Catman > wrote:
> mick wrote:
>
> > I have long been an admirer of the Alfa mark, and am finally able , at my
> > time of life, to aquire one , be it second hand.
>
> Good man 
>
> > I would like advice please on the pro's and indeed, cons of buying a
> > second hand low mileage 147 from a dealer and what would be a reasonable
> > price to
> > pay for a car say , no more than 3 years old .
>
> No idea. Someone will be along in a minute with chapter and verse
Did someone call?
Firstly - don't buy from an Alfa dealer. Secondly, check warranty small
print *very* carefully.
In terms of what to buy - avoid the 1.6, it's too slow and a bit
pointless, the 1.8 is OK, but a 2lt is the way to go - the engine is
vastly improved over smaller versions. (the 2lt TSpark engine has a
balancer shaft which is missing from smaller engined models). At this
point I'm assuming you're not going to buy a GTA..... which, of course
would be *very* silly ;-)
Also avoid the Selespeed gearbox (they're not nicknamed 'Sillyspeed' for
nothing).
Obviously, the usual used car checks apply, so I won't go through them
all, but things to note about the 147 (or any Alfa of this generation,
really).....
Any sign of rust on the shell means it's been in an accident and cheaply
repaired - they're a galvanised shell and shouldn't show signs of
corrosion until they're at least 10 years old.
Front suspension can be problematic - check for clunking or squeeking
from the front end over bumps - anti-roll bar bushes are usually to
blame - squeeking is irritating, but not all that urgent to fix -
rattling is the anti-roll bar hitting the floorpan and needs doing
urgently. Also the bushes where the lower arms bolt to the floorpan wear
- Alfa, ISTR, want to replace the whole arm, however, you can get poly
bushes for them at £100 / set, which are better and last longer than the
original Alfa bushes.
Check all the electrical toys work - including all the lights on the
dash / aircon controls as they're an absolute pig to replace if blown.
I'm currently avoiding replacing a solitary blown bulb in our 156.
Cambelts. This one has been done to death in here...... however, the
single most important thing to remember is that they *won't* last as
long as Alfa say they will. If you're buying a car approaching 36k
miles, or over, then budget for replacement ASAP - definitely worth
getting a belt change as part of the deal. Also ensure the dealer
doesn't do it on the cheap and just change the belt - you want to see
new tensioners as well. If in any doubt about the work done when the
belt was changed, thing seriously about getting it done again.
Hmmmm, I think that's about it, really, apart from to check the front
passenger side carpet for dampness. That'll be an aircon pipe leaking -
not massively expensive to sort out, but a bit of a PITA. And yes, I
forgot to check this and need to get our 156 booked in to have it done.
Pricing...... 03 plate 2lt cars start from £6k running to over £10k.
Personally, I'd go for a Lusso as I find any spec. with the word 'Sport'
in it rides far to harshly and comes with stupidly big wheels. Momo
leather is worth seeking out, but not essential.
Finally. Mileage. I'd be happier buying something that's done a fair
amount of mileage with full history rather than something that's done
very few miles and serviced by mileage rather than age, IYSWIM.
> > I am in the UK by the way
> >
> > I thank you all in advance
Hope that helps. Any more questions - post to the group again - we don't
bite...... often ;-)
--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300 - Alfa 75 TSpark
Alfa 156 2.0 TSpark Lusso - Fiat Marea 20v HLX - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #