RE: Shed of the Week: Alfa Romeo 156 V6
Discussion
Denorth said:
Turbobanana said:
Denorth said:
mikal83 said:
I just cant get around the front number plate positioning in these feckin cars. It ruins it for me
So, you can't buy any Alfa Romeo since around 1998?
just two questions: why? and where to?It was IMHO you feckin morons, whats with the bashing. (ah forgot, this is PH)
Had a 1.8 TS veloce for a year (2002) and it was stunning to own and drive. Got it for 550 quid on an ebay gamble and only had to put on a new coolant tank for 15 quid whilst I had it. Sold it on for 320 quid, although the engine did seize on the new owner the day after he bought it!
Honestly I think people over rate the sound of a busso v6; they are good with a sport exhaust, but not that special.
Don’t get me wrong I had 2x156 v6s which I just sold last year, and still have a v6 916 GTV; but my GM sourced v6 in my Brera sounds just as good with a sports exhaust. All of them sound pretty average with factory exhausts (except GTAs).
I will say for a FWD the Veloce pack cars where surprisingly entertaining to drive; probably largely due to being very light (hood for change of direction) and low geared (great for coming out of a corner fast). I’ve been in a 3.0L GTV engined 156 with the 156 gearbox retained and it was a VERY entertaining drive.
Alas both my 156s succumbed to Rot (one in floor pans, other in subframe at front) that where quoted as over £500 to repair at least ( each) so they where sadly scrapped.
Don’t get me wrong I had 2x156 v6s which I just sold last year, and still have a v6 916 GTV; but my GM sourced v6 in my Brera sounds just as good with a sports exhaust. All of them sound pretty average with factory exhausts (except GTAs).
I will say for a FWD the Veloce pack cars where surprisingly entertaining to drive; probably largely due to being very light (hood for change of direction) and low geared (great for coming out of a corner fast). I’ve been in a 3.0L GTV engined 156 with the 156 gearbox retained and it was a VERY entertaining drive.
Alas both my 156s succumbed to Rot (one in floor pans, other in subframe at front) that where quoted as over £500 to repair at least ( each) so they where sadly scrapped.
Howard- said:
Is it just me who does not see the appeal of these one iota?
Probably not.. worlds full of all sorts of things for all sorts of people.You are likely one of the very few who would deem it necessary to pipe up and piss on the parade though (social skills 101 is still available) - Happy new year !
mikal83 said:
Denorth said:
Turbobanana said:
Denorth said:
mikal83 said:
I just cant get around the front number plate positioning in these feckin cars. It ruins it for me
So, you can't buy any Alfa Romeo since around 1998? just two questions: why? and where to?It was IMHO you feckin morons, whats with the bashing. (ah forgot, this is PH)
My comment was intended as a helpful suggestion, not an invitation to be insulted. Hey ho.
From memory there was a plastic plinth that attached to the bumper, onto which the plate was then attached (usually by lazy car dealers using adhesive pads, which of course fell off - it would accept screws though). With the ability to use a drill and a screwdriver you could attach it to whatever you liked, wherever you wanted. Only problem would be with the redundant mounting holes from the plinth.
Please keep your insulting comments private in future.
Looks like a good buy.
I bought mine in 2012, sold in 2015 and ended up buying it back 6 months ago as I missed it.
They are not the best cars in the world, but compare well to similar stuff of that age. The engine is sweet in terms of power delivery, and still bang on stock power after 165k. The rest is wearing pretty well for the most part, and in my case floorpan rust has been as a result of leaky door seals (water trapped on the inside is the killer on the floors, the rest of the bodywork is pretty resilient). There is something a little special about them, and they do offer most of the GTA experience.
I bought mine in 2012, sold in 2015 and ended up buying it back 6 months ago as I missed it.
They are not the best cars in the world, but compare well to similar stuff of that age. The engine is sweet in terms of power delivery, and still bang on stock power after 165k. The rest is wearing pretty well for the most part, and in my case floorpan rust has been as a result of leaky door seals (water trapped on the inside is the killer on the floors, the rest of the bodywork is pretty resilient). There is something a little special about them, and they do offer most of the GTA experience.
Edited by Mighty Flex on Friday 4th January 13:17
Turbobanana said:
Happy New Year to you too.
