Alfa 147 - opinions

colm_c

Hi guys,

Looking at an Alfa 147 as my first car, not being used for getting to work or everyday travel - just to improve my driving and get out of the city at weekends!

I've seen a few on Carzone:
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/147/Tax1yr,-/200914192383129/advert
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/147/1.6-T-SP/200850191169563/advert
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/147/200915192405748/advert

And they all seem fairly decent, my max budget is 3k, so I hope to get a few quid off

I'll be bringing a mechanic friend with me to give them a once over, anything in particular I should look for/ask about? or should I just stay clear??

There's also one or two that have high mileage in the north that are going for a steal, is high mileage bad on Alfa's?

EPM

high mileage isn't a bad thing so long as its been carefully looked after. But as a first car i'd look for something that will take abuse well as to be honest, a lot of learners dont drive...how can i put this...with a lot of mechanical sympathy! Plus the insurance on the 1.6 may be prohibitive

congo_90

HI colm_c,
They're great cars. I'm in the process of buying one myself.
Have you tried getting an insurance quote off several insurers? How old are you?

Those two questions will be the difference between a pain in the a$$ paying out a fortune and not. Either way it's your first car so you've no, no claims bonus which may push insurance prices up.
Best of luck though mate.

colm_c

congo_90 wrote: »

HI colm_c,
They're great cars. I'm in the process of buying one myself.
Have you tried getting an insurance quote off several insurers? How old are you?

Those two questions will be the difference between a pain in the a$$ paying out a fortune and not. Either way it's your first car so you've no, no claims bonus which may push insurance prices up.
Best of luck though mate.

Yeah zero no claims is gonna be tough. I haven't even tried the quotes yet, but I'm 27 so it won't be as bad as if I were 17/18!

I'll be calling around tomorrow and see what they say!

RoundyMooney

I love the look of them, and I'd imagine they handle quite well. BUT.

They're an Alfa, and have mechanical flaws. On the upside, most are well documented, and once you do your homework, and go in with your eyes open, you shouldn't be badly stung.

Keeping back a couple of hundred for mechanical contingencies is no harm. Given the fear most people have for them, you should save this anyway if you shop wisely.

Sqaull20

+1 to the above, keep a bit for future repairs and your mechanic friend should find you a nice.Life is too short to be starting off in Micra's, so go for it

bazz26

The most important things with these cars is how they were looked after by their previous owners. Things like oil, timing belt and suspension parts all need to be changed meticulously on these cars, if the previous owner didn't look after the car then it could spell trouble for you and that goes for any car not just an Alfa Romeo.

Here is a nice one too with lower mileage, timing belt changed recently, 10 months NCT and a service history:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1373910

ArphaRima

These are very nice cars. I say thumbs up!

This particular model was supposed to buck the trend of high maintenance for alfa's as far as I heard.

colm_c

bazz26 wrote: »

The most important things with these cars is how they were looked after by their previous owners. Things like oil, timing belt and suspension parts all need to be changed meticulously on these cars, if the previous owner didn't look after the car then it could spell trouble for you and that goes for any car not just an Alfa Romeo.

Here is a nice one too with lower mileage, timing belt changed recently, 10 months NCT and a service history:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=1373910

Spotted that earlier, might pop down and have a look at the weekend!