First car, need advice on Alfa 156

vene-nemesis · #1 08-17-2008, 04:14 PM

Hey im looking for some nice wheels for me, so far ive liked many 2 seaters but after thinking it better ive come to realize that for the price im going to pay i can get a car thats more reliable, fuel eficient and that has some status.

My budget is rounding the 6k€. I was watching Top Gear last night and clarkson was talking about the alfa depriciation and i thought to myself that the previous alfa 156 was a nice car and decidd to look in the used market. I found what looked like a reliable car 110-120 HP diesel (THIS IS EUROPE!!!!!![kicks you in the chest to botomless pit]) rounding my price range.

So i was wondering if any of you know some alfa romeo forum or if you can give some input about this car like parts prices, common failures etc etc...

Thx in advance!

vene-nemesis · #2 08-18-2008, 07:22 AM

FL Knifemaker · #3 08-18-2008, 07:44 AM

The last Alfa I drove was back in the early 80's. That's all I can tell you

When I was into Autocross, there was a few guys that ran them but they did all the work on them as well.

Tsal · #4 08-18-2008, 10:52 AM

Older 156's have problems with the paint, especially along the roof - check the window seams well for any rust. Also, the timing belt needs to be changed preferably a bit before the manufacturer recommendation, they get worn pretty quickly. The Alfas are nice and sporty, but they need to be well kept.

Have you considered a VW Passat or a Seat Toledo?

Deacon_Blues · #5 08-18-2008, 11:37 AM

I have been looking at used cars for some time and I also thought the Alfa Romeo 156 seemed to be a cool car. I spoke to my dad about it, and he told me one of his workmates didn't have but trouble after trouble with his Alfa, and it wasn't even very old. It kept me from looking further at them, although they seemed to kick some @$$ in terms of horsepowers. I like horsepowers, the more the better!

I ended up buying a Saab 9-3 2.0 (not the turbo version though) last Saturday. It's from -98 but driven only 128000km. It has everything you need in terms of equipment and from what I've been told it's a reliable car. There's no rust problems or other visual flaws either, except a small crack in the front window. A minus (exccept the crack) is that it consumes rather much gas - around 9 liters / 100 km on average, and the price is another one: I ended up paying about €7300 for it. (You'll probably go

, but here all cars are ridiculously overpriced).

I'm happy with the car though and I will have it paid in a reasonable timeframe.

Tsal · #6 08-18-2008, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

I have been looking at used cars for some time and I also thought the Alfa Romeo 156 seemed to be a cool car. I spoke to my dad about it, and he told me one of his workmates didn't have but trouble after trouble with his Alfa, and it wasn't even very old.

My friend's workmate has had a couple, and according to the guy, the Alfas last for 5-6 years quite well, after which problems start to show up. Sort of a "magic border", he said.

Then again, if you want a car that gives little problems, get a Japanese car. Toyota's have been very reliable in all reports, and my -98 Nissan hasn't given me any problems either.

vene-nemesis · #7 08-18-2008, 02:12 PM

I know the depriciation is there for some reason. Most ive looked are rounding the 100-120k Km range and i know the engines are tough but ive seen failures in my friends cars and exGFs cars like worn clutch and broken clutch cable, broken fuel pump, destroyed transmision that have made me fear used cars.

sensible68 · #8 08-18-2008, 03:51 PM

my ex boss had the estate (sportwagon?) and made the mistake of driving it though a ford. Those crazy Italians put the air intake at the bottom of the engine! Instant cold water injection, complete write off.

BassManPatsFan · #9 08-18-2008, 09:40 PM

I worked in a Fiat/Lancia garage this summer that sold some used Alfas and the garage's owner told me that although fiat and lancia have been pretty reliable since their rehaul, alfas continue to be quite unreliable, requiring lots of service and more frustration than one should feel, even for a european car. I would ask some owners of new Alfas if I were you about reliability and such.

vene-nemesis · #10 08-19-2008, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

I have been looking at used cars for some time and I also thought the Alfa Romeo 156 seemed to be a cool car. I spoke to my dad about it, and he told me one of his workmates didn't have but trouble after trouble with his Alfa, and it wasn't even very old. It kept me from looking further at them, although they seemed to kick some @$$ in terms of horsepowers. I like horsepowers, the more the better!

I ended up buying a Saab 9-3 2.0 (not the turbo version though) last Saturday. It's from -98 but driven only 128000km. It has everything you need in terms of equipment and from what I've been told it's a reliable car. There's no rust problems or other visual flaws either, except a small crack in the front window. A minus (exccept the crack) is that it consumes rather much gas - around 9 liters / 100 km on average, and the price is another one: I ended up paying about €7300 for it. (You'll probably go

, but here all cars are ridiculously overpriced).

I'm happy with the car though and I will have it paid in a reasonable timeframe.

Wow the 9-3 older model isnt apealing to me at all, the newer ones do, but their starting price in germany is rounding 8500€ and thats too much for me actually.

My actual car is a '93 lancia Y10, i got it free from a friend of my father who cant sell it because it belongs to a bankrrupted company he used to own...

Ive been looking at celicas too, i bet i can find a good deal for 6000€ on the newer models from '00 or the previous version... The 4wd model (from the 2nd prev gen) looks very nice but that screams "ill gladly swallow every single penny you have" gas wise...

Deacon_Blues · #11 08-19-2008, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vene-nemesis

Wow the 9-3 older model isnt apealing to me at all, the newer ones do, but their starting price in germany is rounding 8500€ and thats too much for me actually.

I can't say it was love on first sight with this car either. It just fitted my economy well, it seems like a reliable car with a good engine without too much kilometers behind, and it has a large trunk into which my 410 cab fits...

The visual appearance could be better, but it's not terribly bad-looking either.

My previous car was a Mazda 626 from -94, on which something had to be fixed all the time. When I fixed something, the next problem arose. I wanted a more reliable car and I think this Saab meets that requirement. The future will tell...