It's amazing how much Italian metal £2K Can buy, Alfa GT.
Discussion
I'm Dan, i'm 25 and I've owned various cars since i started driving, some interesting (at least to me) many not.
This has included 4 Ford Cougars... I've now overcome that odd addiction.
Also owned 2 Volvo 340's and badly want another!
Many over various bits of metal that ive enjoyed but nothing ive considered special to drive.
About a year and a half ago my Father decided to part with his Saab 9-3 and offered it to me for £400, how could i say no!? I bought it intending to just run it until it wasn't worth repairing and get rid.. however it refused to ever go wrong. I covered many miles in huge comfort, it had all the toys and was an excellent daily car!
Few pictures of the Saab :
Picking up a cheapo Sofa for my flat.
Road trip to Wales for my friend to pick up an E46
Anyhow, two months ago i got a new job which was a big jump in terms of income and such like, id planned to save up a bit and get something i really wanted instead of something that was convenient.
The shortlist was between a Nissan 350z, an RX8 or an Alfa GT.
I had a soft spot for the 350z's but after driving one i wasnt overly thrilled.
An RX8 was a serious contender but the rotary just put me off, as well as the mpg.
Where i used to work one of the chaps had an Alfa GT JDTM and it was a gorgeous car, he had no trouble with it and always said how good it was! I've always liked the way diesels drive and despite me certainly not needing a diesel for my mileage/driving i wanted one.
So the hunt was on, i wanted a pre DPF Filter Alfa GT JDTM and i had a budget of around £4k.
After a few weeks of searching the prices seemed to vary from £1500 for dogs to £4000 for average ones at a trader.
Sunday night browsing Autotrader i saw a listing that had been up less than an hour! It was an Alfa GT, not really the colour i wanted and it didnt have the leather, but it seemed far too cheap to be true, £2k for the condition and it wasnt too far away, so i messaged the chap and he said i was more than welcome to come down and view it.
So Tuesday after work i picked my Father up and trundles off down to Southampton not intending to buy it really but just to take a look, something had to be majorly wrong with it, right?
Nope.. The private seller was roughly my age and a really nice guy, he had owned it since 2014 and not done too many miles, it had been well looked after and had the cambelt done recently. 83K Miles on the clock, he offered to let me drive it.. at that point i knew i was buying it and made my father drive my Saab back!
So what does £1950 get you in terms of Alfa Romeo?
It's a 2004 Pre DPF JDTM, Completely standard bar an SD/USB/Aux reader he'd plumbed in to the standard radio.
83K Miles pretty much full service history including cambelt last year.
Small scuff on front bumper that'll probably polish out.
Only things not working are reversing sensors which he believed to be the module and not bad to change and the cruise control didnt work for whatever reason, everything else works as it should and it drives lovely!
It was half of my budget and im so impressed with the way it drives.
So far i love it to bits, on the first weekend of owning it me and a friend did a 400 mile round trip all around the north of Devon! up across ex-moor and into Minehead, then back via Cheddar Gorge.
So anyway enough texts here's some pictures of the trip last Sunday!
Future plans are to drive it and enjoy it, looking at taking a trip over to France in it at some point later this year or next year
Only possible modifications im looking at are a partial EGR Blank/Remap. It has more than enough power for what i need and the power delivery is nice but ive heard such good things about remaps on the JDTM Engine!
Possibly a subtle private plate just to hide the age, as i feel its good looking enough to pass for a much newer car!
Also hopefully sometime soon a trip up to the Evo triangle!
This has included 4 Ford Cougars... I've now overcome that odd addiction.
Also owned 2 Volvo 340's and badly want another!
Many over various bits of metal that ive enjoyed but nothing ive considered special to drive.
About a year and a half ago my Father decided to part with his Saab 9-3 and offered it to me for £400, how could i say no!? I bought it intending to just run it until it wasn't worth repairing and get rid.. however it refused to ever go wrong. I covered many miles in huge comfort, it had all the toys and was an excellent daily car!
Few pictures of the Saab :
Picking up a cheapo Sofa for my flat.
Road trip to Wales for my friend to pick up an E46
Anyhow, two months ago i got a new job which was a big jump in terms of income and such like, id planned to save up a bit and get something i really wanted instead of something that was convenient.
The shortlist was between a Nissan 350z, an RX8 or an Alfa GT.
I had a soft spot for the 350z's but after driving one i wasnt overly thrilled.
An RX8 was a serious contender but the rotary just put me off, as well as the mpg.
Where i used to work one of the chaps had an Alfa GT JDTM and it was a gorgeous car, he had no trouble with it and always said how good it was! I've always liked the way diesels drive and despite me certainly not needing a diesel for my mileage/driving i wanted one.
