New car need urgently, any advise please
Discussion
Evening
Sadly my trusty Volvo S60 d5 clutch expired today leaving me in the mire. At £1200 cost on a 52 plate i suspect it will now be broken.
The obvious solution it to replace with the same, but I have been looking at Autotrader and have always had a lust for an Alfa.
Looking at a couple tomorrow:-
A 159 2.4 JTDM manual. Nice looking but interior bland black leather.
Or
A 159 2.2 JTS, with a lovely interior.
Both are possibles but as an Alfa novice any guidance would be really appreciated
With thanks
Sadly my trusty Volvo S60 d5 clutch expired today leaving me in the mire. At £1200 cost on a 52 plate i suspect it will now be broken.
The obvious solution it to replace with the same, but I have been looking at Autotrader and have always had a lust for an Alfa.
Looking at a couple tomorrow:-
A 159 2.4 JTDM manual. Nice looking but interior bland black leather.
Or
A 159 2.2 JTS, with a lovely interior.
Both are possibles but as an Alfa novice any guidance would be really appreciated
With thanks
Go for the diesel. Trust me on this the diesel. I had a 159 Jtdm brand new in 2007 and went back to Alfa with a little 147Jtdm a few months ago. I think the perceived wisdom is to go for the 1.9 rather than the 2.4. Ive been looking at 159 prices and they seem exceptional value. Think I might try and get a really nice 159 Ti next summer.
Allright, 159 engines, here we go
The 4 cylinder JTS units are GM (vauxhall) bottom ends with an alfa JTS head on top, they suffer from timing chain stretch (both vauxhall and alfa units), which is an expensive fix, vauxhall did a recall, alfa did not, some JTS engines will have the GM fix applied, some will have a new chain, some will be on the original chain, and potentially need fixing in the near future.
The 2.4 JTDM is a beast of an engine, 5 cylinders, 200-210 hp and a boatload of torque. Apparently though, the 200hp version isnt the best to pick, a local engine tuning company (squadra-tuning.nl, specializes in alfas) thinks the turbo isnt well matched, and sees a big difference between what the 200hp can do vs the 210 version.
Id pick the diesel any day out of those two, but id probably hunt down a 210hp version to be sure.
Other options include
1.8 mpi, no real known issues, but with 140hp for a relatively heavy car, it is considered a bit weak
1.9 jts, same issue as the 2.2 with the timing chain
1750TBi, excellent modern turbo engine, daddy of the unit in the giulietta QV/Veloce, and 4C
3.2 V6 JTS, not the old Busso V6, and apparently some have chain issues as well, although not near as bad as the 4 pots
1.9/2.0 JTDm, any diesel is a good pick really, the 8v 1.9 with ~115hp isnt a huge powerhouse for a car this size, but its not bad, 16v and later 2.0 units are off course more powerful
The 4 cylinder JTS units are GM (vauxhall) bottom ends with an alfa JTS head on top, they suffer from timing chain stretch (both vauxhall and alfa units), which is an expensive fix, vauxhall did a recall, alfa did not, some JTS engines will have the GM fix applied, some will have a new chain, some will be on the original chain, and potentially need fixing in the near future.
The 2.4 JTDM is a beast of an engine, 5 cylinders, 200-210 hp and a boatload of torque. Apparently though, the 200hp version isnt the best to pick, a local engine tuning company (squadra-tuning.nl, specializes in alfas) thinks the turbo isnt well matched, and sees a big difference between what the 200hp can do vs the 210 version.
Id pick the diesel any day out of those two, but id probably hunt down a 210hp version to be sure.
Other options include
1.8 mpi, no real known issues, but with 140hp for a relatively heavy car, it is considered a bit weak
1.9 jts, same issue as the 2.2 with the timing chain
1750TBi, excellent modern turbo engine, daddy of the unit in the giulietta QV/Veloce, and 4C
3.2 V6 JTS, not the old Busso V6, and apparently some have chain issues as well, although not near as bad as the 4 pots
1.9/2.0 JTDm, any diesel is a good pick really, the 8v 1.9 with ~115hp isnt a huge powerhouse for a car this size, but its not bad, 16v and later 2.0 units are off course more powerful
The 2.2 JTS is a torquey engine, not a sporty one, I found it a nice match to the car.
