Alfa 156 taxi (!!) in Dublin

Gatster

Fair play if 156 man keeps it going, there are Alfas for sale with big mileages, although admittedly I wouldn't buy one (though I may buying a lower miles one soon). Recent Mercs haven't exactly been stellar performers in reliability surveys of late.

I was in a Prius taxi last year at about 0530 going to the Airport (from Swords) and was quite frankly freaked. The display fascinated me (I was slightly hungover) and the bloke went on about how great it was but it was like being in a luxury milk float.

At the other end (Heathrow) I was picked up in S500L with DVD in the back, bar etc. (I can recommend PCS Chauffeur services from LHR) organised by work.

Nice contrast...

junkyard

If driving a well built, reliable, quality car is your idea of living in a dull world DS then I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'd prefer to stay there. Driving an unreliable yoke of a car that f***s up at every turn is not my idea of excitement. Tbh if an Alfa taxi pulled up at my door I'd be a bit concerned that I would get to my destination......I wouldn't be booking it for a trip to the airport anyway.;)

unkel

BrianD3 wrote:

IIRC a few years ago there were Merc S-class taxis around with Nissan Urvan diesel engines fitted. Pretty common engine swap apparently. So if anyone was in a 560 SEL and it didn't sound quite right that was the reason

Yep the Merc S-class 2.8 diesel conversions. During my very taxi dependent (for work - 5am airport runs) years ('95-'96) it was the most common taxi I'd get. Rattles included

junkyard

There were some brutal diesel conversions around alright in the 80's, some fine cars were butchered, large Mercs, Jags,BMW's, I even remember seeing a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow with a Nissan 2.8 diesel under the bonnet:eek: nothing over three litre was safe in those days. I have a 1963 Austin Princess wedding car out the back of my garage for parts for my Princess and some cowboy put a Nissan Bluebird 2.0 diesel in it and wrecked the car which was pretty good when it was converted.

PauloMN

Alfa threads always make me laugh. For years now, I've seen Alfa-related threads here, on the old MotorNet, on Octane etc. and it never ceases to amuse me how Alfa fans defend their favourite marque.

Each to their own I suppose, but when people make any sort of negative comment about Alfas, it's met with this "you don't really know about cars then" type attitude. Or the "they're a great drive" line. Or the "they're Italian, so they must be a great car" line. Or the "you're boring" line.

I've never been an Alfa fan, and not just because of the poor reliability issues. I don't see the attraction looks-wise to be honest. I know.... shock - horror... someone who doesn't think Alfas are pretty. For example, I think rear doors look better with handles, especially if the front doors have them. I think reg plates look awful off-centre. I think the 147 looks ok in 3 door, but not great in 5 door form.

I saw a 159 the other day, do people consider that a good looking car? I mean it wasn't Daewoo or Kia ugly or anything, but it was at best inoffensive. It was ok, alright. Like a 5-door 147 with a boot, nothing else stood out to me about it.

Alfas are quirky cars, you either love them or hate them. Can people who fall into the latter category therefore not properly appreciate cars in general like their Alfa-loving counterparts?

pbergin

Good response PauloMN, I do disagree with you, I really like Alfa's, but that is my opionion, just like you have your opinion, its just nice to see a reasoned opinion, not like some useless comments

junkyard wrote:

Tbh if an Alfa taxi pulled up at my door I'd be a bit concerned that I would get to my destination

prospect

PauloMN,

Similarly to pbergin, I am a BIg Alfa fan, and love the look of the 156. I think it is easily the best looking saloon on the road today. But as you pointed out, it is opinion only.

However I must point something out. Usually when it is argued that someone doesn't know what they are talking about, it is done so because they don't know what they are talking about.
There are tonnes of people who will just join the majority and spout out a load of crap about how unreliable they are, and yet they do not own, or never owned an Alfa. They remember their grandfathers neighbour had a brother who had one that rusted on him!

