Might go for this Alfa....
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Soldato
I have the 1.9 Ti.
Alfa 159 Ti by Greg Kingston, on Flickr
It has been remapped, had the DPF removed and EGR bypassed. Without this work doing it would be a severe disappointment. The 159 feels heavy, especially on 19" wheels, and the engine in the 1.9 at stock is just simply underpowered. And, as others have said, there's no payback in economy either.
Once mapped etc (the work cost me around £750 but other versions are available for about half) the car is transformed. Much more freedom in revving, and probably just gets the nod over a stock 2.4. The economy of the 2.4 is even worse of course, but once remapped it does have a lot more power. My 1.9 sits at just over 200 bhp, the 2.4 can go up to 250+.
My long term mpg since the mapping is 44 - about 6 or 7 better than before. I cannot emphasise enough however that I would not have kept this car without the remap, despite the beautiful looks, interior and exterior.
Ti is the one to go for though, if you don't mind the bumpier ride on the 19" wheels.
A few more pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregkingston/sets/72157627470215830/
Alfa 159 Ti by Greg Kingston, on Flickr
It has been remapped, had the DPF removed and EGR bypassed. Without this work doing it would be a severe disappointment. The 159 feels heavy, especially on 19" wheels, and the engine in the 1.9 at stock is just simply underpowered. And, as others have said, there's no payback in economy either.
Once mapped etc (the work cost me around £750 but other versions are available for about half) the car is transformed. Much more freedom in revving, and probably just gets the nod over a stock 2.4. The economy of the 2.4 is even worse of course, but once remapped it does have a lot more power. My 1.9 sits at just over 200 bhp, the 2.4 can go up to 250+.
My long term mpg since the mapping is 44 - about 6 or 7 better than before. I cannot emphasise enough however that I would not have kept this car without the remap, despite the beautiful looks, interior and exterior.
Ti is the one to go for though, if you don't mind the bumpier ride on the 19" wheels.
A few more pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregkingston/sets/72157627470215830/
Soldato
^^ Great pic.
I do love the 159's - saw a white Ti SW with antracite wheels, looked fantastic. Shame they never made a GTA version.
I do love the 159's - saw a white Ti SW with antracite wheels, looked fantastic. Shame they never made a GTA version.
Loving the red! Are you running it without a warranty? Have you had any problems before or after the remap?
Soldato
It has about 4 months left on a full Alfa warranty - no doubt they'd kick up a stink if I had to return it for something but that is the price you pay for getting work some that invalidates it!
No problems at all after the remap - I firmly believe that this delivers the car that should have been for sale. I did have problems before though. The EGR was starting to get blocked up but for me the biggest issue is the DPF and the recharge cycle. This is possibly the single most retarded device ever fitted to a car I've owned, and nothing has done more to ruin a driving experience.
In simple terms, the DPF filters out all the soot from the exhaust and then at a certain point a 'recharge' is triggered where the accumulated soot is burned off. The engine needs to be hot to do this and so it will only ever recharge when the engine is hot and has a realistic chance of remaining hot - at higher revs. So invariably the recharge will take place when you're either driving in an Italian manner or on the motorway.
Fine so far, except if you don't present an opportunity for the engine to get sufficiently hot - say, just short town trips - then the recharge cycle cannot happen and the car thoughtfully presents you with 'limp home mode' - the equivalent of having a 3 cylinder 1.0 diesel under the bonnet. You may now be entering a spiral of woe as your chances of getting a recharge to happen are now far slimmer than before. It's off to the dealer with you.
Helpful suggestions to get around this are to drive in a spirited fashion regularly to trigger a recharge, go on the motorway at high revs etc. What's more, once a recharge has started you will lose a huge amount of power, no turbo at all, for 10 minutes whilst you limp around in what I refer to as lame duck mode. You can identify an Alfa in this mode as it will never exceed 65 mph, the driver looks either ready to commit genocide or suicide, and the exhaust is bellowing sufficient smoke to make a tank driver proud (I'm exaggerating but you get the picture).
Of course, woe betide you should you dare to stop the car before the recharge is complete because that will upset the system. No, you must continue to drive until it is done.
So the whole DPF system has taken a decent car and made the driver, once caught once, have little choice other than to obsess over triggering a recharge cycle and managing the system. It is utterly, utterly hateful.
Without it though, the car is completely transformed. I would urge you to drive both one standard and one remapped if you can. I would offer mine for sale, but I'm not selling until autumn - you're more than welcome to have a drive if you're in the Ipswich area though.