So the hunt was on, i wanted a pre DPF Filter Alfa GT JDTM and i had a budget of around £4k.
After a few weeks of searching the prices seemed to vary from £1500 for dogs to £4000 for average ones at a trader.
Sunday night browsing Autotrader i saw a listing that had been up less than an hour! It was an Alfa GT, not really the colour i wanted and it didnt have the leather, but it seemed far too cheap to be true, £2k for the condition and it wasnt too far away, so i messaged the chap and he said i was more than welcome to come down and view it.
So Tuesday after work i picked my Father up and trundles off down to Southampton not intending to buy it really but just to take a look, something had to be majorly wrong with it, right?
Nope.. The private seller was roughly my age and a really nice guy, he had owned it since 2014 and not done too many miles, it had been well looked after and had the cambelt done recently. 83K Miles on the clock, he offered to let me drive it.. at that point i knew i was buying it and made my father drive my Saab back!
So what does £1950 get you in terms of Alfa Romeo?
It's a 2004 Pre DPF JDTM, Completely standard bar an SD/USB/Aux reader he'd plumbed in to the standard radio.
83K Miles pretty much full service history including cambelt last year.
Small scuff on front bumper that'll probably polish out.
Only things not working are reversing sensors which he believed to be the module and not bad to change and the cruise control didnt work for whatever reason, everything else works as it should and it drives lovely!
It was half of my budget and im so impressed with the way it drives.
So far i love it to bits, on the first weekend of owning it me and a friend did a 400 mile round trip all around the north of Devon! up across ex-moor and into Minehead, then back via Cheddar Gorge.
So anyway enough texts here's some pictures of the trip last Sunday!
Future plans are to drive it and enjoy it, looking at taking a trip over to France in it at some point later this year or next year
Only possible modifications im looking at are a partial EGR Blank/Remap. It has more than enough power for what i need and the power delivery is nice but ive heard such good things about remaps on the JDTM Engine!
Possibly a subtle private plate just to hide the age, as i feel its good looking enough to pass for a much newer car!
Also hopefully sometime soon a trip up to the Evo triangle!
Looks like you've got a bargain there! Everyone raves about the 3.2 Busso engine and whilst it's a pretty phenomenal unit, the T Spark petrols and JTDM's have always had character in their own right. I did 85k on a 2012 Giulietta Veloce 2.0 JTDM 140 and absolutely loved it - I was gutted to sell that car but it was the right move at the time. It actually sounded good for a Diesel engine and when you pushed it, had really good performance (8.5 secs to 60 and 130mph) and still delivered high 40 mpg tank average with a mix of motorways and fun on A/B roads. Look forward to reading how you get in with the GT but enjoy it! 
Good choice there...but I am a bit biased as I have a 2005 Alfa156 JTDM 150 !
Mine has the same engine as yours. I have had the EGR blanked off ( bought stainless steel one from Poland for about £15 !) and if you get the one with the holes in they do not require remapping )
I had a remap a few years ago ( up to about 190BHP) and have done 30,000 miles with that. It was the best £200 I have ever spent on any car ! The torque delivery is amazing, and if you get the 4 wheel alignment done properly, they handle really well. IIRC the GT has a very similar chassis as it was the successor to the 156.
You may know about this...but apparently the door handles can be a bit of an issue on the GTs, since they are prone to breaking, and they are no longer available from Alfa.
I get about 43 mpg day in day out on a regular 70 mile A road/motorway commute.
The Alfas of that period were the best IMO, they were made in the Arese factory, and had the real 'Alfa DNA' which has since been diluted somewhat ( in the mainstream models anyway )
Mine has the same engine as yours. I have had the EGR blanked off ( bought stainless steel one from Poland for about £15 !) and if you get the one with the holes in they do not require remapping )
I had a remap a few years ago ( up to about 190BHP) and have done 30,000 miles with that. It was the best £200 I have ever spent on any car ! The torque delivery is amazing, and if you get the 4 wheel alignment done properly, they handle really well. IIRC the GT has a very similar chassis as it was the successor to the 156.
You may know about this...but apparently the door handles can be a bit of an issue on the GTs, since they are prone to breaking, and they are no longer available from Alfa.
I get about 43 mpg day in day out on a regular 70 mile A road/motorway commute.
The Alfas of that period were the best IMO, they were made in the Arese factory, and had the real 'Alfa DNA' which has since been diluted somewhat ( in the mainstream models anyway )
Nice GT !
