Thoughts on the Alfa 156??

retrinityed

I'm in the market for a new jammer and was contemplating the Alfa 156....just wanted to get some thoughts on this if anyone has any...it should be noted tho that i'd be buying one somewhere in the region of a late 90's early Nauties model...(working my way up to a Beamer, I think the jump from a VW Polo 1L to a Beamer now would only end in tears....Alfa seems like a nice inbetweener...)

Volvoboy

There is loads of previous posts about the 156, many questions have been answerd time and time again.



Use the search.


-VB-

Tropheus

Make sure all the gearbox and clutch problems have been sorted. Very weak points on the 156. The early Selespeeds were notoriously unreliable.

GavMan

Bought one last august and they're great. Haven't had any bother with mine(except that i broke the key!!!)

A service history is always good. Some sort of warrenty. A decent length of NCT. Timing belt needs to be done every 30-35K. Another common-ish problem is worn variators! You'll know its worn if you start the engine and it sounds like a diesel rather that a petrol, and then settles into a normal petrol engine sounds. Its not a critical problem but or dear to fix, but its a little annoying.

Whats your budget like? In terms of 2001 vintage, you should be able to pick up one with good spec, reasonable milage (and possibly with Leather interior) for under 6K, probably closer to 5K actually

Just watch out for the usual stuff you would with any used car. Other than that, enjoy it mate! They're really great to drive and look fantastic. If your buget can stretch to it, try and push the boat out to a face lifted 2004 onwards. You're talkin about €10K but its worth it...

bitemybanger

GavMan wrote: »

Haven't had any bother with mineQUOTE]

Yet:p

shanel23

I had a '99 1.8 and great fun in it and only a few very minor problem which were all fixed under the warranty . As stated before the timing belt change is critical to these cars at the 35-40K mark - know a friend who did'nt bother and spent 2.5K on a rebuild !

Anan1

retrinityed wrote: »

(working my way up to a Beamer, I think the jump from a VW Polo 1L to a Beamer now would only end in tears....Alfa seems like a nice inbetweener...)

Forget about buying an Alfa Romeo, the car wouldn't suit you and you wouldn't suit the car.:)

Van Basten

I've heard really bad reports on Alpha's, mainly from lads who drive them as company cars. The Electrics seem to be the root of most of the problems. They also don't hold their value as good as other makes, VW, Toyota, etc.

That said I think they are a very stylish car. If I was to buy one I'd make sure that the miles were low, it had a full service history, and I'd keep it well serviced.

If your coming up from a Polo I'd take a look at the Golf/Audi A3

best of luck.

cjt156

ksimpson wrote: »

Make sure all the gearbox and clutch problems have been sorted. Very weak points on the 156. The early Selespeeds were notoriously unreliable.

Selespeeds are notoriously bad. Manual clutch and gear box are trouble-free.

bitemybanger wrote: »

Yet:p

Yawn...

Van Basten wrote: »

I've heard really bad reports on Alpha's, mainly from lads who drive them as company cars. The Electrics seem to be the root of most of the problems.

If you can't spell the name perhaps you shouldn't offer advice. Company car drivers by definition don't have to care for their cars. ALFA Romeos require care. I've had 2 ALFAs, put over 150k miles on them and never had an electrical issue.

Volvoboy wrote: »

There is loads of previous posts about the 156, many questions have been answerd time and time again.

Use the search.

-VB-

+1

Belts, variators and suspension bushes need regular attention. Always keep your oil topped up. More info on the forum at alfa156.net

alias no.9

Van Basten wrote: »

I've heard really bad reports on Alpha's, mainly from lads who drive them as company cars. The Electrics seem to be the root of most of the problems. They also don't hold their value as good as other makes, VW, Toyota, etc.

I've heard really bad reports about alfas, most of which come from people who call them alphas and have never owned one.
There are known weakpoints with alfas, timing belts, oil consumption which if isn't checked and topped up can lead to variator failure or worse again bottom end bearing failure, thermostats get lazy after a few years, suspension bushings take a hammering on irish roads, dodgy bosch mass airflow meters and so forth.
The thing is, I've never heard many complaints about the electrics. I'm surprised you didn't make claims about rust like another genius did in the past.

groupb

Van Basten wrote: »

I've heard really bad reports on Alpha's, mainly from lads who drive them as company cars. The Electrics seem to be the root of most of the problems. They also don't hold their value as good as other makes, VW, Toyota, etc.