The 1750TBi is easily the best engine available in the 159.
The 3.2 V6 is a glutton, sound is nice but it was supposed to drink less than the Busso and is actually far worse.
I don't know about the JTD as they do not drink from the right tap.
So: I'd go for the nice interior with the 2.2 engine, with the caveat mentioned above regarding the timing chain.
The 1750TBi is easily the best engine available in the 159.
The 3.2 V6 is a glutton, sound is nice but it was supposed to drink less than the Busso and is actually far worse.
I don't know about the JTD as they do not drink from the right tap.
So: I'd go for the nice interior with the 2.2 engine, with the caveat mentioned above regarding the timing chain.
The challenge is getting a good diesel.
Weak points:
- Inlet manifold and swirl flaps - these coke up, hard fix with expensive parts. Depends on how the car has been driven, and whether the EGR has been deleted.
- Head cracking - seems to happen at high mileages occasionally.
To avoid the inlet manifold issues, you need a remapped car with no EGR. To avoid the head cracking issues, you need an unremapped car that has not been thrashed. Hmmm.
Other than those two problems, not much goes wrong, other than the usual glow plug stuff.
On a test drive:
- Walk away from anything that hesitates on acceleration. Run it in third all the way from 1500 rpm to 4000, hard acceleration - it should pull like a train.
- The turbo should be silent. If it whistles like a jet engine, it’s knackered.
Weak points:
- Inlet manifold and swirl flaps - these coke up, hard fix with expensive parts. Depends on how the car has been driven, and whether the EGR has been deleted.
- Head cracking - seems to happen at high mileages occasionally.
To avoid the inlet manifold issues, you need a remapped car with no EGR. To avoid the head cracking issues, you need an unremapped car that has not been thrashed. Hmmm.
Other than those two problems, not much goes wrong, other than the usual glow plug stuff.
On a test drive:
- Walk away from anything that hesitates on acceleration. Run it in third all the way from 1500 rpm to 4000, hard acceleration - it should pull like a train.
- The turbo should be silent. If it whistles like a jet engine, it’s knackered.
Well i looked at a few today
The 2.4 had just sold
A 1.9 with cloth interior and 110,000 miles, 08 plate. No evidence of cambelt and some history. Nice colour. 4 mismatching Chinese tyres £3500.00
A 1.9 sports wagon. Some history drove okay. 107000 miles 08 plate Verbal confirmation of cambelt change, umm not sure. Had clearly been crashed in the past 2 Michelin, 2 Goodyear tyres £3250.00
So was on my way back to the first when I had another look on the internet. A 57 plate 113,000 miles leather interior. It was only a mile away so went to have a look.
A part exchange to clear.
Grubby and needs a good valet, 4 nearly new avon tyres.
FSH, including an invoice for the cambelt. And a file of invoices, long MOT etc
Had a drive, started better than the previous ones, pulled well through the gears
So I bought it.
£1750.00
The 2.4 had just sold
A 1.9 with cloth interior and 110,000 miles, 08 plate. No evidence of cambelt and some history. Nice colour. 4 mismatching Chinese tyres £3500.00
A 1.9 sports wagon. Some history drove okay. 107000 miles 08 plate Verbal confirmation of cambelt change, umm not sure. Had clearly been crashed in the past 2 Michelin, 2 Goodyear tyres £3250.00
So was on my way back to the first when I had another look on the internet. A 57 plate 113,000 miles leather interior. It was only a mile away so went to have a look.
A part exchange to clear.
Grubby and needs a good valet, 4 nearly new avon tyres.
FSH, including an invoice for the cambelt. And a file of invoices, long MOT etc
Had a drive, started better than the previous ones, pulled well through the gears
So I bought it.
