147 GTA advise please
Discussion
Hello, pistonheads ! Newbie here but been lurking for a while, looking for some advise on 147 GTA's, been sofa surfing for a while and keeping an eye on values, I test drove one his weekend and basically fell in love with the car, although it wasn't the right colour for me (Gambiano Blue).
I've come from a classic car back ground most recently although a fair few years back a 64 cal look beetle, I've been hankering after a weekend car for a while and now that funds permit I'm going to take the plunge. I don't want anything that's going to need welding or painting and something which has most of the modern comforts needed to drive a car in today's world, I loved the beetle but it ended up being a bit of a beast which was unusable and every time I did use it something always needed sorting afterwards.
Hence a modern classic and the 147 GTA just ticks all those boxes for me.
The plan is to buy a sorted car that I can use in the summer at the weekends, plan to pamper it keep it garaged put no more than say 2k miles on it a year, I can stretch to 10k for the right car.
I've done plenty of research so know the things to look for and have a friend with a 156 GTA who's a bit of a Alfa nut who has been also giving some advise so feel well prepared.
Want something thats done some miles up to 100k ish that's had all the painfully expensive works done, like Q2, suspension upgrades, exhaust upgrades, metal impeller water pump, cam belt, wishbones etc etc, I'd like the paintwork to be straight and solid, don't mind some age related bits and pieces just want a car that's been cared for and lavished with everything it needs owned previously by an Alfa enthusiast.
It's got to be either dark blue, red or black.
With that in mind I have a simple dilemma
I know that if I drive the car regularly and stick say 10k on it a year I'll have to spent 2-3k+ A year keeping it in tip top condition, which is something that may not get past the wife.
If I stick say 2k miles a year on it max would I expect it to have much lower maintenance bills ? With 2k a year, do you think it would deteriorate not being used ?
I appreciate that it's a 13 + year old car and that something could go wrong (and probably would) but if it's sorted and I drive it sparsely do you think it's realistic that maintenance bills could be say 500 a year ? I know it's like 'how longs a piece of string' but would appreciate some thoughts.
I also know that I will have to spend money on it at some point but if this was over a longer period it's much easier for me obviously.
Thanks in advance
I've come from a classic car back ground most recently although a fair few years back a 64 cal look beetle, I've been hankering after a weekend car for a while and now that funds permit I'm going to take the plunge. I don't want anything that's going to need welding or painting and something which has most of the modern comforts needed to drive a car in today's world, I loved the beetle but it ended up being a bit of a beast which was unusable and every time I did use it something always needed sorting afterwards.
Hence a modern classic and the 147 GTA just ticks all those boxes for me.
The plan is to buy a sorted car that I can use in the summer at the weekends, plan to pamper it keep it garaged put no more than say 2k miles on it a year, I can stretch to 10k for the right car.
I've done plenty of research so know the things to look for and have a friend with a 156 GTA who's a bit of a Alfa nut who has been also giving some advise so feel well prepared.
Want something thats done some miles up to 100k ish that's had all the painfully expensive works done, like Q2, suspension upgrades, exhaust upgrades, metal impeller water pump, cam belt, wishbones etc etc, I'd like the paintwork to be straight and solid, don't mind some age related bits and pieces just want a car that's been cared for and lavished with everything it needs owned previously by an Alfa enthusiast.
It's got to be either dark blue, red or black.
With that in mind I have a simple dilemma
I know that if I drive the car regularly and stick say 10k on it a year I'll have to spent 2-3k+ A year keeping it in tip top condition, which is something that may not get past the wife.
If I stick say 2k miles a year on it max would I expect it to have much lower maintenance bills ? With 2k a year, do you think it would deteriorate not being used ?
I appreciate that it's a 13 + year old car and that something could go wrong (and probably would) but if it's sorted and I drive it sparsely do you think it's realistic that maintenance bills could be say 500 a year ? I know it's like 'how longs a piece of string' but would appreciate some thoughts.
