Alfa Romeo GT. Yeah or Nay??

timbertime

Hi Guys

I'm thinking about upgrading my car and was looking at the Alfa GT.
I'm just wondering what sort of issues I should be looking out for with them or indeed if I should just stay clear.I have read that the oil needs to be changed fairly regularly would this be the only issue with them. I do a good bit of driving for work hence looking at the diesel version. I have about 10k to spend.


I was looking at these three on carzone. I hope to go and test drive a few this weekend.
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/1.9-JTD-/201115202007926/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/GT-sport/201105201103764/advert?channel=CARS

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/JTDM/201112201694370/advert?channel=CARS

Wolverine_1999

A friend was looking into these recently enough, and apparently they still have the same chassis off of the old 156 - which is a disaster.

There is expensive maintenance required every 30K as well. Being very bland but I don't have the full info sorry

samsemtex

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

A friend was looking into these recently enough, and apparently they still have the same chassis off of the old 156 - which is a disaster.

Please explain how the chassis off the 156 is a disaster. I'd love to hear how a car that was universally acclaimed for its handling characteristics has suddenly become a disaster.

Wolverine_1999

samsemtex wrote: »

Please explain how the chassis off the 156 is a disaster. I'd love to hear how a car that was universally acclaimed for its handling characteristics has suddenly become a disaster.

I don't have the nooks and crannies unfortunately, but it put him off buying the car completely.

An uneducated or at best low informed opinion is the best that I can give!

Borderfox

If your a mechanic get one if not then dont. Lovely car but certainly not built to last. I thought the 156 handled very well

mjquinno

i have one.
If it doesnt have a full service history walk away
service history really is a must.

I bought mine in November and under warranty i have had the roll bars changed and the boot electrics changed and the front wishbone changed.

Saying all that absolute pleasure to drive,

any questions shout.

Wolverine_1999

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

An uneducated or at best low informed opinion is the best that I can give!

If you asked a question would you want answers that were uneducated or at best low informed? :pac:

samsemtex

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

I don't have the nooks and crannies unfortunately, but it put him off buying the car completely.

An uneducated or at best low informed opinion is the best that I can give!

Well why bother giving an opinion then if it is completely uninformed? People can say what they like about the reliability of the 156 and that was warranted especially on the early cars but the chassis is sublime. I have one and I cant fault it in anyway. It has razor sharp handling the ride is excellent.

Its always the same when someone asks for an opinion on an Alfa, some lads who know little or nothing about them come on and post about how he wouldnt touch them. Generally the information is second hand and based on the word of an equally uninformed friend. There is no expensive service every 30,000km/miles either. On the petrol engines a timing belt change is required every 36,000miles. I think its possibly the same on the diesels but it is not particularly expensive.

To be honest I'd avoid that 1.9 altogether. They are in a lot of cars including Saabs and Opels and have proven themselves to be great when they work but very unreliable. The petrol engines are much more reliable.

How much is a good bit of driving? People are getting a bit carried away with the requirement for diesel but when petrols are so drastically cheaper I think its often a false economy.

Lex Luthor

I had a 07 diesel for a year & half. Great handling car. Mines was a Monza spec so had a few bits extra than the ones shown.

The first one is nice but I prefer the stromboli grey but not gone on the red seats

The diesel is very noisy compared to other diesels I've driven but that would be my only complaint

Other than that I'd highly recommend one

I had a 156 before that and thought the GT handled that little bit better but always felt heavier

jaykayphd

You will find out everything you need to know on this website.
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-and-gt/

timbertime

samsemtex wrote: »

How much is a good bit of driving? People are getting a bit carried away with the requirement for diesel but when petrols are so drastically cheaper I think its often a false economy.

I do about 300-400 miles a week. I have always driven diesel cars so I suppose its just want I'm used too.
I'm not a mechanic or anything close to it.
Going by the majority view so far it would be best stay clear from them so? They are a very nice looking car though and the interior seems like a nice place to sit. I'll have to get my thinking cap back on!
Thanks for the replies/opinions

Wolverine_1999

RoverJames wrote: »

If you asked a question would you want answers that were uneducated or at best low informed? :pac:

It's an Alfa - no further comment.

Like was said above, get out the mechanic gloves if you do decide to get one. Looks are amazing and I'm sure the driving is great when it has no issues.

