Alfa Romeo 156 twin spark 1.8

[Aqua]

Hi all,

I am seriously concidering buying an Alfa 156, i have seen one in a local garage, 03 reg at 5 grand.

I have always kept away from Alfa's because of their reputation, but are they now ok and does anyone have any advise/comments regarding running one of these second hand cars.

Thanks, Aqua.

 

[johnwr]

Alfa's are tarted up Fiats, also beware of servicing cost, you won't believe the cost of a set of 8 spark plugs.
regards johnwr

 

[Aqua]

Thanks for the advise, if i bought the car i would probably go with a 2 year warranty at a cost of £399.

I like the car but wouldn't like a massive repair bill that may appear in the future.

I doubt it would cover spark plugs though ?

 

[Richuu]

I'm an Alfa enthusiast, so my post might be slightly biased.

These days, their poor reputation is undeserved. There are NO issues with rust, since they're fully galvanised. Mechanically, they are excellent cars, but you do need to 'love' them. Regular servicing at an Alfa specialist is essential. There are quirks that a non-Alfa tech won't know about.

Yes, there are 8 plugs, and true, they're not cheap, at about £85 for a set, but you only need to replace them every 60,000 miles, and they DO last that long.

You will need to keep a very close eye on your oil level!!! Most important!!! They can consume a LOT of oil... 1 litre / 1000 miles is not uncommon. Low oil will trash the engine, and they're not cheap!

Overall, however, I would say servicing is cheaper than an equivalent BMW, and since you'll have bought the car at a tenth of the cost of said BMW, you're well up money wise!

I'd say go for it (well, I would!). The driving rewards are well worth it, and the individuality on the road is a bonus. Feel free to ask more if you need to.

Rich.

 

[Richuu]

A major service (60,000 miles) is around £600 - including all the belts and tensioners. Sounds a lot, but you'd probably pay similar for a Vectra service needing belts and tensioners too. It's also recommended to have a belt service more frequently - for around £300 (probably every 30,000 miles) - might sound a lot, but not as much as an engine rebuild if the cam belt lets go!

The 1.8 is a powerful engine for it's capacity, and has reduced complexity over the 2.0, because it has no balance shafts and associated belts / tensioners.

Electrics are fine. Only other issue is the front suspension arms - the bushes can wear at 60,000 on, and replacement for all 4 (double wishbone suspension) isn't cheap. That said, I'm at almost 70k, and mine are still ok. Top wishbones are fist to go, and they're about £80 each, plus fitting. Bottom ones are a bit more.

 

[johnwr]

Like I said it's just a tarted up fiat, £600 for a major service, you must be joking. How anyone can compare a Alfa with a BMW I don't know.
The only one I ever worked on had rusty brake pipes at about 3 years old and a power steering pipe that was leaking, just another example of fiat engineering (or lack of).

 

[BigJon]

having bought a 156 3 years ago,i've only had 1 prob with it that cost me £500 which i got the belts and service done at same time, apart from that its a joy to drive and for the money you get a lot of car. Main thing on the 156's is make sure the belts are done every 36K as this is their achillies tendon, You should try this alfaforum I've found a lot of help and info from the guys on it,BMW's, mercs etc are all common as muck on the roads now IMHO, stand out from the crowd and Enjoy ur 156 hopefully not on the hard shoulder

 

[Aqua]

Thanks alot for all the replys.

I have now bought an Alfa 156, 1.6 engine, W reg with 78k on the clock.

Bought from the 1st owner so no boy racers have had their hands on it.

The cam belt and pulleys have been done, so to have the 8 spark plugs by PowerAlfa at Daventry.

One problem has come to light however, the climate control set at cold blows hot, when set at hot it is like a blast furness. A mechanic i know says it is an electronic control behind the dial which will have gone.

Is this the case or could it be something else ?

By the way, the engine temp gauge is normal, no over heating from the engine at all, inc a 150 mile run with it back home after buying the car.

Thanks, Aqua.

 

[Richuu]

Could be the sensor, or could be the outside temoerature sensor on the underneath of one of the door mirrors. Check the connections to both. Not sure how easy to obtain or expensive the parts are, but the forum mentioned above is a good help.

And John, I can understand your dismay at the cost of a service for an Alfa. Once the BMW receptionist has greeted you and given you coffee and asked you to sit down, you'll have forked out that much before they even touch your car. Any you're right, no-one should compare Alfa's to BMW's. The latter are far too dull and ordinary.

 

[Aqua]

Thanks for that Richuu i will get onto it straight away.

I have only had the Alfa a few days, but i already know what people mean when they say Alfa's are a class apart.

BMW's and Mercs are great but this just has something different