My comment was intended as a helpful suggestion, not an invitation to be insulted. Hey ho.
From memory there was a plastic plinth that attached to the bumper, onto which the plate was then attached (usually by lazy car dealers using adhesive pads, which of course fell off - it would accept screws though). With the ability to use a drill and a screwdriver you could attach it to whatever you liked, wherever you wanted. Only problem would be with the redundant mounting holes from the plinth.
Please keep your insulting comments private in future.
correct about the plinth! Although it is not easily movable without alteration - it is of uneven thickness to accommodate the curve of a bumper and flatness of a licence plate. But definitely doable. My comment was intended as a helpful suggestion, not an invitation to be insulted. Hey ho.
From memory there was a plastic plinth that attached to the bumper, onto which the plate was then attached (usually by lazy car dealers using adhesive pads, which of course fell off - it would accept screws though). With the ability to use a drill and a screwdriver you could attach it to whatever you liked, wherever you wanted. Only problem would be with the redundant mounting holes from the plinth.
Please keep your insulting comments private in future.
That's looks like something of a bargain, sure to appreciate along with anything else remotely interesting with a decent petrol V6. Had a 2.0 TS previously and really enjoyed it (when everything worked properly), always felt much lighter on it's feet than the barge-like 159 I had subsequently, such a better clutch and gearbox too. I think the 2.5 is the one to get instead of the over valued GTA.
Mighty Flex said:
Looks like a good buy.
I bought mine in 2012, sold in 2015 and ended up buying it back 6 months ago as I missed it.
They are not the best cars in the world, but compare well to similar stuff of that age. The engine is sweet in terms of power delivery, and still bang on stock power after 165k. The rest is wearing pretty well for the most part, and in my case floorpan rust has been as a result of leaky door seals (water trapped on the inside is the killer on the floors, the rest of the bodywork is pretty resilient). There is something a little special about them, and they do offer most of the GTA experience.
Mine had the soggy carpet syndrome as well, blocked drains in the sunroof I think.I bought mine in 2012, sold in 2015 and ended up buying it back 6 months ago as I missed it.
They are not the best cars in the world, but compare well to similar stuff of that age. The engine is sweet in terms of power delivery, and still bang on stock power after 165k. The rest is wearing pretty well for the most part, and in my case floorpan rust has been as a result of leaky door seals (water trapped on the inside is the killer on the floors, the rest of the bodywork is pretty resilient). There is something a little special about them, and they do offer most of the GTA experience.
Edited by Mighty Flex on Friday 4th January 13:17
On the day I sold her, eight and a bit years old and 80-odd thousand miles.
Whoever got her kept her going for another three years and 20,000 more miles before she disappears off the MOT records.
Edited by Halmyre on Friday 4th January 15:20
I know I am going to upset a lot of Alfa folks but those wheels are just horrible.
The rest of the car design wise is lovely, but those circles have never ever gelled in my opinion.
I used to like the cheese wheels on the XR2 back in the day, but in hindsight the wheels on the 1300 supersport here far cooler
The rest of the car design wise is lovely, but those circles have never ever gelled in my opinion.
I used to like the cheese wheels on the XR2 back in the day, but in hindsight the wheels on the 1300 supersport here far cooler
Edited by Gandahar on Friday 4th January 15:31
I've had one. Glorious engine and great performance if you use all the revs. The 2.5 Busso really does like to rev, and has a lovely top end surge. I remember the handling being surprisingly sharp, and that quick geared steering. Mine was also reliable in that it never let me down, although was bought as a bit of a project, needing a clutch and being overdue a cambelt service. This was all factored into the price though, and once it was all back together, it drove like a peach. Great fun to drive, and it felt like something a cut above the mainstream competition.
What I remember not so fondly was how completely bloody awful it was to work on. The engine is a physically big old lump that is not only a tight fit in the engine bay, but was clearly designed for longitudinal installation, and when mounted transversely, it's a complete skinned-knuckle swear fest, with lots of inaccessible parts and bolts that you need to be a contortionist to reach. The oil filter is buried down the back (and I mean, buried), air-con pipes run directly in front of the sump drain plug, you have to take the inlet plenum apart to get to the plugs on the rear bank, and lots of other stupid stuff like that. Cambelt was a git to do and needed special jigs fitted in place of two of the bearing caps. Nothing was easy on it.
