Alfa 147

Kangaroopoo

Was thinking of buying a second hand one of these probably 2002/2003 1.6 or 1.8 5 door. I know Alfas don't have the best rep but these seem to be reliable cars and even Top Gear gave it a fairly good review - anyone have one has it caused trouble, has the bodywork fallen asunder?? opinions please??

prospect

I have one, and bar one or two little issues it has been perfect. Although mine is a diesel.
Love it too bits.

Anan1

It's all about servicing with Alfas, they need regular care and cambelts/tensioners every 36k. I'm about to inherit a 156 2.0 with 120,000 miles which has always been perfectly reliable and runs like a Swiss watch. Personally, i'd only buy a car that had been serviced by either Alasta or TI Autos. Avoid Alfa dealerships like the plague.

conor_mc

Sister had a 1.6 petrol. Beuatiful car but yes, it did have reliability issues.

Twice it cut out at speed, suffered from that diesel-sound problem (can't remember exactly what causes it, but it's a known problem), and a clutch/gearbox problem that meant she could only select third gear on her way home from work one day, but it was grand the next day when a mechanic came to her house to check it out.

She loved the car but it broke her heart. Having said that, I don't think she's be considered a typical Alfa "service-the-car-religiously" owner.

testicle

There is no 1.8 147, only 1.6, 2.0 and 3.2 in Petrol, and 1.9 and 2.4 Diesel.

testicle

conor_mc wrote:

suffered from that diesel-sound problem (can't remember exactly what causes it, but it's a known problem)

Variator, happens when you don't top up the oil.

su_dios

My dad has had alfas since the 70's and changes every 3 or 4 yrs. The only one hes had problems with was the 166. The newer the car the better really and its not really down the fact its an alfa its how well the car has been looked after. Its an Italian car atfer all. Check the service history on it and you should be fine.

lightening

su_dios wrote:

My dad has had alfas since the 70's

Canoeist?

junkyard

If you look through the previous posts you'll find loads of posts looking for advice about Alfa's. You'll find loads of people for and loads of people against. If your looking for a reliable car to get from A to B without breaking the bank don't buy an Alfa. If you want a peculiar cantankerous oddball yoke that will rob you of your sanity and your wallet than an Alfa is probably what your looking for. Why some people bring such hardship on themselves is beyond me. I suppose the real answer is why so few people are buying Fiats and Alfa's new at present, sales figures have plummeted.

colm_mcm

Yeah, Junkyard, but which would you rather? A Renault or an Alfa.

Italian cars have charisma.

Anan1

colm_mcm wrote:

Yeah, Junkyard, but which would you rather? A Renault or an Alfa.

Are you trying to kill him?;)

junkyard

Neither, I'd sooner walk or cycle, there are other makes too you know Colm. I'd buy a Nissan Almera or a Toyota Corolla if I wanted to get from A to B. If I wanted something different I'd buy a Subaru or an Audi. Would you go out in an Italian suit, knowing in the back of your mind that the ar*e was liable to fall out of it for no apparent reason at any particular time for the sake of looking good or would you go for something tried and tested and that was proved to be up for the job? I'd go for tried and tested anyday.
If it was a choice between what Renault or Alfa had to offer I would genuinely give up on cars and most of ye know how much I'm into my cars.

neacy69

i have a 147 5 door 1.6ts petrol and I love it great cars lovely to drive and very reliable (so far!) most important thing is a FSH even with high miles these can be great as long as they have been well looked after

btw the alfa 147 needs a timing belt change every 36,000 miles so check that any you look at has been changed once (or twice;) )

prospect

junkyard wrote:

Neither, I'd sooner walk or cycle, there are other makes too you know Colm. I'd buy a Nissan Almera or a Toyota Corolla if I wanted to get from A to B. If I wanted something different I'd buy a Subaru or an Audi. Would you go out in an Italian suit, knowing in the back of your mind that the ar*e was liable to fall out of it for no apparent reason at any particular time for the sake of looking good or would you go for something tried and tested and that was proved to be up for the job? I'd go for tried and tested anyday.
If it was a choice between what Renault or Alfa had to offer I would genuinely give up on cars and most of ye know how much I'm into my cars.

