Tell me about, mid-late 90s Alfas

GravyMonster

GravyMonster

GravyMonster

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
15,738
Location
The land of milk & beans
Lately I've really found myself having the horn for Alfa Romeos. On my random lunchtime trawls through PH and AT they seem to be available at bargain prices.

Eg.
'95 155 2.0 TS: http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/336909.htm
and
'01 GTV 3.0 V6: http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/345760.htm

Obviously, you hear 'Alfa', you think 'unreliable money pit', but a few things I've read online say that these days this reputation is largely unfounded.

So whats the deal?
 
carsfromitaly.net has a lot of info. As will BigglesPIP.

The 155 is based on the old Fiat Tipo, I think the GTV is on the Fiat Brava/o chassis. They're ment to be very sensitive to being neglected which is a worry on older cars.

The one I want is the 75, but they're getting very old now, also the prices are going up. RWD with the gear box at the back. Looks great on the outside (in an ugly 80s sort of a way), sadly they have the ugliest dashboard known to man.
West said:
Both Ugly as ****:D
Click to expand...

I like them.
 
The GTVs look ok from the front, but from the rear, they remind me of the old style Cylons from BSG..
 
K.C. Leblanc said:
The 155 is based on the old Fiat Tipo, I think the GTV is on the Fiat Brava/o chassis.
Click to expand...
Hmmm. Didn't know that and it's pretty much wee'd all over the bonfire.

The one I want is the 75, but they're getting very old now, also the prices are going up. RWD with the gear box at the back. Looks great on the outside (in an ugly 80s sort of a way), sadly they have the ugliest dashboard known to man.
Click to expand...
The 75's would have made my shortlist except for, as you say, the dashboard looks like it was carved from stone and a good example is very hard to come by, and the ones that are in good nick have a premium on them that brings alternative makes into play.
 
mate of mine had a gtv a few years back, it leaked :p

mind you it was the spider so that's hardly surprising :o
 
Last edited:
The 155's from another era. It WILL be unreliable and unrefined. Guaranteed to have something go wrong with it / break down within the next 12,000 miles.

The GTV is an interesting looking car but its only going to be slightly more reliable than the 155 and its going to cost a fortune in maintenance. The engine bay's very difficult to work in. Diagnosing a coolant leak in a Focus might take 20 mins. Doing the same with the GTV might take half a day, so go figure about the labour costs. They're not built to last either. That V6 is a work of art though.

That GTV is also probably going to need all the cambelt change shennanigans done because its unlikely that the water pump will have been replaced recently. If the water pump goes (impellors), it takes the engine with it. And if you're going to change the water pump, you need to take apart the engine, so you might as well get the cambelt/tensioners etc done at the same time. Waiting until 144k is way too long IMO, unless you're only planning on keeping the car for a year or so.
 
Last edited:
Spunkey said:
Hmmm. Didn't know that and it's pretty much wee'd all over the bonfire.
Click to expand...

Not when you consider that the Fiat Coupé and Lancia Delta (loosely) also share that floor. The 155 is more related to the Tempra really, as it shares most of the glass.

The Delta being the most successful rally car EVER by any means you care to measure it. And the 155 is the most successful BTCC car by %age entries vs. championship wins.




The 155 is an early Mk. 2 "Wide-archer", the chrome triangle confirms this.

It means it has the 16v engine, which is widely regarded as better, but the old 8v has it's pluses too, mainly insurance group and a nicer noise.

AFAIK, the Spider and GTV are also derived from the same floor, with the Front McPherson struts remaining and a multi-link set-up in the back.

This era is when Alfa 1st built reliable cars, with each generation tackling another set of major issues. The engine and drive train should be perfect, dashboard and interior, maybe not so. But the suspension was less prone to fail at the bushes than the 156's.





It were me, snap up the relatively low mileage for the age 155, it's had some of the important jobs done. Keep the brake upgrades, re-fit the CAT and standard air-box, and it'll be a good car.
 
Last edited:
MarkDavis said:
The 155's from another era. It WILL be unreliable and unrefined. Guaranteed to have something go wrong with it / break down within the next 12,000 miles.
Click to expand...

Not a well maintained one, the cam belt is fresh, all it needs checking is the Spark plugs, which it should have had 9k ago.

its going to cost a fortune in maintenance. The engine bay's very difficult to work in. Diagnosing a coolant leak in a Focus might take 20 mins. Doing the same with the GTV might take half a day, so go figure about the labour costs.
Click to expand...

STOP THE PRESS! V6 copué has less room in the engine bay than 4-pot hatchback!!!

The rest of what you said I agree with.
 
All you need to know! :D

Teach_Yourself_Electricity_and_Elec.jpg
 
MarkDavis said:
The 155's from another era. It WILL be unreliable and unrefined. Guaranteed to have something go wrong with it / break down within the next 12,000 miles.

The GTV is an interesting looking car but its only going to be slightly more reliable than the 155 and its going to cost a fortune in maintenance. The engine bay's very difficult to work in. Diagnosing a coolant leak in a Focus might take 20 mins. Doing the same with the GTV might take half a day, so go figure about the labour costs. They're not built to last either. That V6 is a work of art though.
Click to expand...


Talking out of that hole you sit on again.

The GTV whole bonnet and half the front wings lift up giving you excellent access to the engine bay. After that you can just remove the two plastic inner wings to reach the belt. The belt is expensive as most performance cars

My GTV6 cost about 35% less to have the belt replaced than my 156 four cylinder.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom