Alfa or Nissan

RoundyMooney

eoin_s wrote:

Yet not one lottery win for poor me to date. Perhaps I used up all luck with my Alfa - or maybe you are over stating your point. Again.

Anyhow, I am not actually that pushed on what you think about Alfas so I am going to take my leave for the evening. Please wish me luck when driving over the weekend - you never know when my amazing car related luck will run out.

Ta ta.

unkel

eoin_s wrote:

I'm just surprised that we haven't from the usual Kings of Anti-Alfa Hyperbole by now

Uh-oh, they've answered your calling them...

eoin_s wrote:

To the Original Poster: I am sorry your thread got hijacked somewhat - I would love to say we are not normally like this. That would be telling porkies though...

Class

What the hell will the OP make of all this?

Lex Luthor

OP, if you buy the Alfa expect to pay more than the Nissan over the next 2-3 yrs on servicing costs and possibly the odd one or 2 more on repairs. But expect to have a better drive.

Its like comparing apples to oranges comparing a Primera to a 156.

I'd choose the orange any day over the apple.

DublinWriter

I've owned Primeras and will never give a day of trouble once looked after.

On the down-side, they're not exactly thrill-city.

ds20prefecture

RoundyMooney wrote:

What gets me, is the fact that people can't hold an opinion, without being referred to say, as a nodding buffoon...

Of course they can - but if that opinion is based solely on hearsay they they should be open to being challenged about it. Note: I did not refer to anyone as a nodding buffoon - I asked the question of which alfa had let the poster down.

Phone.Book

ds20prefecture wrote:

Which Alfa did you own

LOL

Sizzler

ds20prefecture wrote:

3 years. 45000 miles. Never had an exhaust (or any other) problem. Again Sizzler - which Alfa did you own? No wait, don't tell me - your uncle's dog's great-aunt's ex-girlfriend heard about someone who once said all Alfas are crap, and you've accepted it as gospel.

Back on-thread - depending on what you're after, this could be one of those rare instances where the Alfa is not the best car to have.

MIAOOOOOOW !! You sound like the classic Arsenal side of the 90's under Tony Adams....ultra defensive. In a word, NO...as I said in previous threads my mate works in the industry and was responsible for buying cars in the "workhorse" bracket for the on the road sales folk and the alfa caused many more problems than its rivals. As for the shaky exhaust, get a mate to drive behind your car and watch it...obviously you've never seen it as you're too busy behind the wheel

Sizzler

RoundyMooney wrote:

Ya see, now you've gone and done it. I'm as impartial as the next bloke, and try to see both sides of a debate. However, throwing insults at someone who can see the wood, the trees and the birds nesting therein is just plain daft. I've an opinion, you've an opinion, that other guy has an opinion. I don't see either him or me throwing little digs because we don't fall into line and proclaim Alfa the Italian BMW, (which it is a long way from becoming).

Back on track- www.honestjohn.co.uk is a good and unbiased resource OP.

From there:

Alfa 156

What's Bad
Police Alert' spoilers optional on Sport 2 and Sport 3 spec will attract plod. Sub-20 mpg fuel consumption of V6 if you boot it. Trim quality not up to BMW standards. 5-speed gearchange on 1.8 and 2.0 can feel a bit floppy. Turn-in not as sharp as Peugeot 306 GTi-6 or even 406 2.0 litre Coupe. Usual Alfa build-quality problems with electrics. Fuel enrichment device may stick, leading to poor starting. Dealers are a very mixed bag. Resale values fell heavily in early 2000 even before price cuts. V6 and JDT can eat front tyres on the inside edge (need realiging with less toe-out). Paint problems with solid lacquered black. Worrying number of 2.0 litre engine failures due to oil starvation when engines were full of oil points a finger at oil pump failure. Timing belts and tensioners need changing way before scheduled 72k miles. See TSB to change them at 36k. Very useful site for tips and fault finding: www.alfa156.net Air conditioning condensor vulnerable to stone damage. Bosch 'hot film' Mass Airflow Sensors seem to be failing regularly. FIAT/Alfa joint worst for breakdowns attended by German ADAC during 2001. 9th from Bottom of 100 models for reliability in Auto Express 2002 survey. 18th from Bottom in 144 car 2002 JD Power / What Car? Customer Satisfaction Survey of V and W reg cars. Alfa Romeo had joint highest average cost in warranty claims for cars up to 10 years old in 2002 Warranty Direct index Joint fourth bottom in 2002 Which reliability survey of cars up to 2 years old; 74 cars surveyed. Alfa Romeo 2nd least reliable of 31 makes of car in 2002 'Which?' reliability survey cars 2000 - 2002; 3rd least reliable cars 1997 - 1999. Only 87% breakdown free in 2003 Which survey. Alfa Romeo had fourth highest warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 155.10 v/s lowest 31.93). 98-2000 average for breakdowns and faults and poor for problems; 2001-2003 average for breakdowns and poor for problems and faults in 2003 Which survey. 7th from bottom out of 137 models in 2003 Top Gear survey. 156 8th bottom model and Alfa Romeo bottom marque in 2004 JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey. Alfa Romeo 5th bottom of Reliability Index for 2004 combining average cost of repair of £392.88 with high 39.55 failures per 100 Warranty Direct policies. Link:- www.reliabilityindex.co.uk Came 16th from bottom in 2005 JD Power/What Car Survey of 23,000 cars reg Sep 2002 to Aug 2003 with satisfaction score of 74.7%

