What price a 4WD 164 QV ?

[alfaman]

Hi - I'm looking to replace my 164 with something faster / more exciting.....

..... and have seen 4 WD version of the QV cloverleaf advertised - its an import LHD, 1994, 65k miles (don't think there are any RHD versions )- looks positively

I can't find any references on typical £ value from the usual sources - asking price is £5k - seems rather a lot considering most cloverleafs (FWD ) are £2k ish.

Does anyone have much experience with the 4WD versions / know if they sell for a big premium vs standard 2 wheel drive ?

many thanks

[barbalatte]

I've actually never heard of a 164 QV "4WD".
I though the only 4wd made by Alfa was the
33 16v Permanant 4.
Be careful on this one mate.

[jimbro1000]

To quote the cars from italy website:

carsfromitaly said:

A four-wheel drive version, the Cloverleaf, was also offered (introduced in 1990), powered by the 3 litre V6 engine with a slight power increase.

Whether it is worth a 3k hike is the real question as it will likely be slightly slower than the 2wd version in the real world due to extra weight and powersapping 4wd

[Guy Humpage]

jimbro1000 said:

Whether it is worth a 3k hike is the real question as it will likely be slightly slower than the 2wd version in the real world due to extra weight and powersapping 4wd

I'd have thought in the 4wd version would only be slower on paper, in the Real World it would be quicker as you'd be able to get the power down earlier and harder during a typical wet British morning, especially from a standing start.

[jaker]

barbalatte said:

I've actually never heard of a 164 QV "4WD". I though the only 4wd made by Alfa was the 33 16v Permanant 4. Be careful on this one mate.

Surely alfa did a 155 4wd? forget the name, but something Italian and cool sounding...

[lanciachris]

www.italiancar.com.au/pilot/feature012.htm

[Wombat Rick]

jaker said:

Surely alfa did a 155 4wd? forget the name, but something Italian and cool sounding...

155 Q4.

[PetrolTed]

4WD 164 sounds cool. I had a 164 years back. Loved it but wasn't a big fan of front wheel drive in a car that size.

Mind you, driving it again shortly after I'd bought my TVR made me think that the steering was a tad over assisted - I couldn't feel anything!

[trackdemon]

Honestly don't think the 4wd is worth the premium - for sure its the best version of the 164, but the late model 164 Cloverleaf 24v drives pretty good too. I had a 12v Cloverleaf ('92) for a while and loved it - wonderful engine. Huge amount of car for the money and better built / more reliable than you'd imagine. I sold mine to a mate with 67k on the clock and he ran it up to 115k inside 2 years without problem.

[jaker]

Wombat Rick said:

jaker said: Surely alfa did a 155 4wd? forget the name, but something Italian and cool sounding... 155 Q4.

Yeah, but that stands for Quadrifoglio 4...




>> Edited by jaker on Friday 29th October 10:38

[alfaman]

Thanks for the quick replies chaps- the car is LHD , I don't think they were ever made in UK rhd - basically the same as a cloverleaf with a 6sp Getrag box and electric suspension (sounds expensive to fix!! ) - perhaps not worth the premium being asked

[rustybin]

The Q4 is only available in LHD and is fitted with the Cloverleaf engine (24V 3.0 231Bhp) the 4WD system is by Steyr-Puch (same as the Porsche 959 IIRC)and although not unreliable is frighteningly expensive to fix when it does go wrong. The 4WD is rear biased so it does indeed give much better real world performance than the standard cloverleaf as it does not have the same front tyre shredding issues, torque steer etc. as the wrong wheel drive version. The electronic suspension you mention is standard for many 164's, including all cloverleafs, providing two damper settings. Sport keeps the dampers harder permanently, Comfort only stiffens the dampers when accelerating, braking or steering hard or high vertical g is detected. To be honest the difference in feel on the road is barely noticeable. Some faults on this i.e. sensors are reasonably cheap to fix but new shocks, ecu etc. are not. When looking at a car turn on the ignition and you will see a little yellow shock absorber appear on the instrument cluster. If it goes out when the other lights do, all well and good, if it stays on longer, a fault has been detected; not so good.

The price difference seems about right provided that the car has been well looked after. I would seriously suggest getting someone that knows what they are looking at to take a look first and line yourself up a specialist to take care of it afterwards that has experince of the 4WD (obviously these are few and far between as the car was not sold over here).

You may also wish to have a look at the cloverleaf owners forum at: <a href="http://www.pipeandslippers.net/164home.htm">www.pipeandslippers.net/164home.htm</a> They also have a (not very active) forum some of whom may have a bit more experience of the Q4.

Sorry, bit of a ramble, hope some of it helps.

[s]Edited to say. I would be very suspicious of a 2k Cloverleaf. They are one of those cars that you should definitley buy the best you can get, otherwise you can be letting yourself in for some very large bills. FSH is extremely important particularly with belts and oil changes and don't buy anything that has a fault light showing unless you are absolutley sure you know the cost of solving it. Oh, and make sure you get the alarm code and all the right keys. (The owners manual will tell you what they are.) otherwise, simple faults can cost a fortune to resolve.[/s]

>> Edited by rustybin on Friday 29th October 14:01

>> Edited by rustybin on Friday 29th October 14:04

[eddymann]

i have a dutch customer who has the 4 wheel drive 164
they use it in the mountains in winter time when on
ski trips. it sticks to the road like glue,and gives great performance in all conditions.rustybin
has given you all the specs...good luck