Alfa Romeo GT (2004-2010)

[sawman]

Nigel_O said:

I bought a diesel GT in 2013 to save me putting miles on my Fiat Coupe.

The GT was a bit leggy (150k) and had been subjected to a pretty poor partial respray. It didn't bother me, as I wanted a car that I wouldn't get too proud about, or worried when it got stone chips or parking dents.

Four and a half years later, it has just shy of 240,000 miles on the clock and is still going strong. Its had a clutch and a turbo, plus the usual Alfa consumables (brakes and wishbones), but otherwise, it has been spectacularly reliable, amazingly practical, ridiculously comfortable and surprisingly economical.

Any excuse to post a couple of photos of a recent photography outing

fab pics,

I had a quick look at a GT today, seemed to be a bit of corrosion going on in the sill, instinct is to walk away. but I think i might go back and have another look....

[Nigel_O]

sawman said:

I had a quick look at a GT today, seemed to be a bit of corrosion going on in the sill, instinct is to walk away. but I think i might go back and have another look....

Unless it has some significant redeeming features, walk away. Rust can be a killer on the GT, especially the early ones, and especially the petrol-engined variants. The floorpan is especially vulnerable.

Its not like they are thin on the ground - many to choose from. Just be aware that something around the £1500 mark is likely to need £500 - £1000 to get it right. You might as well spend £2,000+ and get a decent one.

[RanchoGrande]

I ran one for a few years and loved the looks and interior. It's just a shame the "best" and most common engine is the 1.9 jtd as it sucks for urban driving. I got rid of mine after a turbo and manifold replacement at 35k miles. Boot also creaked like a mofo. The jtd is one of those engines that needs to be used properly and not for short start stop city driving.

Beautiful cars though.

[dinkel]

RanchoGrande said:

... is one of those engines that needs to be used properly and not for short start stop city driving.

Isn't that the point with all cars?

[Vitorio]

RanchoGrande said:

I ran one for a few years and loved the looks and interior. It's just a shame the "best" and most common engine is the 1.9 jtd as it sucks for urban driving. I got rid of mine after a turbo and manifold replacement at 35k miles. Boot also creaked like a mofo. The jtd is one of those engines that needs to be used properly and not for short start stop city driving.

Beautiful cars though.

Over here (holland), the JTS is by far the most common, probably 75% of all GTs (with the JTD taking ~15%, the 1.8 and the V6 both ~5%), and that is probably much more of a shame, given that the JTS is the most troublesome of the lineup.

I rather want a GT, and the JTD would be a decent option, given the scarcity (and relatively low power) of the TS, and the ease of squeezing some more out of the diesel. But the fact that a diesel doesnt respond well to short trips really puts me off. My current daily use is mostly short trips, the daily commute and driving the kids to school are all <15KM trips, most of it low speed. I do have some longer trips, so mileage wise a diesel would make sense, but im affraid all the tiny little trips on weekdays would take their toll on what is essentially a mile-muncher

[Evanivitch]

Vitorio said:

Over here (holland), the JTS is by far the most common, probably 75% of all GTs (with the JTD taking ~15%, the 1.8 and the V6 both ~5%), and that is probably much more of a shame, given that the JTS is the most troublesome of the lineup.
r

Apart from pathetic timing belt intervals and an appetite for expensive oil, what was so bad about the JTS? Had one for 20,000 miles and engine was the least of my concerns!

[Vitorio]

Evanivitch said:

Apart from pathetic timing belt intervals and an appetite for expensive oil, what was so bad about the JTS? Had one for 20,000 miles and engine was the least of my concerns!

From what i understand, pretty much not a single JTS actually makes the promised power, and given that it is alfa's first (petrol) DI engine, the valves have a tendency to get dirty and lose throughput.

I dont know of any catastrophic issues with the JTS, it just doesnt seem worth the more expensive oil and extra petrol for pretty much no extra power compared to the 1.8, which has less potential troubles, since it doesnt have any pioneering tech.

Maybe i should give the JTS another serious look, im not particularly fussed about the timing belt/oil stuff, as that applies to twinsparks as well

[Nigel_O]

My GT turned 240,000 miles today - still as smooth as it was at 150,000 when I bought it and actually better than many GTs with under 100k that we get in at Motormech

They will last well if treated properly

[RanchoGrande]

dinkel said:

Isn't that the point with all cars?

No, some engines are better suited for urban driving. JTD's aren't, and I learnt the hard way.

[dinkel]

I drove a 2.4 in city traffic and it performed OK.

[RanchoGrande]

dinkel said:

I drove a 2.4 in city traffic and it performed OK.

The performance isn't in question...

[Nigel_O]

dinkel said:

I drove a 2.4 in city traffic and it performed OK.

Er, not a GT, you didn’t....

[dinkel]

No a 156 ID.

[Ej74]

Had my GT (JTD) for 5 years covered 50k plus
I really enjoyed the car had no major problems in 5 years of ownership other than consumables (front suspension arms - tricky setup and they do wear)

I did go the piggyback remap route - but had no ends of issues (such as error messages declaring I had water in the fuel tank !!!) the brief while it was on it did really transform the car and my mates GT

Terminal rust killed mine for me and I moved it on !

[Noisy Neighbour]

I had a 2.0 JTS GT for 5 years, and had absolutely no issues with it (other than it requiring a bit of oil - around 1 litre every 1000 miles from memory but I just had a habit of checking it and topping it up every fortnight). It was a 2 year old when I bought it, so 7 years old when I sold it. Everyone was telling me how problematic it must be, but it didn't miss a beat. Certainly not very powerful, but decent enough if you try hard and makes quite a nice noise. I certainly had no regrets about getting it over the diesel (and couldn't unfortunately stretch to the 3.2).

[dinkel]

Noisy Neighbour said:

I had a 2.0 JTS GT for 5 years, and had absolutely no issues with it (other than it requiring a bit of oil - around 1 litre every 1000 miles from memory but I just had a habit of checking it and topping it up every fortnight). It was a 2 year old when I bought it, so 7 years old when I sold it. Everyone was telling me how problematic it must be, but it didn't miss a beat. Certainly not very powerful,...

2006 147 2 litre here: 1.5 litre every 1000 kms but it goes pretty well when past the 4k mark.