Wanted Alfisti advice seeked.

[Jim Bell]

Are there any red blooded alfisters within the town walls these days?

 

What does the Autoshite hive mind know of 147 JTDs?

 

Whats to look for when arriving on a train from lands far away to collect one thats been bought blind on ebay?

 

I know the abs light is on. Which hopefully is a ring?

 

Pepper me with all of your facts and folklore.

 

Pic for attention

 

 

[Dave_Q]

YO!

 

My stable includes 2 heavy oil fired Alfas, including a 147.

 

Honestly it's been pretty good all round. 

 

Any engine faults tend to flash up on the dash with "Motor Control System Failure" and other such doom. 

 

Stiff gearchange (side to side) is common - not difficult or expensive to sort, it's a combination of plastic bushes and alloy corrosion - £5 worth of parts and maybe an hours labour if you're not inclined to do this sort of thing yourself. 

 

If it chucks out lots of smoke may need EGR cleaning - or just replacing as they're available relatively cheaply.

 

Soz no idea on the ABS thing.

 

Honestly I think they're GR8, no idea how so much class, leather and clag is available so cheaply.

[Jim Bell]

Thats good info brother.  Thanks very much.

[djimbob]

the two litre t spark is one to avoid like the plague, well done for managing that anyhoo!

 

Our kid has had a 2.5 sportwagon for many years, and it has been all round very reliable aside from consumables, which seem to be consumed more often than most comparable motors, but very bearable, at the time of purchase the sales dude was keen to get him in a dizzler, said they were a bloody good motor, haven't heard otherwise.

 

If you were not a seasoned autoshiter I would advise to go for something more oriental, but hey, fill yer boots, it will all be fine

[Jim Bell]

Alfas are one of the few mainstream modern marques I havnt driven, so it may be time to scratch them off the list with a cheeky blind bid.

[Guest Breadvan72]

All Alfas without exception are super fabulous and must be bought, even the rusty ones, but not the diesel ones.   Alfa claim to have pioneered common rail diesels, whatever TF they are, but who cares?  All diesels are evil, and putting a diesel in a Alfa is a crime against nature, so there.  

 

I bought an OK 147 from red5, and drove it a few times  before giving it to my brother, who soon sold it like a git, without giving me the chance to offer it for sale on here.  It was a 1.6 pez, I think, and I thought it pretty damn fine.

 

Someone mentioned 2.5 Sportwagons.  Six Cylinder now has my old 2.5 Busso V6 156 Sportwagon, which he says he likes, and any car with a Busso in it is yumalacious.  Usual blah about front suspension bits and so forth, but really they are fab. People say that the diesel versions are ace too, but this is of course impossible.

[Jim Bell]

So youre basically saying that if I dont want to be a sheep, and if I want something different/worse, I should get a diesel.

 

Im in.

[PiperCub]

Loved my 156 V6 but was a PITA to work on the engine (shoehorned-in doesn't cover it). Aside from fuel costs, didn't find it an issue to run otherwise, no more or less than alot of other stuff.

 

Not owned any other modern AR's, the rest have been old school type Alfas - Suds (x3) and a 1700 Sud Sprint. (a long time ago now!)

 

 

BTW - 'Heavy Oil' - now there's a lovely quaint term if ever there was!

"I've got a diesel" needs to be replaced by "My motorcar is fired by heavy oil".

[Bren]

If it has rear floorpans you have done well.

[flat4alfa]

All Alfas without exception are super fabulous and must be bought, even the rusty ones, but not the diesel ones.   Alfa claim to have pioneered common rail diesels, whatever TF they are, but who cares?  All diesels are evil, and putting a diesel in a Alfa is a crime against nature, so there.  

 

Borrox.   I've been running a 156 2.4 JTD for 7 years as a daily now and it goes and handles like a scalded cat on Reeboks

What are you comparing it with?

