its unreliability and propensity to rust, while smugly enjoying superior build quality but quietly alarmed at how many people seem to have an identical car to yours, thus reducing their exclusivity.
Or...
2. An Alfa fan who values their own individuality and shudders at the thought of all the dull, efficient German cars out there, but secretly longs for their reliability and residual values but won't admit as much.
Anyone not fitting into 1 or 2 above, is a fan of French cars. Or Saabs.
Interesting for me that Shed makes no mention of the GTV's most striking feature: its pert rump. Particularly as that would have given Shed an opportunity to compare it to that of Mrs Shed.
Replaced the later TS with a 3.0v6 GTV. Much faster than the TS but weirdly not as fun. The TS sounds awesome for a 4 and is MUCH more economical than the V6 yet most write them off as not worth buying. Sure they’d be left for dead by most diesel hatches nowadays but there’s just something special about the way they get under your skin!
Funny how reliable most Fiats are compared to Alfa's, even after they married in 1987.
You'd think the distance between Turin & Milan isn't that far?
Had many Fiats (incl top whack 340bhp Coupe 20V Turbo) which never gave me much headache. Last summer I bought my first Alfa, ok not new, 75 3.0 V6 1990. Sure enough - it's by far the crappiest car I've ever had and - it's broken down.
What also seems typical is I'm now eager to rebuild it with a 24V 164 engine. I'm "hooked".
I love the way Alfas always divide PHers. Generally speaking, you are either:
1. A dyed-in-the-wool (insert German brand here) fan who will pour scorn on any Alfa for its unreliability and propensity to rust, while smugly enjoying superior build quality but quietly alarmed at how many people seem to have an identical car to yours, thus reducing their exclusivity.
Or...
2. An Alfa fan who values their own individuality and shudders at the thought of all the dull, efficient German cars out there, but secretly longs for their reliability and residual values but won't admit as much.
Anyone not fitting into 1 or 2 above, is a fan of French cars. Or Saabs.
I've had an Alfa 166 V6 so fit into 2)
Also (same time as the Alfa) had a Citroen XM
Now in a pair of Saabs...
Not bad analysis
What also seems typical is I'm now eager to rebuild it with a 24V 164 engine. I'm "hooked".
I really like that 75
However, like a good cheese I've mellowed over the years and while a 2 seater isn't my cup of tea I can see the appeal, they have aged well. I might waft this ad under a mate's nose, he's got a GTV scratch he's been meaning to itch for a while.
TurboBanana nailed it exactly; I couldn't wait to jump ship from the German marques into an Alfa earlier this year and now I have there's no going back. In fact I'm already on the lookout for a second.
Good write up too; the last paragaph made me chuckle a lot.
My fave was always the 75. He ran a TS in white with revolution alloys and a red 3.0 v6 that I remember.
If I ever had the courage to do so an Alfa for me would be RWD and have a Busso.
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