Luigi the green 147
Discussion
Meet Luigi, the green 147:
Luigi is a 105hp 1.6 twinspark powered 147, and will be replacing my derv company car, which is nearing the end of its lease.
I was rather budget constrained looking for a privately owned car, so set about looking at any alfa close by costing less then €2k. Initially i had my heart set on a 1.8ts 156SW, but finding a decent example proved hard. I saw a red one, which could hardly be described as red anymore (more 50 shades of pink), with the interior probably worse then the outside... A couple of other sorry looking alfas i found Luigi, at the top of my budget, sitting on horrible black 17" tuning rims, at a local alfa specialist.
A test-drive revealed a top suspension arm and the thermostat as being knackered, and luckily the seller had a set of original distinctive rims in stock, with good rubber, and considering he had already gotten inquiries to buy the black 17" monstrosities seperately was happy to swap some proper alfa wheels on before sale. Besides the suspension arm and thermostat luigi also get a new MOT and cam-belt
So now im slowly starting to get it into proper shape, today ive swapped the air and cabin filters, given it a wash and applied those QV stickers (for good luck you see?) next on the to-do list is an oil and plug swap, taking care of some surface rust on the bottom and cleaning the interior, and then hope itll do the better part of a year without throwing big bills.
Im quite happy with it now, its not the cleanest/optically perfect car, but at only €2k i got a pretty nice car, it corners sharply, has a good amount of kit (bi-zone climate control, cruise control), and i never realized how much i missed the sound of a revving petrol engine, taking it above 5k rpm just sounds excellent
Luigi is a 105hp 1.6 twinspark powered 147, and will be replacing my derv company car, which is nearing the end of its lease.
I was rather budget constrained looking for a privately owned car, so set about looking at any alfa close by costing less then €2k. Initially i had my heart set on a 1.8ts 156SW, but finding a decent example proved hard. I saw a red one, which could hardly be described as red anymore (more 50 shades of pink), with the interior probably worse then the outside... A couple of other sorry looking alfas i found Luigi, at the top of my budget, sitting on horrible black 17" tuning rims, at a local alfa specialist.
A test-drive revealed a top suspension arm and the thermostat as being knackered, and luckily the seller had a set of original distinctive rims in stock, with good rubber, and considering he had already gotten inquiries to buy the black 17" monstrosities seperately was happy to swap some proper alfa wheels on before sale. Besides the suspension arm and thermostat luigi also get a new MOT and cam-belt
So now im slowly starting to get it into proper shape, today ive swapped the air and cabin filters, given it a wash and applied those QV stickers (for good luck you see?) next on the to-do list is an oil and plug swap, taking care of some surface rust on the bottom and cleaning the interior, and then hope itll do the better part of a year without throwing big bills.
Im quite happy with it now, its not the cleanest/optically perfect car, but at only €2k i got a pretty nice car, it corners sharply, has a good amount of kit (bi-zone climate control, cruise control), and i never realized how much i missed the sound of a revving petrol engine, taking it above 5k rpm just sounds excellent
And Luigi just received a fresh set of plugs, happy that i did, considering the ones coming out where the same 60.000km ones, and he's done 180k so far, so they were probably up for replacement.
Also took it out for a little run to see if all is well, and it was, cant wait to put it in a DIY garage and change the oil though, ill feel better knowing exactly what is in there and how old it is.
I really do enjoy the light and direct steering, quite a world away from the derv megane, and i think with about an inch of drop and fresh rubbers and a strut-bar itll feel very go-kart like
Also took it out for a little run to see if all is well, and it was, cant wait to put it in a DIY garage and change the oil though, ill feel better knowing exactly what is in there and how old it is.
I really do enjoy the light and direct steering, quite a world away from the derv megane, and i think with about an inch of drop and fresh rubbers and a strut-bar itll feel very go-kart like
Thanks guys!
Yeah, i wasnt too fond of the colour at first sight, but it really does look a lot better in the metal than it does on pics, and the beige cloth interior and standard rims do a good job of making it look stylish, if it does well in terms of costing me money (as in, cost me little), ill treat it to a creme leather interior in about a year or so, i also want to replace the crappy pioneer stereo with an original alfa unit.