[Jazoli]

I bought one off this forum, a 2.0 TS 147, twas a nice place to sit but the feeling of impending doom couldn't be shaken, ran it for 5 months then moved it on, nice quick steering and great a/c with lovely seats, the rest was a bit meh and not as good as my mk2 focus.

 

Would have another though, preferably a GT.

[flat4alfa]

Any old Alfa drives well and are fun

 

Fragile when they want to be, but TBH can't be that bad as I've had at least one for the past 26 years and have had far worse reliability experience with Renaults and Jaguars.

 

Vague history list:

Alfasud 5M

Alfasud QO

Alfa 33 QV

Alfa 155 Widey

Alfa 146 Ti

Alfa 156 2.4 JTD

Alfa 33 QO (still in stock)

Alfa 33 QV

Alfa 156 2.4 JTD Wagon (still in stock)

Alfa 146 Boxer

It's all too much.

 

I'm pals with an Alfa specialist who is honest enough and reknown in 'fisti circles, I don't know where you are but one of those on your door step will help as foibles tend to be well known and deleteable.   As it happens a brand-new Alfa-GB supplied Giulia is coming in on Saturday to be taken to bits and uprated with after market parts as part of a PR stint.

 

Looking at the set of wheels in the photo, this 1.9 'heavy oiler' will be a 16v from about 2005.  It will be hard to find an expensive 147, so if it runs ok, has plenty of clutch and doesn't pull and knock all over the road then it'll do you fine - or just walk away until next weekend.  Expect the interior to have a few plastic breakages along with bits of exterior fittings coming adrift, as they weren't a premium price car in the first place.  A 147 is more of a fun party frock Fiat with quicker rack steering.  EGR can be blanked off and remaps are readily available for notalot.  Parts are easy as so many are broken and stockpiled due to their low values and general pub bore 'expert' ambivalence

[Inspector Morose]

The ex Drum 2006 JTD (8v) #Alfalife still continues.....

Sure, bits needed to be fixed, some of them I've even done but goes well enough to suit me. Hell, it even passed an M.o.T. It does help that I've a Alfa breaker just around the corner from me. It's not a happy car as it was a cheap car but it does the job. Pretty well too. And it has cruise control.

If you don't like it, give me a shout and I'll buy something from you for a change. Possibly.

[twosmoke300]

Front subframes rust out badly , anti roll bar d bushes come with the anti roll bar at £££ plus twatty to fit . Suspension parts are service items .

Good drive tho

[mrcitroen]

5cyl Alfa Diesels are not like any other! I have driven many oil burners in my day and I can say that the 2.4 5cyl is just superb. Petrol like performance is a reality! Plus fir bonus points the 5cyl burble is fantastic at full chat. Does not sound like an oil burner at all. However, at idle...........

[Jim Bell]

 

Looking at the set of wheels in the photo, this 1.9 'heavy oiler' will be a 16v from about 2005. It will be hard to find an expensive 147, so if it runs ok, has plenty of clutch and doesn't pull and knock all over the road then it'll do you fine - or just walk away until next weekend.

You sir, know your onions well.

 

Thats pretty much exactly what it is.

[sporty-shite]

I was tempted to bid on this myself for Mrs S, but will gladly step aside, mainly because she really wants a GT. Well worth owning one, though.

 

Verdict:DO IT.

[crapcarcollector]

I have Alfa's, many Alfa's, but in my world Diesels are the antichrist and twinsparks and Bussos rule.

So I'm probably not the person to ask.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Jim Bell]

I was tempted to bid on this myself for Mrs S, but will gladly step aside, mainly because she really wants a GT. Well worth owning one, though.

 

Verdict:DO IT.

 

Ah cheers man.  Funds are limited but I'll have a go at it.

 

 

I have Alfa's, many Alfa's, but in my world Diesels are the antichrist and twinsparks and Bussos rule.

So I'm probably not the person to ask.

