Alfa GTV V6 - Just Purchased, have I made a good buy?!
Discussion
GTA_Slave said:
I had two of these so feel somewhat qualified to comments on these. This one certainly looks like a good buy, despite the mileage, given all the most important work has already been done - Q2, Cambelt, etc. The seller seems to know what he's selling - not unusual to find ads from owners who don't seem to have a clue about the basics on these cars. As long as the receipts are there then you're good to go and spend some time and money on the bodywork.
There's a spot under the bonnet, just above the front wheel, where you will see a gap near where the bonnet hinge sits. I found a little patch of rust there on mine and treated it with some rust protection. The other major worry is the spring pan and the rust on those so look that up - or get the seller to send pictures of it. Those are rare to find and can be costly to replace. Suspension can be a bit crashy but with the right setup no issues - I had standard suspension but there's lots of information on Alfaowner for these cars.
In terms of modifications you can opt for adding a CF2 manifiold, in case yours is CF3 engine. You can tell by looking on the engine bay and the CF3 version had the ECU sitting on top of the rear bank of the engine. The manifold conversion alleviates heat in the boot area and the removal of the cats from the CF3 manifolds allows more grunt.
They're easy cars to work on so I wouldn't worry about getting your hands dirty. I had the rear suspension joints polybushed but I didn't like the ride after as it made the back end very stiff, so much so that I could feel the tension in my back. There's a few other niggles such as Airbag light coming on if seats are moved when car is switched on - easiy recitified, issues with the rear windscreen heating elements, check for if your car comes with self adjusting windows when opening and closing doors. Tonnes of info on all these issues on Alfaowner and all easy to fix.
The biggest expense on these can be the engine if needing a rebuild - check for servicing intervals and the type of oil used. The engine is a masterpiece and the whole package is just a lot of fun. I'm on my second 156 GTA after selling the GTV but I still miss it. You coming from a 7 series may not like the downgrade in comfort levels but ifright the v6 GTV gives any car a good run for value for money and it's solely down to the engine. Lots of low end torque and you can pull from standstill in 2nd and cruise in it all day in 6th never having to change gears. Sitting down so low and thrashing it - an Italian tune up often is a requirement of owning this V6 - is an exhilarating experience and makes it a truly fun car. You will not be disappointed if you take it for what it is, i.e., a Pininfarina design powered by a gem of an engine and an Italian interior that makes you feel you're driving a mini ferrari. Yes, it's not perfect but not many cars are and this ones makes up for it in what it delivers through the engine and the feel of the steering. You can however make it perfect by spending some money on getting the right suspension setup for you.
Thanks for this very comprehensive write up. I won't be using this as my daily driver, that's still the 7, so i don't expect 7 levels of comfort, but I'm looking for that Italian flair and and that engine. I'm not focussing on modding just yet, just want to get the basics sorted first, make sure I take care of any rust, get the body work up to scratch, do any maintenance that's needed (like an oil change that's due). My first "mod" will probably be a better sports exhaust just because I love the way these look with quad pipes. There's a spot under the bonnet, just above the front wheel, where you will see a gap near where the bonnet hinge sits. I found a little patch of rust there on mine and treated it with some rust protection. The other major worry is the spring pan and the rust on those so look that up - or get the seller to send pictures of it. Those are rare to find and can be costly to replace. Suspension can be a bit crashy but with the right setup no issues - I had standard suspension but there's lots of information on Alfaowner for these cars.
In terms of modifications you can opt for adding a CF2 manifiold, in case yours is CF3 engine. You can tell by looking on the engine bay and the CF3 version had the ECU sitting on top of the rear bank of the engine. The manifold conversion alleviates heat in the boot area and the removal of the cats from the CF3 manifolds allows more grunt.
They're easy cars to work on so I wouldn't worry about getting your hands dirty. I had the rear suspension joints polybushed but I didn't like the ride after as it made the back end very stiff, so much so that I could feel the tension in my back. There's a few other niggles such as Airbag light coming on if seats are moved when car is switched on - easiy recitified, issues with the rear windscreen heating elements, check for if your car comes with self adjusting windows when opening and closing doors. Tonnes of info on all these issues on Alfaowner and all easy to fix.
