Ebay. Alfa. 500 mile drive home.
Discussion
Re rust...
I’m the second owner of an XC90, that spent the first few years of its life in Scotland, near the coast.
It has surface rust on the rear subframe, suspension and spare wheel.... with the exception of ‘some’ on the spare, other XC’s I’ve looked under seem to be clear in these areas.
After all, it’s a Volvo, which don’t rust, right?,
I’ll also avoid buying cars that previously lived in Scotland in future!
I’m the second owner of an XC90, that spent the first few years of its life in Scotland, near the coast.
It has surface rust on the rear subframe, suspension and spare wheel.... with the exception of ‘some’ on the spare, other XC’s I’ve looked under seem to be clear in these areas.
After all, it’s a Volvo, which don’t rust, right?,
I’ll also avoid buying cars that previously lived in Scotland in future!
martin mrt said:
If that Brera has been owned by a chap called Lee, given you’ve posted pics of the Yellow Integrale I suspect it will have been, you will have a good car there.
Super super Anal and he has owned the Lancia longer than I remember.
That's the chap!Super super Anal and he has owned the Lancia longer than I remember.
Car is a testament to him, to be honest the A2 he picked us up in was absolutely spotless, the house, garage, other cars, all absolutely immaculate and very clearly no expense spared on anything!
That Integrale is something else too
SturdyHSV said:
martin mrt said:
If that Brera has been owned by a chap called Lee, given you’ve posted pics of the Yellow Integrale I suspect it will have been, you will have a good car there.
Super super Anal and he has owned the Lancia longer than I remember.
That's the chap!Super super Anal and he has owned the Lancia longer than I remember.
Car is a testament to him, to be honest the A2 he picked us up in was absolutely spotless, the house, garage, other cars, all absolutely immaculate and very clearly no expense spared on anything!
That Integrale is something else too
The fact there was a heated and properly insulated garage built for that car speaks volumes.
The A2 was once black but was painted white to be different, he’s owned that for years too.
Rest assured you have bought a car from someone that doesn’t cut corners
Davie said:
Zoobeef said:
3 places I refuse to buy a car from. Bradford, Birmingham and Scotland.
A lucky escape for Scotland then. Great buy OP, those alloys are superb on it... what was the route home and how many stops be it planned or unplanned?
On the subject of rusty cars from Scotland I used to get a lot of p/x cars from main dealers in Aberdeen and Edinburgh (VW's and BMW's) and bring them to London and the cars from Aberdeen-shire had much more rust than cars from Edinburgh due to them having to use salt on the roads much more of the year up North.
These cars were usually 5-10 yrs old so the rust was not visible on the body (usually) but when you got underneath you could see the affect of years of salty roads, the underseal protects the floor so that is fine but all the bits with no underseal look terrible - things like brackets, bolts hubs, arms, exhaust, clamps all look terrible when compared to a car from the SE of England.
The same age cars from down south might look completely fresh underneath compared to a car from Scotland - but none of it is structural on this age of car so does not matter too much, not good for long term ownership though.
They were also horrible to work on with corroded nuts and screws etc and the guys preparing my cars hated being given nasty jobs on cars that had come from the North, due to things being rusted in place and things breaking when changing suspension arms /exhausts etc.
rallycross said:
Looks like a nice car and great to see someone taking a long trip to get a car (done this many times).
On the subject of rusty cars from Scotland I used to get a lot of p/x cars from main dealers in Aberdeen and Edinburgh (VW's and BMW's) and bring them to London and the cars from Aberdeen-shire had much more rust than cars from Edinburgh due to them having to use salt on the roads much more of the year up North.
These cars were usually 5-10 yrs old so the rust was not visible on the body (usually) but when you got underneath you could see the affect of years of salty roads, the underseal protects the floor so that is fine but all the bits with no underseal look terrible - things like brackets, bolts hubs, arms, exhaust, clamps all look terrible when compared to a car from the SE of England.
