Banger 3 months on. Contains Italian sorry.

Third Opinion · 8 Mar 2013 at 13:24

Well I posted it a few months back as I purchased it around Xmas for £600. The car is a 156 2.5V6 24V Veloce 1. I will refrain from the word bargain as I know the strong feelings many have towards Alfa ownership. To me who is a fan it is to me.

She has covered 130k now with 2 owners, the last 9 years and service history to really die for. (not sure why the boot looks out of line). Although it is only 3 months of ownership the reliability has been impeccable with only a headlight bulb needing replacement.

The light isn't brilliant but the car is very straight all round with only some minor bits to do. The first is some bumper paintwork which is probably going to be a full respray to it.

The wheels are pretty scabby too so I think I will try to source a second hand set.

Overall I am quite happy with it. The beautiful V6 sings gorgeously and doesn't use a drop of oil or water. The 6 speed box is smooth and the clutch precise. The biggest bonus was it had had a Cambelt and water pump 15k before I bought it.

Being the value is very low if the car developed a major fault it would probably have to be scrapped. The bonus is the engines and boxes sell for quite a bit secondhand so it would probably get quite a bit back.

The performance is very impressive with the official 0-60mph taking 7.1-7.3 secs and topping out about 146mph. Given it's FWD I am not sure I would want any more power, although it holds the road well with remarkable grip.

I am determined not to put unnecessary money into it which is a bit frustrating as the service history is so good it is pointless upgrading brakes etc.

The interior feels basic although it has climate control etc. The seats are the cloth Recaro electric variety which are free from wear or tear.

Now I need good weather for a good polish and wax. Hopefully it will be ready for the Horsham Italian day on the 1st April.

HEADRAT · 8 Mar 2013 at 13:37

Stick £100 in the bank every month for a rainy day, then when something does break (it will) you'll have the money to pay for it (really takes the sting out of the tail).

vanpeebles · 8 Mar 2013 at 13:39

Nice ride, looks very clean. I had the same but it was the lux model

Third Opinion · 8 Mar 2013 at 13:59

HEADRAT said:
Stick £100 in the bank every month for a rainy day, then when something does break (it will) you'll have the money to pay for it (really takes the sting out of the tail).

I would do but other than essential maintenance and a tiny bit of cosmetic it is a through away car. The bonus is there are tonnes of secondhand parts available.

Looking through the service history the last owner meticulously maintained it. That owner now has a Brera. The car has been everywhere with two or three trips around the South of France. Every tiny thing has been replaced, one receipt advises the radiator is looking tired, it was immediately replaced with an all alloy unit at several hundred pounds.

It's usage is just as a bit of fun and the other half uses it to go shopping and pick the kids up on rainy days.

We were looking at more expensive cars but this came up and to be honest looked and drove straighter.

I am 40 years old so insurance is only £200 and as it isn't a daily driver the 23mpg doesn't hurt too much.

'Harry · 8 Mar 2013 at 14:08

Very tidy motor for £600.

rodenal · 8 Mar 2013 at 14:16

Tbh at £600 i wouldn't do anything other than service it properly and deal with minor bits and pieces either. Certainly wouldn't spend over a grand a year on it.

Liked my 156, was a good solid car - I still really like the interior of these too, surprised you're not so keen

Lopéz · 8 Mar 2013 at 14:19

rodenal said:
Tbh at £600 i wouldn't do anything other than service it properly and deal with minor bits and pieces either. Certainly wouldn't spend over a grand a year on it.

Why not? The upkeep of a vehicle has little relevance to the initial purchase cost.

rodenal · 8 Mar 2013 at 14:21

Because there are so many of these available for pennies that are in a decent enough condition that you could simply sell what was left of it then go out and find another one when it finally did die for not much of a cost. If it was a particularly rare car or you had spent money on bodywork etc then things change a bit.

a £600-1k V6 156 is a far far easier car to find a decent example of than a rust free, e36 328i with good history that has generally been looked after for example. Despite the fact that both exist.

In general buyers think....Oh no, older alfa....at the same time looking at a heap of an e36 and thinking...Oh great, older BMW

GreenMint · 8 Mar 2013 at 14:35

rodenal said:
Because there are so many of these available for pennies that are in a decent enough condition that you could simply sell what was left of it then go out and find another one when it finally did die for not much of a cost. If it was a particularly rare car or you had spent money on bodywork etc then things change a bit.

a £600-1k V6 156 is a far far easier car to find a decent example of than a rust free, e36 328i with good history that has generally been looked after for example. Despite the fact that both exist.

In general buyers think....Oh no, older alfa....at the same time looking at a heap of an e36 and thinking...Oh great, older BMW

Sometimes its better the devil you know though..

Janesy B · 8 Mar 2013 at 14:56

I'd sooner spend £500 fixing a £500 car than going out and buying another unknown random used car.

Third Opinion · 8 Mar 2013 at 15:00

rodenal said:
Because there are so many of these available for pennies that are in a decent enough condition that you could simply sell what was left of it then go out and find another one when it finally did die for not much of a cost. If it was a particularly rare car or you had spent money on bodywork etc then things change a bit.

a £600-1k V6 156 is a far far easier car to find a decent example of than a rust free, e36 328i with good history that has generally been looked after for example. Despite the fact that both exist.

In general buyers think....Oh no, older alfa....at the same time looking at a heap of an e36 and thinking...Oh great, older BMW

156's in 2.5V6 are getting increasingly hard to find. This was the last year of UK sales as they stopped it in favour of the 2.4JTD.

You do see a few available in various conditions but many are non-official or Automatic Q-systems.

Being this car has been used daily in the past and has covered slightly above average miles I think shows that the 156 was a big improvement in terms of older Alfa quality. Still far from perfect however.

I caught the Alfa bug early in my driving life and this is my 3rd 156. The 2.5 was always the one I wanted but I was never in the position to be able to stomach the running costs.

My next target is a 3.2 GTA, hopefully by March next year.

I should also add what this car has done to my missus. She was very much a car is just a car and has only ever owned shabby old bangers.

She has seriously caught the bug now and is becoming a real petrol head. She took the car last week to an all female Alfa meet in Surrey.

If you see it out and about, don't park too close. She is seriously protective of it, I hardly get a look in.

wingman · 8 Mar 2013 at 15:12

Looks tidy overall, excellent purchase.

Were Alfa the originators of the rear door handles integrated into the window?

rodenal · 8 Mar 2013 at 15:22

Third opinion I hear what you're saying but I could almost guarantee you I'd be able to go out and find a good v6 within a week for under a grand. You'd be really hard pushed with anything else of a similar era and power.

Still a cracking buy though

Plus you never answered my interior question, what don't you like about it?

MagicBoy · 8 Mar 2013 at 15:28

wingman said:
Were Alfa the originators of the rear door handles integrated into the window?

Yes. Then SEAT poached the designer responsible, hence why the Mk2 Leon looks a little alfa-ish!

'Harry · 8 Mar 2013 at 16:04

Janesy B said:
I'd sooner spend £500 fixing a £500 car than going out and buying another unknown random used car.

Agreed. To do otherwise is madness IMO.

daz · 8 Mar 2013 at 16:52

Great buy at twice the price.

mattyprice4004 · 8 Mar 2013 at 17:40

Is this so you can outrun that mental neighbour?

thepeteh · 8 Mar 2013 at 17:47

How many miles have you covered in it?

Third Opinion · 8 Mar 2013 at 17:50

mattyprice4004 said:
Is this so you can outrun that mental neighbour?

It helps, he has tried to chase me unsuccessfully in his 1995 520i Auto BMW.

From what he has told other neighbours he is furious. He can totally own our diesel.

I will give his BMW it's due though, it is cleaner than the Alfa. His latest mod is 18 maybe 19" M5 wheels.

I will try to get a discreet picture and post.

It has covered 130k thepeteh, 2.4 k with me.

Edit: About the interior, I don't dislike infact the opposite. But it looks very basic compared to a Mondeo or Vectra of the same year. The only complaint is the deep set dials that are illuminated all the time. These can sometimes give you the illusion the main lights are on when they are not in the dark. Caught me out once

mattyprice4004 · 8 Mar 2013 at 17:53

Third Opinion said:
It helps, he has tried to chase me unsuccessfully in his 1995 520i Auto BMW.

From what he has told other neighbours he is furious. He can totally own our diesel.

I will give his BMW it's due though, it is cleaner than the Alfa. His latest mod is 18 maybe 19" M5 wheels.

I will try to get a discreet picture and post.

It has covered 130k thepeteh

I was joking, but it seems he really does have issues!