What automatic to buy to replace alfa 156

Alfagtamini

Hi all
I've always had "different" cars up to now.
3 x alfa 156
3 x classic minis
Smart roadster
Mg zs

My current 156 is a JTD with gta interior and is fantastic.

But I have injured my left ankle permenantly and over the last few months working the clutch on long drives can be painful.

So I need a auto. Alfa should fetch 2k so I would have 3k to spend tops

Must be auto
Petrol
2.0 litre or under
Cruise control or option to fit it
Leather would be nice

Look forward to any Ideas??

bazz26

If can stretch your budget a little then this might be worth looking at:


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/honda-accord-2-0-ex-automatic-leather-/5317870

Alfagtamini

Lovely accord but 3k is stretched as it is

Big Nasty

Stretch to a 2.2 and buy a late model E39 Sport.

Alfagtamini

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Stretch to a 2.2 and buy a late model E39 Sport.

I had a 3/5 series in mind thanks. I'll probably end up with a e46 coupe, but thought I'd start a thread Incase any boardsie had a better idea :pac:

colm_mcm

A galant of some sort?

Alfagtamini

colm_mcm wrote: »

A galant of some sort?

Thanks colm, never even thought of one. Nice 04 auto on donedeal after a quick search.
Been offered a 06 Hyundai sonata in budget but going from 156 to a sonata would be depressing :-(

bazz26

How about an Audi A6:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Audi/A6/1.8T-150/201323215422012/

Alfagtamini

bazz26 wrote: »

How about an Audi A6:


http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/Audi/A6/1.8T-150/201323215422012/

Nice cars but the a4 & a6 are not my cup of tea.

Also would like to keep it 156/ 3 series size if possible.

Frankie Lee

Possibly a bit on the big side and could do with knocking a few hundred of the price.
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-95-9-5-2-0-linear/5273577

Alfagtamini

Frankie Lee wrote: »

Possibly a bit on the big side and could do with knocking a few hundred of the price.
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-95-9-5-2-0-linear/5273577

Thanks, I have a soft spot for the 9-3 & 9-5 . I will have to Read up on the oil sludge issues !

bazz26

Worth a look:

http://www.driving.ie/used-cars/BMW/3-Series/318-SE/36513726864795620/

_Kaiser_

Ah come on lads.. he said 3k max and there's at least 2 cars posted that are far in excess of that.

unkel

Frankie Lee wrote: »

Possibly a bit on the big side and could do with knocking a few hundred of the price.
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-95-9-5-2-0-linear/5273577

Great find provided the seller puts it through the NCT first. Taxed till next year!

OP - an '04 model (without the sludge issues) would be within your budget. Might as well go for that

That said, I've an '01 myself (owned for nearly 2 years, low mileage) and I've not had any sludge issues.

Bigus

Keep the Alfa and learn to change gear without the clutch, with practice, you.'ll do no damage, be safe and not even hear grinding even on down changes, its all about throttle modulation and rev matching to take the pressure off the gears when changing, you'll only need the clutch for full stops and traffic starts, just like a race set up.
Good luck with the injury, also a new clutch kit would probably be noticebly lighter for when you do need the clutch especially if you get the mechanic to grease all the friction points and stretch/slacken any return springs

cheaper than buying a guzzler even if you feck up the box which won't happen if you get it right.

bazz26

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

Ah come on lads.. he said 3k max and there's at least 2 cars posted that are far in excess of that.

I thought it was 3k plus the 2k for from the Alfa.

_Kaiser_

bazz26 wrote: »

I thought it was 3k plus the 2k for from the Alfa.

I could be wrong and if so, my bad! , but I read it as...

paulryanmini wrote:

Alfa should fetch 2k so I would have 3k to spend tops

paulryanmini wrote: »

Lovely accord but 3k is stretched as it is

... having 3k total including the proceeds of the Alfa.

Still, some nice metal posted all the same.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

fear no more, fits all the bills

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volvo-s-80/5275239

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2001-volvo-s80-2-0-petrol-automatic-nct/5349830

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/volvo-s80-2l-turbo/5310140


I like the first one the most out of these.

Ferris

Alfa 166 auto. I know its a 2.5 but its only 1500quid.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/alfa-166-for-sale/5325322

Alfagtamini

Hi All

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

i know changing gear with out the clutch can be done but for peace of mind and mechanical sympathy on the poor Alfa i think its best to get a auto.

