Must be true petrolhead to say about these please>

[Barry Cade]

I've owned 2 GTV 2l Twinks, and a 145 Cloverleaf. The 145 was a 450 bargain buy, which I hammered across Europe with NO mishaps. I did take the precaution of changing the belts, a full service and some electrical sorting first. Sold it because I was SKINT, regretted it ever since. The GTV's were fantastic- the red one was a minter, gave no issues at all and was the finest automobile I have ever had the good fortune to own,bar none. The blue one was a shed, needed lots of work and I just knew it would never be a patch on the red one. Herein lies a lesson. Both cost less than 500 notes, both the same age and the red one had actually done more miles. I've also owned a 146 boxer, a Giulietta 2.0RS and an older GTV

 

Be careful of rear subframes- they are aluminium and the mounting bolts and bushes, if not kept tight and in good nick, wear the holes in the frame oval.

 

Alternators are a c*ck to change.

 

Belts are a piece of pi$$ to change with the reasonably priced locking tools

 

Variators need done if they rattle, not the end of the world

 

Heated rear windows in the GTV need modded- can cause fires if not.

 

35mpg is the norm if you get a good un

 

I'm 6ft 4 and was very comfy

 

Boot is a joke,as are rear seats

 

Alfadiag program can be gotten for free, and can reset airbag and ABS lights

 

Idle should be smooth and quiet- don't let anyone tell you different

 

BUY ONE (or 2) Leave it too long and you won't be able to afford one...

 

 

 

[philibusmo]

I had a 156 2.0 TS, one of the very earliest 1998 models. I had it for six months, used daily and got rid about a year ago.

 

I loved that car - It was fast, super comfy and never let me down. For a reasonable sized, modern saloon car they are light and handle superbly.

 

To be fair mine was a bit of a heap, look out for clonks coming from the front end. If you're lucky it will be the ARB drop links, if you are unlucky it will be the wish bones, if you are very unlucky it will be the ARB itself which runs above the front sub frames. Mine also had bent rear arms which needed replacing - goodness knows how that had happened before I got it.

 

The belts need doing often, so try and get one that has just had them done, they don't work out much more expensive. On the twin sparks, the thermostats also fail reasonably regularly but are quick to swap over. If the power is lumpy and a bit rubbish try cleaning the airflow sensor, this normally resolves it. Avoid the SillySpeed autos like its a Renault auto-box, the manual is a superb box of cogs though.

 

Airbag lights are often on, will either be a very quick fix on electrical connectors under the front seats, and if not then it will be the airbag ECU behind the centre consol - either are quite easy to resolve. Rear windows motors are weak and can pack up.

 

Rust tends to be on the floor pans, front bumper brackets and early ones can get very small patches above the wind screen. All can suffer flaking paint on the bumpers, early ones especially. Despite this, early ones tend to be a little better screwed together but no particular age are badly made. Despite this being sizable a list of possible issues, they are easy to work on and very well thought out. I enjoyed working on mine.

 

I only sold it as work was a little rubbish this time last year and  I needed to get the cheapest car to run possible - ended up with a 106 diesel and of course work picked up almost immediately and I regretted selling the Alfa. I will probably have another Alfa Romeo as there is rarely a week goes by without wishing I have one in my life. If I got a job that required longer distance driving then a 156 would be top of the list of cars for me to buy, nothing else I have owned has been quite as comfortable over long distances, with the air-con set just so, the radio on and blasting along at speed feeling perfectly stable and secure.

 

I also drove a 2.0 TS 147 straight after getting out of my 156, it didn't feel any faster and if anything didn't handle as well. That may have been specific to that exact car, but I much preferred the 156.

 

*goes on ebay to look for Alfa Romeos*

[Lacquer Peel]

You're not a petrolhead til you've owned an AR6 or 33 with the 3 cylinder VM diesel.

[crapcarcollector]

Having had most Alfas from the last 3 decades I can tell you-

 

a 147 Will rust, but not as much you think, way less than a ford or Vauxhall.

a GTV won't rust, unless it been in an accident, apart from the rear suspension arms (the pan that holds the spring in) they rot like a ford ka on the beach.

