RE: Shed of the Week: Alfa Romeo 156 V6
Discussion
robsco said:
Hi all. I am the buyer and the car does indeed have a good home. The car has had money spent in all the right areas but the bodywork needs some attention. At £995, it seemed rude not to; for the engine alone its worth the money.
Congratulations, that's a great looking car. I'd find it interesting to know how the ownership experience goes. Was just about to say it has sold as predicted, but then spotted the footnote showing that PH knew it was sold anyway.
First time I've ever jumped to the 'here's the ad' link before reading the article as that's a lovely looking thing and with a West Country reg I wondered how close it was to me. Turns out rather far away actually!
We had a 98S 1.8TS back in the mid-noughties in this glorious colour. Alas, it had a scratch or dent on every door - bought cheap from BCA as a result - so it didn't look in quite as good nick as this one. Plus no lovely teledials on ours either.
A Busso-engined one definitely something I'd like to try and Mrs PB might have enjoyed the trip down memory lane*.
First time I've ever jumped to the 'here's the ad' link before reading the article as that's a lovely looking thing and with a West Country reg I wondered how close it was to me. Turns out rather far away actually!
We had a 98S 1.8TS back in the mid-noughties in this glorious colour. Alas, it had a scratch or dent on every door - bought cheap from BCA as a result - so it didn't look in quite as good nick as this one. Plus no lovely teledials on ours either.
A Busso-engined one definitely something I'd like to try and Mrs PB might have enjoyed the trip down memory lane*.
- She wouldn't have done.
craig_m67 said:
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 !
Lol, what? I haven't pissed on anybody's parade or told them their car is sYou 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 !
t. I merely voiced my opinion on an internet forum where people generally voice their opinions. What a strange post! Howard- said:
craig_m67 said:
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 !
Lol, what? I haven't pissed on anybody's parade or told them their car is sYou 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 !
t. I merely voiced my opinion on an internet forum where people generally voice their opinions. What a strange post! I remember seeing a 156 for the first time back in 98
It was in a rather fetching shade of ‘disability blue’ with a whopping great wing on the back.
Probably the worst colour ever to grace an Alfa.
I loved it..... it was positively exotic next to the dog knob Mondeo I had been given as a company car fresh out of university.
Still think they look smashing today
It was in a rather fetching shade of ‘disability blue’ with a whopping great wing on the back.
Probably the worst colour ever to grace an Alfa.
I loved it..... it was positively exotic next to the dog knob Mondeo I had been given as a company car fresh out of university.
Still think they look smashing today
If anyone wants a project 156 V6, belts done last year, beautiful blue leather interior, 2000, mot’d, teledials with matching great tread p7’s all they have to do is give me £300 and it’s yours...
You need to be handy with a spanner and very handy with a welder, floor rot cut out already.
You need to be handy with a spanner and very handy with a welder, floor rot cut out already.
We owned a 156 2.4D SW for a few years. With the heavy diesel engine, chocolate suspension components and Lusso spec it was not as 'sporty' as I had hoped for. But still a good car - just not really designed for B road blasts.
I sold it needing a lot of work, plus the floor pans were getting rusty so for me it was not economically viable. My neighbour now has my exact car for sale, still on the road and looks pretty tidy. (£1095) - To be fair, I am not tempted.
I sold it needing a lot of work, plus the floor pans were getting rusty so for me it was not economically viable. My neighbour now has my exact car for sale, still on the road and looks pretty tidy. (£1095) - To be fair, I am not tempted.
The engine is glorious, the handling is average unless modified. Once modified, they are a great deal of fun. I have several of the things.
2.5 V6 saloon - fully sorted suspension, LSD, it’s a fantastic car to drive hard. Bought it for 13K back in 2002.
3.2 GTA SW. Not quite so sorted in the suspension department and no LSD. The 3.2 is clearly “more” than the 2.5, but if you want to hear 7k rpm, you can’t get out of 3rd without going to prison.
2.4 JTD 10V. Currently racking up 600 miles a week at 48 mpg. I have no idea why anyone needs anything more than this for a motorway commute. It’s comfortable, handles (coilovers, ARBs + LSD), it has leather, the aircon works and it goes like stink (remap, meth injection). It cost (wait for it) .... £287.
2.5 V6 saloon - fully sorted suspension, LSD, it’s a fantastic car to drive hard. Bought it for 13K back in 2002.
3.2 GTA SW. Not quite so sorted in the suspension department and no LSD. The 3.2 is clearly “more” than the 2.5, but if you want to hear 7k rpm, you can’t get out of 3rd without going to prison.
2.4 JTD 10V. Currently racking up 600 miles a week at 48 mpg. I have no idea why anyone needs anything more than this for a motorway commute. It’s comfortable, handles (coilovers, ARBs + LSD), it has leather, the aircon works and it goes like stink (remap, meth injection). It cost (wait for it) .... £287.
Snap!
Aside from the low line Zender spoiler and lighter coloured teledials, mine is the SOTW's identical twin.
Oh, and any closer than 10 feet away you can see dents in most of the panels.
And it's done twice the mileage.
And the alloys need a refurb. And, and and...
They are great cars - but are typically Italian. The standard suspension bushes are made of chocolate, simple jobs like changing spark plugs become a pain in the ass and more involved jobs like changing the clutch are definitely an engine out job. Which is not unusual for many cars, but the book labour time for changing the starter motor is nearly as long and you may as well drop the engine to do it...
As others have mentioned already, boy do they rust, but generally only where you can't see. Mine had a 1/3 of the floor replaced, both sills repaired at the rear, and work done to replace metalwork around the rear turrets and front lower inner wings last summer. Again, probably not unusual for a what will soon be an 18 year old car which is used daily - saving it was always the only option in my head though, I love it too much.
