Discussion
Hi all,
I just wondered if all you knowledgeable Alfisti could impart some of your wisdom on an uninitiated such as myself? I've never owned an Alfa before, but i love the idea of a "passionate" car. I've owned 4 Audis (soulless
) and at the moment i'm stuck with an Astra diesel company car (fate worth than death!
).
I had a test drive in a 2.0 GTV about 6 months ago, but at the time it wasn't a good idea to buy one, but i've just seen one on the classifieds for a shade over £3k, and it looks perfect: dark colour, black leather, telephone dial wheels
. As it would be a fun car, practically wouldn't be an issue, i just wondered if anyone on here had any information on what to expect as an ownership proposition i.e. running costs, servicing etc and if there is anything in particular to check for when looking at potential purchases?
Many thanks in advance for any help!!
Paul
I just wondered if all you knowledgeable Alfisti could impart some of your wisdom on an uninitiated such as myself? I've never owned an Alfa before, but i love the idea of a "passionate" car. I've owned 4 Audis (soulless
) and at the moment i'm stuck with an Astra diesel company car (fate worth than death!). I had a test drive in a 2.0 GTV about 6 months ago, but at the time it wasn't a good idea to buy one, but i've just seen one on the classifieds for a shade over £3k, and it looks perfect: dark colour, black leather, telephone dial wheels
. As it would be a fun car, practically wouldn't be an issue, i just wondered if anyone on here had any information on what to expect as an ownership proposition i.e. running costs, servicing etc and if there is anything in particular to check for when looking at potential purchases? Many thanks in advance for any help!!
Paul
Great car and if driven right not sluggish. I get between 470-500 miles out of full tank. As it is a t-spark 1st gear lacks immediate power but gear changes at higher (post 4000 rpm) will have the car running well. Put it this way.... 1st gear will take you to 40, 2nd to 70, 3rd to 100 and you still have two gears to play with.
HTH
HTH
Thanks wasted years, thats good to know that its fairly good on fuel! I have to say, when i test drove one, it felt nippy, not crushingly fast, but it didn't feel slow compared to the Audi TT i had at the time, and it was certainly less lardy (i had the 3.2V6 Audi TT).
Wasted years, how much are you paying for servicing, tyres etc?
Wasted years, how much are you paying for servicing, tyres etc?
pbarlow0032 said:
Hi all,
I just wondered if all you knowledgeable Alfisti could impart some of your wisdom on an uninitiated such as myself? I've never owned an Alfa before, but i love the idea of a "passionate" car. I've owned 4 Audis (soulless) and at the moment i'm stuck with an Astra diesel company car (fate worth than death!).
I had a test drive in a 2.0 GTV about 6 months ago, but at the time it wasn't a good idea to buy one, but i've just seen one on the classifieds for a shade over £3k, and it looks perfect: dark colour, black leather, telephone dial wheels. As it would be a fun car, practically wouldn't be an issue, i just wondered if anyone on here had any information on what to expect as an ownership proposition i.e. running costs, servicing etc and if there is anything in particular to check for when looking at potential purchases?
Many thanks in advance for any help!!
Paul
I just wondered if all you knowledgeable Alfisti could impart some of your wisdom on an uninitiated such as myself? I've never owned an Alfa before, but i love the idea of a "passionate" car. I've owned 4 Audis (soulless
) and at the moment i'm stuck with an Astra diesel company car (fate worth than death!). I had a test drive in a 2.0 GTV about 6 months ago, but at the time it wasn't a good idea to buy one, but i've just seen one on the classifieds for a shade over £3k, and it looks perfect: dark colour, black leather, telephone dial wheels
. As it would be a fun car, practically wouldn't be an issue, i just wondered if anyone on here had any information on what to expect as an ownership proposition i.e. running costs, servicing etc and if there is anything in particular to check for when looking at potential purchases? Many thanks in advance for any help!!
Paul
Audis....souless!!!! you havent had a inline 5 then like a quattro?
Get it serviced independantly. Cambelt will set you back between £300-£600 so is well worth shopping around. Tyres - well that depends on what you go for. Could be anything from £50/tyre upwards.
Join alfaowner.com. We are a friendly bunch and should be able to answer any questions and put you in the right direction.
Gary
Join alfaowner.com. We are a friendly bunch and should be able to answer any questions and put you in the right direction.
Gary
I (the wife) had one for 6 years. Well a 96 2.0 TS Spider so similar with scuttle shake. Gets about 30mpg unless you push it all the time. It was quite reliable but finding somewhere good for servicing was an issue. Performance wise it was an improvement on her 205 1.6 GTi but not fast like my current car. The benefit is when the suspension is set up correctly they are great fun and the novel rear suspension does work. Low priced examples can hide big bills especially with rear suspension. Watch for wear on inside of front tyres, any knocks from rear suspension. Engines, make sure is has had recent cam belt. I recommend Sportsalfa.com by far the best for GTV/Spider as it used to only cover those models. Full buyers guide there and lots of good advice.