The same age cars from down south might look completely fresh underneath compared to a car from Scotland - but none of it is structural on this age of car so does not matter too much, not good for long term ownership though.
They were also horrible to work on with corroded nuts and screws etc and the guys preparing my cars hated being given nasty jobs on cars that had come from the North, due to things being rusted in place and things breaking when changing suspension arms /exhausts etc.
I live in Edinburgh and have bought cars from Aberdeen. One of the key reasons for the prevalence of rust on Aberdeen cars is actually the fact that a lot of the offshore guys (and gals) earn fair wages and spend their pennies on toys. Those toys tend to sit out in the open while they're offshore and only get used occasionally when they're on shore leave.On the subject of rusty cars from Scotland I used to get a lot of p/x cars from main dealers in Aberdeen and Edinburgh (VW's and BMW's) and bring them to London and the cars from Aberdeen-shire had much more rust than cars from Edinburgh due to them having to use salt on the roads much more of the year up North.
These cars were usually 5-10 yrs old so the rust was not visible on the body (usually) but when you got underneath you could see the affect of years of salty roads, the underseal protects the floor so that is fine but all the bits with no underseal look terrible - things like brackets, bolts hubs, arms, exhaust, clamps all look terrible when compared to a car from the SE of England.
The same age cars from down south might look completely fresh underneath compared to a car from Scotland - but none of it is structural on this age of car so does not matter too much, not good for long term ownership though.
They were also horrible to work on with corroded nuts and screws etc and the guys preparing my cars hated being given nasty jobs on cars that had come from the North, due to things being rusted in place and things breaking when changing suspension arms /exhausts etc.
My current car is a 2009 Audi S3 that I bought a year ago with 41,000 miles on the clock. Flawless AFSH, Revo intake and tune, but had surface rust on the rear subframe. Had it inspected before I bought it due to the rust and it wasn't an issue, also got a fully clear MOT with no advisories. I woudn't have an issue with buying from Aberdeen again, subject to checking things out, obviously.
Few days in with the old girl, initial thoughts:
Driver's seat rocks slightly. I did notice this on the test drive, it appears extremely common and fixes are either replacement (expensive at the time and surely will fail again...) or something significantly less sophisticated involving foam cladding
It does bother me so will investigate further at the weekend probably.
There is no storage for anything, other than the standard pockets to fit your oversized sunglasses in the door, and the glovebox for your cologne. Ergonomically the interior is very similar to the GTV's interior, which is actually quite pleasing that there is an obvious tie in style and layout.
As mentioned initially, the engine is by no means an inpiring singer and certainly likes a drink, but I think in reality the car is actually quicker than it feels, it just pulls very consistently across the rev range and without any real drama, which makes it 'feel' slower.
The steering and handling is standard Alfa. Extremely direct, hangs on doggedly (new P Zero Neros all round) and has a nice weight to it. It feels like a larger and grippier version of my ex's 147, and overall gives the feel of being one solid lump of car that moves and absorbs bumps as one single object, as opposed to a bunch of rattley components bolted together
The pedals are nicely positioned for heel and toe (at least the way I do it, pivot on ball of foot and use heel on throttle), although the engine requires a little bit more of a throttle prod to bring the revs up than a Busso, and the brake pedal travel vs force doesn't quite feel linear, but I think that's just me needing to get used to it.
Front 3 quarter and rear 3 quarter I think are my favourite angles. I shall continue to investigate this.
It's a very refined vehicle at speed, it is quite jiggly at low speed over the typical (bottom half of the) UK roads but again as it feels like one solid lump, it's not partcularly intrusive.
Have further tweaked the driving position so I'm sat a little lower, an extra inch drop would be nice though, especially as the arm rest on the door is quite low and the window line etc., it does feel as if the seats were originally intended to be about 2 inches lower.
The parking sensors work, the headlights are comical. The gauge lighting is very pleasing. There is a way to turn off the (to me) incredibly annoying 'beeeeeep' when you lock / unlock the car that (to me) sounds like an 80s aftermarket alarm being set.
The air-con works well when it bothers to try, but it has a fairly laissez-faire attitude about the whole process of whether it needs to actually make any effort to adjust the cabin temperature. I suspect this is additional 'character' as opposed to any kind of fault.
God it's a good looking car.
She is a lazy old girl when it comes to cold starts. Turns over at a consistent rate, but for a loooooooong time before firing. It sounds embarrassingly Alfa like! Warm starts are quick though. Again, there is evidence of 'they all do that sir' for the V6, I'll be keeping an eye out on alfaowner to see if there's an actual fix or way to improve the situation.
Passed a red Giulia QF yesterday, Alfa wave exchanged of course.
Because the engine is so smooth and quiet it's easy to find yourself rolling along at 3,000 rpm unnecessarily, especially combined with the typical Alfa 0 at 6 o' clock tacho / speedo arrangement.
This is the first car I actively want to clean, did I mention she's a fine looking thing?
Driver's seat rocks slightly. I did notice this on the test drive, it appears extremely common and fixes are either replacement (expensive at the time and surely will fail again...) or something significantly less sophisticated involving foam cladding
It does bother me so will investigate further at the weekend probably.There is no storage for anything, other than the standard pockets to fit your oversized sunglasses in the door, and the glovebox for your cologne. Ergonomically the interior is very similar to the GTV's interior, which is actually quite pleasing that there is an obvious tie in style and layout.
As mentioned initially, the engine is by no means an inpiring singer and certainly likes a drink, but I think in reality the car is actually quicker than it feels, it just pulls very consistently across the rev range and without any real drama, which makes it 'feel' slower.
The steering and handling is standard Alfa. Extremely direct, hangs on doggedly (new P Zero Neros all round) and has a nice weight to it. It feels like a larger and grippier version of my ex's 147, and overall gives the feel of being one solid lump of car that moves and absorbs bumps as one single object, as opposed to a bunch of rattley components bolted together
The pedals are nicely positioned for heel and toe (at least the way I do it, pivot on ball of foot and use heel on throttle), although the engine requires a little bit more of a throttle prod to bring the revs up than a Busso, and the brake pedal travel vs force doesn't quite feel linear, but I think that's just me needing to get used to it.
Front 3 quarter and rear 3 quarter I think are my favourite angles. I shall continue to investigate this.
It's a very refined vehicle at speed, it is quite jiggly at low speed over the typical (bottom half of the) UK roads but again as it feels like one solid lump, it's not partcularly intrusive.
Have further tweaked the driving position so I'm sat a little lower, an extra inch drop would be nice though, especially as the arm rest on the door is quite low and the window line etc., it does feel as if the seats were originally intended to be about 2 inches lower.
The parking sensors work, the headlights are comical. The gauge lighting is very pleasing. There is a way to turn off the (to me) incredibly annoying 'beeeeeep' when you lock / unlock the car that (to me) sounds like an 80s aftermarket alarm being set.
The air-con works well when it bothers to try, but it has a fairly laissez-faire attitude about the whole process of whether it needs to actually make any effort to adjust the cabin temperature. I suspect this is additional 'character' as opposed to any kind of fault.
God it's a good looking car.
She is a lazy old girl when it comes to cold starts. Turns over at a consistent rate, but for a loooooooong time before firing. It sounds embarrassingly Alfa like! Warm starts are quick though. Again, there is evidence of 'they all do that sir' for the V6, I'll be keeping an eye out on alfaowner to see if there's an actual fix or way to improve the situation.
Passed a red Giulia QF yesterday, Alfa wave exchanged of course.
Because the engine is so smooth and quiet it's easy to find yourself rolling along at 3,000 rpm unnecessarily, especially combined with the typical Alfa 0 at 6 o' clock tacho / speedo arrangement.
This is the first car I actively want to clean, did I mention she's a fine looking thing?