I also know that I will have to spend money on it at some point but if this was over a longer period it's much easier for me obviously.
Thanks in advance
As has been said, alfaowner has a specific subsection on GTAs that offers good advice but also a critique of every car that comes up for sale.
With these cars, expenses fall into general servicing & maintenance, remedial work and unexpected things that go pop!
I run a 155 Q4 (almost same as Lancia delta integrale mechanically) that I hardly use as well as an alfetta GTV6 track car with the 3.0 24V GTA engine in it and as long as belts, etc have been done properly, it should be OK. I would tend to budget around £1500 per car per annum for these sort of cars as over time, bushes, etc and other bits get tired. most important with the 147/156 era is to have a good look underneath at the floorpans, etc to make sure it is corrosion free.
i keep mine in storage on trickle charge as whilst cars like these dont like being left unused, most of my fleet are OK - only issues i have with some of the older Alfas where the carbs get gummed up on old petrol etc.
With these cars, expenses fall into general servicing & maintenance, remedial work and unexpected things that go pop!
I run a 155 Q4 (almost same as Lancia delta integrale mechanically) that I hardly use as well as an alfetta GTV6 track car with the 3.0 24V GTA engine in it and as long as belts, etc have been done properly, it should be OK. I would tend to budget around £1500 per car per annum for these sort of cars as over time, bushes, etc and other bits get tired. most important with the 147/156 era is to have a good look underneath at the floorpans, etc to make sure it is corrosion free.
i keep mine in storage on trickle charge as whilst cars like these dont like being left unused, most of my fleet are OK - only issues i have with some of the older Alfas where the carbs get gummed up on old petrol etc.
Always a good idea to check if its got a fully documented service history, not just the book stamped but receipts. You will then know if proper regular maintenance has been carried out and what work has been done and parts replaced. Cross referencing this with an online MoT check you can see if any advisories have been rectified.
herbialfa said:
Zombie does like to get down and dirty and do all the deferred maintenance jobs - he bought an Alfa 75 from me and did the same - I should have bought it back from him! I've had two of these, I very reluctantly sold mine a couple of weeks ago. Mine was the black one that was featured in the Spotted feature on the homepage.
They do cost a fair amount to keep in top shape, but they really do get under your skin - I can't wait to buy another one. The engine is just a masterpiece.The black one for sale in the classifieds at the moment looks perfect for what you're after!
They do cost a fair amount to keep in top shape, but they really do get under your skin - I can't wait to buy another one. The engine is just a masterpiece.The black one for sale in the classifieds at the moment looks perfect for what you're after!
arguti said:
As has been said, alfaowner has a specific subsection on GTAs that offers good advice but also a critique of every car that comes up for sale.
With these cars, expenses fall into general servicing & maintenance, remedial work and unexpected things that go pop!
I run a 155 Q4 (almost same as Lancia delta integrale mechanically) that I hardly use as well as an alfetta GTV6 track car with the 3.0 24V GTA engine in it and as long as belts, etc have been done properly, it should be OK. I would tend to budget around £1500 per car per annum for these sort of cars as over time, bushes, etc and other bits get tired. most important with the 147/156 era is to have a good look underneath at the floorpans, etc to make sure it is corrosion free.
i keep mine in storage on trickle charge as whilst cars like these dont like being left unused, most of my fleet are OK - only issues i have with some of the older Alfas where the carbs get gummed up on old petrol etc.
That's a good shout about getting underneath to have a good nose around, to be honest I hadn't really considered that, thanks With these cars, expenses fall into general servicing & maintenance, remedial work and unexpected things that go pop!