Junkyard, you have ruined enough of these threads with your useless misinformed b.s.
Why don't you pop over to the 320d with the shagged turbo thread, and try and convince the world BMWs never give trouble. :rolleyes:

Guy:Incognito

prospect wrote:

Junkyard, you have ruined enough of these threads with your useless misinformed b.s.
Why don't you pop over to the 320d with the shagged turbo thread, and try and convince the world BMWs never give trouble. :rolleyes:

Lay off. He's seen broken Renaults, in the flesh you know.:)

I just wonder everyday why my family keep pushing our 4 renaults to and from work seeing as they are constantly broken.:rolleyes:

junkyard

prospect wrote:

Junkyard, you have ruined enough of these threads with your useless misinformed b.s.
Why don't you pop over to the 320d with the shagged turbo thread, and try and convince the world BMW's never give trouble. :rolleyes:

Just because ye don't like what ye hear doesn't mean you can try and scare me away ya know. I tell it like I see it. If you read the BMW thread you were on about I agree I've heard of problems with the turbos on the 530d in particular, but when it comes to Alfa's and Renault's its just that there are so many problems in every aspect of each make, that's the point I'm trying to get across that some of ye simply don't want to see. It makes no odds to me whether or not you want to buy an FSO, a Lada or a Renault or an Alfa but if someone comes on here looking for advice about a particular marque I think its only fair to give the two sides of the story rather than give them a false sense of security. Granted some people who own Alfa's or Renault's don't seem to have any problems but I've seen lots of these makes and trouble is their middle name. If your really not sure just ask any car dealer they'll tell you, thats the reason why these makes have such a bad name in the motor trade and are worth very little second-hand.

zuutroy

A mate had one for a year and had all sorts of electrical problems and all manner of hassle with the dealer. Beautiful car though and even the 1.6 is very quick.

galwaytt

junkyard wrote:

Neither, I'd sooner walk or cycle, there are other makes too you know Colm. I'd buy a Nissan Almera or a Toyota Corolla if I wanted to get from A to B.

Fine, me too.

If I wanted something different I'd buy a Subaru or an Audi.

.....but with the Audi you'll need the warranty.......or sell it before it hits 60k miles........the scoob is fine, but be prepared to losing money hand over fist on it when you sell it. As it's a car, it's fine.

Would you go out in an Italian suit, .....for no apparent reason at any particular time for the sake of looking good

but that's exactly why you buy the Italian suit - to look good, otherwise you

...would you go for something tried and tested and that was proved to be up for the job? I'd go for tried and tested anyday.

....otherwise known as a Penney's tracksuit. You Are What You Wear, just as much as You Are What You Drive.

If it was a choice between what Renault or Alfa had to offer I would genuinely give up on cars and most of ye know how much I'm into my cars.

....you see, the problem with all that is, if that it was that simple, the cars that bad, and the trade so bad.....that there would be no dealers left. But the opposite is the case. And I've yet to meet a dealership operating as a charity. So, therefore, they're still making money at it, and be extension, people must be happy enough to keep them in business...

Sales of new cars for 2006, as follows, then.
1) Volkswagen: 3,111,855
2) Peugeot Citroen: 2,019,540 - they're all mad as bats, then:rolleyes:
3) Ford: 1,623,532
4) General Motors: 1,585,022
5) Renault: 1,324,119 - must be bonkers......:rolleyes:
6) Fiat: 1,156,152 - stark raving loonies...:D
7) DaimlerChrysler: 922,461
8) Toyota: 896,831
9) BMW: 793,077
10) Nissan: 313,507
Total European sales 15,364,997

So 1/3 of all car sales are by deluded individuals, all falling under some spell. You'll notice that the perceived quality brands are all closer to the bottom, than the top - and I don't necessarilty put VAG at the top of the quality pile, btw.

