i've found a car .... so the legnum is going ubber cheap

[Bal]

im so excited ... after the recommendation from keiran i've been looking at alfa romeo 156, they are perfect.

look good, interior is good and they are nippy. I've found two i like the look of and im test driving one more on wed with a view point to putting a deposit down.

So basically the legnum is going ubber cheap. bargain in fact. so somone buy it !!

take care
Bal

[pitslayer]

i was looking at alfas before getting a galant....good job i picked the better car thow....alfas are great, dont get me wrong....sorry there great when they work lol....i love all alfas, apart from the spyder, GTV the 146 and the 164 and the 166 what went on there i dno, think the designers must have had a fear and loathing in las vegas night in......

but 156s are riddled with problems...all i will say is check all the electrics work and i mean ALL and they work properly, get the engine checked over, properly, check it has full service history. most importantly do not get a tip/semi auto box, when they go, there big big big bucks.....lovely cars, depreciate alot, once there knackered just throw them away, there not worth the hassle or money repairing......and dont bother with the 156
the 155 in rosso red with 2ltr twinspark engine with the sport pack is where its at....my dad had one, one of the best cars we ever owned....only one issue we ever really had with it....the electric windows seemed to work randomly whenever the car was on?

[Bal]

cheers dude. i must admit i was hesitant becuase of reading issues with alfas in the past, but so far everythingn suggest that now it's just the usual electrical issue, some issues with damp and defo FSH required.

thanks for the heads up.

thing is i've looked at many cars over the past month or so and nothing has really grabbed me like the alfa has.

[pitslayer]

just head my advice and dont get a sillyspeed
lol

[Paul Beazer]

I WANT YOUR VR4!!! (but i cant have it) WAAAAHHH! /Hissy

[pitslayer]

im unsure of where these are.... Abandoned as it no longer runs - oh and thats another one next to it... They are 1998/99 models with leather and wood rim steering wheel parked up over a year ago and left to rot

[ritch_w]

Bal, I had a 156 2.0 TS for a few months, low mileage (38K FSH), nice car, no regrets on owning it, but then again I no longer own one!

I never had any issues with mine except a leaky sunroof but that was a simple fix.

Alfas need lots of attention ad fettling, checking oild and water etc on a weekly basis is essential as the engines longevity is sensitive as too how much oil it has.... you cant drive it and forget about it.

go for FSh and get the cambelt changed, should be every 36k, stupid intervals but but stupidly expensive when they snap (and it will...) I got my cambelt changed as soon as i got the car, cost me £300 from an alfa specialist, needs to be done properly...
do not get one that has had the head rebuilt after the cambelt snapping - there is a chance the bottom end will go within 10K.

there is a lot of negativity out there regarding alfas, some true - some bollocks.

DO NOT sign up to any alfa forums - seriously dont! you'll just end up getting paranoid hearing about other owners snapping belts, and their problems.... and then wondering when its going to be your turn....
Even after selling my Leggie, I still spend more time on here than any other forum!

I got offered a lot more than what it cost me to buy and service, by an Italian car enthusiast, so I sold it. It was always at the back of my mind (probably unreasonably) that it was just a matter of time before something expensive needed doing....

as a comparison i would say the 2.0 TS is comparable to the V6 galant, in terms of spec (leather, elec win / mirr / roof, etc etc) not quite as quick as the V6, the 2.0 needs revved before it feels like its shifting, around the same economy V6 manul would just edge it, but the alfa will cost more to service, cost of parts, and needing more fettling and more often.

good luck with what you go for and enjoy!

[Nick Mann]

A friend has a multijet diesel 156 wagon. It's a nice car, and he has had no real issues with it AFAIK.

I think the reliability thing changed dramatically at around 2000/2001. I'm sure I read a review where they said Alfa invested a lot of money at around that time on improving the cars reliability.

Go for it - it was one of the cars I was looking at before I got the Galant.

[WildCards]

155's are super sexy cars, I love them. Also have to disagree about the GTV's. A late model GTV V6 with the Cup pack and i'd be a happy man. Absolutely love them to bits.