Alfa Romeo 156

[MrJan]

Is this as stupid an idea as it seems? I'm currently on the look out for something a bit more comfortable and that I can fill up with people to share fuel costs on football awaydays. Having decided that an LPG XJ6 would probably be a bit OTT and a C-Class Merc (circa '96) would probably still cost a bit to run, I've spotted a decent looking 156 Y-reg (2001) within my budget. Obviously Italian cars have a reputation of being unreliable but is this still the case with more modern stuff?

[raybak]

Good car but really only a four seater when carrying adults.

Ray

[Daniel]

http://www.alfaworkshop.co.uk/alfa_156_buyers.shtml

You can get bits fairly cheaply from here -> http://shop4parts.co.uk/ and there are a few forums which will give you a 10% discount on parts there if you donate to them

Feed it some Selenia 20k and it'll be no less reliable than anything else you'll be able to buy

Any pics of it or a link?

[MrJan]

Good car but really only a four seater when carrying adults.

Ray

It's a step from from the 2 seater then

I'll cram them in if going to football, I went up to Manchester (about 260 miles which is a lot for us over here) in the back of a Vauxhall Corsa 3 door so I'm sure the 156 will feel huge in comparison.

[MrJan]

Link is here http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...s/30?logcode=p

Lack of a long MOT is annoying but could use it in bargaining.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

I would

[pino]

Mr Jan car looks great the only problem is...4 owners that's too many for an Alfa Romeo as its needed experienced/skilled drivers for such a car Try to find out who were them and why they bought and sold the car

[MrJan]

Mr Jan car looks great the only problem is...4 owners that's too many for an Alfa Romeo as its needed experienced/skilled drivers for such a car Try to find out who were them and why they bought and sold the car

Probably going to have a look at the car this evening so will have a good nose round the thing and a good look at the paperwork. I don't desperately need a new car so I have the advantage that the dealer won't be able to rush me into a sale and I can just walk away

[Daniel]

Probably going to have a look at the car this evening so will have a good nose round the thing and a good look at the paperwork. I don't desperately need a new car so I have the advantage that the dealer won't be able to rush me into a sale and I can just walk away

Just noticed it was a Selespeed and spoke to an ex forum member on msn who knows his Italian cars..... He has a 156 2.0 TS Manual
which is pretty much identical other than Selespeed.

Daniel says:
Any advice for someone buying a 156 selespeed?

Shant says:
if he's buying it because he's cheap
which is the only reason anyone ever buys a Selespeed
tell him a gearbox rebuild
(when not if)
will cost more than the car's worth
Selespeed is a truly horrible technology

Daniel says:
So a normal box is better than a sillyspeed?

Shant says:
crude
underdeveloped
sluggish/jerky
yuck
and MASSIVELY unreliable
the boxes themselves are the same in terms of hardware
but Selespeed substitutes the clutch pedal for hydraulic actuatorswhich go wrong
a lot
the gearbox itself in terms of cogs etc is pretty tough
if he's looking at a V6
the four-speed Q-System is ok
reliable
but saps power noticeably
six-speed manual in that car is a better bet

So I think that's a vote of no confidence for Selespeed!

[MrJan]

Cheers, I had wondered about the semi-auto thing but thought it worth giving a go (probably still will, just to see what 1k can get you). Also had an inkling that gearbox rebuild would be silly money. I think that I'll go and have a look but walk away from this one, I think that it's important to see a type of car several times so that you learn where things are and what to look for.

TBH the cheap thing wasn't my only motivation, the fact that it isn't overly high mileage also appealed (saw one that was knocking on the door of 160k which is big miles compared to other stuff of a similar age), and that it's one of only a handful of cars that I can see during the week.