And there again, there's the price. Everything is worth something, and no-one expects Toyota reliability at Italian prices. There again no-one gets Italian style or Charisma from Toyota, either..........

As my local mechanic says......thank god for German Cars. Why? I ask.....otherwise I'd have nothing to fix, he replies.............. his yard is lined with A4's, M-B diesels.............he has the nouse to drive.........a Lexus.

'nuff said, methinks.

Guy:Incognito

junkyard wrote:

Just because ye don't like what ye hear doesn't mean you can try and scare me away ya know. I tell it like I see it. If you read the BMW thread you were on about I agree I've heard of problems with the turbos on the 530d in particular, but when it comes to Alfa's and Renault's its just that there are so many problems in every aspect of each make, that's the point I'm trying to get across that some of ye simply don't want to see. It makes no odds to me whether or not you want to buy an FSO, a Lada or a Renault or an Alfa but if someone comes on here looking for advice about a particular marque I think its only fair to give the two sides of the story rather than give them a false sense of security. Granted some people who own Alfa's or Renault's don't seem to have any problems but I've seen lots of these makes and trouble is their middle name. If your really not sure just ask any car dealer they'll tell you, thats the reason why these makes have such a bad name in the motor trade and are worth very little second-hand.

So golfs hold their value so well because they are such a good car? Or does it not work both ways?

maidhc

Not entering the debate, but Junkyard has a valid point.

He is a guy who seems to know more than most about cars, and his opinion while disagreeable to some, is reasonable.

C.D.

As a general rule of thumb, how the public percieves a marque (in terms of reliabilty) has a large impact of a car's resale value in that segment. Look at VAG- specifically the more recent Golf's- a triumph of marketing over matter- the public percieve them to be very very reliable. Hence higher resale value. Look at the Starlet, rock-solid reliabilty, just look at the prices for the end-of-line 98 models.


The whole point being- if people know/think that a car is going to leave them with costly repair bills after x mileage.. resale value is going to go down.

DanThe

Quote, Galwaytt

So 1/3 of all car sales are by deluded individuals, all falling under some spell. You'll notice that the perceived quality brands are all closer to the bottom, than the top - and I don't necessarilty put VAG at the top of the quality pile, btw.

The law of averages dictate that half the population will have below average intelligence. Come to your own conclusion

junkyard

DanThe wrote:

The law of averages dictate that half the population will have below average intelligence. Come to your own conclusion

junkyard

Stekelly wrote:

So golfs hold their value so well because they are such a good car? Or does it not work both ways?

Golf's are selling on their past glories, the last good golf was the mark 2 GTI of which I have 6 for safe keeping. Notice how VW no longer use the slogan" As reliable as a Volkswagen" that's because they're no longer reliable.

dave2pvd

Yeah, Alfas are unreliable.

86 GTV6 with 230,000 miles.

I just hope my Subaru will be as reliable and last as long.

prospect

maidhc wrote:

He is a guy who seems to know more than most about cars, and his opinion while disagreeable to some, is reasonable.

No he isn't. He is a BS machine, who spouts age old stories about motoring from years back. He is still living in the seventies when BMW were decent cars, and fiat/alfa were suffering rust issues. Junkyard, FYI Datsun are gone, just in case you have not updated that little fact to yourself yet.

At the end of the day, he knows very little specifically about Alfas, but has some sort of agend against them. He has nothing constructive to contribute to these threads, and therefore should butt out. I have no issue if he wants to come on and say "I wouldn't buy one", but leave it at that.

BTW, you claim that you'd sooner have a Subaru or an Audi, both of which rank worse than both Alfa Romeo and Fiat in the CURRENT reliability survey.

Personally I feel sorry for you, falling hook-line & sinker for BMWs clever marketing campaigns.

