Alfa romeo

overthenest

folks, does anyone have any experience of driving an alfa romeo 156 at all? are they a reliable decent car in general? are they economical? thank you

biko

About the same reliability as other cars but it must be well maintained, it's not a a car you can just drive around in and never check fluid levels.
They are a "driver's car" so if you're looking for something you can just fill with petrol and never look under the bonnet Alfa isn't the right car for you.
High 30s/low 40s mpg in a 156 (motorway) shouldn't be hard to get if you're not driving it too hard.

Do you have a particular year and model (petrol/diesel) in mind?

Earlier mentions on boards

dgt

overthenest wrote: »

folks, does anyone have any experience of driving an alfa romeo 156 at all?

Fantastic drive when working right :cool:

overthenest wrote: »

are they a reliable decent car in general?

Yes but require a lot of attention

overthenest wrote: »

are they economical?

Not really

H3llR4iser

Just have to agree with Biko; I had a 1.8 TS (Left hand drive as it was in Italy).

Excellent driver's car, at the time it came out it was arguably the best in its segment in that regard and it still holds the road far better than most current cars.

Fuel consumption is not outrageous, though not exactly economical; Of course the diesel versions will be less thirsty.

Reliability, well, let's say I drove mine HARD for about 120 km a day, and nothing ever failed. How hard is hard? Let's say that you could only do that on the autobahan nowadays. The very same car (from 1998) is now with my dad and is still running quite well; He even converted it to LPG.

Key aspect is to perform regular maintenance and always check fluid levels and filters. The weak spot of the 156 is arguably the front suspension - it is a very refined design and, as a result, a bit on the delicate side. Regular checks of the bushings in particular are recommended (some will say they are almost a "consumable" on the 156/147).

biko

You should also check the oil often, at least once a month until you learn your car*. Some Alfas like their oil so you need to keep topping up.
It's not a fault with the car per se, some of them just drink it up.
http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-and-gt/79211-alfa-156-oil-consumption.html


*this is true for all cars, don't wait for a light to come on. Check your oil level today.

bmwguy

I had one and sold it to my sister, its an 06 model the very last of them before the 159 replaced it. Economy averaged 33-34 mpg, its a 1.6. Very nice looking car, drives very well, quite quick for a 1.6 and comes with decent spec. She actually wants to sell it because of fyel costs, but she's as miserable a person as I've come across as regards money its not that thirsty!!

3_BOoYA_X

Great car to drive. Really couldn't speak any higher of how nice of a drive they are. Once you keep it well maintained you shouldn't have any major problems other than dispensable parts such as bushings etc.

I had a 1.8 and it ranged from about 28-35 MPG depending on driving conditions. Very fun car to drive also

Lex Luthor

I miss mine

Ferris

The missus has a 1.6TS for 2yrs. Starts, stops when it should and looks good. The leather in them is lovely so get that if possible. The anti roll bar mounts go and are a front subframe out job so any knocking from the front and these will need doing. We got the Ti spec which is nice and all but the suspension is too stiff for me for a saloon. I would go with a decent spec standard car if going again.

I think the 1.6 is underpowered at low revs/speeds. Its good on the motorway. 30-35mpg. I'd go with the 1.8 if possible, same mpg and a litte more grunt. The 2L engine big end bearings have a habit of going.

biko

Yeah, a 1.8 with fresh NCT and an owner that knows when the last 2 oil changes were made (and what oil goes in it) would be good.
Fresh NCT means bushings are still good and a loving owner means the car hasn't been neglected.

If you can find one with 1/2 owners that are really into Alfas then you're more than likely to get a good one.
Timing belt changes are critical in these cars so only get one where there are receipts for these services.

Celly Smunt

They're temper mental to cheap servicing/no servicing.If you're buying an alfa be prepared to take care of it with proper branded,tried and tested products.Also be weary of previous owners,if they drove it into the ground you're not going to get it back to tip top shape.As with any car look for service history,but with alfas double check the service history etc.Selenia oil and bosch plugs always.They're grumpy and stubborn but when they work,they flair.Just like Italians really.

dgt

pmcmahon wrote: »

They're temper mental to cheap servicing/no servicing.If you're buying an alfa be prepared to take care of it with proper branded,tried and tested products.Also be weary of previous owners,if they drove it into the ground you're not going to get it back to tip top shape.As with any car look for service history,but with alfas double check the service history etc.Selenia oil and bosch plugs always.They're grumpy and stubborn but when they work,they flair.Just like Italians really.