I also remember the seemingly random use of bolt head sizes on the suspension "oh look, this one's a 14mm and all the others are 15mm", and don't get me started on one of the bellhousing bolts that goes in from a different direction to all the others, and which you can't even see the head of, much less get on it. And parts were expensive as well, if you didn't want unbranded eBay crap, or "Eicher" stuff, at least. They are also one of those cars that often appears superficially in good condition, but rust underneath. They don't go frilly at the arches or door bottoms where you'd see it and walk away, but outwardly tidy cars are very likely to have rotting inner sills and floors. I'd be very suspicious of any "rust free" claim, and would view with the intention of crawling underneath it with a torch.
Good, characterful cars though, with great mechanical reliability (in my experience). Mine was also completely rattle free inside at 100k, which I wasn't expecting, and yes, all of the electric stuff worked perfectly. I suspect most of the reliability reputation comes from people who think they are as cheap and easy to work on as most other cars, and then start cutting corners when they find out they aren't. I would imagine many get neglected as they age because of this, and then a few small jobs build into bigger ones, until something really expensive fails.
What I remember not so fondly was how completely bloody awful it was to work on. The engine is a physically big old lump that is not only a tight fit in the engine bay, but was clearly designed for longitudinal installation, and when mounted transversely, it's a complete skinned-knuckle swear fest, with lots of inaccessible parts and bolts that you need to be a contortionist to reach. The oil filter is buried down the back (and I mean, buried), air-con pipes run directly in front of the sump drain plug, you have to take the inlet plenum apart to get to the plugs on the rear bank, and lots of other stupid stuff like that. Cambelt was a git to do and needed special jigs fitted in place of two of the bearing caps. Nothing was easy on it.
I also remember the seemingly random use of bolt head sizes on the suspension "oh look, this one's a 14mm and all the others are 15mm", and don't get me started on one of the bellhousing bolts that goes in from a different direction to all the others, and which you can't even see the head of, much less get on it. And parts were expensive as well, if you didn't want unbranded eBay crap, or "Eicher" stuff, at least. They are also one of those cars that often appears superficially in good condition, but rust underneath. They don't go frilly at the arches or door bottoms where you'd see it and walk away, but outwardly tidy cars are very likely to have rotting inner sills and floors. I'd be very suspicious of any "rust free" claim, and would view with the intention of crawling underneath it with a torch.
Good, characterful cars though, with great mechanical reliability (in my experience). Mine was also completely rattle free inside at 100k, which I wasn't expecting, and yes, all of the electric stuff worked perfectly. I suspect most of the reliability reputation comes from people who think they are as cheap and easy to work on as most other cars, and then start cutting corners when they find out they aren't. I would imagine many get neglected as they age because of this, and then a few small jobs build into bigger ones, until something really expensive fails.
Top shed....the 156 in most iterations a severely underrated car in the UK.... aesthetically great... Build quality ok fit abysmal.... Ran a diesel sportwagen for years, had a huge appetite for dash bulbs but that was about it......
The 3.0 Gtv run at the same time was a total moneypit....
Would have been severely tempted had this one been still available...
The 3.0 Gtv run at the same time was a total moneypit....
Would have been severely tempted had this one been still available...
My dad had one of these as a company car in 2000, when he died the company bought it and my mum was given it. She ran it til 2005 and it was absolutely faultless all that time.
Only a couple of gripes with it really, the turning circle was awful in the V6 models and the engine was so low it would catch the undertray on small bumps in the road, let alone speed bumps.
The interior wasn’t great either, even from new. The glovebox lid would occasionally pop open and the main dash panel housing the heater controls (and the crappy single DIN ahead unit) didn’t fit at all well.
I loved it though, as a 14 year old kid it was awesome, made a great noise, the seats were good and it looked fantastic.
Only a couple of gripes with it really, the turning circle was awful in the V6 models and the engine was so low it would catch the undertray on small bumps in the road, let alone speed bumps.
The interior wasn’t great either, even from new. The glovebox lid would occasionally pop open and the main dash panel housing the heater controls (and the crappy single DIN ahead unit) didn’t fit at all well.
I loved it though, as a 14 year old kid it was awesome, made a great noise, the seats were good and it looked fantastic.
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