Veloce

I have one too (2007 Monza spec). I went with the 1.8 twinspark engine and love it.

The 1.9 is a great engine and is quite a popular choice. Plenty of torque and produces 150bhp. Fairly economical too with good MPG.

I wouldn't be put off one they are a class car especially if you buy one that has been well looked after previously. Look for the full service history (not just stamps in the booklet, check receipts of work done). For the diesel engine the timing belt should have been done at 60k miles, along with the waterpump, tensioners / pulleys etc. The waterpump is particulary important to check.

This is also handy:
http://www.alfaworkshop.co.uk/alfa_gt_guide.shtml

Any questions just PM me.

timbertime

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

It's an Alfa - no further comment.

I hate when people make just broad generalisations about cars.
My last two cars have been Renaults (a Megane and a Laguna). Which most people have a bad opinion off. However I have had no issues with either of them. I would still be driving the Megane only some crashed into it and the Laguna my current car is still driving perfect. Only reason I'm changing is because I fancy something different. If however I don't see anything I'll be more than happy to stick with the Laguna. My point being is people make general statements about cars they have no experience about. So Wolverine I appreciate your time and comments but I would prefer to only get concrete advice from people who know about the car in question.

Nonoperational

Sigh, I hate it every time an Alfa thread pops up. The GT is a fine car, and doesn't need expensive anything every 30K. Diesel belts aren't 36k either.

Lex Luthor

timbertime wrote: »

Going by the majority view so far it would be best stay clear from them so?

What majority?

allyJay

Good for you I say, they are beautiful! I've been looking into an alfa myself lately, it seems as long as you get a good well cared for one and that you care for it you should be fine.
Good luck getting a flippin garage to talk to you though, I'm looking for a 156, and am having a hard time getting dealers to answer e mails, got fed up waiting and called a dealer to be told the car I was interested in was being test driven and he'd call me back, still waiting!

timbertime

Lex Luthor wrote: »

What majority?

Apologies. Badly phrased! Clearly two is not a majority. But when I was replying the posts I had read were negative and then yourself and Veloce answered me while I was typing/thinking.

testicle

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

It's an Alfa - no further comment.

Like was said above, get out the mechanic gloves if you do decide to get one. Looks are amazing and I'm sure the driving is great when it has no issues.

In other words, you haven't got a bull's notion, but you still decided to throw your oar in and give us all an opinion anyway?

Veloce

Try not to be totally put off by the negative comments OP. It was one of the things I had to overcome before I bought my Alfa. I spent a lot of time reading the forums on the alfaowner website and I also put up a few posts with pre-purchase queries. I was amazed with the number of replies and straightforwardness from the people on the website.

timbertime

Veloce wrote: »

Try not to be totally put off by the negative comments OP. It was one of the things I had to overcome before I bought my Alfa. I spent a lot of time reading the forums on the alfaowner website and I also put up a few posts with pre-purchase queries. I was amazed with the number of replies and straightforwardness from the people on the website.

I'll have a look at the forums and see thanks Veloce. Can I ask did you get ours here or in the UK? Would I get a better spec'd one in I went up north? There is fairly limited options in my budget here at the moment judging by carzone and donedeal.

mondeo

Very nice looking car! I've had alfas and some sort of a service history is essential really. I know from experience that various sensors don't last long. Airflow meters, cam/crank position sensors in particular.

I have never driven a diesel Alfa so cannot comment much on those particular engines though.

Nonoperational

mondeo wrote: »

Very nice looking car! I've had alfas and some sort of a service history is essential really. I know from experience that various sensors don't last long. Airflow meters, cam/crank position sensors in particular.

I have never driven a diesel Alfa so cannot comment much on those particular engines though.

All the sensors on my old 156 are still going strong 100,000 miles in!:D

samsemtex

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

It's an Alfa - no further comment.

Like was said above, get out the mechanic gloves if you do decide to get one. Looks are amazing and I'm sure the driving is great when it has no issues.

Absolute rubbish. I have a 156 which i have put 20,000 miles on in the last year and its now at 87k. It has not cost me a penny.