No problems at all after the remap - I firmly believe that this delivers the car that should have been for sale. I did have problems before though. The EGR was starting to get blocked up but for me the biggest issue is the DPF and the recharge cycle. This is possibly the single most retarded device ever fitted to a car I've owned, and nothing has done more to ruin a driving experience.
In simple terms, the DPF filters out all the soot from the exhaust and then at a certain point a 'recharge' is triggered where the accumulated soot is burned off. The engine needs to be hot to do this and so it will only ever recharge when the engine is hot and has a realistic chance of remaining hot - at higher revs. So invariably the recharge will take place when you're either driving in an Italian manner or on the motorway.
Fine so far, except if you don't present an opportunity for the engine to get sufficiently hot - say, just short town trips - then the recharge cycle cannot happen and the car thoughtfully presents you with 'limp home mode' - the equivalent of having a 3 cylinder 1.0 diesel under the bonnet. You may now be entering a spiral of woe as your chances of getting a recharge to happen are now far slimmer than before. It's off to the dealer with you.
Helpful suggestions to get around this are to drive in a spirited fashion regularly to trigger a recharge, go on the motorway at high revs etc. What's more, once a recharge has started you will lose a huge amount of power, no turbo at all, for 10 minutes whilst you limp around in what I refer to as lame duck mode. You can identify an Alfa in this mode as it will never exceed 65 mph, the driver looks either ready to commit genocide or suicide, and the exhaust is bellowing sufficient smoke to make a tank driver proud (I'm exaggerating but you get the picture).
Of course, woe betide you should you dare to stop the car before the recharge is complete because that will upset the system. No, you must continue to drive until it is done.
So the whole DPF system has taken a decent car and made the driver, once caught once, have little choice other than to obsess over triggering a recharge cycle and managing the system. It is utterly, utterly hateful.
Without it though, the car is completely transformed. I would urge you to drive both one standard and one remapped if you can. I would offer mine for sale, but I'm not selling until autumn - you're more than welcome to have a drive if you're in the Ipswich area though.
Agree one in the OPs link seems expensive to me. I'd consider a last of the line 156 with the big power 2.4 5 pot diesel. They are proper Alfa engines and are good for big power and good economy. The 156 is rated as a better steer too due to lighter weight.
The Abyss's car looks amazing.
The Abyss's car looks amazing.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
The only 156 I have driven had the 2.4 and it was a terrible engine. Noisy, unrefined and not particularly quick either. The 1.9 in the 159 seemed better. That said I have no idea whether it was a lower power 2.4.
Nice, I still like the 159 but didnt go for it in the end for various reasons, mainly because the ones I looked at in my area ~30 miles and in my price range were not good examples and I didnt want to travel further afield only to be let down again. I ended up (unfortunately as some may think) with a Civic EX.
Prior to the Alfa mine was an 06 plate Civic EX - in alabaster silver I think they call it. Loved it, but it was very harsh on imperfect surfaces, which is a problem around south yorkshire :/ Whatever else you say about Civics, sitting in the drivers seat is lovely - more like being in the cockpit of an aircraft than the driving seat of a car. It had its share of problems like any car, but I have nothing but fond memories - good choice 
Associate
Damned shame I didnt see this before, just traded my 71k miles (FSH) Astra Sports hatch (55 plate) in at Citroen in Slough, was due a major service (though cam belt and water pump done at 45k), plus it was the 1.9 16v 120 and not the 150 (no DPF 
) and in pretty good condition (mostly motorway miles, covered 54k in 3 years 8 months), just wanted something newer and more economical (it was ok at 50ish mpg on a run).
Tony
) and in pretty good condition (mostly motorway miles, covered 54k in 3 years 8 months), just wanted something newer and more economical (it was ok at 50ish mpg on a run).Tony
Ohhh yes. A moronic idea implemented to combat a problem that has never been proven to actually exist. From what i've heard as well, it actually hurts MPG and costs in the region of £1200 to replace when it goes pop (on my car anyway). So it serves no useful purpose to the driver at all.
I will never buy a car with a DPF again out of sheer principle.
I get exactly what is described above - on the recharge cycle the engine idles higher, shakes the cabin a fair bit, sounds horrible, and you can smell it too. As well as that, the boost threshold is raised quite considerably (meaning you are quite down on power unless you thrash it) and when it does boost, it urges violently.
The EGR system can also go suck on one.