 

Buy on condition from a Alfa pervert owner with receipts and knowledge.

 

Both will put a huge smile on your face, both will cost more than an equivalent anything to run.

 

Check the belts have been changed, if it's a Twinny and sounds like a diesel then the variator is fucked, not the end of the world but you need £'s off for it and the belts to be done.

 

Bushes are usually weak, and anything you buy from Alfa will take 6 weeks to come, cost a shitload and usually won't fit.

 

I'm looking for another GTV while prices are in the shitter.

[Ratdat]

With regard to the twin spark cambelt...it's perfectly DIY-able. I've done two now with just cam locks. No need for a dial gauge or any of that. A tool to undo the variator makes it easier but you could probably get by without it. I reckon you'd need to change that every other belt change.  Camlocks are a must though. You can get around using the tensioning tool by either making one, or by tying the tensioner before fitting it with wire or a cable tie then carefully backing off the tension to set it right. 

 

A good quality cambelt kit is about £70. A variator is about £90+ and a water pump is only about £20. I'd forgotten about the thermostat... I replaced that on my right after getting it as it was running cool. It was about £45 but improved the economy by about 5 to 6 MPG so worthwhile. It's been okay since.

[Ratdat]

Oh, and the 2.0l twin spark is a little more complex I think, as it has balance shafts although i've not done one so can't say for sure.

[Barry Cade]

With regard to the twin spark cambelt...it's perfectly DIY-able. I've done two now with just cam locks. No need for a dial gauge or any of that. A tool to undo the variator makes it easier but you could probably get by without it. I reckon you'd need to change that every other belt change.  Camlocks are a must though. You can get around using the tensioning tool by either making one, or by tying the tensioner before fitting it with wire or a cable tie then carefully backing off the tension to set it right. 

 

A good quality cambelt kit is about £70. A variator is about £90+ and a water pump is only about £20. I'd forgotten about the thermostat... I replaced that on my right after getting it as it was running cool. It was about £45 but improved the economy by about 5 to 6 MPG so worthwhile. It's been okay since.

These are all you really need to do a belt- remember 2 litres have 2 belts, but personally I do without the balance belt and just block them off.

 

http://www.totallyalfa.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=main.dspProduct&id=1

[drum]

We have an '06147 jtd lusso. It's the wife's and she likes it. I'm not so keen.

 

The build quality seems poor.

It is noisy and rattles.

Gearbox crunches when going up into third.

It had two auxiliary belts in 14 months including a new timing belt and water pump , idlers etc when we first got it.

I've had to renew the headlight bulbs twice and I can't get the offside brake light to work. It comes on with a wiggle but I've had the thing apart half a dozen times and can't fix it.

The handbrake levers on the callipers keep seizing and it needs new cables. I've spent ages fucking about with it.

The handbrake cables are clipped on to the exhaust heat shield which corrodes leaving the cables hanging down.

Bottom turbo hose rubbed and wore through.

I walked passed it one night after the pub, brushed the wing mirror which fell off. Alloy all corroded.

There are several blisters and rust spots.

The front tyres wore through to the canvas on the inside shoulder. They were like new across 4/5ths of the tread. Tracking is fine so might be suspension geometry.

[Shep Shepherd]

I've liked the original GTV ever since I first saw "Octopussy", but I imagine owning one would be a bit of a nightmare, unless I only used it sparingly and didn't stray far from home with it.

[srad34]

We have had 2 156 2.0TS over the last few years, I REALLY liked them both, great to drive, sounded good and never had any mechanical or electrical issues. One Blue with blue Momo leather, the second was black with Tan leather, luuurverly.

Sadly both had to go when I got company cars...

 

But, they can use some oil and will need regular tinkering, plus 8 spark plugs! - But IMHO the drive makes it worth while....

 

I too have been perusing them on the bay for a cheeky early 2.0 again....

