Am looking for a station wagon round the $5K mark and spotted an Alfa R but everyone tells me they are really, really unreliable. Its a 2001 and has done 204,000 K.
mapman,
Apr 13, 8:11pm
Believe what you are hearing.
henpen,
Apr 13, 9:03pm
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Got yah. Will keep looking.and thanks
fordcrzy,
Apr 13, 9:07pm
yes they are unreliable.
next-to-normal,
Apr 13, 9:14pm
run
greenwing,
Apr 13, 9:51pm
I'm surprised an Alfa has made it to 204,000km.
m16d,
Apr 14, 3:59am
Crikey. you wouldnt want to buy an Alpha with 200 on the clock.
intrade,
Apr 14, 4:58am
it used to be true dont know if they now jus fiat with another body . but rust and engine oil consumption and badly manufactureing of the body welded togather used to be alfa trademark in the 1990s
berg,
Apr 14, 5:16am
They say you can never be a "true" motoring enthusiast without owning an Alfa at some stage. They also say there are two great days when owning an Alfa, the day you buy it and the day you sell it. I like Jeremy Clarksons version where he say Alfas are stunning to look at and for that one brief moment where everything works, nothing falls off and you are on a twisty road they are sensational, but the other 99.9% of the time they will rob you wallet like a Brixton teen gang.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 14, 6:12am
Firstly I take it you mean an Alfa 156 being the only wagon of that vintage!
So long as you get one that has been looked after that has a manual transmission or "Q System" they are actually very reliable. What you see above is just the the tired repetition of silly outdated car dealer/t.v story's from those who have more than likely never owned one. Hang one of them dosn't even know how to spell Alfa.
The next big thing is what engine it has in it. The 2.5 has a heap of grunt but does get through the gas. It has a longer cambelt change interval but costs more when you change it.
Cambelts are about the only higher maintenance cost with an Alfa. The 2.0 needs to be done about every 3 years/60'000km (where most cars are about 5).
When you do the cambelt there is another part called a "variator" which needs replacing at the same time. Once done you can then just replace it every second timing belt change.
Other than that they are a good reliable reasonable cost to run car, and fantastic to drive, certainly a lot of driving experience for your money. They don't tend to rust as they are galvanised. Both engines are exceptionally hardy units and capable of a lot more than 200'000km if looked after. About the only high km issue is one camshaft on the 2.0 will tend to wear if the oil changes have not been done on time at high km's. Like any car of that age you will get the odd niggly fault but if you go about it right these are not end of the world. The great thing with the Alfa is what faults you have are usually quite minor in nature. Places like the Italian Auto Centre in Auckland stock pretty much all parts new and used and can supply overnight at an excellent price.
You are best to come back with more details on the particular car you are looking at and then we can advise further. You would want to go into it knowing when the timing belt is due and what its going to cost to change. More than likely it will be due now.
Oh. and do be aware. The "wagon" is actually pretty small in the back, not realistically any more space than the sedan. although it depends on the shape of the stuff you are carrying.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 14, 6:26am
Correct, not the case now. quite the opposite especially with regard to rust.
They are owned by Fiat and that helps with quality control but they are not really a Fiat with an Alfa body (with the possible exception of the Diesels). The Alfa really is an entirely different vehicle. Nothing like buying a VW/Audi where they are mechanically the same.
The petrol Alfa's are more about the driving experience and aesthetics vs the Fiat which is more about the practicality. So they fill quite different niche's. Thats not to say the Alfa is too impractical to live with. It just requires a little more maintenance (cambelt as above) and lacks space in the wagon and cup holders. (Because you shouldn't be driving an Alfa in such a way that a drink stays in a cup anyway)
gedo1,
Apr 14, 6:59am
For an unbiased or possibly less biased point of view I suggest you use your computer and the internet and look at as many reviews about Alfas as you can.You will find that the majority (by far) of the reviews are not all that good about Alfas and the reviewers include mechanics engineers, yes even possible car sales persons , and owners so there is a good cross section.This will give you a better view and may also cause you to wonder about the affirmative views you will see on here all the time from the same people.Keep searching!