As a general comment, I don't think there is any marque that offers the kind of reliability that the BMW and Mercs of old did. There is too much mass manufacture, and plastic components going into cars these days. Even the reliable japanese engines are being let down by poor interior quality.

Eoin

junkyard wrote:

If driving a well built, reliable, quality car is your idea of living in a dull world DS then I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'd prefer to stay there. Driving an unreliable yoke of a car that f***s up at every turn is not my idea of excitement. Tbh if an Alfa taxi pulled up at my door I'd be a bit concerned that I would get to my destination......I wouldn't be booking it for a trip to the airport anyway.;)

So, am I (and numerous other 156 drivers on boards.ie) incredibly lucky to have experienced problem-free motoring, or are we so naive and/or ignorant that we have just managed to miss any of the problems that must have occurred?

Obviously the evidence is there that there is a higher rate of problems with Alfas than many other cars, in particular jap cars, but to suggest that the car is that unreliable is just OTT.

ds20prefecture

PauloMN wrote:

Alfa threads always make me laugh. For years now, I've seen Alfa-related threads here, on the old MotorNet, on Octane etc. and it never ceases to amuse me how Alfa fans defend their favourite marque

Good post PauloMN. They make me laugh too, as it seems to be the only marque that drags people out of the wood work to denounce all Alfas as crap, despite over 70% of former Alfa owners on boards stating they'd buy another. Citroens are much more approximately made than Alfas, and in recent times have been dull, execrable facsimiles of their Peugeot cousins. Yet I have rarely seen the kind of vitriol poured on the Citroen brand that Alfa manages to attract.

If I see a thread titled "Which: 316i or Passat?" I just walk on by, despite being sure in my conviction that, having driven both, a Kenwood Chef would be a more preferable ownership proposition. Why rain on somebodys parade if I have nothing constructive to offer? But if people see "thinking of a 156" the world and its mother jumps in with their token Alfa horror story, which might, for example, relate to a poorly serviced 3rd owner example that they have lying at the back of their scrapyard, or might be completely invented.

Or in this case - someone is using a 156 as a taxi. Apparently this man needs his head examined, when he could be driving a '91 Toyota Enema with curtains on the windows, which some halfwit reckons will need less maintenance than the 4 year old Alfa.

Alfas are quirky cars, you either love them or hate them. Can people who fall into the latter category therefore not properly appreciate cars in general like their Alfa-loving counterparts?

Of course they can, but conversely they cannot seem to make space on boards for people in the former category.

phoenix_nights

PauloMN wrote:

Each to their own I suppose, but when people make any sort of negative comment about Alfas, it's met with this "you don't really know about cars then" type attitude. Or the "they're a great drive" line. Or the "they're Italian, so they must be a great car" line. Or the "you're boring" line.

I normally apply Formosa's law in reaction to said people.

SouperComputer

phoenix_nights wrote:

I normally apply Formosa's law in reaction to said people.

hmm I like that one

PauloMN

phoenix_nights wrote:

I normally apply Formosa's law in reaction to said people.

Right, but how do you know if they are mental or not?

phoenix_nights

PauloMN wrote:

Right, but how do you know if they are mental or not?

?Candidate? wrote:

This is probably the biggest load of toss I have ever read on Boards.ie

its really not that hard;)

ds20prefecture

junkyard wrote:

If driving a well built, reliable, quality car is your idea of living in a dull world DS then I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'd prefer to stay there. Driving an unreliable yoke of a car that f***s up at every turn is not my idea of excitement.

No, my definition of "living in a dull world" is getting your kicks by chipping in the same tired old cliches on yet another alfa thread.