[Ratdat]

Aye, twin sparks do use some oil. The facelift 156 we had even had a sticker in the top corner of the windscreen from new, saying as much and warning you to keep it topped up, but giving some horseshit excuse about it being because it's derived from racing engines. Yeah, right-oh Alfa.

[RichardMoss]

I had a 3L 166 a couple of years ago - I won't be buying another Alfa in the foreseeable future. A very disappointing car: a beautiful engine, lovely seats and well, that's about it.

[Cavcraft]

My lad's 147 (the new Autoshite bike) 1.6 was a cracking car. Lovely to drive, smart to look at, went well and the interior/dashboard were superb.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Is that the red one that Dave had and then red5 had and now I am swapping for a 205 to give the 147 to my hippy brother?     Hope so, as the more AS provenance the better.

[Guest Breadvan72]

PS:  I could still maybe be tempted to sell my 156, but probably not, as I think I will keep it forever, but if anyone wants to borrow it for a bit to see what a V6 156 is like, that could be arranged.   It looks fairly spiffy for its age, and has no obvious borkage going on at present except for the aircon being up the wazoo.  It had its cam belts done about 3000 miles ago, if that.

[Ratdat]

I had a 3L 166 a couple of years ago - I won't be buying another Alfa in the foreseeable future. A very disappointing car: a beautiful engine, lovely seats and well, that's about it.

 

You must have been unlucky... I had one and loved it. I paid £750 for it, replaced the leaky heater matrix and upper engine steady (less than £90 for both), cleaned the sat nav CD laser, gave it a service and drove it. It never missed a beat for the 10,000 miles I did in it and was lovely in every respect apart from a considerable appetite for petrol! Sold it for £500 so that's some cheap luxury motoring. It even did some of this without concern...

 

[Cavcraft]

Is that the red one that Dave had and then red5 had and now I am swapping for a 205 to give the 147 to my hippy brother?     Hope so, as the more AS provenance the better.

 

Thatll be the one. Great car, thoroughly enjoyed driving it.

[Guest Breadvan72]

That is good to know, cheers.  My bro is getting a free car, so can't really complain if it is a bit shonkificated, but I feel better knowing that experienced shiteists have driven the car and found it to be good.

[nacho man]

There was a blue gtv on the tat page for some thing like 875, it looked a barg. I like the early ones.

 

I had a 145 cloverleaf and it was ace I gave it some stick for a year or so and only needed a service and a exhaust. Again the early ones now look lovely.

 

[Vin]

Twin sparks? GTVs? Pah...

 

 

My Dad snapped this at Louth classic car show yesterday...He thought he was doing me a favour...bless him...

[Guest Breadvan72]

Give us the Lat-Long and we'll call in an air strike.

[Mr Lobster]

I loved my 145 Cloverleaf. It was absolutely fantastic plus it made a nice noise when driven enthusiastically, when it was working that is.

 

It spent too much time not working though and on every occasion made a deeper trip into the contents of my savings account.

 

Hence Mrs_L won't allow any further Alfas onto the fleet. Can't really disagree in all fairness.

[Barry Cade]

Not all twin sparks use oil, my red GTV didn't, the 145 never used a drop between services, but the blue one drank it.. Some say..... it's all to do with how they are run in from new, was told to hammer them from day one... or they will like a drop of the gold later in life..

[Ratdat]

Not all twin sparks use oil, my red GTV didn't, the 145 never used a drop between services, but the blue one drank it.. Some say..... it's all to do with how they are run in from new, was told to hammer them from day one... or they will like a drop of the gold later in life..

This is true. The facelift 156 twin spark we had didn't use much at all.

[Inspector Morose]

Strangely enough my 75 2.0 TS didn't drink the golden stuff either. Maybe it was treated properly early in life.

[Barry Cade]

Strangely enough my 75 2.0 TS didn't drink the golden stuff either. Maybe it was treated properly early in life.

Yup, drive them like you're Italian and pretend you are being tailed by a black Fiat Dino , driven by men in sunglasses and well tailored suits, and they'll thrive.

 

Once the oil is warm, obviously...