Correction:
Subaru are worse.
Audi are 1 place ahead,

galwaytt

junkyard wrote:

The law of averages dictate that half the population will have below average intelligence. Come to your own conclusion

....indeed that would explain all the VW sales..........:D

If we took those guys out of the 1/3.........crumbs, there'd only be wise people left !!

Prospect....cut it out. Whilst I may espouse a different set of values (both financial and otherwise........) for cars, you're overstepping the mark and getting personal. They're only frickin' cars...........

FWIW, and I didn't post this info before, I was in the trade for many years - but not anymore - and did my training as a mechanic here, and then worked in the UK. I worked for an independant, specialising in Fiat/Alfa/Lancia repairs and restorations. Yes, repairs. I've seen enough Delta HF turbo's, 130TC's, Gamma's and Spiders to last a lifetime. Several in fact. But I'd still buy the right one if it came along at the right price - if the balance is right, it still makes sense. My best loved personal cars I've owned included a much and very derided, but in my example perfectly reliable Alfa Giulietta 1.8 which I flogged to within an inch of it's life.................and I didn't get stranded once. I also hanker after an early Audi 100 Coupe S, 69-73, but that's another story altogether............

prospect

galwaytt wrote:

.
Prospect....cut it out. Whilst I may espouse a different set of values (both financial and otherwise........) for cars, you're overstepping the mark and getting personal. They're only frickin' cars...........
.

Gosh, I didn't realise you were a mod, or my mother for that matter.

junkyard

prospect wrote:

Gosh, I didn't realise you were a mod, or my mother for that matter.

I feel sorry for you prospect, I really do, such little experience with cars and you try to give the impression that you know it all. I've worked on cars for nearly 30 years any many different aspects of the business and while I have formed my own opinions of certain makes from experience they're not that far removed from reality. How long have you work with cars?

prospect

junkyard wrote:

I feel sorry for you prospect, I really do, such little experience with cars and you try to give the impression that you know it all. I've worked on cars for nearly 30 years any many different aspects of the business and while I have formed my own opinions of certain makes from experience they're not that far removed from reality. How long have you work with cars?

40 years.

Talk is cheap.


I have an extreemly sore throat and am no longer interested in this conversation.

To the OP, the 147 is a fine car, as with all cars check for a full and timely service history. Specifically to the 147, check the timing belt was changed at 36K as pointed out earlier.

If you want a reliable car, go for a:
Skoda,
Mazda,
Honda,
Suzuki,
Ford,
Lexus,
Huyndai

All of which are proven to be more reliable than certain unmentioned brands.

Good night and good luck.

galwaytt

prospect wrote:

I have an extreemly sore throat and am no longer interested in this conversation.

indeed :rolleyes:

OP, the 147 is a fine car, as with all cars check for a full and timely service history. Specifically to the 147, check the timing belt was changed at 36K as pointed out earlier.

If you want a reliable car, go for a:
Skoda,
Mazda,
Honda,
Suzuki,
Ford,
Lexus,
Huyndai

All of which are proven to be more reliable than certain unmentioned brands.

OP - not much wrong with that list, all you need to decide now is:

Transport
or
Driving

The above list is Transport, all others are Driving...........

RobAMerc

Why does any mention of an Alfa on boards.ie bring out all the same crap every time, ie the (Alfa and Renaults) are crap cars because they break down.

True petrol heads all have a place in their hearts for Alfa's in particular.

But this forum is full of people who have no interest in anything else but who own a car so feel they have right to poo poo everyone elses.

alias no.9

The conventional wisdom is to avoid alfas and there are certainly lemons out there. I couldn't help myself at the price and have had mine, a 00 reg 156 1.8, for over a year now and don't regret it for a second. It had the timing belt and variator done and a new set of plugs when I bought it. Servicing wise all that it's needed was a bushing for the NCT (marginally more difficult than changing a wheel) and regular oil changes, all of which I've done myself. I have had some bad luck though recently, a dog came from nowhere and I hit it at nearly 60mph resulting in a €700+ repair bill (new radiator, hoses, bottom grille and a few more bits) and there was a couple of days delay on some of the parts. The only thing I'd say against the car is that it's quite thirsty around town, that said, it will do nearly 40mpg on the open road even with my right foot.

