Anybody lived with an Alfa 147?

DONT BUT A MIGRAINE!!!! Please noooooooo. ]

Buy the mini you know you want to. Drove a mini one and a Cooper S and both cars were a hoot to drive. Great car.

Mick

can't get your links to work 635.

This is cheap by comparison to the rest. But it is the very first of the generation when they suffered probs with the build quality.

I'm not really adding anything new, but before my 320d I owned a 156 for 2 years. I got hit with one big service bill, as I needed new brake discs and pads all around.

Apart from that, and a few headlight bulbs going, I did not have ONE problem in two years of ownership. On the other hand, my BMW has cost me easily €1000 in maintenance alone over less than a year (new MAF, general service, new relay switch etc).

My dad has had his since '98, and he has not had any problems either, and he doesn't keep an eye on the fluid levels anywhere near as regularly as I did.

Yes, they are nowhere near as reliable as a Japanese car, but by the same token, they are nowhere near as bland and uninspiring as most of the Jap saloons.

On the depreciation - this may seem like a bad thing, but it obviously works both ways. It means you can buy a 2 litre saloon that handles like an absolute animal, and is probably as quick as the equivalent 3 series saloon for peanuts. You should factor in its excellent value into any potential repair costs (rumours of which are overstated anyway).

Hi Eoin, welcome to the forum. You are one of the lucky ones mentioned
earlier. My mum has a 2001 156 Selespeed (2.0 litre). I've just ordered
900 euro worth of parts from a discount company England to service
and fix her car up. New wishbone, drop links, themostat, lambda
sensor, and shocks (these cars are so soft) amongst other things. And it's
just had a main dealer service costing 742 euro as a valve had brocken
and had to be replaced. Not to mension the new gfearbox it got last year
with ANOTHER timing belt (every 30k???) and tensioners and some small
stuff. That cost 3500 euro. But it's a great car to drive. (Well it will be
when I fix it). And she does like it. But they are EXPENSIVE to keep. Only
70k on her car too!

P.S. Having the brake pads changed by a dealer is the biggest rip off ever.
Thats the one job I would insist on doing myself on ALL my cars. They're
easy to do even if you're not mechanically minded. Front pads from an
Alfa dealer are 80 euro or about 50 from an indy. Take 20 minutes per
side to do.

Edited by flyingalexf68

flyingalexf68 wrote: Hi Eoin, welcome to the forum. You are one of the lucky ones mentioned earlier. My mum has a 2001 156 Selespeed (2.0 litre). I've just ordered 900 euro worth of parts from a discount company England to service and fix her car up. New wishbone, drop links, themostat, lambda sensor, and shocks (these cars are so soft) amongst other things. And it's just had a main dealer service costing 742 euro as a valve had brocken and had to be replaced. Not to mension the new gfearbox it got last year with ANOTHER timing belt (every 30k???) and tensioners and some small stuff. That cost 3500 euro. But it's a great car to drive. (Well it will be when I fix it). And she does like it. But they are EXPENSIVE to keep. Only 70k on her car too! P.S. Having the brake pads changed by a dealer is the biggest rip off ever. Thats the one job I would insist on doing myself on ALL my cars. They're easy to do even if you're not mechanically minded. Front pads from an Alfa dealer are 80 euro or about 50 from an indy. Take 20 minutes per side to do.

Selespeed's are known to be extremely problematic! They are supposed to be absolute rubbish. The 156 is a lovely car but I would definately stay well clear of the Selespeed.

ivanovoitch wrote: The missus - who has been avidly reading these posts - is chuffed with the positive feedback on the Mini.

Just to throw a small dampener on this, I was talking with John Roche recently on this very topic because if the UK prices settle a bit it could be a contender for a replacement for Mrs D's 318Ci.  The word from his pals still in the UK dealer network is that some can also be a little bit troublesome, mostly with minor but irritating issues.  They've been known to munch an odd gearbox, on some the electrics can be a little bothersome, etc.  I dare say that these comments should be considered in terms of the comparison against a similar age/mileage BMW levels of reliability and quality.

I haven't quite decided if it puts me off the idea yet but his judgement is typically fairly sound on BMW related issues.

Dergside wrote: ivanovoitch wrote: The missus - who has been avidly reading these posts - is chuffed with the positive feedback on the Mini.  Just to throw a small dampener on this, I was talking with John Roche recently on this very topic because if the UK prices settle a bit it could be a contender for a replacement for Mrs D's 318Ci.  The word from his pals still in the UK dealer network is that some can also be a little bit troublesome, mostly with minor but irritating issues.  They've been known to munch an odd gearbox, on some the electrics can be a little bothersome, etc.  I dare say that these comments should be considered in terms of the comparison against a similar age/mileage BMW levels of reliability and quality. I haven't quite decided if it puts me off the idea yet but his judgement is typically fairly sound on BMW related issues.

I've had a chat with a mechanic who I respect (and has a decent track record with BM's). He's had a few early non-TLC cars through his place and reckons that, if the car is right in the first place, it's as safe a bet as any BMW of the equivalent age.



 

Saw a really nice Mini Cooper today at the shops. Lady driver. The car was
pristine. Silver with black roof and nice alloys. It looked brand new and I
went to have a look to see what the differences there are but it was a '01.
Couldn't believe it. These cars are aging incredibly well. Probably the best
choice for a small hatch at the moment. Hope you find a nice one.