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Talk me out of buying a 166



 
 
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  #11  
Old September 17th 05, 07:29 PM
SteveH
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PeterMcC > wrote:

> > Thanks again for your help, you have all been very helpful.

>
> Have you never owned an Alfa before? If not, that's another powerful
> argument to put on the 166's side. And, quite genuinely, though I don't do
> the miles I used to, my current 166 is one of the cheapest cars to maintain
> that I can remember. In the last 24,000 miles my only outside-of-servicing
> expenditure was on a replacement water pump.


Erm, doesn't that mean replacing the cambelts etc, though? - it's hardly
a trivial item, IME.
--
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 - Passat 1.8 Turbo SE - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #
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  #12  
Old September 17th 05, 08:36 PM
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Nope, never owned an Alfa before. I'm swinging back to the 156 idea,
whats the general consensus on the Selespeed gearbox? I'm thinking I
will be better trying to avoid it so there's less to go wrong but I
must say I'm a sucker for fancy gadgets.

  #13  
Old September 17th 05, 08:55 PM
SteveH
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> wrote:

> Nope, never owned an Alfa before. I'm swinging back to the 156 idea,
> whats the general consensus on the Selespeed gearbox? I'm thinking I
> will be better trying to avoid it so there's less to go wrong but I
> must say I'm a sucker for fancy gadgets.


Yup, you're right, avoid it.

It's sometimes known as the 'sillyspeed' around these parts.
--
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 - Passat 1.8 Turbo SE - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #
  #15  
Old September 17th 05, 11:53 PM
George Graves
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In article .com>,
wrote:

> I'm thinking of buying a used 166, maybe a '99 and almost certainly a
> 3l V6 auto. The problem is that I am rather scared of the costs
> involved after I purchase. There's a baby on the way and I don't have
> much cash so the last thing I want is a massive bill when something
> goes wrong.
>
> Can anyone give me an idea of prices of common parts such as brake
> disks and pads and service parts.
>
> I can handle most jobs myself on older cars but my experience is
> limited on anything in the last 10 years with the exception of simple
> stuff like a Fiat Punto, so I'm worried I might get in over my head
> with all the gadgetary in a 166 and end up with a huge Alfa main dealer
> bill that I can't afford.
>
> Is a cam-belt change on one of these involved? And if it is, are they
> costly from the dealer?
>
> And is there any other advice anyone can offer?
>
> What I'm getting at is, is a 166 going to cost me a lot more to
> maintain than something dull like a Vectra? CShould I wait till I am in
> a beter financial position before becoming an Alfa owner? I'd hate my
> first experience with an Alfa to be a bitter one.
>
> My heart says Alfa Romeo, my head says Ford Mondeo
>
> Cheers,
> Dave


The Alfa will cost you more in maintenance than the Ford. No two ways
about it. If that's your concern, go with the Ford and buy the 166 when
you can better afford it, I.E. have both. The Mondeo for your head, and
the Alfa for your heart. That's what I did. I have a 2003 VW GTI for my
every day driving and my GTV-6 Alfa for weekends. The Alfa is still
maintenance intensive, but as a hobby car with few miles being
accumulated (less than 10,000 miles in four years) day to day
reliability is not all that important.
  #16  
Old September 18th 05, 01:41 AM
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I don't think the wife will let me have any more hobby cars, not with a
half built kit car in the garage, and 2 Minis and a Honda CRX in the
back garden....


But, based on what all you helpful Alfa owners have told me and after a
few more hours research on the net, I have decided the manual 156 is
the way to go, it's just the particular model that is the issue now,
year is going to have to be 2001 at the very latest for the price I've
got a max of =A33000 to spend, I'm leaning towards the 2l but a nice 1.8
or V6 would be considered. Leather and extras are important.

Am I right in ruling out the 1.6? And am I right in thinking Veloce is
best option pack , then lusso, then standard?

  #17  
Old September 18th 05, 11:02 AM
SteveH
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> wrote:

> I don't think the wife will let me have any more hobby cars, not with a
> half built kit car in the garage, and 2 Minis and a Honda CRX in the
> back garden....
>
>
> But, based on what all you helpful Alfa owners have told me and after a
> few more hours research on the net, I have decided the manual 156 is
> the way to go, it's just the particular model that is the issue now,
> year is going to have to be 2001 at the very latest for the price I've
> got a max of £3000 to spend, I'm leaning towards the 2l but a nice 1.8
> or V6 would be considered. Leather and extras are important.


The V6 is nice, but it's very nose-heavy and thirsty. Personally, I
wouldn't have one as I prefer the balance of the car with a 4-pot
engine.

Don't get a 1.8, they're vastly inferior. The engine is significantly
different - a lot harsher as it doesn't have balance shafts.

> Am I right in ruling out the 1.6? And am I right in thinking Veloce is
> best option pack , then lusso, then standard?


Definitely not a 1.6... not big enough for the size of car.

The choice between Lusso and Veloce is down to taste - they're both
almost identical in terms of equipment, but the Veloce or Sportpack
versions have harder suspension, bigger wheels, sports seats, fake
carbon fibre trim and a leather steering wheel. Veloce gets more
comfortable seats, wooden steering wheel, fake wood trim, smaller wheels
and softer suspension. My preference is Lusso, Catman likes his Sport
trim.

What you often find is that 1.8s are 'poverty' models with aircon
instead of climate, nasty cloth trim (the Lusso has the same seats, but
with a very plush velour) and steel wheels with plastic trims.
--
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 - Passat 1.8 Turbo SE - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #
  #19  
Old September 18th 05, 04:20 PM
Pete
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On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 12:50:52 +0200, "Hans de Heer"
>, wrote:


>Consider a Sportwagon. With a baby on its way, you can really use the extra
>space in the back. Stuffing a buggy in the back of a 156 sedan is not a nice
>thing to do, trust me...
>And indeed avoid the 1.6, it's underpowered. I think the 2.0 is the best
>trade-off between power and fuel economy.


That Sportwagon is a good suggestion. At least take a good look and a drive
in one before parting with cash.

Definitely 2.0 Ltr with as much trim as you can find. The bigger alloys
ride better in my opinion. Though others here will say the lowered Sport
Packs drive better. If it is a trade off between driving pleasure and
family ride comfort then the 2.0 TS with the rigid ride, 15" alloys and
leather is my pick, but that is what I own.

You do realise that the rear seat in the 2.0 does not fold like the smaller
engine versions. Less body roll. If you need "child lugging space" then the
Sportwagon looks just the same from the driving seat :-) Looks pretty darn
smart from the outside too.
Pete
--
>
156 2.0 TS (2001) - Proteo Rosso
  #20  
Old September 18th 05, 09:23 PM
Zathras
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On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 16:20:55 +0100, > wrote:

>On Sun, 18 Sep 2005 12:50:52 +0200, "Hans de Heer"
>, wrote:
>
>
>>Consider a Sportwagon. With a baby on its way, you can really use the extra
>>space in the back. Stuffing a buggy in the back of a 156 sedan is not a nice
>>thing to do, trust me...


er..have you lot forgotten that the Sportwagon has LESS boot capacity
than the saloon UNLESS you drop the back seats! I manage 1 kid + all
the kit with a 156 saloon. Any more kids and I'd need a top box. I
took one look at the Sportwagon boot, laughed, then bought the saloon.
I'm sure the Sportwagon was an Italian joke that nobody else got.

--
Z
Scotland
Alfa Romeo 156 2.4JTD Veloce Leather
'Oil' be seeing you..
(Email without 'Alfa' in subject are auto-deleted..sorry!)
 




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