The biggest expense on these can be the engine if needing a rebuild - check for servicing intervals and the type of oil used. The engine is a masterpiece and the whole package is just a lot of fun. I'm on my second 156 GTA after selling the GTV but I still miss it. You coming from a 7 series may not like the downgrade in comfort levels but ifright the v6 GTV gives any car a good run for value for money and it's solely down to the engine. Lots of low end torque and you can pull from standstill in 2nd and cruise in it all day in 6th never having to change gears. Sitting down so low and thrashing it - an Italian tune up often is a requirement of owning this V6 - is an exhilarating experience and makes it a truly fun car. You will not be disappointed if you take it for what it is, i.e., a Pininfarina design powered by a gem of an engine and an Italian interior that makes you feel you're driving a mini ferrari. Yes, it's not perfect but not many cars are and this ones makes up for it in what it delivers through the engine and the feel of the steering. You can however make it perfect by spending some money on getting the right suspension setup for you.
I'll probably take it to Aforalfa just to give it a good once over by an expert eye to see what I need to focus on, if anything.
I always went for Ragazzon twin pipes and that brought out all the dirty raspy sound of the V6. Loved the sound of these after removing the rear silencer. There's two silencers - one before the cat under the car and one before the back-box. People complain about a drone when removing both and the safer option to navigate that issue is to remove the rear silencer only.
There's plenty of options for the setup and you can look up Equal length downpipes - Alfaholics make a good one, CF2 catless manifolds, then there's also the setups from Wizard that a lot of people vouch for. I believe Autolusso are the supplier for those - not quite sure so you may want to check with them if that's accurate.
A lot of people are always changing and chopping so you can find parts in exchange rather than buying from new. the CF2's can come from any of the other Alfa V6's - 24V AFAIK but still rare as hen's teeth. If you change the manifold you'll need different downpipes too so it's a bit of a faff but the change does allow the engine to deliver more power apparently. I've always been quite happy with the standard setup on all my Alfas, except of course adding the exhaust note which is a must. Gus at Alfatune is known for providing quality remaps and I've had the experience of using Super Engineering based in Welwyn Garden city and would recommend them also. Head over to Alfaowner and you're guaranteed to be hooked.
There's plenty of options for the setup and you can look up Equal length downpipes - Alfaholics make a good one, CF2 catless manifolds, then there's also the setups from Wizard that a lot of people vouch for. I believe Autolusso are the supplier for those - not quite sure so you may want to check with them if that's accurate.
A lot of people are always changing and chopping so you can find parts in exchange rather than buying from new. the CF2's can come from any of the other Alfa V6's - 24V AFAIK but still rare as hen's teeth. If you change the manifold you'll need different downpipes too so it's a bit of a faff but the change does allow the engine to deliver more power apparently. I've always been quite happy with the standard setup on all my Alfas, except of course adding the exhaust note which is a must. Gus at Alfatune is known for providing quality remaps and I've had the experience of using Super Engineering based in Welwyn Garden city and would recommend them also. Head over to Alfaowner and you're guaranteed to be hooked.
caiss4 said:
No, it's a fake vent on the nearside. On the offside it's a real vent in front of the oil cooler.
Speaking of Oil coolers - check that there's no leakage from the pipes and confirm if they, or the system, have been recently replaced. These have a tendency to fail and Autolusso do a new kit for between £200-£300, last time I looked. Check for rust around the pipes where they connect to and from the oil cooler.I know Garinder, who you are buying the car from. He is a huge Alfa enthusiast and I would have no issues buying any cars from him.
I think you'll be in good hands with this car. The thing with any alfa is, there is always something that needs doing. Especially on the GTV. The rear suspension can get expensive if its knackered, but I would have paid the same money you have with no questions asked.
I think you'll be in good hands with this car. The thing with any alfa is, there is always something that needs doing. Especially on the GTV. The rear suspension can get expensive if its knackered, but I would have paid the same money you have with no questions asked.
Technoholic said:
Thanks that’s great knowledge and information. And yes I’m buying an Alfa as I want the full Alfa experience!
The ad says the rear lower arms have been poly bushes so I’m hoping they will be in good shape.
Aylesbury is only down the road from me so that’s good to know too
Whereabouts are you? I'm in Hazlemere, High Wycombe and have a Cup. The ad says the rear lower arms have been poly bushes so I’m hoping they will be in good shape.