 

 

 

 

Your world sounds discriminatory and elitist. Everyone is welcome in my world. Good work on having tons of Alfas though!

[Inspector Morose]

Just found it on 't bay.

 

Hmm. Wouldn't call it a great introduction to the breed. Actually it sounds slightly worse than #Alfalife. plus I'm a bit wary of the 16v JTD for some reason.

 

But, they are not a bad car at all. Parts are cheap and they do handle well but feel a bit wooden to those used to the more (ahem) elderly car.

[Dave_Q]

I like the 8/10v motors for no real reason other than general ludditery.

 

I would say the one from the picture up there doesn't sound terrible, but I wouldn't go too mad - there are loads of these about for <£500, even diesels, and 3-doors especially seen to be unloved.

[purplebargeken]

I like my 156 2.4 dizzler very much indeed!

[Uncle Jimmy]

Avoid Selespeed. Buy a Lancia and do it proper.

[flat4alfa]

Will reiterate the bit about the clutch.

Being a derv, remember there will be a DMF in there as well.  The solid conversion kit isn't exactly cheap either

 

Expect a bit of knock from at least one tiring suspension bush, but don't put up with a din from all corners

[Alfamale]

I had an 04 plate JTDm lusso years ago and loved it. Gearboxes bushes can weather which means it's like stirring tar. As above,avoid selespeed like the plague and check for knocks from the suspension, other than that mine was brill, a very comfortable cruiser with plenty of poke and 50mpg if you took it steady on a run.

[Skizzer]

Your world sounds discriminatory and elitist. Everyone is welcome in my world. Good work on having tons of Alfas though!

Ranting against the advance of heavy oil is the last simple pleasure us poor oppressed elitists are legally allowed. Also sunroofs. Fie at you sir, and your damnable discrimination against elitists.

 

The 2.2 JTS petrol in my Brera is a peach of an engine. Torquey, smooth and sonorous at revs. No turbo to lag or blow up either. Uniquely among modern cars it even looks like an engine (silver bits! Red bits!) when you open the bonnet, rather than a goths' Tupperware party.

[Springer]

I had a 156 2.0Ts for three years.......and I must have been a right lucky sod!

 

Judging by what I read, I must be one of the few who had trouble free driving. The only 'problem' it ever had was an intermittent airbag warning light. No problem ever found...just an Italian electrical gremlin.

 

Was a lovely thing to drive too. Sprightly, great sounding engine and handled great!

 

Still kinda miss it.

[Alfamale]

Brera .

Sold my 147 to buy a Brera and it is the best car I ever owned. Breathtakingly gorgeous from every single angle, a decent steer although a bit heavy, utterly impractical in everyway, including the boot lid that filled the spare wheel well with water every time it was opened in the rain but I was genuinely in love with that car.

 

Of course being built at the AlfaSud factory meant it was starting to rust when it was six years old and the electronics were at best tempremental.

 

Alfamale Senior currently owns my old one, I constantly ponder about buying it back one day.

 

TL:DR Sod buying a 147, get a Brera.

 

This was mine up high somewhere in the lakes...

[Jim Bell]

Grippy tyres on that one mind.

[wuvvum]

I had a 156 Sportwagon with an 8 valve JTD for a while - I bought it because it was a cheap diesel rather than because it was an Alfa, my thoughts on diesel Alfas are generally along similar lines to Breadbin's (unless it's a 33 with a 3 headed monster obvs), but it was a thoroughly decent steer (if not quite as agile as a petrol 156), brilliant on fuel (70 mpg on a gentle run) and went bloody well.  They're a good engine, as diesels go.  My only experience with the "valver" was in the Saab 9-3, and it did a pretty good job of hauling that along at a decent lick, so a 147 thus equipped should fly.

 

I've only had one 147 - a 1.6 TS petrol.  My main memories of it are comfy seats, slightly awkward driving position, wonderfully revvy engine, superb handling and shit turning circle.