Budget is 3k all in unfortunately.

Alfa 166 lovely car but i could not afford to tax it
volvo s80, a nice car but im not quite old enough yet

List is down to:
BMW e46
Saab 93/95
Galant (grown on me since it was suggested last night :P)

if only they made a proper auto 156 and not a selespeed !!

any other suggestions are welcome. Alfa has its NCT tonight at 7pm and touch wood if it passes it will be on donedeal tonight

H3llR4iser

They did the Q Tronic, although there was only the 2.5 V6 (the famous Busso engine...if you can find one, you'll be a happy camper even though the auto transmission bogs it down).

There is an auto version of the 159 but I guess it's out of budget.

Of the cars suggested I would personally only consider the Swedish ones, especially if you wish for something a bit "left of field", not just another Audi/BMW.

Alfagtamini

H3llR4iser wrote: »

They did the Q Tronic, although there was only the 2.5 V6 (the famous Busso engine...if you can find one, you'll be a happy camper even though the auto transmission bogs it down).

There is an auto version of the 159 but I guess it's out of budget.

Of the cars suggested I would personally only consider the Swedish ones, especially if you wish for something a bit "left of field", not just another Audi/BMW.

Ive had a 156 v6 in the past and they are fantastic, v6 156's are rare in Ireland and autos even more.

the Saab 93 is growing on me. i have never driven or been in a saab, but im sure a quick test drive would tell if i liked it or not.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

paulryanmini wrote: »

volvo s80, a nice car but im not quite old enough yet

please... im 21 and drive one of these, very solid cars with lots of room and comfort.

id refuse to swap it for a bmw or the likes even if you paid me !

Max Power1

paulryanmini wrote: »

Hi All

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

i know changing gear with out the clutch can be done but for peace of mind and mechanical sympathy on the poor Alfa i think its best to get a auto.

Budget is 3k all in unfortunately.

Alfa 166 lovely car but i could not afford to tax it
volvo s80, a nice car but im not quite old enough yet

List is down to:
BMW e46
Saab 93/95
Galant (grown on me since it was suggested last night :P)

if only they made a proper auto 156 and not a selespeed !!

any other suggestions are welcome. Alfa has its NCT tonight at 7pm and touch wood if it passes it will be on donedeal tonight

If you get an e46 you can join the very exclusive club, made up of 50% of all of the motors forum :P

Alfagtamini

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

please... im 21 and drive one of these, very solid cars with lots of room and comfort.

id refuse to swap it for a bmw or the likes even if you paid me !

great, and how do you find it reliability wise?? i know 156's well but have never worked on a volvo/saab/bmw!

Alfagtamini

Max Power1 wrote: »

If you get an e46 you can join the very exclusive club, made up of 50% of all of the motors forum :P

if anything the prices have gone up in recnet months from all the motors boardsies snapping them up

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

paulryanmini wrote: »

great, and how do you find it reliability wise?? i know 156's well but have never worked on a volvo/saab/bmw!

Reliability is really good. Ive done nearly 10000 miles and no problems except parking sensor issue.

Scortho

Ferris wrote: »

Alfa 166 auto. I know its a 2.5 but its only 1500quid.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/alfa-166-for-sale/5325322

I think another poster was looking at this car.
Shaane maybe?

I'd go for the 166, though I may be a bit biased.
V6 166's are even rarer.
And the difference in tax between a 2 litre and 2.5 isn't massive. Also if your budget is 3, you'd get that for 1250-1300, that's 1700 you'd have towards tax. Should cancel out the difference for a couple of years. Around 5 years!:)

Alfagtamini

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime wrote: »

Reliability is really good. Ive done nearly 10000 miles and no problems except parking sensor issue.

sweet, ill add the car to the list so!!

Alfagtamini

Scortho wrote: »

I think another poster was looking at this car.
Shaane maybe?

I'd go for the 166, though I may be a bit biased.
V6 166's are even rarer.
And the difference in tax between a 2 litre and 2.5 isn't massive. Also if your budget is 3, you'd get that for 1250-1300, that's 1700 you'd have towards tax. Should cancel out the difference for a couple of years. Around 5 years!:)

I drove a 2.0TS 166 for a week and liked it, i know 156's well and can fix most problems but i know nothing about 166's and i know they require a little extra TLC!