Driving an unreliable car that f***s up at every turn is not my idea of excitement either, and I never have. My idea of exciting motoring is something that looks good, sounds good, goes well, stops better and keeps me involved with every drive. With any car I buy, I don't want to be overcharged for a badge and I don't want to see more than 10 on the way to work. I take it for granted that any car I buy will be reliable, and make sure it is well serviced to keep it so. Lastly I'd prefer the car to retain a reasonable amunt of its value over time. This is only way my Alfa ever let me down.

junkyard

Well look what I've got here then, a 1999 Alfa 156 with 14k on the clock that was serviced by the main dealer and still blew up suprise suprise! And it was just a year and a half old at the time and out of warranty conviently enough and the main dealer wasn't interested in helping the owner out. So you can see why I have no time for Alfa Romeo. I don't come on here to take a swipe at some people, I'm just hoping people will think twice before buying what they're led to believe is a quality marque and see what these cars are really like.

ds20prefecture

junkyard wrote:

Well look what I've got here then, a 1999 Alfa 156 with 14k on the clock that was serviced by the main dealer and still blew up suprise suprise! And it was just a year and a half old at the time and out of warranty conviently enough and the main dealer wasn't interested in helping the owner out. So you can see why I have no time for Alfa Romeo.

Wow! It looks remarkably good for a car that has "blown up" and then sat still for 4 years. It hasn't "fallen apart" at all.
How do you define "blew up"? Was there an engine fire? Seizure? Electrical failure? Timing belt? What was the cause of the failure, and what could have been done to prevent it? Has every 156 you've been in contact with suffered the same failure? Or just this one?

Alfa dealers generally suck, and in my opinion have done more damage to the brand than any specific problem with the cars.

I don't come on here to take a swipe at some people, I'm just hoping people will think twice before buying what they're led to believe is a quality marque and see what these cars are really like.

I don't think even Alfa make Quality their #1 selling point. I think you can rest assured that if there's someone on boards considering an Alfa, they'll be forced to think twice about it not least by the countless "insane" Alfa fans who constantly point out the weak points of the car and what to look for when buying used.

junkyard

One large hole in the side of the block and no luck with finding an engine so the owner gave up and bought a proper car. I'd be surprised if it fell apart seeing as no one has touched it in years in fairness modern cars don't rust. I have some other customers whose Alfas have fallen apart i.e. doors fall off (fairly common according to the dealer) Suspension failure (not uncommon either) Gearbox failure (we have heard of that alright) electrical problems ( they have a few issues there) Anyway I'm starting to get depressed now just thinking about them.:(

ds20prefecture

junkyard wrote:

One large hole in the side of the block

Sounds like a symptom rather than a cause. What caused the hole? Did someone shoot it?

There's no doubt that Alfas do not share the reliability reputations of, say, BMW or Toyota. But I believe their poor reputation is over stated.

Regarding the woes that are getting you down:

Never heard of the door issue until now. Not listed in Honestjohn. Nothing on google. Is this the same Alfa dealer who wouldn't replace an engine after 14000 miles?
Suspension Failure - was this the worn wishbone bushes issue? Manifested as a knocking sound from the front? Worn bushes are not "suspension failure" but you do need to replace the whole wishbone (€400) to fix it. My car had this after 45000 miles. Given the road I drove to work everyday (Rathmichael, Johnny Foxes, Hellfire club, tallght) I was not at all surprised. Apparently Audi A4s suffer from a weak rear suspension design.
Likewise - the only cars I've heard of that are prone to gearbox failure are older Audis. Never heard of that with an Alfa. Is it the auto box? Or perhaps the Selespeed semi-auto?
Electrical problems - they consume bulbs with a voracity matched only by Mk IV Golfs. Other than that, I haven't heard of electrical problems that would amount to a car being scrapped.

We had 5 Alfa 156s as company cars for 3 years. All had their doors, gearboxes, electrics and timing belts in perfect condition when they were passed on to their next owners and all cost less in maintenance than the 2 Mercedes we had at the same time.
My brother put 100000 miles on his 1.8, eventually forced to sell when he couldn't fit 3 child seats in it.
None of these 156s exhibited any serious faults whatsoever.