Nissan Primera IV

What's Bad
Handling of 1.8 SVE is far from brilliant and engine lacks power. Using TV screen alone to reverse can be disorientating. (There have been a few bumps.) Sudden poor running of petrol engines or failure to start due to crankshaft sensor malfunction (seems to be vulnerable to dirt or water ingress: see recalls). Doors have no rubbing strip and are prone to supermarket dings. Cable controlling injection when turbo cuts in was too short on 2003MY cars and consequently could break. Timing chain tensioner problems on 2.2 diesels, same as X-Trail. Best to change the oil and filter twice as often as Nissan recommends.

A slight imbalance, no?

FFS !! I didnt come on to try and say the primera was better than a 156...thats the sort of stuff you do with BMX's at the age of 8 and say my bike is better than yours ! I had an subjective opinion on alfas and it was given.
End of.

RoundyMooney

Sizzler wrote:

FFS !! I didnt come on to try and say the primera was better than a 156...thats the sort of stuff you do with BMX's at the age of 8 and say my bike is better than yours ! I had an subjective opinion on alfas and it was given.
End of.

Good man, I never said otherwise... so i don't know why you quoted me in full...

OP, you'll have to give both sides closure here, and let us know what you bought!

RoundyMooney

ds20prefecture wrote:

Of course they can - but if that opinion is based solely on hearsay they they should be open to being challenged about it.

Absolutely. Let's leave it at that.

miju

personally, never driven a primera, i've owned an Alfa for about 2 months now and it really is a beauty to drive

i'd heard all the usual problems with Alfa's so just asked my mate who works for Alfa Romeo as a mechanic and he just said "they're great cares once they're looked after in the first place" so a little TLC obviously goes a long way with Alfa's

kyote00

On the shaky exhaust.......

This is the way it is fixed to the car. If you look at the workshop manual, the last section is attached by a series of flexible bushings.

They dont fall off, they dont rattle --- its just different design !

When the 156 came out, a whole host of owners returned to the dealers wanting it "fixed" --- no repair or change was needed.

Given the polarised opinion on the 156, I will just add that a mate of mine who runs a chicken farm told me that Alfa are susceptible to the H5N1 strain of bird flu....definately have this checked

For the original poster:
if you go for the 156, then have it checked for the normal and now fully known and understood failiure points:
- front wishbones (squeking when driving over bumps)
- variator (rattle or knock on startup)
- ensure oil had been regularly changed (most alfa consume a little oil, this often catches 'new' owners out as they run them dry
- front rotors on the V6 models
- avoid the selespeed totally

If you go for the Nissan, then cut two holes out of a brown paper bag and place over head when driving

Lord Spence

Hey Everyone,

Sorry to start such a touchy debate, But the posts have helped me quite a bit. I think I will go for the Nissan as I am not one for TLC on my cars so the Alfa would probably Murder me.

Anan1

Lord Spence wrote:

Hey Everyone,

Sorry to start such a touchy debate, But the posts have helped me quite a bit. I think I will go for the Nissan as I am not one for TLC on my cars so the Alfa would probably Murder me.

By the way, have you actually driven both cars? That should go a long way towards helping you make your decision.