I run a 155 Q4 (almost same as Lancia delta integrale mechanically) that I hardly use as well as an alfetta GTV6 track car with the 3.0 24V GTA engine in it and as long as belts, etc have been done properly, it should be OK. I would tend to budget around £1500 per car per annum for these sort of cars as over time, bushes, etc and other bits get tired. most important with the 147/156 era is to have a good look underneath at the floorpans, etc to make sure it is corrosion free.
i keep mine in storage on trickle charge as whilst cars like these dont like being left unused, most of my fleet are OK - only issues i have with some of the older Alfas where the carbs get gummed up on old petrol etc.
herbialfa said:
that's a heavy thread, top work though ! Only just managed to get past page 1 xyyman said:
Always a good idea to check if its got a fully documented service history, not just the book stamped but receipts. You will then know if proper regular maintenance has been carried out and what work has been done and parts replaced. Cross referencing this with an online MoT check you can see if any advisories have been rectified.
I tried a bit of this with the gambiano blue one, but had the dealer chatting to me and the wife looking on in bemusement, I got bored and took it for a spin, will have to make sure I do this when I find onecaptain-fitch said:
I've had two of these, I very reluctantly sold mine a couple of weeks ago. Mine was the black one that was featured in the Spotted feature on the homepage.
They do cost a fair amount to keep in top shape, but they really do get under your skin - I can't wait to buy another one. The engine is just a masterpiece.The black one for sale in the classifieds at the moment looks perfect for what you're after!
The black one does look good and sounds well sorted, shame it's at the other end of the country, I'm down in Somerset, there's one over in South Wales which has tempted me looks tidy but doesn't have the mods I want and it's grey which is not a colour that does it for me, soon as I get a weekend free of family duties I'll be getting on the road to have a look and hopefully get one.They do cost a fair amount to keep in top shape, but they really do get under your skin - I can't wait to buy another one. The engine is just a masterpiece.The black one for sale in the classifieds at the moment looks perfect for what you're after!
Spennyp said:
The black one does look good and sounds well sorted, shame it's at the other end of the country, I'm down in Somerset, there's one over in South Wales which has tempted me looks tidy but doesn't have the mods I want and it's grey which is not a colour that does it for me, soon as I get a weekend free of family duties I'll be getting on the road to have a look and hopefully get one.
The grey one in South Wales is mine! Get in touch if you want to have a chat about it or come and have a look. It's an honest car that does scrub up really well, Would only need a few things doing to be mint!I've done around 3000miles in it a year for the past few years (albeit everyday) and the maintenance costs haven't been anywhere near the £2-3k everyone says. This year has been around the £800 mark getting both rear dampers and associated bits replaced, last year was a bit less. You will get expensive years when the cambelt needs changing, or if your diff explodes like mine did and you need to upgrade to a Q2!
Wallby said:
The grey one in South Wales is mine! Get in touch if you want to have a chat about it or come and have a look. It's an honest car that does scrub up really well, Would only need a few things doing to be mint!
I've done around 3000miles in it a year for the past few years (albeit everyday) and the maintenance costs haven't been anywhere near the £2-3k everyone says. This year has been around the £800 mark getting both rear dampers and associated bits replaced, last year was a bit less. You will get expensive years when the cambelt needs changing, or if your diff explodes like mine did and you need to upgrade to a Q2!
Thanks Wallby but I'd be wasting your time, already have 3 grey cars in the household, there are a couple of options available to me and I'm keeping an eye out, want to sort something before the spring so have plenty of time plus have to get my garage painted out in advance, thanks for the advise on costs all good stuff to bear in mind, will let the forum know when I'm sortedI've done around 3000miles in it a year for the past few years (albeit everyday) and the maintenance costs haven't been anywhere near the £2-3k everyone says. This year has been around the £800 mark getting both rear dampers and associated bits replaced, last year was a bit less. You will get expensive years when the cambelt needs changing, or if your diff explodes like mine did and you need to upgrade to a Q2!
_Superleggera_ said:
How about a mega low mileage black one? I think its done around 40k.
Good friend of mine owns it.
Kind of not what I was looking for was trying to find something with some miles that's had money lavished on it with suitable upgrades, although I am curious depending on condition, price etc, send me a message with the details no harm in finding out a bit more Good friend of mine owns it.
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff