Alfa 147 advise

buzz

My missus is looking to buy an Alfa 147.
I have only ever heard of electrical trouble with Alfa in general but before we even go looking at them can anyone give advice?

Thanks in advance

GavMan

Have you got your eye on anything in particular?

There are a couple of points that should always be mentioned. It should have a full documented service history. If it doesn't, walk away. Do not even consider it.

2nd would be regular oil changes and timing belt change every 36k Miles or every 3 years. That change should include water pump, tensioners, idler, etc

3rd would be to check for loud knocks or rattles in the suspension. Can be costly to resolve.

An issue I had with mine was the Variator went. Basically, the car sounds diesely when starting for about 5 seconds and then returns to normal. This is quite common and actually doesn't really effect the performance of the car at all so you don't need to fix it right away if it becomes and issue. If its been replaced already, you wont need to do it again as the replacement part doesn't suffer the same issue.

After that, like you said, check for electrical issue. Try every button, switch, light etc on it to make sure it works. If you find any issues, best to move on really rather than taking the chance.

Other than that, what I can say is I've minded mine well and It's never let me down. Thats the key, mind them well.