MrFlibbles said:
pbarlow0032 said:
... As it would be a fun car....
The 2.0 T Spark? Are you sure it would be "fun"?
The one I drove was best discribed as sluggish.
The 3.0 on the other hand....
There is a school of thought that the 2.0 is more fun on twisty roads, where as straight line performance the V6 is the better bet.
Fun little cars, they're not super quick, but fast enough to enjoy through the twisties.
Maintainance wise its the normal oil & filter etc (can drink oil quickly), sparks at 80k miles, cam belt & variator etc at 36k miles, wishbones at the front can wear quite quickly (about £100 fitted), rear suspension bushes can wear quickly as well so keep an eye on these, MAF can go as well. This all probably sounds worse than the reality, but they do require a bit more tlc than your "average" car.
IMO the ts is a reliable engine if you look after it. The engine comes alive above 3000 rpm and has a nice Alfa rasp to it (especially with the right exhaust!
But if you want noise and real character get a 3.0 v6. I have one at the moment and its just such an exciting car to drive each time you get in it.
Maintainance wise its the normal oil & filter etc (can drink oil quickly), sparks at 80k miles, cam belt & variator etc at 36k miles, wishbones at the front can wear quite quickly (about £100 fitted), rear suspension bushes can wear quickly as well so keep an eye on these, MAF can go as well. This all probably sounds worse than the reality, but they do require a bit more tlc than your "average" car.
IMO the ts is a reliable engine if you look after it. The engine comes alive above 3000 rpm and has a nice Alfa rasp to it (especially with the right exhaust!
But if you want noise and real character get a 3.0 v6. I have one at the moment and its just such an exciting car to drive each time you get in it.
Hi
This is my first post.
I own a 98 GTV 2.0 T.S and its not the fastest car on the road, not by far but find the right road where you can hit the sweet spots (above 4k like mentioned earlier) and the drive is excellent, mine is very slightly tweek but I couldnt imagine owning a better front wheel drive car (never driven the integra)
One of the things I love is the sound of the engine for a straight 4.
www.driversknow.co.uk/driving/carReviews/review/?reviewId=02003828&type=Used
I think this review sums the car up quite well.
I was originally warned off them, but do not regret my decission. Mine does use a little oil if driven hard, but I spent 3months looking at as many as i could before I found my current one, and it hasnt put a wheel wrong for two years
This is my first post.
I own a 98 GTV 2.0 T.S and its not the fastest car on the road, not by far but find the right road where you can hit the sweet spots (above 4k like mentioned earlier) and the drive is excellent, mine is very slightly tweek but I couldnt imagine owning a better front wheel drive car (never driven the integra)
One of the things I love is the sound of the engine for a straight 4.
www.driversknow.co.uk/driving/carReviews/review/?reviewId=02003828&type=Used
I think this review sums the car up quite well.
I was originally warned off them, but do not regret my decission. Mine does use a little oil if driven hard, but I spent 3months looking at as many as i could before I found my current one, and it hasnt put a wheel wrong for two years
Edited by Stebick82 on Monday 8th January 21:20
I have a 2001 51-plate 2.0 TS Lusso and it's a fantastic car. Handles well and is adequately quick to make the drive to work entertaining.
When I got mine I had the rear suspension bushes replaced with Powerflex as these are a known weakpoint on the car and can be an expensive repair. Before I bought I did some research and the general consensus is that the 2.0 is better balanced than the 3.0 V6, although teh V6 is obviously faster. The TS also uses a little bit of oil, but nothing that should be a problem as long as you look after it. The boot is a bit small too, but I still managed a suitcase in there for my frequent trips to the aiport.
There are basically three build phases to look out for; Phase 1 from 96-98 have a black centre console, Phase 2 98-03(?) has the silver centre console and colour coded sills and the Phase 3 has the funny nose. For various reasons my preference was for a phase 2 car.
Mines up for sale right now as I'm moving to the US, PM me if you want more details.
When I got mine I had the rear suspension bushes replaced with Powerflex as these are a known weakpoint on the car and can be an expensive repair. Before I bought I did some research and the general consensus is that the 2.0 is better balanced than the 3.0 V6, although teh V6 is obviously faster. The TS also uses a little bit of oil, but nothing that should be a problem as long as you look after it. The boot is a bit small too, but I still managed a suitcase in there for my frequent trips to the aiport.
There are basically three build phases to look out for; Phase 1 from 96-98 have a black centre console, Phase 2 98-03(?) has the silver centre console and colour coded sills and the Phase 3 has the funny nose. For various reasons my preference was for a phase 2 car.
Mines up for sale right now as I'm moving to the US, PM me if you want more details.
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff