which 147

gstonesmx5

looking at the selection of alfa 147's out there its not to clear which are the 105bhp and which are the 120bhp.
i think i know but i'm not sure so which is which ?

any help would be great.

ciarsd

I presume your buying 2nd hand, hence the question?

If so, the 105BHP lacks a variator (which varies the cam timing). Inside it wont rev to as high as the 120BHP. At the minute I cannot remember the exact redline figures but a quick search should yield you the answer.

gstonesmx5

had a drive in a 03 on sat and not impressed by the drive. the gear change its not tight its loose,they seem too heavy in steering, dont inspire confidence anyway. i am comming from a 98 mx5 mk2 1.6 in mint condition
and want to get somthing that's 4 seats(not for munchkins), sporty drive, nice spec, is a good looker and up to €15k. its going on my wifes policy and so we could go up to 2ltr but would preffer to stay under it.
i dont want to become another golf driver, nothing wrong withh golf drivers
but its not for me.

Henry Ford III

I thought they were all 120bhp

ciarsd

Henry Ford III wrote:

I thought they were all 120bhp

nope, the early release models had a 105BHP 1.6 engine with no variator. The 105 & 120BHP models have been called many different names: Distinctive vs Lusso & Sportivo.

The only real way to know is by the redline rev. limit.

ciarsd

gstonesmx5 wrote:

had a drive in a 03 on sat and not impressed by the drive. the gear change its not tight its loose,they seem too heavy in steering, dont inspire confidence anyway. i am comming from a 98 mx5 mk2 1.6 in mint condition
and want to get somthing that's 4 seats(not for munchkins), sporty drive, nice spec, is a good looker and up to €15k. its going on my wifes policy and so we could go up to 2ltr but would preffer to stay under it.
i dont want to become another golf driver, nothing wrong withh golf drivers
but its not for me.

Coming from an MX5 I can understand some of your concerns - unfortunately your going to have to trade off some of the MX5's characteristics if you decide to replace it!
As for the gear change, cant say I noticed a huge amount of travel. It certainly wasn't as tight as some other cars I've driven but it certainly wasn't loose and wallowey

lightening

gstonesmx5 wrote:

had a drive in a 03 on sat and not impressed by the drive. the gear change its not tight its loose,they seem too heavy in steering, dont inspire confidence anyway. i am comming from a 98 mx5 mk2 1.6 in mint condition
and want to get somthing that's 4 seats(not for munchkins), sporty drive, nice spec, is a good looker and up to €15k. its going on my wifes policy and so we could go up to 2ltr but would preffer to stay under it.
i dont want to become another golf driver, nothing wrong withh golf drivers
but its not for me.

Nothing will beat the fun of the mx5... I sold an alfa GTV and got the new Golf GTI. The Alfa was much more fun, but like you, needed the four seats and the space...

mind you, the Golf is much quicker.

Motormouth

The gearchange on an MX5 is known for being incredibly precise and has a very short throw, maybe thats why the other one feels looser??

gstonesmx5

having owned the mx5 its going to be hard to find somthing to match it i know but there in lies the problem. the dive and feel wont be the same but i am not looking for much. i have been toying with the idea of a 320ci as it seems to be the closest thing with 4 seats. any thoughts.

Owen

Go for a MINI to replace the MX5 :-) But I'm biased ...

gstonesmx5

it woud have to be at least cooper with good spec and good previous owner.
the boot is kinda small and the new one will be on the way soon enough that prices will(should) drop and then they will be inside the budget.
funny though the mini was our first thought.

peasant

Seenashow you're not afraid of Italian cars ...how about a Fiat Stilo (3 door looks pretty good) 1.9 JTD (Diesel 115 bhp). That engine is supposed to be a real stormer.

Plus they're going fairly cheap second hand.

examples:
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=416140
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=419680
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=359240

gstonesmx5

the stilo is not a bad looking car and i know the 1.9jtd well but it
lacks somthing, it dosent go far enough. the prices's are right and you
do get our moneys worth but my budget is able to include bigger engined
harder to sell cars (eg 00 320ci 323ci). my aim is to keep it to or less than
2ltrs but that i snot written in stone. a more expensive car i would keep for longer but a stilo i would want to trade-in by christmas.