And yeah, this is very much in shed territory in UK terms, a 14 year old 147 with 120K miles on the clock (and numerous blemishes) would be worth very little in the UK i imagine, i still love it though, it is a cracking little car.
Yeah, i wasnt too fond of the colour at first sight, but it really does look a lot better in the metal than it does on pics, and the beige cloth interior and standard rims do a good job of making it look stylish, if it does well in terms of costing me money (as in, cost me little), ill treat it to a creme leather interior in about a year or so, i also want to replace the crappy pioneer stereo with an original alfa unit.
And yeah, this is very much in shed territory in UK terms, a 14 year old 147 with 120K miles on the clock (and numerous blemishes) would be worth very little in the UK i imagine, i still love it though, it is a cracking little car.
Some minor jobs done in the past few months:
- replaced fugly pioneer radio with an original alfa unit, i lose mp3/usb capability, but i dont need to deal with a removable front, and i dont cringe everytime i look at the dash
- had the rear tires replaced, the ones on there were badly cupped, and the endless "wump wump wump" following me around got old fast..
- restored the original 3 point belt at the rear left, previous owner had stuffed it all into the c pilar (breaking the plastic trim in the process) since there was a small cut/fraying in the belt, but since it wont be holding a full-fat adult, it should be safer then the 2 point he bodged in.
It's also been doing daily driving duties for three weeks now, and done well so far, mileage is decent (got 650km out of 50 litres), ive got some time off work coming up, so i might just spend a few hours giving it a proper clean.
- replaced fugly pioneer radio with an original alfa unit, i lose mp3/usb capability, but i dont need to deal with a removable front, and i dont cringe everytime i look at the dash
- had the rear tires replaced, the ones on there were badly cupped, and the endless "wump wump wump" following me around got old fast..
- restored the original 3 point belt at the rear left, previous owner had stuffed it all into the c pilar (breaking the plastic trim in the process) since there was a small cut/fraying in the belt, but since it wont be holding a full-fat adult, it should be safer then the 2 point he bodged in.
It's also been doing daily driving duties for three weeks now, and done well so far, mileage is decent (got 650km out of 50 litres), ive got some time off work coming up, so i might just spend a few hours giving it a proper clean.
Re the stereo, I have a 156JTDM 150, and originally had the OEM Alfa unit which looks fine.... but after replacing it with a decent Kenwood head unit with MP3/iPod link etc, I upgraded the speakers which made an amazing difference. Someone on either alfa156.net or alfaowner.com ( it was a while ago!) did the same and I ordered the same speakers which were IIRC JBLs. They are a direct replacement, and sit behind the original plastic covers so look OEM.
I did all 4 ( they were co-axials so I disconnected the front tweeters) and the sound difference was well worth it. Quite a simple job, and the JBLs were about £25 each pair. off ebay. The magnets are so much heavier, and the cones are not made of 'paper' like the factory ones.
I would concur that yours need leather ( both my previous 156 1.8TS and my current 156 have black leather which is so comfortable. )
Like the paint colour of your 147.
Once you have driven/owned an Alfa you will be hooked ! ....other cars are so boring !!
I did all 4 ( they were co-axials so I disconnected the front tweeters) and the sound difference was well worth it. Quite a simple job, and the JBLs were about £25 each pair. off ebay. The magnets are so much heavier, and the cones are not made of 'paper' like the factory ones.
I would concur that yours need leather ( both my previous 156 1.8TS and my current 156 have black leather which is so comfortable. )
Like the paint colour of your 147.
Once you have driven/owned an Alfa you will be hooked ! ....other cars are so boring !!
Thanks for the tip regarding the stereo, so far im OK with how it is, i just need to get my hands on some more CDs (CDs? whats that grandpa? 
)
Leather is on the list, but not just yet. This car should work out cheaper then my lease, so ill be saving up some of those savings to handle potential borkage first before splashing out on non-essentials, and i kind of want to save for Luigi's successor as well (have my heart set on a GT next).