Would you come into a thread about a VW passat and say that "its a VW - no further comment? Probably not despite the fact Passats (and most VWs) are much worse than newer Alfas.

timbertime wrote: »

I do about 300-400 miles a week. I have always driven diesel cars so I suppose its just want I'm used too.
I'm not a mechanic or anything close to it.
Going by the majority view so far it would be best stay clear from them so? They are a very nice looking car though and the interior seems like a nice place to sit. I'll have to get my thinking cap back on!
Thanks for the replies/opinions

300-400 miles a week is definitely diesel territory alright. I do that sort of mileage on the motorway and the price of petrol is hurting me a lot with the 1.8 twin spark. I definitely wouldnt be put off by one as if you find one with a good service history they are a great car. A badly cared for Alfa will probably cost you but a clean one will probably serve you very well.

Great cars and you will enjoy owning it more than any other type of car.

Matt Simis

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

A friend was looking into these recently enough, and apparently they still have the same chassis off of the old 156 - which is a disaster.

There is expensive maintenance required every 30K as well. Being very bland but I don't have the full info sorry

I know this was answered, but I just have to chime from an Audi and BMW "fan" perspective, being based on a 156 chassis would ironically be a huge boon given how excellently it drives and handles.

Love the mysterious "expensive maintenance" at 30k scaremongering too.. maintenance on what.. the chassis?
My OH drives a 2.4JTD 156 is has 150k miles on it now, original turbo and had original suspension upto 5k miles ago too. Its not without faults, but all of them minor.

Veloce

timbertime wrote: »

I'll have a look at the forums and see thanks Veloce. Can I ask did you get ours here or in the UK? Would I get a better spec'd one in I went up north? There is fairly limited options in my budget here at the moment judging by carzone and donedeal.

I bought my car here in Dublin. I was constantly keeping an eye on carzone, and one day an advert popped up for the current car I bought. I went to view, testdrive etc.. i was happy. I bought from a non-alfa dealer. There is fairly limited choice here in ROI, always about circa 20-25 Alfa GTs for sale (on carzone anyways). I looked at a few of them and a number of them did not have a service history so I steered clear.

I also had a look for the GTs for sale in NI, not a huge selection. If you look on the Pistonheads website for GTs for sale in mainland UK, there are loads to choose from with all various specs. You will find that the asking price for the 1.9 diesel is a bit more expensive typically £1-2.5k more than an equivalent 1.8 or 2.0 petrol.

testicle

Matt Simis wrote: »

Love the mysterious "expensive maintenance" at 30k scaremongering too.. maintenance on what.. the chassis?

If it's a petrol model, it's most likely the 36k Timing Belt interval.

timbertime

Another one up on carzone today. No mention of FSH though.
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/1.9-SPOR/201117202174579/advert?channel=CARS

Lex Luthor

gpf101 wrote: »

All the sensors on my old 156 are still going strong 100,000 miles in!:D

doing well that the thermostat has lasted this long

-Chris-

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

It's an Alfa - no further comment.

Would you stop?? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Redsoxfan

timbertime wrote: »

Another one up on carzone today. No mention of FSH though.
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/1.9-SPOR/201117202174579/advert?channel=CARS

Biggest thing to look out for on that is the timing belt change at 72,000 miles (and possibly would want the water pump done as well, although my mechanic disagrees). You'd want to know that at the oil and filter has been done regularly enough as well.

That mileage is quite high for a coupe (not your typical repmobile)-if motorway miles, fine. But test the suspension on town roads (these tend to be as bad as anything in the country these days...) as it's firm at the best of times and if it has been subjected to more than normal wear and tear, you'll be looking at getting parts replaced). Also, make sure the clucth is smooth, with that amount of miles on the JTD, I wouldn't be surprised to see it starting to wear.

Unless the timing belt was done at 72,000 miles, I'd be vary wary of buying that car, unless you can knock €600 odd off the price and get it done straight away yourself.

Wolverine_1999

-Chris- wrote: »

Would you stop?? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

That was a day ago..

-Chris-

Wolverine_1999 wrote: »

That was a day ago..

Sorry, you hadn't come on since saying "Sorry, I know I've admitted I don't know what I'm talking about regarding these cars, I just couldn't help myself from posting again. Mea culpa." so I thought it was important to join in the chorus of people telling you to stop giving bad/unfounded advice.

My apologies for taking so long to attend to the issue.

Nonoperational

Lex Luthor wrote: »

doing well that the thermostat has lasted this long

It hasn't! But it was replaced under warranty a few months after I got the car. Was stuck open as per normal!

pyramuid man

the majority you speak of is of people with no experience. The two people who have had them have recommended them from what i can see.