I'm in the same boat. Currently waiting like an over excited schoolboy for the banks to open, so that I can go and collect my 2007 Alfa 147 jtdm . I desperately needed a cheap car for a grand or less and had been resigned to a cheap tiref focus/fiesta and had a chance look at the local Gumtree. It's had its cambelt/waterpump changed this year 101k with full service and £995 !
The owner is a bit pissed off because he thinks he priced it too low lol
I'm in the same boat. Currently waiting like an over excited schoolboy for the banks to open, so that I can go and collect my 2007 Alfa 147 jtdm
. I desperately needed a cheap car for a grand or less and had been resigned to a cheap tiref focus/fiesta and had a chance look at the local Gumtree. It's had its cambelt/waterpump changed this year 101k with full service and £995 !The owner is a bit pissed off because he thinks he priced it too low lol
Great choice.
Had a 55 plate same spec. Unfortunately had a few issues over the 3 years I had it :
- new egr
- waterpump pulley seized on m6 which in turn snapped the camber
- Passenger door fell off...
- Few issues with the master cylinder
- Front wishbones seemed to go every year
But I also had it remapped and it makes a nice difference. I also chose the cloth seats. Leather may look better but it's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter !
Had a 55 plate same spec. Unfortunately had a few issues over the 3 years I had it :
- new egr
- waterpump pulley seized on m6 which in turn snapped the camber
- Passenger door fell off...
- Few issues with the master cylinder
- Front wishbones seemed to go every year
But I also had it remapped and it makes a nice difference. I also chose the cloth seats. Leather may look better but it's too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter !
Cheers for the replies chap, im certainly over the moon with it so far and can see it staying for a while!
It really is impressive what such little money gets you due to what i guess is people being afraid of older cars.
It's performing first date duties with a lovely girl tomorrow and im hoping it'll charm her because if that doesn't work im out of ideas.
Once ive sold the old Saab i'll use that money for a remap and a few bits to tidy it up, other than that just trying to get some nice driving in it before the summer ends so i imagine evo triangle soon!
It really is impressive what such little money gets you due to what i guess is people being afraid of older cars.
It's performing first date duties with a lovely girl tomorrow and im hoping it'll charm her because if that doesn't work im out of ideas.
Once ive sold the old Saab i'll use that money for a remap and a few bits to tidy it up, other than that just trying to get some nice driving in it before the summer ends so i imagine evo triangle soon!
Hi guys my first post but it's good to see that I'm not the only Alfa geek out there. I've had a 147 for five years and now own a GT. Great cars both of them. They all seem to suffer from the same problems. Both cars faults have been the same ERG valve. Blank it off the blank with holes in it squeaky clutch peddle and so on. But great value for money. My GT cost £4000 two years ago with only 48000 miles on the clock. Had the tyres replaced and can belt done and that's about it. Goes like a train pulls like a horse and 40 plus mpg great car
I got my GT for £900, and it was a 3.2 with only 35k on the clock. Of course there was a downside - most of the engine was in pieces in the boot, the cambelt had failed and it was abandoned by its owner.
Father in law has a GT diesel, and I've got a 156 2.4, so pretty familiar with these. They're absolutely great cars, fine handling when setup properly and suspension in good condition. Some pointers:
- they remap well, and it improves the engine no end. But - get a season ticket for Mr Clutch if you are taking it hard off the line.
- most of the suspension horror stories are from people who bought cheap parts. TRW (OE) arms are good for 60k miles. Rear arms do just wear out, but they cost about £30 a side and are cheap to replace. Unbranded eBay arms frequently break as the car is lowered after fitting them.
- leather interiors are cheap as others have noted.
- door handles are indeed fragile. Don't swing on them!
- they're very battery sensitive. If the car goes bats
t and all the lights come on on the dash ... change the battery
- get all the rust underneath scraped off and under sealed properly. An 04 plate (like mine) will not be serious.....yet....
Father in law has a GT diesel, and I've got a 156 2.4, so pretty familiar with these. They're absolutely great cars, fine handling when setup properly and suspension in good condition. Some pointers:
- they remap well, and it improves the engine no end. But - get a season ticket for Mr Clutch if you are taking it hard off the line.
- most of the suspension horror stories are from people who bought cheap parts. TRW (OE) arms are good for 60k miles. Rear arms do just wear out, but they cost about £30 a side and are cheap to replace. Unbranded eBay arms frequently break as the car is lowered after fitting them.
- leather interiors are cheap as others have noted.
- door handles are indeed fragile. Don't swing on them!
- they're very battery sensitive. If the car goes bats
t and all the lights come on on the dash ... change the battery- get all the rust underneath scraped off and under sealed properly. An 04 plate (like mine) will not be serious.....yet....
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