carmedic,
Apr 14, 7:39am
If your primary need is a station wagon within your price range, I really don't think this one will be for you. As Jazz said they are not very spacious and require regular timing belt replacement that is normally to be honest beyond the capability of the average NZ mechanic and his tools. At this point Jazz will tell you that all you need a specialist mechanic coupled with parts imported direct from Europe and if you really WANT to be a Alfa enthusiast he MIGHT be right. 200k is a long way in an Alfa and IF buying one I'd certainly be looking for one with much lower KM's and a good service history. If my main criteria was $5k and station wagon in NZ I would NOT be considering an Alfa or any other European vehicle for one second.
tgray,
Apr 14, 7:40am
Jazz says in post #11 most cars cam belts are due at 5 years. Since he hasn't even got the most basic of questions right, it leads me to question all the other things he professes to know. I agree with him on one point. Euro cars, even his precious Fiats, can be extremely reliable IF they are serviced correctly from new. The problem is, people buy these second hand and after 10 years, most people do not continue with all the maintenance schedules. Accordingly, most prove to be costly and problematic for their new unsuspecting owners. It's OK for Jazz, because he's an enthusiast, but most people are not.
carmedic,
Apr 14, 7:54am
LOL You knuckle dragging troll you! Just remember he MUST be right, he has the time to out type you!
socram,
Apr 14, 7:56am
OP is not an Alfa enthusiast, so I totally agree that there are better cars around for the money.
As others have pointed out, you therefore buy an Alfa with your heart, not your head.
The Alfa Trofeo series, running mainly Suds and Alfa 33s, but also later Alfas, is a solid race series that has been around for a few years now, and I don't see any more retirements than in other saloons of a similar age.
So yes, agree, Alfa's are only really for enthusiasts.
moosie_21,
Apr 14, 9:40am
THere's a lot of TRUTH based in stereotypes.
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 14, 10:21am
OP, you are pretty much wasting your time asking about anything that is not Japanese on these boards anymore.
Its just pointless. all the good knowledgeable and sensible posters are pretty much gone now. They have either given up with the childish rubbish or have been banned because these small children report any post they can to the moderators. You are just left with loud mouth trolls who have never owned the car in question and probably not even driven one. yet they happily spew fourth pointless hating rubbish that helps no one.
Yes there are a couple of supposed mechanics in the mix but they clearly have no clue if they have problems working on a 156. Incidentally. despite apparently not even knowing the basics I have no problem doing the timing belt service on a twinspark Alfa in my driveway at home. Usually takes me about 3 hours. I hate to think what state the average mechanic is in if they can't do the same. As mentioned the V6 takes a bit longer but is hardly rocket science.
Best of luck to you.
carmedic,
Apr 14, 10:30am
You always resort to insults don't you Jazz! Says more about you than the ones you insult!
pnh4,
Apr 14, 10:52am
Just get a 90s Ford Zetec problem solved, plenty of parts available, fairly predictable to work on, economical, & go well.
moosie_21,
Apr 14, 11:40am
Do you know these people! Do you assume just because you don't know them they aren't worth a sniff of the s*** you spout out all the time! OP wanted an opinion and got one, form both sides, now let them make up their mind. Just because we don't agree with you doesn't mean were always WRONG
bellky,
Apr 14, 11:45am
WHATEVER.
berg,
Apr 14, 11:57am
I'm a fully qualified mechanic with 20+ years of experiance in automotive (Euro, Jap, Aussie and American), heavy machinery, heavy transport and marine mechanics, motorbikes, heavy transport engineering and motor body building. Please list your credentials. Oh, and I have owned an Alfa in the past
thejazzpianoma,
Apr 14, 12:45pm
"An Alfa" so not a 156 then!
I have absolutely zero "credentials" but have literally owned and worked on dozens of Alfa's and Fiats and even ran a small fleet of Italian cars for my business.
It dosn't matter how many years of experience or Falcons/Bulldozers you work on if you havn't owned/worked on many 156's.
Anyone who has worked on twinsparks know's they are easy enough to do timing belts and most procedures on (unless they are completely inept). Anyone who has some common sense with regards to sourcing parts also knows parts are quite affordable.
Thats my last post in this thread. there is no point in engaging trolls.
trdbzr,
Apr 14, 12:47pm
Read: Im going to do a runner because im getting owned again and my lies are getting exposed again
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