Jazz - Or Audi knowledgeables.

If you like it get it checked out.Allow for another cambelt replacement in the not to distant future and enjoy the drive.Those 2.4 30valve motors go well and are great on fuel.

Hi Jono,
Looks like it may have had a fairly hard life (condition of keys, dirt trapped in places makes it look like its been cleaned for selling but not much before that and ding in mudguard.)
So with that in mind and the highish km's you would want to check it out very well.
The 2.4 is the 30 Valve motor so is one of the really good V6's. Cambelt is more than likely due based on age so you would want to do that straight away. They are a pleasant one to change yourself but not a super quick job. You need to allow for changing tensioners, waterpump and thermostat at the same time. it is essential you change the waterpump in case it has a plastic impellar one and you would want to do it anyway with those km's between changes.
Overall, perhaps not quite the bargain it appears given the km's and need for a major timing belt service. But if you really like it and are accepting of it being a fairly worn example that may need bits done now and then I guess it could be O.K.
Myself, I would perhaps try and scrape up a little more money and go for a nicer example which may bea better risk.
Best of luck with it.

Hey Jazz, thanks for your time. Yeah I was thinking that myself, so was good that you could confirm about age/wear etc.

Is there anything else you could suggest in that price range (under 7k) Really like the shape/style of that car. But would be open to any (good looking :P) car with similar attributes.

I thought that the JAZZ was meaning the car not a person.

LOL, you must be new here.
I'm Jazz, synonymous with things vehicular of German & Italian origin.

I think you are looking along the right lines. VW/Audi's with the 30 valve V6's, 1.8T 4 Cylender or the 5 Cylender are all good choices. The A6 is also a great car if its not too big for the purpose and of course the Passat is a consideration. BTW, the face lifted Passat (2001 or newer) would be the one to go for if you can squeeze it in your budget.

Another one to watch for would be the VW Golf GT, the GT has the 1.8T engine in it and you might just scrape in to one for your 7K. I wouldn't bother with a Golf wagon with the 2.0 or 1.6 though as they are pretty tame.

If it were me I would also be considering a Volvo wagon with the cracker 5 Cylender engine but I suspect the looks may not appeal to you.

Probably the best way to go about it is to cast a wide net along those lines and be ready to go when a nice example comes up for good money.

Just one other thought. an Alfa 156 wagon in manual is a great machine. You just need to be O.K with the 3 yearly timing belt changes on the 4 cylender or the fairly costly but less frequent change on the V6. Aside from that expense a good example is often pretty forgiving in the running costs department.

Personally I would go with the Twin Spark (4 Cylender) and just do the timing belt changes myself. You need a couple of special tools but its an easy enough job. The 4 Cylinder has a bit of go yet is actually very forgiving on fuel.Just stick to manual, the selespeeds can be troublesome and are not as great as you would expect to drive.

Oh and Jono,
Would this be something you would service yourself or would it be going to a mechanics for timing belts etc!
Also, are we only considering wagons or would saloon's suit as well!
Anything else important i.e safety or running costs!

Good on you for thinking outside the square BTW, lifes to short to be driving something boring.

2.4 is a big dissapointment, 2.8 is all good and the 1.8t although a slug standard has very good potential, that one is a bit low spec, and try and get a manual if you can, although manual v6's are not very common

There was a 1.8t quattro avant for $3k but was only on there for a day or two

Will have to have a look at your suggestions, but I suspect you may be wrong about the looks about the Volvo, but I'll let your know.

EDIT: Nevermind, the volvo of my bracket is a bit 'square'.

In reply to your questions.
We must think along the same lines.!

Sweet,
Well with all of that in mind the VW's (Passat's and Audi's but not Golfs) are particually good as the whole front swings out of the way which makes learning to do the major service really easy as everything is out and the open.

The motor is around the other way in the Golf but still O.K for timing belts etc. If its big enough the Golf GT would be quite good as the smaller body means you get the best out of the 1.8T.

I am a bit confused by your response to the Volvo, so you are saying that the Volvo may appeal then! If so just be aware that parts are a bit more pricey unless you don't mind buying them online from the states. The 5 Cylender Turbo motors go very well and are very reliable and straight forward to deal with. Some really good buys come along in the Volvo's but be wary of Singaporean imports and the 1.8 litre Mitsubishi GDI engined ones.

Best to go out and drive some of these puppy's so you can get a feel for how much power they do/don't have.