Perhaps the taxi driver will join the 80% of people on boards who have owned an Alfa in buying another? Personally, I hope so. The roads are a prettier place with Alfas on them.

junkyard

Beauty's in the eye of the beerholder DS.;)

unkel

Jay, another Alfa thread

Maybe the pragmatic angle of driving an Alfa Romeo 156 hasn't been covered as well as it should have on most previous Alfa threads. Here's my 2 cents:

First owners / drivers are typically company car drivers. The very reason sales of the 156 rocketed in the late '90s. Why the hell would anyone interested in driving a drivers car choose to drive a Vectra, a Mondeo or a Passat when they could drive a 156 for the same BIK?

Second owners are typically private buyers. Second hand prices are very low, partly for a reason and partly because of market expectation. Hell, one could buy a 3 year old 156 for half the price of a similar spec and performance BMW 3-series. Another point rarely made here, is that the Alfa, although being hindered by being FWD, is really almost as good a drivers car as the equivalent 3-series

Lex Luthor

junkyard wrote:

Well look what I've got here then, a 1999 Alfa 156 with 14k on the clock that was serviced by the main dealer and still blew up suprise suprise! And it was just a year and a half old at the time and out of warranty conviently enough and the main dealer wasn't interested in helping the owner out. So you can see why I have no time for Alfa Romeo. I don't come on here to take a swipe at some people, I'm just hoping people will think twice before buying what they're led to believe is a quality marque and see what these cars are really like.

Where is this car?

Same colour as mine. Wonder would the front lower bumper be in better condition than mine? I need to get mine repsprayed from all the loose chippings.

redman

Oh look surprise, surprise there are other car brands:eek: with serious problems that have occured.;)

A small sample:
Mercedes
http://www.mercedes-benz-usa.com/clk_class.php

Honda
http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=3395

Lexus/Toyota
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/lexus.html

Lots of varities
http://www.motorsm.com/AUS/cars/complaints_corner.htm



Keep up the Alfa bashing, means I keep getting great cars for great value that are great fun.:p

Litcagral

Max_Damage wrote:

I've seen a Mercedes 500SEL and a Lexus LS400 as taxi's (fuel bills must be fun to look at!)

And they complain about not getting enough money.....tiff!

Many of these drivers remove the roofsign and do private limo work also. They work as regular taxis when business is slack.

Re: Suitability of Alpha 156 - I've seen a Fiat Punto and Ford Fiesta working as taxis.

junkyard

I saw a Landrover Freelander yesterday as a taxi in Cork....it must be because of the s***e roads down here.:)

colm_mcm

have you seen the Toyota/Lexus case that was posted, the car had 130,000 miles on it and was '97. The problem was most likely due do bad maintainance!

ciarsd

I know of a woman taxi-ing her 156 the past few years - bought new in 01, still taxi-ing away only stopping for petrol and a scheduled service.

I got a megane taxi 2 weeks ago. As I flagged him down, he pulled up a couple of feet in front of me (to clear a bus stop). 03, with 1 brake light & with two indicator lights out.

I passed a 05 Saab yesterday being towed, no sign of punctures or crash damage.

My friends M3 went into limp home mode on the M1 3 weeks ago - coil packs shot, 45K miles...

I could go on? but whats the point in that? I really think most cars have some sort of gremlins, only reason we're hearing more and more about the likes of Alfa's is because their aftersales service and customer satisfaction/interaction is sh!te.

P.s I've had 2 Alfa's, I've had 2 different French cars, I've had Jap and I've had german also.

pburns

ciarsd wrote:

I know of a woman taxi-ing her 156 the past few years - bought new in 01

I'm the original poster of this thread & I think this may have been the taxi I was referring to (woman driver). Traffic was terrible that day & she was so apologetic at the slow progress. Really nice person.

If I was buying a taxi I reckon I'd go for a Primera diesel. Jap reliability, cheaper than a Toyota...