Carrying on my diesel car research: Alfa...
Discussion
Anyone had experience with the Alfa 147 JTD 150?
I could have a budget of £6.5k but it seems a 2006 147 with 50k miles can be had for under £6k - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
My current fav [Mk4 Golf TDi 150] would cost a bunch more for a car with that kind of mileage - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011... The Golf would also be a good few years older!
One thing that would stop me buying an 147 though, a GTA is on my maybe list for the future. Not sure I want to 'sample' the Alfa experience just yet, in case I don't like it
I could have a budget of £6.5k but it seems a 2006 147 with 50k miles can be had for under £6k - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...
My current fav [Mk4 Golf TDi 150] would cost a bunch more for a car with that kind of mileage - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011... The Golf would also be a good few years older!
One thing that would stop me buying an 147 though, a GTA is on my maybe list for the future. Not sure I want to 'sample' the Alfa experience just yet, in case I don't like it
My wife has an 8 valve 147 and we've run plenty of VWs at work. I'd say they 147 feels a bit smaller than the Golf, not as solidly built but is much nicer to drive. The Golf PDs you are looking at are fantastically strong engines but have a truly horrible power delivery. If you go for the Alfa just make sure the water pump is changed when the belts are done.
I've found an Alfa forum I'm going to have a good read of now [I've already spotted a thread on water pumps and belts]! Did I see read that the engine is a GM unit, as in what would be in a Astra of that time?
The majority of my potential cars are VAG cars [a Focus being the only non-VAG], so I need to found out my reliable the Alfa 1.9 is?
The majority of my potential cars are VAG cars [a Focus being the only non-VAG], so I need to found out my reliable the Alfa 1.9 is?
Edited by BUG4LIFE on Wednesday 11th May 17:16
VeeFour said:
RicksAlfas said:
Other way round.
It's a Fiat design used in Fiats, Lancias and Alfas, and built under licence by GM (including Saab).
So the GM cars have a Fiat engine in them.
I thought Fiat Powertrain just sent complete crated engines to GM?It's a Fiat design used in Fiats, Lancias and Alfas, and built under licence by GM (including Saab).
So the GM cars have a Fiat engine in them.
RicksAlfas said:
My wife has an 8 valve 147 and we've run plenty of VWs at work. I'd say they 147 feels a bit smaller than the Golf, not as solidly built but is much nicer to drive. The Golf PDs you are looking at are fantastically strong engines but have a truly horrible power delivery. If you go for the Alfa just make sure the water pump is changed when the belts are done.
Similar to most PD equipped cars I have been in then. Nothing - Everything - Fizzle out!However a remap is supposed to help with this and is not an expensive addition.
Not sure what other considerations the OP has, but what about a Skoda Fabia Vrs? Can be had for less money than the Golf above with lower miles and not as old.
If badge/looks are not majorly important, the Focus I had was very good to drive and on fuel/other costs. It just lacked a bit of power.
BUG4LIFE said:
But are they any good, that be the question?
Mate had the Fiat Grande Punto 1.9Multijet 130bhp - looking at the engine only it was very strong, bt was not as frugal as he was expecting. Only just managed early 40mpg and that was over decent runs and driving (fairly) carefully.BUG4LIFE said:
But are they any good, that be the question?
We've had an Alfa GT with the same engine for 3 years now. It's a good engine, returns about 44mpg average in the GT with mixed driving. Power delivery is a bit peaky, but as has been said they can be remapped to a 'safe' 190bhp and also flatten the power delivery a bit.The EGR valve will clog up at some stage. You can take it apart and clean it which will extend the life (another 10,000 miles in our case), or buy a new one for £100 and fit it yourself (which I did eventually).
neil_w said:
I've gone through a few EGR valves but apparently Fiat have got this sorted now.
Yeah, they have....Mazdarese said:
The EGR valve will clog up at some stage. You can take it apart and clean it which will extend the life (another 10,000 miles in our case), or buy a new one for £100 and fit it yourself (which I did eventually).
Or you can take your old one apart, clean it properly and remove the corrosion that builds up on the solenoid pin, lubricate it properly (using silicone grease) and then re-assemble it and re-fit it using the 'swirl gaskets' that are the FIAT fix. Should then be good for another 30-50k depending on driving style, and is one of the easiest jobs I have ever done on a car (if not necessarily the cleanest....)RicksAlfas said:
BUG4LIFE said:
But are they any good, that be the question?
Yes, that's why I suggested you have a look.Far nicer to drive than the PD lump.
Any particular spec I should be looking for?
BUG4LIFE said:
The 147 is a tempting car I gotta say - so much better looking than any other on my list. It just would come down to whether it would do my 60 mile a day commute without a hitch [like you'd expect a VAG car would do]. I know all cars have issues and I might be unlucky enough to buy say a Golf that ends up being a bag of crap, but I've just gotta try and minimise the risk.
Why?It's only driving, and 60 miles a day isn't a huge amount to be honest. If something goes wrong, sort it, or flog it and try something else. No point worrying about something that hasn't happened.
As for reliability, well I strongly suspect your views on VW's are slightly misguided. I certainly don't believe they are as good as UK folk myth claims. Not saying they are bad, just not impregnable.
And if you look at all the reliability surveys, and I mean really look. You'll see that as a rule last place is actually only just behind first place in terms of points or percentage.
It's only because these surveys "force" an order that you end up with the appearance of some being rubbish and others being great.
To this end I'm a firm believer that almost any modern car is perfectly reliable and usable for normal commuting. Of course some cars are more prone to hiccups and issues or even some brands. But I think it's nowhere near as stark a difference as most people would think.
Any Lusso with leather.
Have you had a look at the GT too?
e.g.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2813761.htm
Have you had a look at the GT too?
e.g.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2813761.htm
BUG4LIFE said:
Any particular spec I should be looking for?
As has already been said, a Lusso with leather. Personally I prefer the look of the pre-facelift model as I really don't like the headlights on the newer ones.The Connect Nav+ system is reasonably decent, and especially handy with the built-in phone with voice-dialling. If you can find one with CN+ (and Bose) all the better, but don't pay too much more for it. The CN+ navigation doesn't do postcodes, but can do full addresses and is pretty decent. The Bose models have an amplifier under the passenger seat, and a subwoofer in the boot. Some models will have a cd changer in the boot too.
I want my GTA back
RicksAlfas said:
Any Lusso with leather.
Have you had a look at the GT too?
e.g.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2813761.htm
Very very nice Have you had a look at the GT too?
e.g.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2813761.htm
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