Alfa Romeo GT 2.0 Sportivo

IrishZeus

Morning all....

Hoping for some opinions please:

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Alfa-Romeo/GT/2.0-SS-S/201126203105221/advert?channel=CARS

Looking for some thoughts/opinions on both performance and also, more importantly, maintenance costs.

I've read the reviews and there are constantly mixed reviews so would like to get opinions from here.

Are Alfa's a reliable car?
Are service costs high/medium/low?
Are 2nd hand Alfa's reliable?

And so on.... I'm looking to trade in my S2000 and am getting poxy offers from dealers so looks like the Focus ST I want is slightly out of my range so need to look at different cars

Thanks all.

no1beemerfan

That looks very well. I'd be interested on people's views too as the wife wants one of these as her next car, hopefully next year.

My father had two 147s a '01 model and a '02/'03 one (can't remember!) but they were gorgeous to drive and he did about 40k miles in each with no problems. They had a 1.6 petrol engine though.

testicle

That's a selespeed, don't go near it with a barge pole.

IrishZeus

no1beemerfan wrote: »

That looks very well. I'd be interested on people's views too as the wife wants one of these as her next car, hopefully next year.

My father had two 147s a '01 model and a '02/'03 one (can't remember!) but they were gorgeous to drive and he did about 40k miles in each with no problems. They had a 1.6 petrol engine though.

I'd be a bit worried if they start going wrong after 40k miles....! :eek:

no1beemerfan

IrishZeus wrote: »

I'd be a bit worried if they start going wrong after 40k miles....! :eek:

I meant he had trouble free driving in the 40k odd miles he did in them, they were both second hand when he bought them, one had 100k when he sold it!

Tazio

Firstly,avoid the selespeed gearbox if at all possible.

Secondly, to answer all your questions I'd recommend you have a poke around in this owners site for more accurate details : http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-and-gt/


IMO there is a bit of "I heard off a mate in the pub" philosophy associated with Alfa ownership. Loads of people have options; but few have actually owned one..

Having owned many Alfas, and still do, you should be ok assuming the car you're buying has a 'real' service history and was treated like a lady.

Anyone trying to run an Alfa on a budget will not work in the long run. They don't like to be neglected. If you keep on top of the maintenance there will be no more problems than other makes/models IMO.

If you as serious about buying one then register yourself on the above Alfa site and ask on the ROI section (http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/republic-of-ireland/) if anyone knows of this particular car for sale etc. The ex-owner may or may not be already there and can advice you.

There are known issues with all makes and models. The GT is no different. But most of the niggles are pretty well doumented and should be pretty predicable with fixes at this stage.

Buying a second hand well treated Alfa is a good idea.. Loads of spec for less money, and most of the niggles should have been sorted.

That's a nice looking car btw.. I wish you the best with it, if you go ahead. But, again I would personally avoid the selespeed gearbox. Feel free to read the owner problems and fixes with this gearbox on the Alfa site.. it will help you make an informed decision as to purchase or not.

Either way enjoy the car hunting!

CharlieCroker

I wouldn't be pushed on that one, Selespeed will be it's biggest issue.
Make sure the belts are done on time and make sure it's never short of oil and it should be reliable. I've 165k miles on my 1.6 156 so they can easily do it with proper maintainence. Normal servicing is generally ok but timing belt needs to be done more often (36k) and suspension arms can be expensive to replace. I've seen these need replacing at 70k but also last until 150k.

If it were my money, I'd look at the 1.9 JTD. Only 5bhp less, cheaper tax, more torque and better economy.

166man

I'd stay well clear of that gearbox but that engine is a peach and should give far less trouble than the 1.9 diesel. My father did 135k in a 2004 166 with the same engine and never had a problem. It did use a fair bit of oil though and fuel economy was 38mpg on a long run dropping to 28mpg around town. It really is the small things that go wrong can be expensive to replace. General services did not break the bank anyway...

IrishZeus

Thanks for all the replies lads. It seems to be what I suspected - look after them and they are fine. My cars are fairly babied anyways so I wouldn't be too worried about that.

My other option is an RX-8 and thats just pot luck....!

johnos1984

IrishZeus wrote: »

My other option is an RX-8 and thats just pot luck....!

Buy shares in an oil company. It will be cheaper that way

Nissan Doc is selling a very nice and rare Skyline if you want something special with lots of power and running costs aren't a worry Not far off your budget either and worth it for impressing the Canadian ladies.....