£1750.00
hashtag said:
Well i looked at a few today
The 2.4 had just sold
A 1.9 with cloth interior and 110,000 miles, 08 plate. No evidence of cambelt and some history. Nice colour. 4 mismatching Chinese tyres £3500.00
A 1.9 sports wagon. Some history drove okay. 107000 miles 08 plate Verbal confirmation of cambelt change, umm not sure. Had clearly been crashed in the past 2 Michelin, 2 Goodyear tyres £3250.00
So was on my way back to the first when I had another look on the internet. A 57 plate 113,000 miles leather interior. It was only a mile away so went to have a look.
A part exchange to clear.
Grubby and needs a good valet, 4 nearly new avon tyres.
FSH, including an invoice for the cambelt. And a file of invoices, long MOT etc
Had a drive, started better than the previous ones, pulled well through the gears
So I bought it.
£1750.00
Congrats! im assuming its a diesel? (as the 1.9 petrol has a chain rather then a belt)The 2.4 had just sold
A 1.9 with cloth interior and 110,000 miles, 08 plate. No evidence of cambelt and some history. Nice colour. 4 mismatching Chinese tyres £3500.00
A 1.9 sports wagon. Some history drove okay. 107000 miles 08 plate Verbal confirmation of cambelt change, umm not sure. Had clearly been crashed in the past 2 Michelin, 2 Goodyear tyres £3250.00
So was on my way back to the first when I had another look on the internet. A 57 plate 113,000 miles leather interior. It was only a mile away so went to have a look.
A part exchange to clear.
Grubby and needs a good valet, 4 nearly new avon tyres.
FSH, including an invoice for the cambelt. And a file of invoices, long MOT etc
Had a drive, started better than the previous ones, pulled well through the gears
So I bought it.
£1750.00
Get it Terracleaned, then remapped, with an EGR delete - the 1.9 is extremely durable when looked after. Mine (in a GT) is now at 234,000 miles. Still on its second turbo, just fitted its third clutch - ultra reliable.
On the 159, keep an eye on front suspension arms, which can trash the inside edges of the tyres. Good geometry makes a huge difference to the way the car drives, so make sure it is set up correctly. Front sub frames can rust badly where the undertray touches. Clutches get heavy as they wear out.
Enjoy!
On the 159, keep an eye on front suspension arms, which can trash the inside edges of the tyres. Good geometry makes a huge difference to the way the car drives, so make sure it is set up correctly. Front sub frames can rust badly where the undertray touches. Clutches get heavy as they wear out.
Enjoy!
Well i looked at a few today
The 2.4 had just sold
A 1.9 with cloth interior and 110,000 miles, 08 plate. No evidence of cambelt and some history. Nice colour. 4 mismatching Chinese tyres £3500.00
A 1.9 sports wagon. Some history drove okay. 107000 miles 08 plate Verbal confirmation of cambelt change, umm not sure. Had clearly been crashed in the past 2 Michelin, 2 Goodyear tyres £3250.00
So was on my way back to the first when I had another look on the internet. A 57 plate 113,000 miles leather interior. It was only a mile away so went to have a look.
A part exchange to clear.
Grubby and needs a good valet, 4 nearly new avon tyres.
FSH, including an invoice for the cambelt. And a file of invoices, long MOT etc
Had a drive, started better than the previous ones, pulled well through the gears
So I bought it.
£1750.00
The 2.4 had just sold
A 1.9 with cloth interior and 110,000 miles, 08 plate. No evidence of cambelt and some history. Nice colour. 4 mismatching Chinese tyres £3500.00
A 1.9 sports wagon. Some history drove okay. 107000 miles 08 plate Verbal confirmation of cambelt change, umm not sure. Had clearly been crashed in the past 2 Michelin, 2 Goodyear tyres £3250.00
So was on my way back to the first when I had another look on the internet. A 57 plate 113,000 miles leather interior. It was only a mile away so went to have a look.
A part exchange to clear.
Grubby and needs a good valet, 4 nearly new avon tyres.
FSH, including an invoice for the cambelt. And a file of invoices, long MOT etc
Had a drive, started better than the previous ones, pulled well through the gears
So I bought it.
£1750.00
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff