WANTED: Alfa 147 or 156

[Hugo_ZA]

Hey all,

I am looking to buy a second car cash and have narrowed it down to either an Alfa 147 or 156. Not looking at spending anything upward of R25 000.

I know they have their flaws and what not, so please let's not make this a brand vs brand debate. If you know of anyone selling please PM me.

I would love to also hear from other Alfa owners about their experience with these two models specifically.

Ta,
H

 

[ponder]

Do you have spare money and be able to wait when things go wrong?

 

[Y'all Qaeda]

Haha! Get a mod to fix your title, you spelt hobby wrong.

 

[Q-Tech]

Hi H,

Before you buy, a couple of tips from someone who's been there (Had a 2001 156 Selespeed for a couple of years).
1. Stay away from the Selespeed - fantastic when it works, expensive & difficult to diagnose/fix/replace when it doesn't.
2. Cam belt replacement will set you back R5k on the Twinspark, close to 8k on the V6 (This is not just labour, the parts kit is only available from the agents and costs 3.5k by itself), so check if it has been done before you buy.
3. Twinspark spark plugs are close to R2k a set, but should last 100,000km - check when/if they were replaced.

Once you get the car, try to stick to synthetic oil - expensive, but worth it on these engines. Service intervals are supposed to be 15/20 000km on these models, but as you'll be getting an 8-10 year old one, I would service more frequently.

That's about all I can think of for now, good luck - owning an Alfa is definitely worth it.
Cheers,
Q.

 

[Q-Tech]

One more thing - the back seat in the older 156 models does not fold down, so if that's a requirement, you're better off with the 147

 

[genetic]

I've driven the 147 Selespeed, and the delay between shifts was unbearable. I'd shift gears, then about a second later the gearbox would kick in. Not sure if it was just the car I had or if the entire range suffered from that problem.

 

[Velenoso]

Hi H,

Before you buy, a couple of tips from someone who's been there (Had a 2001 156 Selespeed for a couple of years).
1. Stay away from the Selespeed - fantastic when it works, expensive & difficult to diagnose/fix/replace when it doesn't.
2. Cam belt replacement will set you back R5k on the Twinspark, close to 8k on the V6 (This is not just labour, the parts kit is only available from the agents and costs 3.5k by itself), so check if it has been done before you buy.
3. Twinspark spark plugs are close to R2k a set, but should last 100,000km - check when/if they were replaced.

Once you get the car, try to stick to synthetic oil - expensive, but worth it on these engines. Service intervals are supposed to be 15/20 000km on these models, but as you'll be getting an 8-10 year old one, I would service more frequently.

That's about all I can think of for now, good luck - owning an Alfa is definitely worth it.
Cheers,
Q.

Very good advice. I've been an Alfa man for years. Excellent cars. They have a bad rep in South Africa (presumably because of the old unreliable '80s models).

Sound advice above. Forget selespeed and do that cambelt service. It went on my 156 (I was only a couple 1000 km over the due date) and it cost me a pretty penny.

Once you have bought I can recommend a brilliant mechanic if you are in Joburg.

Other than that lovely cars, drive brilliantly and very reliable!

Welcome to the world of the alfisti.

 

[GarethC]

One more thing - the back seat in the older 156 models does not fold down, so if that's a requirement, you're better off with the 147

It does have a nice hole behind the arm rest which you can use for your skis though ;P