Thinking of changing my MG for an Alfa Romeo 147

ajgoodfellow

ajgoodfellow

ajgoodfellow

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Knowle, Solihull, UK
Hi

As my MG has cost a fortune to keep on the road the past 18 months (and it still has problems like the glove box falling off, leaking sunroof and it's loosing coolant) I'm tempted to change it for a 147

I know that they have a poor reputation for reliability but I've also heard if they're well maintained then they shouldn't be too bad.

The insurance on the 2 litre is fine as I'm 23 with 2 years of NCB. I've found a nice 2002 one with the Bose sound system (an £800 option), leather and 38k miles for £5k. Tempting as I should get at least £3.5k for my 2002 ZR. It's got a full service history and the cambelts have just been done

What are your opinions on this? I probably do about 14k miles per year

Thanking you in advance,

Alistair
 
Ah, thanks - didn't realise that they cost that much to keep on the road!

I might just leave it then and keep the MG (hopefully most of the big bills are past now) or perhaps get something like a Focus to save money
 
ajgoodfellow said:
Hi

As my MG has cost a fortune to keep on the road....glove box falling off, leaking sunroof and it's loosing coolant....

......I'm tempted to change it for a 147
Click to expand...

Those sort of things just don't happen on 147s. In fact it makes me angry when people say things like that because its not from experience of owning 147s. :mad:

Glove boxes DO NOT fall off.
Sunroofs DO NOT leak (since 147s don't have sunroofs).
Coolant leakages DO NOT happen.






However...





Doors do fall off.
The engine blows up with clouds of smoke.
A wheel might off when you're going down the motorway.
The gearbox loses all of its gears.
And the steering wheel has been known to come off in people hands!

:D
 
I know!

My sister owns a 147, and it's a pretty but I've had to deal with all the fall out and arguments with the dealers when things go wrong! If you get a good 147 - well maintained, meticulously looked after etc, and you're the type of person to keep an eye on it (fortnightly oil top ups, 36k cambelt changes, etc) there's no reason why it should be unreliable.

BUT is it more expensive to run that a Focus or Golf, simply because the various parts don't last and need to replaced more often than those on say a Honda. Parts are also difficult to get to. For example, I had to take apart half the engine just to get to the airbox to change the filter, so you can imagine that servicing is more expensive. The 36,000 mile service is HUGE - about £600 at an independant and about £850 at a dealer! The spark plugs alone for the spark plug service are £100!

You can neglect a Honda/Mazda/Toyata and it will probably be okay, but these Alfas fall to bits if they're neglected!
 
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Check out the alfaowner forum too!

If you want something different give it a punt! I'm happy with my Alfa and it's been fine for the 22k miles I've done in it since last December!
 
Interesting cars, but they dont have a stopgap between the 2L and the 3.2 V6! I wouldnt be able to afford a GTA but a 2L would feel a bit gutless, a 2.5 V6 or something would be nice if they offered it.
 
Yeah - the 2.0l isn't that quick (~9 sec to 60 IIRC) so it'd be nice to have a go between. Wonder how it'll feel in comparison to my ZR (slightly quicker on paper)
 
Changing to an Alfa because you want lower running costs is not a great idea IMO.

Don't get me wrong I love Alfa's and I am well chuffed with my present one, but cheap to run they are not. They need careful servicing which really needs to be carried out by a specialist who often charge accordingly. As mentioned before cambelts at 36k and oil checked weekly is essential, Alfa's can guzzle up to a litre every 600 miles!

If you drive one you will probably fall in love with the engine note and driveability. Howeve do bear in mind that low running costs are not an attribute of Alfa.
 
Thanks for the advice

I did wonder about that. Currently I've spent a fortune on servicing for my MG but that was at an expensive dealer - never again! The cambelt had just been done on the one I had my eye on thankfully - my previous Astra was every 40k though so I've had the frequent changes before!

I've spent £3.5k on my MG in 18 months - surely the Alfa cannot be worse?
 
Berger said:
Interesting cars, but they dont have a stopgap between the 2L and the 3.2 V6! I wouldnt be able to afford a GTA but a 2L would feel a bit gutless, a 2.5 V6 or something would be nice if they offered it.
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I wouldn't say the 2L is gutless - it has the typical linear power characters of a high revving DOHC 16V balancer shafted four. Make a great sound though - very very characterful engine. At 3.5k+ it's got that high pitched thrum that you'd get from a 6 cylinder which is a great achievement.

As for power, remap it. There are bound to be loads of companies equivalent to Jabba that can tune these cars for better low down torque and greater power. The standard car is 150bhp, so you should be able to increase easily to about 165bp without any trouble for about £200-£250.

ajgoodfellow said:
I've spent £3.5k on my MG in 18 months - surely the Alfa cannot be worse?
Click to expand...

No way should you have to spend that on ANY car!
 
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