NGK and Millers

Celly Smunt

dgt wrote: »

NGK and Millers

I was actually going to get some millers for my last service,but i chickened out and went for trusty old bosch as usual.You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

dgt

pmcmahon wrote: »

I was actually going to get some millers for my last service,but i chickened out and went for trusty old bosch as usual.You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

I use platinum tipped NGK's on the V6 and Millers Trident 10w40. If I were to "drive enthusiastically" I'd need some 10w60 and at £55 for a 5l can I'll stick to frugal driving for now

Scortho

dgt wrote: »

I use platinum tipped NGK's on the V6 and Millers Trident 10w40. If I were to "drive enthusiastically" I'd need some 10w60 and at £55 for a 5l can I'll stick to frugal driving for now

You got the 166 insured? Arm and a leg insurance?

dgt

Scortho wrote: »

You got the 166 insured? Arm and a leg insurance?

Oh jeepers no! Just the usual every 2 years change the oil, even if the car hasn't done 100 miles

They won't even quote me on it, yet will happily quote me on the E34...

Apologies for the slight derail! I suppose I can turn this around.... The 166 feels good in the corners too (obviously not as good as the 156) if the OP were looking at a 2.0 156 I'd also look at the 166 as it's just worlds apart to sit into compared to the 156 (which is a nice place to be anyway :cool:)

Scortho

dgt wrote: »

Oh jeepers no! Just the usual every 2 years change the oil, even if the car hasn't done 100 miles

They won't even quote me on it, yet will happily quote me on the E34...

Apologies for the slight derail! I suppose I can turn this around.... The 166 feels good in the corners too (obviously not as good as the 156) if the OP were looking at a 2.0 156 I'd also look at the 166 as it's just worlds apart to sit into compared to the 156 (which is a nice place to be anyway :cool:)

So at that rate changing the belt after 150 miles? Ouch!:D
Yea it's a weird one alright. They'll quote me on a 2L 156 but not on the 1.8 GT! So it's a 156 that I'm starting to look at as well. Is the 2l 166 not a bit underpowered? Thats putting me off looking at one over the summer.

Op sorry for derailing your thread. The 156 is a great car provided its looked after. But it'll look after you by putting a great big smile on your face.
Oh and definitely get one with leather seats...tan if possible :cool

dgt

Scortho wrote: »

So at that rate changing the belt after 150 miles? Ouch!:D
Yea it's a weird one alright. They'll quote me on a 2L 156 but not on the 1.8 GT! So it's a 156 that I'm starting to look at as well. Is the 2l 166 not a bit underpowered? Thats putting me off looking at one over the summer.

Op sorry for derailing your thread. The 156 is a great car provided its looked after. But it'll look after you by putting a great big smile on your face.
Oh and definitely get one with leather seats...tan if possible :cool

It needs changing as is.... £35 for the belt on it's own, £350 for the full kit :eek: I think the consensus is if under 25 it's a nono never drove a T Spark 166, the V6 is rapid even in 2.5 form

OP consider looking for specialists to work on the car for the likes of the belt, worth it in the long run

NobodyImportant

I had one and loved it, but it needs to go to an Alfa specialist to be looked after (not main dealer, or local kwik fit, the likes of Ti Autos etc). The car needs a little TLC, mine went through a few light bulbs, needed a top of oil every month (important to keep an eye on this) and had a few suspension squeeks.

Ti sorted me out each time and knew what was wrong and whether to spend the money to fix it not.

overthenest

biko wrote: »

About the same reliability as other cars but it must be well maintained, it's not a a car you can just drive around in and never check fluid levels.
They are a "driver's car" so if you're looking for something you can just fill with petrol and never look under the bonnet Alfa isn't the right car for you.
High 30s/low 40s mpg in a 156 (motorway) shouldn't be hard to get if you're not driving it too hard.

Do you have a particular year and model (petrol/diesel) in mind?

Earlier mentions on boards

thanks for your reply yes im looking at a 05 diesel

overthenest

thanks for all the reply's folks

jimzzzz

hi lads, what i know about cars is very small. any opinions on this car would be very welcome. am especially interested in reliabilty, fuel economy, cost of service/repair etc. thanks

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/4824596

BGozIE

My brother has a 156 TI which is the top spec model in the 156 I believe. Drives really really nice. He has had various electrical problems however. And as with most Italian cars the build quality can be suspect. He has never had any huge mechanical problems but he looks after the car well.

Not sure how reliable they are generally, as it does depend on how you/previous owner has driven/looked after the car. That one looks very clean tho.

Oh and my brothers is not very good on petrol, I'm not sure exact mpg but I know its not good, he drives it fairly hard though.

pred racer

If all the work listed has been done it should be a good car.
Care is king with the 156. If its been looked after it will be fine, if not it wont.
Weak points are timing belt/water pump and suspension bushings etc which looks to have been sorted on this one. Lovely car to drive, quicker than your average 1.6 (i drive an alfa so I may be biased ;-) )

Servicing is a little more expensive as there are 2 spark plugs per cylinder.

