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eBay tat volume 3.


Ross_K

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37 minutes ago, djb222 said:

This add deserves to find a buyer, just for the write up...... Alfa 166 lovely

Worthy of being included, for those few without faceache.,

 

If you own a diesel Astra or the like and are only interested in the function of a car to get you from point A to point B you are reading the wrong car ad, this ad is for an Alfa Romeo. I could list every slight scratch on the car but that would mean the ad was for those that think a 20 year old car will be in pristine, brand new condition. I could list it as “Modern Classic” or “Future Classic” indicating that in 50 years time it will be worth a fortune (which it probably would be if you never drove it and vacuum packed it for those 50 years) I could add bullet “proof engine”, “grab a bargin” “pulls like a train” and all the other shite people put in ad’s than ain’t true, so I won’t. This ad is for the person that actually wants to own and drive an Alfa, so let me tell you all about Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 ltr manual’s. Let me start by saying that if you do decide to buy an Alfa you will find they can burn through your cash quicker than a 22 year old mistress. To find the approximate price of any Alfa spare, cost the Ford one and multiply by ten (you will still be short of the cost but you get the idea) The word on the internet is that Alfa’s are unreliable, this is my fourth 166 and I have had two 164’s, not one of them has ever broken down, (actually stopped by the side of the road) That doesn’t mean they haven’t had the odd fault (nearly all Alfa faults are odd) With an Alfa you form a relationship, and in any relationship there is always give and take, an Alfa is a driving pleasure, an experience, and for that the car likes to take your money and your calm, not unlike a wife actually. With 226 BHP they are pretty quick and you can see from the pictures of the interior they are pretty comfortable, airy and roomy with pretty good road holding to match. This doesn’t mean you can just jump in one and expect to drive it like your Astra or Focus, you have to adapt your driving style to the car. As an example you probably change gear like everyone else with your hand over the top of the gear stick, this will change gear for you in a 166 but for 1st and 3rd gear it will also turn off (or on) the stereo, because that is where Alfa put the stereo button, another example would be in a normal car to turn left you just use the indicator, which is fine on right turns for a 166 but the left turn indicator rarely cancels, leaving you driving up the road with your indicator going like a novice. Mine is unusual that 99 times out of a 100 it will cancel. Another source of amusement is the rain sensing wipers, they do sense the rain, and they do wipe, but it will select the speed for what it considers is appropriate, which usually results in going like ‘biily-ho’ for a slight drizzle and 5 mins between wipes for a downpour (the good bit is you can override with a manual selection) Let me do an equipment list for you : WiFi Bluetooth Sat Nav DVD player Reversing sensors Reversing camera Self park Phone The good news is the 166 has none of these so they won’t break or act up (Sat Nav was an option on CD, you would have to be very brave to rely on an Alfa CD Sat Nav) Think of the warning lights on the dash as more of an entertainment centre. They come on, they go off, indicating that the bulb behind them is still working and that is usually all they mean. On occasion mine likes to tell me I have a complete brake failure, for about 3 minutes, it can be a good heart exercise. A common 166 problem is the door locks, the fob usually fails about 2 minutes after the guarantee on the car has run out, mine is very unusual in that it still functions properly. Another common issue, that 166 owners will tell you is a feature, is the exhaust note, it is quite ‘meaty’, it wasn’t originally but when the original back box went on the factory supplied exhaust nearly everyone fits an after market stainless steel one, this isn’t because the super throaty sound is sought (can get on your tits on a 4 hour drive, fine for top gear in a 100 yard tunnel) it is because an OEM part will sting you about £500 (or more) and the aftermarket is only £250 (The back box goes all the way to the middle of the car) Only really major issues with mine are that the lacquer is coming off, Alfa Lacquer seems to have a 20 year life, and the aircon don’t work, I could say the old lie “probably needs a re-gas” but it doesn’t, it blew a ferule on the last re-gas attempt and I haven’t fixed it, nor will i. Now the reason for sale is that I am due to retire and I have 5 cars (an S500, an ST170 and a 9-5 HOT as well, so watch ebay for future sales) and will have no where to go, so the cars have to go, there is nothing worse for a car that sitting doing nothing. I don’t want to part with the car so I am not selling cheap, and if the wife pops her clogs first I may keep it and see if I can find that 22 year old mistress. Technical bits :- Cambelt changed at 119,000 (£750 just for parts (I kid thee not), 60,000 to 80,000 miles between changes, depending on the expert you ask, i.e. google. (2 ltr cambelt change is every Wednesday) MOT you can check on line, present mileage you can see in pictures, you will note after market air intake hose (£80, a real one would cost £127 but you won’t get one, 166‘s all break this so there ain’t none) I have the ICS code (a 166 is useless without this) For any other information please feel free to ask.

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