SturdyHSV said:
The steering and handling is standard Alfa. Extremely direct, hangs on doggedly (new P Zero Neros all round) and has a nice weight to it. It feels like a larger and grippier version of my ex's 147, and overall gives the feel of being one solid lump of car that moves and absorbs bumps as one single object, as opposed to a bunch of rattley components bolted together
Brera S? Then this is all Prodrives handywork, much like the Mazda RX-8 PZ a couple of years earlier. 
I have the same car but a red 2.2S as I wasn't prepared to pay the road tax and petrol for the big engine! Had mine for 10,000 miles over 3 and half years during which time it has been totally reliable apart from a dead battery in Tescos car park not long after I got it. They are very well built - mine was delivered in July 2009 and has absolutely no rattles, nothing has fallen off and everything still works. Not quick but a very nice place to be, looks like nothing else and I agree that it is very well set up for heel and toeing. Love the leather dash. I'd like to fit a better radio but not sure I can be bothered.
They break springs - you can get Prodrive spec springs at a sensible price from Alpha Springs. 19" wheels seem to be quite soft too and are easily kerbed.
I got it as a low-depreciation day to dayer and plan to keep it long-term. Rear three-quarter is the best view; I am actually not that drawn by the front end.
They break springs - you can get Prodrive spec springs at a sensible price from Alpha Springs. 19" wheels seem to be quite soft too and are easily kerbed.
I got it as a low-depreciation day to dayer and plan to keep it long-term. Rear three-quarter is the best view; I am actually not that drawn by the front end.
So by way of an update, really liked the Brera, and it was hilarious fun to drive through Milton Keynes or down a country road, but ultimately it spun the wrong wheels and didn't make the right noises 
I did a little over 2,000 miles (not entirely sure how many in the end) and then stumbled across someone selling a Holden Ute and I immediately realised I'd bought the wrong daily.
I jokingly passed on words to that effect and whether he was interested in a Brera... turns out he was
So we met for a beer on Sunday to discuss bad decisions, and I returned home in a mildly JPS liveried Ute
I did a little over 2,000 miles (not entirely sure how many in the end) and then stumbled across someone selling a Holden Ute and I immediately realised I'd bought the wrong daily.
I jokingly passed on words to that effect and whether he was interested in a Brera... turns out he was
So we met for a beer on Sunday to discuss bad decisions, and I returned home in a mildly JPS liveried Ute
Benjarke said:
I did not expect this thread to end up with you getting a Ute!
Are you going to keep the liverie?
Well I shall be taking it to Le Mans on Wednesday (it came with a spare set of wheels and a ute tent, so perfect Le Mans fodder) and then will almost definitely remove the livery Are you going to keep the liverie?
It's been my intention to get a Ute for a while (to go alongside the Monaro), and although this isn't necessarily exactly the spec I was after (it's an auto) the opportunity to not have to sell a car was worth the hit on value. Plus the auto is lovely for traffic and it's something a bit different as I've never had one before.
First job as the new owner you ask?
https://youtu.be/lxtU2Ix2k1g
Driving a proper slush box is going to take some getting used to, I keep getting twitches in my left thigh
https://youtu.be/lxtU2Ix2k1g
Driving a proper slush box is going to take some getting used to, I keep getting twitches in my left thigh
SturdyHSV said:
Well I shall be taking it to Le Mans on Wednesday (it came with a spare set of wheels and a ute tent, so perfect Le Mans fodder) and then will almost definitely remove the livery
It's been my intention to get a Ute for a while (to go alongside the Monaro), and although this isn't necessarily exactly the spec I was after (it's an auto) the opportunity to not have to sell a car was worth the hit on value. Plus the auto is lovely for traffic and it's something a bit different as I've never had one before.
See you at le mans!It's been my intention to get a Ute for a while (to go alongside the Monaro), and although this isn't necessarily exactly the spec I was after (it's an auto) the opportunity to not have to sell a car was worth the hit on value. Plus the auto is lovely for traffic and it's something a bit different as I've never had one before.
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