Drivers seat looks well worn for 100k though.

Hope that helps

dgt

pred racer wrote: »

If all the work listed has been done it should be a good car.
Care is king with the 156. If its been looked after it will be fine, if not it wont.
Weak points are timing belt/water pump and suspension bushings etc which looks to have been sorted on this one. Lovely car to drive, quicker than your average 1.6 (i drive an alfa so I may be biased ;-) )

Servicing is a little more expensive as there are 2 spark plugs per cylinder.

Drivers seat looks well worn for 100k though.

Hope that helps

Pretty much the nail on the head 1.6 is a hoot to drive! And then the handling!!! :cool:

Alas keep on top of the suspension (particularly the top wishbones) and you won't go too far wrong. Until recently I dreaded working on 1, now that I practically re done the whole suspension and under pinnings of a (red ) 156, I can say there are far worse out there and not as scary as people make them out to be

Pred it must be a Fiat thing, cloth seats tend to go crappy after a lot of use... Here's the one I swapped out of my dads Bravo, 140k miles

kyote00

IIRC, the 1.6 was introduced in the middle of the life of the 156 - in part to target some fleet car sales. The 1.6 really is on the small side for the 156.
Its also the facelifted model which (for me) does not quite have as clean a front as the first version.

That car looks like the boggo spec to me --- not so sure about the dual climate control ?

The drivers seat of that car tells a story. Wonder how many owners and what the service history is like....

In most reviews of the 156 the 1.8 is often given as the best combo of performance, handling and economy.

check for variator - (rattling diesel like sound when starting cold)
check for airbag warning light work correctly, they should flicker on when the ign is first turned on.
At 100k miles, you will need to check all the suspension joints - even the rear.

biko

Merged today's thread with yesterday's on the same brand. Much good advice already given.

Veloce

Very good advice given in this thread. I have a 1.8 GT. Car does require a little TLC but with that it has not given me any major trouble. Everything works as it should and it is a pleasure to drive.

Just to summarize the timing belt change should consist of the following:

Twinspark engine
Should be changed every 36k miles or 3 years, whichever occurs first. The belt should be changed, along with the tensioners and idlers. It is a good idea to change the variator at this point too as this is a belt-off job anyway. The waterpump is a lot more robust than the diesel, my indy recommended this be changed every second interval or 72k miles.

1.9 JTD
Officially change is 60k miles or every 5 years but a lot of Alfa Indys in the UK recommend 48k or 4 years. Waterpump should be changed at every interval.


Other
Spark plugs were pricey. I bought them from the UK (NGK oem ones) and changed them myself, it was a relatively easy job to do. These should be done every 60k miles (although they are known to last a lot longer than that).

Check for any squeaks on the suspension driving over a speed bump (bushes) any knocking is likely to be the ARBs.

There can be syncro issues (I think 4th gear). Check that each change is smooth without too much resistance / crunching.

The TS likes it's oil. I would check levels weekly. Mine uses about 300ml every 1000 motorway miles. I find it burns this amount with castrol magnatec.

Check electric windows the regs have been known to fail.

Hellrazer

I just picked up a 1.6 156.

Have to say--I absolutely love driving it.Its just a fun car to drive.Handles like a dream and plenty of power if you need it for a 1.6.

First Alfa and it definately wont be my last.

The one I picked up is well looked after.No expense seems to have been spared on it and it has a full service history with the dealer it was bought in and then from TI.

Uprated shocks,springs and eibach suspension.

I actually deal with Gerry in work and I brought the car to him to check out.Service history is legit.Timing belt done 20k miles ago.

Gerry reckons that the belts are now good for 48k with the metal tensioners instead of the plastic ones.
If you are getting the belt done don't scrimp-get the metal tensioners,water pump and variator done at the same time.
Make sure the pump has the metal impellors and not plastic ones as they have been known to break up and do the belts in.

They give problems with coolant leaks so as soon as you buy one stick a bottle of novastop into it to prevent leaks. Recommended to me by a different alfa indy.


Plugs are expensive but you can buy plugs that will last 20k instead of 60k and just change them more often.Its an easy enough job to do.Id actually prefer this as I really wouldn't trust plugs that lasted 60k miles.

Other than that they are reliable as any other make but just require a bit more TLC.Not something you can jump into and ignore between services.You need to check levels weekly.

Hope this helps op.

the culture of deference

That one will be due a TB+Wp soon enough.