Aylesbury is only down the road from me so that’s good to know too
Edited by OnePaintedMan on Tuesday 16th October 20:16
[quote=carinaman]
I was very tempted by a white 12V 164 that featured in a PH thread in 2014 or 2015 but felt I'd dodged a bullet when the buyer got it home and the big ends had gone which given the state of the bodywork wasn't worth mending.
That was me!
I'm still sore about that one, a big disappointment tbh. I have a nice grey GTV V6 with Q2, GTA clutch and flywheel now so all is good.
I was very tempted by a white 12V 164 that featured in a PH thread in 2014 or 2015 but felt I'd dodged a bullet when the buyer got it home and the big ends had gone which given the state of the bodywork wasn't worth mending.
That was me!
I'm still sore about that one, a big disappointment tbh. I have a nice grey GTV V6 with Q2, GTA clutch and flywheel now so all is good.
Hi all,
So those eagle eyed of you saw that it's relisted. I decided after speaking to the seller that it wasn't quite for me. Not because it's particularly bad, but being so far away and having not seen it in the flesh, I didn't want to take the risk. It has a slight oil seepage problem which again, could be minor, but could be worse and I didn't have the time to diagnose that. I wasn't too worried about the rust after all that. The sill is bent slightly but could probably be fixed and the floors actually seem in fairly decent condition with some surface rust that could be fixed. But overall, I think my heart wasn't quite in it. Still looking for one but also now looking for a TVR project as that is probably where my heart lies.
Would make a good buy for someone though, now it's MOTd and in pretty good condition.
So those eagle eyed of you saw that it's relisted. I decided after speaking to the seller that it wasn't quite for me. Not because it's particularly bad, but being so far away and having not seen it in the flesh, I didn't want to take the risk. It has a slight oil seepage problem which again, could be minor, but could be worse and I didn't have the time to diagnose that. I wasn't too worried about the rust after all that. The sill is bent slightly but could probably be fixed and the floors actually seem in fairly decent condition with some surface rust that could be fixed. But overall, I think my heart wasn't quite in it. Still looking for one but also now looking for a TVR project as that is probably where my heart lies.
Would make a good buy for someone though, now it's MOTd and in pretty good condition.
OnePaintedMan said:
Mini 'meet' on the horizon!
Try and come to our All Italian car meets at The Departure Lounge Cafe in Alton next year.They are free and we welcome any Italian car of any age.
Held on the first Saturdays of April, June, August, and October, starting at about 10am and going on until about 2pm, although it is billed as a Breakfast Meet. We have had well over 100 cars from every major Italian marque at some of our meets, including some really unusual ones.
I also have a GTV Cup :-)
Buying in the depths of winter is always good as I've found you can negotiate stronger given many aren't looking for GTVs as they'll be tucked up for the winter in the garage.
OP, don't give up on buying a GTV as they're still great VFM. Admittedly when I bought mine 5 yrs ago i paid about £1.5k for a 6 speed with aerokit from an ex Alfa mechanic with 78k miles & it needed 4 new tyres, a major service/belt change & a very serious clean. I sold mine 2 yrs later & recouped virtually all I'd spent on it which was an achievement - it was a car that ran faultlessly as a toy & never broke down, even though it was driven in a "spirited" way without regard for its age. I had about 12 people who wanted to buy my car at the time (I listed it on PH btw though bought it via Ebay having watched it fail to sell both as an auction item & a classified ad).
My main concern was that some of the parts were getting expensive/very difficult to source & you may have to end up buying some used parts.
I think your decision to walk away was a good one, though there's a GTV out there for you, somewhere!
OP, don't give up on buying a GTV as they're still great VFM. Admittedly when I bought mine 5 yrs ago i paid about £1.5k for a 6 speed with aerokit from an ex Alfa mechanic with 78k miles & it needed 4 new tyres, a major service/belt change & a very serious clean. I sold mine 2 yrs later & recouped virtually all I'd spent on it which was an achievement - it was a car that ran faultlessly as a toy & never broke down, even though it was driven in a "spirited" way without regard for its age. I had about 12 people who wanted to buy my car at the time (I listed it on PH btw though bought it via Ebay having watched it fail to sell both as an auction item & a classified ad).
My main concern was that some of the parts were getting expensive/very difficult to source & you may have to end up buying some used parts.
I think your decision to walk away was a good one, though there's a GTV out there for you, somewhere!
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