Kangaroopoo

Personally I'd rather eat **** than drive a Toytota Corolla or Nissan. I'm limited to what I can buy as I'm a/fussy b/pregnant and with a baby I need a 4 door and something with a reasonable size boot. I've always driven brand new convertibles and am really in to my cars, but with creche costs have to downgrade and get a car with above - as I'm fussy theres not much I like the Alfa 147 is a nice looking car and seems to have the best reviews out of all the Alfa models. I'd love a VW Beetle but just not practical with a chidler and am looking at some Audi A4's but I work in town and live in town so wanted something a little smaller. I also like the Chrysler PT cruiser but I think I might be the only person who does going to look at a few of those too

prospect

Kangaroopoo wrote:

Personally I'd rather eat **** than drive a Toytota Corolla or Nissan. I'm limited to what I can buy as I'm a/fussy b/pregnant and with a baby I need a 4 door and something with a reasonable size boot. I've always driven brand new convertibles and am really in to my cars, but with creche costs have to downgrade and get a car with above - as I'm fussy theres not much I like the Alfa 147 is a nice looking car and seems to have the best reviews out of all the Alfa models. I'd love a VW Beetle but just not practical with a chidler and am looking at some Audi A4's but I work in town and live in town so wanted something a little smaller. I also like the Chrysler PT cruiser but I think I might be the only person who does going to look at a few of those too

Woa there now.

We had a baby recently, and I am actually considering changine the 147 as the boot is only big enough to carry the travel system, and nothing else.
So choose carefully. It is plenty big for normal stuff, shoppig etc, but when you are moving a baby around and all the associated gear, it is not ideal.

junkyard

junkyard wrote:

If you look through the previous posts you'll find loads of posts looking for advice about Alfa's. You'll find loads of people for and loads of people against. If your looking for a reliable car to get from A to B without breaking the bank don't buy an Alfa. If you want a peculiar cantankerous oddball yoke that will rob you of your sanity and your wallet than an Alfa is probably what your looking for. Why some people bring such hardship on themselves is beyond me. I suppose the real answer is why so few people are buying Fiats and Alfa's new at present, sales figures have plummeted.

Every single Alfa or Fiat thread there is a stampeed to be the first to post the same crap.

Give it a rest unless you have something constructive to add. Cause it just makes you look like you don't have a clue.

junkyard

prospect wrote:

Junkyard, FYI Datsun are gone, just in case you have not updated that little fact to yourself yet.

/QUOTE]
Datsun?? I don't remember mentioning them. I'm beginning to see why people buy Alfa's now, it looks like its a personality thing.;)

prospect

junkyard wrote:

prospect wrote:

Junkyard, FYI Datsun are gone, just in case you have not updated that little fact to yourself yet.

Datsun?? I don't remember mentioning them. I'm beginning to see why people buy Alfa's now, it looks like its a personality thing.;)

You are dead right my friend,
People with personalities buy alfas, people without buy ***'s

junkyard

Depends on the type of personality.

neacy69

i love when people ruin a perfectly good thread looking for advice by slagging eachother off

Chunks

Getting back on topic....

I bought my first car, an 01 alfa romeo 147 last Januray (06), despite people harping on about how unreliable they are. I had nothing major go wrong with it, the bigest problem was the airbag light came on and I had to bring it to the garage to turn off. Unfortunately I had to get rid of it recently but I know another 147 or maybe a GT lies in my future.