That said I think they are a very stylish car. If I was to buy one I'd make sure that the miles were low, it had a full service history, and I'd keep it well serviced.

If your coming up from a Polo I'd take a look at the Golf/Audi A3

best of luck.

Don't know about an Alpha. Buy a golf or an A3 or a kitchen blender or a washing machine or some other white goods if you have no interest in cars.
But I would definitly buy an Alfa.

retrinityed

Thanks all for your input, and yes, noted, i will use the search...unfortunately I don't have the budget to get anything thats post '02, but it was just recommended to me to invest in another car rather than putting any more money into the Polo I have...Sounds like the Alfa could be managed with good servicing and a little pot luck from the outset, but perhaps a Golf would be a safer bet...a decent reputation is a decent reputation after all.

Thanks again...

~Retrinityed~

astraboy

Bought my 00 156 back in October. Love it, but if your the kind of owner that looks under the bonnet once every 6 months and thinks checking the oil is just to be done each Christmas, its not for you. I check the oil and water weekly. I actually am having the thermostat and rad replaced this week but the car has 85,000 miles so things like that are to be expected. A LOT of car for the money. A 99/00 2L with leather and under 70K can be had for 4 grand. Good handling, and the car looks great. Best looking saloon in the class for the years it was made IMO.

Need to check oil every week or 2 as the engines use a bit, and the engines are a bit gutless below 3,000 RPM but thats the way the 16v motor works. All in a great car to own if you are a true car lover. If not, and you just want something "nice" get a golf like the rest of the sheep!:D

turbocabrio

hi,
my sister had one of these,3years old with 32kmiles on it,timing belt went and cost 4000euro to fix engine.alfa covered the cost.i didnt think any car company would produce a car these days with that sort of timing belt life.also the fuel gauge reads all over the place,she ran out of fuel and the gauge still read half way.the onlything alfa hasgot right since the seventies is the rust issues.

astraboy

Alfa sent a release regarding timing belts to be done every 36K miles anyway, and they covered the cost, so while the timing belts are something to watch out for its certainly not a reason to ignore the 156 as a potential purchase. The fuel gauge spring is known to get a little lazy after a few years. At the end of the day all cars have issues, and the 156 requires a bit more attention then say a corolla. However, I smile every time I drive mine, wheres I think the corolla is a car for those that think of cars in the same way as washing machines and fridges.

They are a car for car lovers, you need to pay attention to them and they cost more to service, but second hand they are a bargain and I certainly prefer them to all the 316i BMW's on the road. Each to their own and such. A rewarding car to own if you are willing to put in the effort to keep it running well.

Lex Luthor

I just sold my 8yr old 1.8 156 for 4.5k with 90k miles.

If you are looking for 99/00, try to get one with Sport Pack 3 spec. It also comes with leather.

Something like this

If the car has done more than 40k miles and under 80k, then it should have the belts done once. If more than 80k, then done twice with waterpump. Demand receipts & service book for confirmation.

Beware of any low mileage examples from dealers without backup, stay away from selespeed and do a search here for other posts.

Buy well and you will get a great car for good money.

I don't get your idea of jumping from a Polo to a beamer would end in tears....why do you say that?

JHMEG

alias no.9 wrote: »

I've never heard many complaints

What does that mean?

alias no.9

JHMEG wrote: »

What does that mean?

I own a 156, know several other owners, am a member of a numer of AR forums and am pretty familiar with the common faults. I did plenty research before buying my 156 and throughout my 2.5 years of ownership. I've done all the servicing the car since I've owned it, including the cam belt. The only time it's been in a garage during my ownership was following an encounter with a kamakazi dog on a trip to wexford.
If there are widespread electrical problems, I've certainly not heard of them. Care to share your insight?

JHMEG

I've never heard many complaints
is the same as
I have heard of some complaints ?

I've nothing to add as my personal experience is limited. Aside from a few things already mentioned, watch out for the brake lamp strip on the back window.. it's a fire hazard as it gets melted from the inside by its own bulbs.

Marcus.Aurelius

Had some 156s on Traffic, they were very unreliable in our experience (2.5 V6), but I note that owners on boards.ie seem to have almost reasonable reliability with careful maintenance.

As said previously, horses for courses.