Incidentally, with your budget I think a big part of reliability is going to be in getting a good well maintained and not too worn out example more than anything.

It would be interesting to see what you think of an Alfa 156 Manual if you get the chance to drive one.

Have fun!

I'm liking the Alfa 156.

RE:Volvo,
Yes thought it might be a bit square for your liking. I was thinking S60, S40 or V70. They just appealed to me on a mechanical and value level but I agree the styling is a bit "pensioner".

Thought you might!
It will be interesting to see if you think the 2.0 which is the twin spark motor has enough go for your liking. If it does you get a good mix of power/economy from that setup. They are also the most fun to drive of the group in my opinion.

Those are the ones that you need to do 3 yearly timing belts but if you go about it right this can be done at home without to much hassle. You need to budget say $250 for tools then you can just order the belts/tensioners online cheaply if you want.

I own an alfa, i will never own a nother, its good fun to drive but its a total pos,

What's put you off!

Dude, you own an Alfa 75!.
Jono thats a 1980's high performance and slightly oddball Alfa designed and produced when Alfa was in financial trouble and only surviving because the Italian Government helped them out.

The Alfa 156 is from when Fiat owned Alfa (as they do today) and is a real masterpiece and bears no resemblance to the old Alfa 75.

vag.central, I have huge respect for you and your knowledge but really to put someone off a 156 based on your experience with a 75 is like not wanting to own an Audi because your rotary engined NSU was a pig!

That said Jono, the Alfa's are higher performance and a lot more sophisticated than the Fiats so you do need to pick a good one and be sensible about how you go about things to get a good run. But the same really apply's to a Passat. A4 or any higher end vehicle with a bit of sophistication. Take your time and go about things right and they are potentially good reliable transport thats affordable and a heap of fun.

Hi again,
The 2.5 is the V6 engine. I am a bit reluctant to suggest one of those being your first Alfa, especially on a tight budget with an eye on ongoing costs.

The Alfa V6 is an iconic engine, fabulous sound and loads of power. Its pretty much undisputed as one of the most amazing engines of all time. Its also a pretty reliable unit and has a more reasonable timing belt interval.

So you say, why not get one!
Well the catch is the engine is shoe horned in to the Alfa engine bay and because of that and its sophisticated multi valve design, timing belt changes are expensive (as in 2K at least to pay someone to do it properly) and not really suited to doing at home yourself. (well at least not advisable until you are pretty confident with doing changes on simpler vehicles etc.)

Then you have to consider its going to use quite a bit more fuel on a daily basis and even though that engine is very reliable it is a sophisticated unit in an older car. So should you be unlucky and have to do something to the engine it could prove expensive.

Different story with the V6's in the Audi BTW, because access is so easy you have the option of working on it yourself and its easy to see what you are doing and things can be done in a timely manner.

So, with that in mind. If you are going Alfa on a budget I think you are best to stick with the Twin spark 4 cylinder engine (being the 2.0 engine). Sure this engine is high maintenance in terms of timing belt changes and it does have a couple of quirks that make it cost a little more to service than a Toyota (namely the second set of plugs and the need to change the variator every other time you do a timing belt)

But. at least you can learn to do the timing belts yourself and its going to be good on fuel yet still be a sporty drive. Just remember the the other golden rule. don't buy a selespeed!

So yeah, what you need to do is sit down and make sure you are comfortable with doing the regular timing belt changes. Realistically you would still pay $1500 to get someone to do that change for you so best to be prepared to do the changes yourself and be aware that you will need to initially spend say $250 on the tools to do so.

So long as you are careful about how you order your parts changing a timing belt will cost you around $600 in parts (Timing belt, tensioners, waterpump, variator) BUT every other timing belt change you could get away with just $200 as you don't have to replace the variator and water pump every 3 years. (Depending on Km's you might even be O.K with doing one $600 change then two $200 services)

The other quirk is every 100K or so you need to replace your second set of spark plugs (two sets of plugs hence "twin spark") when these are due because they are a bit special you could mow through $150 to replace both sets.

Other than that though, maintenance is much the same as any other 4 cylinder car.

If that is all sounding too difficult or expensive then no panic there are other options like a timing chain driven Passat that is really low maintenance.

Something to think about, remember an Alfa is really an enthusiasts car, you can own one with very low running costs overall, but you need to be prepared to shop around for parts and roll up your sleeves now and then. Very rewarding for your effort though and the process is very interesting for someone keen on cars.