PROS
They are sporty looking
They have a beautiful interior
They are very comfortable to drive
They have good acceleration and top speed (I had a 1.6 petrol)
They're ok on petrol
You can get a good deal on one

CONS
The gearbox isn't very nice (likened to pushing a pole around in a box of cotton wool....i think that was topgear)
The oil needs constant monitoring, they use a lot of oil compared to other cars.
The bodywork is weak in collisions
As said before the bootspace isn't huge, but ok for everyday small stuff
Timing belt needs to be redone every 36k as said before
Resale is pretty pathetic


If you do deside to go for one make sure you
Get a Full Service History
Get at least a 6month warranty to iron out any small things you find (i had things like doorhandles sticking, electric windows going slowly, rubber seals dried out and needed replacing)
If you do buy be prepared to hold onto it til the death or take a hit when reselling.

I recommend them highly. They look good, go fast and feel great

Kangaroopoo

prospect wrote:

Woa there now.

We had a baby recently, and I am actually considering changine the 147 as the boot is only big enough to carry the travel system, and nothing else.
So choose carefully. It is plenty big for normal stuff, shoppig etc, but when you are moving a baby around and all the associated gear, it is not ideal.

God really, well my parners jeep is useless for storage too so this has to be the main baby mobile - maybe I will go for the Audi A4 or Chrysler after all so!!!!

Kangaroopoo

thank you for all your help and detailed replies at least I'm a little more informed now when I go to buy!!!

Anyone know anything about the Chrysler PT cruiser or will that start an even worse row!!!!

prospect

Kangaroopoo wrote:

God really, well my parners jeep is useless for storage too so this has to be the main baby mobile - maybe I will go for the Audi A4 or Chrysler after all so!!!!

Unfortunately so.

Yeah, I borrowed an X-Trail to see if that would manage with the buggy etc. It wouldn't even fit in its boot :eek: .

Our megane tourer can fit two buggys in the boot, and still pull the tonneau cover into place.

testicle

Chunks wrote:

electric windows going slowly

Now that you mention that, my passenger side one does that. What was the fix?

su_dios

I've read plenty of threads on here about people's opinions on Alfas and you hear the same sort of crap from others when they start going on about cars.

Reality is if you haven't owned or lived with an Alfa on a daily basis then you simply won't get it. Opinions from others are nothing more than word of mouth. Junkyard its interesting to have a mechanic's opinion on this but you are exactly that.. a mechanic. IF the car has problems people pay you to fix it. So your experience with them has only been when they have faults(afaik), therefore its a very biased opinion.

Alfa went through a bad period.. early 147, 156 and 166. This set a bad reputation because of the amount of 156's sold in Ireland. Resale was not just down to faults either it was because the market was flooded with them when everyone decided to change cars around the same time.

Italian cars are like beautiful women.. They look great and you will love them but you know they're going to give you some hassle.

Hotwheels

If you are gonna buy an Alfa make sure you get a proper Alfa Mec to look it over, T-Sparks love oil, that's they way the are, and need to be kept filled...

IMO you would be better off going for a 16V Diesel as cambelt changes are less frequent, and the Torque is amazing....and servicing marginally lighter on the pocket.
I'm on my third Alfa now (159 JTDm, amazing car) and have had no issues with them...
here's another board that should give you loads of tips on what to watch for...take your time, there's lots of badly maintained ones about....
Good luck with the hunt.:)

zuutroy

Is it true that changing Alfa plugs is akin to microsurgery?

RoundyMooney

Not really, to be fair, and the plugs last longer than the belts, an issue which Fiat/Alfa seem to have finally accepted.

At the risk of vindicating some posters to this thread, some happy(ish) alfisti relate their experiences, on this forum.

Caveat Emptor.

testicle

Changing Alfa plugs is simple, there's just more of them...

Changing plugs on a Subaru boxer engine is a different kettle of fish altogether!

Hotwheels

Is it true that changing Alfa plugs is akin to microsurgery?

No I don't think so, a well kitted out DIY'er should have no problems, having said that unless your comfortable working under the bonnet i'd leave it to a pro..you'll get loads of info here

A well serviced/cared for Alfa will give you many happy miles...They love the twisty stuff