Alfa Romeo 147 what to look out for?

[confucuis]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of buying one for my first car and I'm going to view a 147 in the next few days, its a 2006 with 87,000 miles on the clock. I've been told by the dealer it was looked after "fastidiously" by the previous owner, a Fiat mechanic and "everything" has been done and has a current NCT (or MOT in Britain). I've been told the "timing belt just done 2000 km ago at 140000 km, all new bushings and suspension, new battery, just serviced All good tyres".

In case I've been misled, what should I look out for? What tell tale signs would show that somethings wrong? I know they tend to use a lot of oil and should check whats in the engine. Do they suffer from rust and if so where?

Any info would be appreciated!

[Vitorio]

Listen for creaking from the front suspension when going over a hump, that'll be the front upper wishbones. Also, see if you can see the underside of it, 147s arent impervious to rust, although they arent that bad either.

Timing belt should last 36K miles or 3 years, whichever comes first (assuming its a twinspark), oil should be looked after well, as going below the low mark risks lunching the big end bearings. If its a 1.6 120hp or 2.0, also check if the cam variator has been done with the belt, its not mandatory, but most variators will die at some point, producing a diesel-y clatter at startup. Plugs last 36K (105 1.6 model) or 60K, but are a bit dear if needing replacement, so worth checking.

Thermostat will also occasionally die on the TS units, easy enough to spot (engine wont reach 90 degs quickly)

The rest is just normal maintenance/wear and tear stuff, breaks etc.. If its a 105hp unit, check (just for curiosity's sake) whether it has solid or vented discs at the front, mine came with vented ones, but apparently some were sold with solid discs.

Generally speaking the 147 is a solid car, and if well looked after will be a solid ride.


EDIT:

Also, check out this thread:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[Nigel_O]

Rust is a big concern. All of the 147/156/GT models seem to be prone to it, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern.

I've seen monster-mile sheds with no rust at all and I've seen really shiny low mileage examples with holes you can get your hand through

The problem area is the floorpan - pretty much all of it from the front subframe all the way to the back. It starts off as surface rust, but if not caught very quickly, it can kill the car on a couple of winters.

Best buy would be a diesel with an oil leak - permanently-replenished rust proofing.....

[heymoa]

What do high mile 147's drive like? I have had high mile Audi' that still seem like new, do the 147's hold together as well of can you tell they have done a ton of miles?

[Vitorio]

heymoa said:

What do high mile 147's drive like? I have had high mile Audi' that still seem like new, do the 147's hold together as well of can you tell they have done a ton of miles?

Mine has done 120K, there are the interior creaks (which i would assume they did when new as well), and in my case the gear shifter is a bit loose, but otherwise it still feels very solid. The interior build quality is superior to that of say, a mito. The handling is quite nice as well, it feels confident around corners. This off course will vary with the state of suspension bushings and components, by mine so far has been an excellent drive.

I dont push the engine very hard, as its only a 105hp 1.6, and i dont feel like grenading my engine because of boy racer aspirations, but when i do push the car, it feels confident, and coming from a decade of (nearly) new company cars, im positively surprised by how solid this 15 year old italian feels.

Im only really worried about rust and the engine, either severe underbody rust, or the engine eating its crank (which i try to prevent by keeping a very close eye on the oil level), is probably what would kill a car this age.