Yesterday after dropping off the kids i took the long scenic route back home, and it is a joy to drive, sure it is only a modest 1.6 litre hatchback, but its an alfa, and im hooked
)Leather is on the list, but not just yet. This car should work out cheaper then my lease, so ill be saving up some of those savings to handle potential borkage first before splashing out on non-essentials, and i kind of want to save for Luigi's successor as well (have my heart set on a GT next).
Yesterday after dropping off the kids i took the long scenic route back home, and it is a joy to drive, sure it is only a modest 1.6 litre hatchback, but its an alfa, and im hooked
If /when I replace my 2005 156 JTDM 150 ( remapped to about 190BHP) I shall be after a GT with the same engine...remapped of course ! The torque is amazing in 3rd/4th/4th/6th gear and it still returns about 43 mpg however it is driven. I have never driven or even sat in a GT, but the chassis and running gear is almost the same as my 156, so it should be good. Only thing is, I much prefer the design of the 156 which to me is perfection....! But then again I am biased !
Paul S4 said:
If /when I replace my 2005 156 JTDM 150 ( remapped to about 190BHP) I shall be after a GT with the same engine...remapped of course ! The torque is amazing in 3rd/4th/4th/6th gear and it still returns about 43 mpg however it is driven. I have never driven or even sat in a GT, but the chassis and running gear is almost the same as my 156, so it should be good. Only thing is, I much prefer the design of the 156 which to me is perfection....! But then again I am biased !
The 156 is a drop dead gorgeous car, no denying that!The GT is also very much on my list, if luigi manages to stay together long enough for me to save up for a good one, a GT it'll be! I presume if you go for a diesel GT you will be on the lookout for one of the 170hp models fitted with the Q2 diff right?
Personally id be fine with whatever engine in the GT, sure id prefer a V6, and if mileage is expected to be high itll be a diesel, but id expect even the 1.8 to be enjoyable.
I have not researched the GT as yet ; I am happy with my 156 ! I did go as far as writing out an advert for it in the winter, but decided to keep it as it offers so much and is not worth a lot ( except to me !)
But to answer your question, I would consider the 170BHP version,( particularly if that was remapped to over 200....!)
I also prefer the 4 doors and proper boot of the 156, and the instruments in my car are more 'traditional Alfa' ie the 3 central dials with the two main ones in front.
The last photo of the 156 was taken in the South of France about a month ago: I drove from Newcastle to Monaco for the Historic F1 Weekend, and the car was brilliant; never missed a beat and did not use any oil at all (!). Not bad considering the engine has 130,000 miles on it now !
I have also done a couple of track days at Croft Race Circuit, and the remap made a big difference as you would expect ! Mine is the JTDM 150 and has the Veloce sports suspension.
But to answer your question, I would consider the 170BHP version,( particularly if that was remapped to over 200....!)
I also prefer the 4 doors and proper boot of the 156, and the instruments in my car are more 'traditional Alfa' ie the 3 central dials with the two main ones in front.
The last photo of the 156 was taken in the South of France about a month ago: I drove from Newcastle to Monaco for the Historic F1 Weekend, and the car was brilliant; never missed a beat and did not use any oil at all (!). Not bad considering the engine has 130,000 miles on it now !
I have also done a couple of track days at Croft Race Circuit, and the remap made a big difference as you would expect ! Mine is the JTDM 150 and has the Veloce sports suspension.
Paul S4 said:
I have not researched the GT as yet ; I am happy with my 156 ! I did go as far as writing out an advert for it in the winter, but decided to keep it as it offers so much and is not worth a lot ( except to me !)
But to answer your question, I would consider the 170BHP version,( particularly if that was remapped to over 200....!)
I also prefer the 4 doors and proper boot of the 156, and the instruments in my car are more 'traditional Alfa' ie the 3 central dials with the two main ones in front.
You've got a good point on the 4 doors and proper boot, i might actually just stick with 147s for a while, Luigi is just short enough to parallel park in front of my house, no way that'd work with a GTBut to answer your question, I would consider the 170BHP version,( particularly if that was remapped to over 200....!)
I also prefer the 4 doors and proper boot of the 156, and the instruments in my car are more 'traditional Alfa' ie the 3 central dials with the two main ones in front.
Its all academic though, no budget for a new car any time soon.
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