Tea 1000

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Jaguar/X-Type/V6-AUTO/37113734490798150/advert?channel=CARS

Alfagtamini

Tea 1000 wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Jaguar/X-Type/V6-AUTO/37113734490798150/advert?channel=CARS

That's a lot of car for the money !

Alfa had nct this evening, failed on rear fog light switch (fixed, switch Contacts needed cleaning)

Upper wishbone on passenger side. Which is strange as its less than 6 months old, I checked it this morning and all the front suspension is new and tight and no squeaks.
Tempted to just clean it and send it back in as it genuinely is fine :-(

Scortho

paulryanmini wrote: »

I drove a 2.0TS 166 for a week and liked it, i know 156's well and can fix most problems but i know nothing about 166's and i know they require a little extra TLC!

Yeah they do and the parts are slightly more expensive. They're much nicer though.

Mick ah

If you're feeling like something seriously different, then get a Mitsubishi FTO.

Plenty of autos available, brilliant car to drive.

Just make sure you can get insured first!

Alfagtamini

Nice suggestion but looking for more of a saloon barge. Saab 93 or 95 is top of the list at the moment!

unkel

The V6 166 would tempt me in your shoes. It's less than half your budget, so you'll have plenty left for the few hundred extra in tax and for maintenance. The 2.5 is a very reliable engine too. My best mate drives a bangernomics 166 2.5 on LPG with over 300k km on it.

Alfagtamini

unkel wrote: »

The V6 166 would tempt me in your shoes. It's less than half your budget, so you'll have plenty left for the few hundred extra in tax and for maintenance. The 2.5 is a very reliable engine too. My best mate drives a bangernomics 166 2.5 on LPG with over 300k km on it.

Thanks for the suggestion and feedback on the 166 but to be honest I just don't really like them and I can't put my finger on the reason.

Getting tempted by a 9-3 or 9-5 at the moment

Alfagtamini

Hi all
Just sold the alfa this evening, it has gone to a good home.

So now need a car hopefully this week 3k to spend 3.5k at a push.

There was a lovely 2006 Saab 95 that I missed out on

Any ideas ?

colm_mcm

Too normal?
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/04-honda-accord-2-0i-vtec-executive-auto/5399085

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-95-auto/5398276

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-95-vector/5370648

Alfagtamini

colm_mcm wrote: »

Too normal?
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/04-honda-accord-2-0i-vtec-executive-auto/5399085

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-95-auto/5398276

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/saab-95-vector/5370648

Thanks colm, the second 95 looks nice, didn't think I would get that shape accord in budget, but no mileage listed so it is probably intergalactic :-)

colm_mcm

That second saab is in my neck of the woods, don't mind giving it a look if you're far away.

I like the fact that its a vector and the colour is class

dgt

Scortho wrote: »

Yeah they do and the parts are slightly more expensive. They're much nicer though.

A lot more expensive!!! :eek:

But can sit in mine all day (yes I have done that :pac:)

Alfagtamini

colm_mcm wrote: »

That second saab is in my neck of the woods, don't mind giving it a look if you're far away.

I like the fact that its a vector and the colour is class

Hi colm

That is very generous of you thank you.

Ill give him a ring tomorrow and see if he sounds genuine.

If you could look at it I don't mind contribute to a few pints for you :-)

unkel

paulryanmini wrote: »

There was a lovely 2006 Saab 95 that I missed out on

For €3k? :eek:

galwaytt

unkel wrote: »

For €3k? :eek:

Not unusual. Saabs are always good value compared to German fare....

Alfagtamini

unkel wrote: »

For €3k? :eek:

It was 3490 but would have been worth the extra few hundred for the face lifted model !

colm_mcm

paulryanmini wrote: »

It was 3490 but would have been worth the extra few hundred for the face lifted model !

The dame Edna model? No way :eek:

Alfagtamini

colm_mcm wrote: »

The dame Edna model? No way :eek:

True that is has a face only a mother could love but the interior is nicer

Alfagtamini

To put this thread to bed..

Today i brought a 2003 e46 318i auto saloon 80k miles in black

Not what I originally wanted but went to see 3 saabs and 1 accord which were all rubbish.

has leather but no MFSW, I have ordered the parts and will retrofit shortly.

Thanks everyone for the help!

colm_mcm

Does anyone apart from me not have an e46 now?

Alfagtamini

colm_mcm wrote: »

Does anyone apart from me not have an e46 now?

I blame the motors forum peer pressure