Anything more powerful than a 320D will leave you behind in a straight line, but its not about that. It is fun to wind it out to 7k though. A 40th birthday present to myself was a Wizard catback exhaust - the workmanship and welding is very, very good and it has a different tone to the Ragazzon / Supersprint silencers on the market.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WjqE9X0pU8
Responses have ranged from 'sounds like a Ferrari' to 'sounds like your exhaust has a hole in it' (my wife's response when she first heard it
). To me it sounds like neither of those, it just sounds fantastic.
Aside from the low line Zender spoiler and lighter coloured teledials, mine is the SOTW's identical twin.
Oh, and any closer than 10 feet away you can see dents in most of the panels.
And it's done twice the mileage.
And the alloys need a refurb. And, and and...
They are great cars - but are typically Italian. The standard suspension bushes are made of chocolate, simple jobs like changing spark plugs become a pain in the ass and more involved jobs like changing the clutch are definitely an engine out job. Which is not unusual for many cars, but the book labour time for changing the starter motor is nearly as long and you may as well drop the engine to do it...
As others have mentioned already, boy do they rust, but generally only where you can't see. Mine had a 1/3 of the floor replaced, both sills repaired at the rear, and work done to replace metalwork around the rear turrets and front lower inner wings last summer. Again, probably not unusual for a what will soon be an 18 year old car which is used daily - saving it was always the only option in my head though, I love it too much.
Anything more powerful than a 320D will leave you behind in a straight line, but its not about that. It is fun to wind it out to 7k though. A 40th birthday present to myself was a Wizard catback exhaust - the workmanship and welding is very, very good and it has a different tone to the Ragazzon / Supersprint silencers on the market.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WjqE9X0pU8
Responses have ranged from 'sounds like a Ferrari' to 'sounds like your exhaust has a hole in it' (my wife's response when she first heard it
). To me it sounds like neither of those, it just sounds fantastic. Robmarriott said:
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.
Haha - this is one of the biggest irritations in mine - the dash panel is such a shonky fit. It is a Veloce so has the plastic side skirts bonded on - I often wonder if they are hiding some rust (already had one MOT fail for the floor).
It hasn't been totally faultless - coil on cylinder 6 failed, annoying coolant leak (but that could have been a crap previous repair as I suspect the pipe wasn't right), aircon doesn't work, washer pump failed, electric boot release (mine is a SW) stopped working (and I haven't figured out why - looks like a broken wire as the solenoid works and the fuse is OK). It also eats tyres (maybe because the bushes could do with being redone). I love it though. Wouldn't swap it for anything in a similar price bracket that I can also go to the tip in.
Edited by northwick on Friday 4th January 23:47
Edited by northwick on Saturday 5th January 00:15
Mr E said:
We ran a 156 V6 wagon for 6 years. With a very nice interior.
It was replaced by a Saab 9-5 aero. The saab wa a better car in every measurable way other than engine noise.
I miss the Alfa. I don’t particularly miss the saab.
Snap! I too went from 156 V6 to Saab 9-5 aero, many moons ago. The Alfa was awesome. Reliable, reasonably frugal, lovely interior, would definitely have another. Great SOTW. It was replaced by a Saab 9-5 aero. The saab wa a better car in every measurable way other than engine noise.
I miss the Alfa. I don’t particularly miss the saab.
PorkRind said:
Not a bad looking motor is it, very shedworthy but how unreliable?!
Mint engine and great looks though, well better than any passat or a4 at the time.
The engine will go on forever as long as it is serviced and the cambelt changed. They use no oil. At about 100k miles, you’ve got the usual sensors failing - MAF, Lambda, and the thermostat will probably be slow. Other than that a 2.5 will do 200k miles.Mint engine and great looks though, well better than any passat or a4 at the time.
Gearboxes are strong on the 2.5, but a 3.2 can break the diff - LSD is the answer.
Electrically, none of mine have been an issue - stuff has broken (the rear window motors fail from lack of use.)
Suspension is weak, but it just goes clattery rather than failing catastrophically. I can now change an upper arm in about 20 minutes per side...
They’re up to 20 years old now - rust is the biggest problem these days. If protected, they are fine, but protection was variable at the factory.
Mine is on 148,000, had one cambelt and is due another. Engine is a delight, never fails to start and pulls strongly. Can't seem to part with it...
Niggling faults that are a pain to deal with are mostly things like side light bulb replacement, access is a knuckle bleeder, rear offside window cable broke so wedged shut, changing top arms until I got one with poly bushes, hope they last longer now, access to oil filter when servicing and dealing with rust to get it through the mot...
Niggling faults that are a pain to deal with are mostly things like side light bulb replacement, access is a knuckle bleeder, rear offside window cable broke so wedged shut, changing top arms until I got one with poly bushes, hope they last longer now, access to oil filter when servicing and dealing with rust to get it through the mot...
Edited by Oilchange on Saturday 5th January 11:47
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.
Ah, though she looked familiar...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
Lovely motor, bought her off Stumad on Alfa156.net, had a straight-though exhaust when I got her, a tad loud! Took her up to Autolusso to get the cambelt done and was talked into getting the Q2 fitted and recon gearbox (3rd gear baulked if I remember rightly).
Then got Koni FSDs and eibachs fitted - eventually got round to getting the cambelt done!
Changed the cloth seats for leather, got the Ragazzon exhaust.
Lovely car, really pleased to see she is still being enjoyed.
Mine didn’t rust particually. It did go through a phase of eating ignition coils. Heavy on fuel and front tyres (that might have been just our driving style). Turning circle was laughable, ground clearance meant it would scrape the plastics over every speed bump.
Suspension was very baggy when it went.
Suspension was very baggy when it went.
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