Alfa 159 Ti

[Ben91]

Hi all,

I think it's time I started a thread on my current car, an Alfa 159.

I chose the 159 as I am an Alfaholic and I love the look of these cars, especially the front.

Oh, and it was red, that's the other major box ticked for me.

The car itself is a Ti model and has the 1.9JTD Diesel engine, which is ideal for me spending most of my time in the car commuting.

Time for a couple pictures;











So far I've done a few thousand miles and had a trip round Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park where I went across the Dukes Pass and also the Three Lochs Forest drive. The forest drive is gravel roads passing through Lochan Reòidhte, Loch Drunkie and Loch Achray with some lovely views.



I've not much planned modifications wise although I will try find a better headunit with SatNav & DAB functions.

I've been following other threads where people are heading into Europe and hopefully next year I will be loading the Alfa up and heading off as well.

Thanks for reading,

Ben.

[Brads67]

Bloody hell that's a nice looking car !


As an aside, what is reckoned to be the best engine for a 159 ?

[Vitorio]

Brads67 said:

As an aside, what is reckoned to be the best engine for a 159 ?

Probably the 1750TB or any of the diesels. The other petrol options all have their niggles (1.8 mpi is considered underpowered, the 4 cilinder JTS engine have timing chain problems, the 3.2 is considered poorer then the old busso V6)

If i had the mileage to justify a diesel, i'd have the 2.4 5 cilinder diesel myself

[Farlig]

Brads67 said:

As an aside, what is reckoned to be the best engine for a 159 ?

Though not the busso, I'd still vote for the 3.2 V6...

[anonymous-user]

Very nice, would like one in a few years when I can afford it. Are the diesels faster / more fun to drive than the petrols? They seem much more popular.

[davebem]

Very nice, great colour combination. I have a 159 as my daily, last week I did around 1000 miles and they are such a nice place to be inside so comfortable and great motorway cars. On the 1.9 theres a few minor pitfalls, make sure the manifold is not gunked up and keep the map sensor clean (the egr dumps all its soot over it), they should not feel slow. Also keep the gearbox oil overfilled to about 3 litres and change every 2 years or so. If your keeping it a long time keep an eye on the subframe as the factory powder coating can flake off.

Edited by davebem on Sunday 31st July 21:17

[Ben91]

Engine wise the 2.4 Diesel seems very popular with the remap as said above, the mpg isn't too good which pointed me towards the 1.9. I previoisly had this engine in a GT and was quite happy with it.

davebem said:

Very nice, great colour combination. I have a 159 as my daily, last week I did around 1000 miles and they are such a nice place to be inside so comfortable and great motorway cars. On the 1.9 theres a few minor pitfalls, make sure the manifold is not gunked up and keep the map sensor clean (the egr dumps all its soot over it), they should not feel slow. Also keep the gearbox oil overfilled to about 3 litres and change every 2 years or so. If your keeping it a long time keep an eye on the subframe as the factory powder coating can flake off.

Edited by davebem on Sunday 31st July 21:17

I think the manifold is a bit gunked up, it had the EGR mapped out by the east owner but it was still on 70000 Miles. I'm going to fit an EGR blank plate just to ensure it's sealed off. MAP sensor was cleaned the other day and sure enough was completely covered in lovely sooty deposits.
The gearbox was rebuilt before I bought it, but will keep the 2 year oil changes in mind thanks.

[TheOversteerLever]

Great looking cars

[Prizam]

lovely car!

[jumare]

I've got an '07 1.9JTDm (160bhp) sportwagon, great car although and good value to buy compared to BMW/Audi. Wife doesn't like it though.

Just had the front sub-frame painted up, looked pretty bad. Apart from a wheel bearing and a new battery has been reliable (~20K in 2 years).

A main point of going for a 159 where the looks and the interior is a nice place to be.

Mark

[Ben91]

It's been 5 months since I bought the car and thought it was time for a update with how I'm getting along. I'm still enjoying it and it certainly makes the commute more enjoyable with the nice interior and now the cold has started the heated seats are a nice luxury. For those interested it has returned 48mpg average over the 8000 miles I've done commuting.



It's been fairly reliable and nothing major has gone wrong (Touch wood!), needing a new battery and a coil spring went last month. A new set of wishbones has also been needed and these were fitted with adjustable power flex bushes to sort a camber issue wearing the tyres on the inside edge.

I just got round to getting a better Headunit fitted, I chose the Pioneer SPH-DA120 mainly for the Apple Car Play compatibility. It has been a hassle to fit requiring a new aerial to get the FM working correctly.



It has also developed an 'Alfa Quirk'



The gauge light works only when it feels like it

Thanks for reading and to finish a picture which has managed to hide most of the dirt covering it just now.

[DaveyBoyWonder]

I wanted an estate version of one of these but the missus wasn't so keen. That interior and dash

[f1nn]

Yep, lovely!

[True Gaucho]

Lovely car. I had a 1750 TBi for 2 years and absolutely loved it. It was my first "serious" car. Really well put together and super stylish! My car was Stromboli Grey and had the grey wheels like yours. I felt that, whilst nice, the mirrored wing mirror caps clashed with that look, and so swapped them for body colour ones. If you're after a bit of extra poke. Alfatune in the Wirral (Liverpool) are renowned for their expertise with remapping these cars.

Enjoy your beautiful Alfa! I have defected to ze Germans (Porsche) for now, but am seriously tempted by the new Giulia QV...

[rxe]

Ours is a Ti estate in black, 2.4. With a remap, a deceptively quick car, but not that nimble round the corners. Only downside for us so far is that the dog has learned how to press the button on the seats to get out of the boot (damn German Shepherd, smarter than we are and the children taught her).

Other than that - pretty good, I see no reason to change it at the moment (58 plate, 80K miles).

[MDMA .]

I think these are the best looking saloon car of the last decade. Especially in TI guise. Would have a 1750 TI in white please with carbon dash if possible.

[E320]

Lovely. Possibly the finest looking saloon of its time (estate-wise I still prefer its predecessor). Nearly bought one several years ago, but couldn't stretch to the engine I wanted: the 1750.

Maybe it's time to look again....

Glad you're enjoying you're enjoying yours and looking after it.

[TerryThomas]

rxe said:

Only downside for us so far is that the dog has learned how to press the button on the seats to get out of the boot (damn German Shepherd, smarter than we are and the children taught her).

Serves you right for putting the kid's in boot.

[Paul S4]

Great car....but then I am also an Alfisti !

I am on my second 156, this one has the same ( similar to yours I think) 1.9JTDM 150 engine which is great.
I got mine with about 65,000 on it, had it remapped to about 190 BHP at around 90,000. The remap was the best £200 I have ever spent on a car....it was the 'bit of both' remap, ie economy and performance, so the fuel consumption stayed the same at around 43 mpg ( that is 'actual mpg' worked out with pen & paper as the computer on the car is way over optimistic!)

I have read that it may not be wise to remap a 1.9 diesel 159, as the gearbox is not as strong as the 2.0 & 2.4 , but I guess that you will have done your homework on that anyway since you are familiar with Alfas.

I am considering a 159 as well, so reading up as much as I can. There is a good thread on alfaowner.com re the EGR delete and swirl flaps etc, which I understand are on the GT you had and also the 159 diesels.

I got an EGR blanking plate ( with holes) which was a good improvement and well worth the £15 inc delivery from Poland !

I quite fancy a 159 2.4 with a remap....

Edited by Paul S4 on Monday 21st November 20:27

[Pacman1978]

That is one seriously good looking motor, really does make German offerings look dull, ugly and generic. Best colour for it too.

:-)