Redsoxfan

jaysus I reckon we need a sticky on the 156 with a list of pros and cons-is any one car discussed as much with such varying opinions?

Dancing_Priest

Right
I'm in the motor trade myself, and have been dealing with Toyotas from the day I started. In terms of relaibility Toyota are amazing, they seem to look after themselves, dont service it for a few k, no big deal, treat it badly , no big deal, it'll stay going.
Alphas, forget about them, front wheel drive, big fiats that'll just be heartache, I wouldnt recomend one to my worst enemy. Up until 14 weeks ago that was my oppinion.
Then..... then.... well then I drove one, a 2003 1.8l 156 with 35,000 miles. Cream seats, wooden steering wheel, a gear chance that felt just so... Perfect. the driving position, arms out, legs in. Not paticularly fast, but swift. It had an amazing exhaust note for a 4 pot, nicer than any jap engine, of any size. The interior was such a nice place to be. Such a lovely car. I'm afraid that I have to have one. Im still not sure though, I saw a gtv in the garage the other day..............:))

Hotwheels

You should take a Diesel JTDm for a spin :cool:

Dancing_Priest wrote: »

Right

Then..... then.... well then I drove one, a 2003 1.8l 156 with 35,000 miles. Cream seats, wooden steering wheel, a gear chance that felt just so... Perfect. the driving position, arms out, legs in. Not paticularly fast, but swift. It had an amazing exhaust note for a 4 pot, nicer than any jap engine, of any size. The interior was such a nice place to be. Such a lovely car. I'm afraid that I have to have one. Im still not sure though, I saw a gtv in the garage the other day..............:))

alias no.9

JHMEG wrote: »

I've never heard many complaints
is the same as
I have heard of some complaints ?

Right so Pedantic Pat, my post was made in context, a context you have stripped away in your reply. A previous poster wrote...

Van Basten wrote: »

I've heard really bad reports on Alpha's, mainly from lads who drive them as company cars. The Electrics seem to be the root of most of the problems.

My response was written to contradict what he had said by outlining the main weak points of the car, which didn't quite correspond to his claim of the electrics being the root cause of most of the problems. There was also a tongue in cheek comment about rust alluding to the fact I felt that this post amounted to little more than clichéd nonsense and didn't contribute anything worthwhile to the thread. Perhaps I should consider adding explainatory notes to my posts for your benefit in the future, I'll use spoiler tags so other people don't have to go to the trouble of reading them.
As for the specifics about electrics, either the bulbs that illuminate the heater control dials or the electrical connections to those bulbs can be a little bit ropey and are an absolute pig to get in and fix, hardly the end of the world. Oh yeah, the sidelight bulbs are halogens and quite expensive at nearly €10 a pop.

cjt156

JHMEG wrote: »

watch out for the brake lamp strip on the back window.. it's a fire hazard as it gets melted from the inside by its own bulbs.

Really? I've had 2 ALFA 156s with combined mileage of over 150,000 miles, I frequent a number of ALFA forums and I have NEVER heard of this before.

siralfalot

Dancing_Priest wrote: »

Right
I'm in the motor trade myself, and have been dealing with Toyotas from the day I started. In terms of relaibility Toyota are amazing, they seem to look after themselves, dont service it for a few k, no big deal, treat it badly , no big deal, it'll stay going.
Alphas, forget about them, front wheel drive, big fiats that'll just be heartache, I wouldnt recomend one to my worst enemy. Up until 14 weeks ago that was my oppinion.
Then..... then.... well then I drove one, a 2003 1.8l 156 with 35,000 miles. Cream seats, wooden steering wheel, a gear chance that felt just so... Perfect. the driving position, arms out, legs in. Not paticularly fast, but swift. It had an amazing exhaust note for a 4 pot, nicer than any jap engine, of any size. The interior was such a nice place to be. Such a lovely car. I'm afraid that I have to have one. Im still not sure though, I saw a gtv in the garage the other day..............:))

pretty much what happened to me about 4 years ago :cool:

and while they may be great cars, I will never own a Toyota again

cjt156 wrote: »

Really? I've had 2 ALFA 156s with combined mileage of over 150,000 miles, I frequent a number of ALFA forums and I have NEVER heard of this before.

and I've had 3 156's, with a combined 323,000 miles between them, I frequent all the Alfa forums and I too have never heard of this problem................