After starting this "maybe I would like to replace the Golf with something a little less boring" lark by looking at sensible stuff like BMWs and Nissan Stageas, I suddenly found myself in the Alfa 156 section on pistonheads and actually liked what Sportswagons I saw...
Of course, being a tightwad of almost SteveH-ish proprotions, I especially like the prices these are fetching...
Hear that?
That's the sound of tumbleweed, that is. :-P
-- JackH
If it helps the thread at all, I'm even tighter :-)
You know the score. Avoid the sillyspeed grenade... sorry, gearbox.
I don't mind 156s, mate of mine has an 02 plate 1.8 one and it's not bad. Terribly plasticky inside... and he's scared shitless about the cam variator going kaput, but it's not bad. Good on fuel if nothing else.
That goes without saying.
What about the 'fun to drive' part? Does it score at all on that?
Brother has a 51 Reg 1.8 Veloce. Not a ball of fire in the power dept. Steering is much more mature than you would want an Alfa to be. Inert, really.
I sort of quite like it, but I couldn't get enthusiastic about it.
(I spent all of last week surrounded by mega power racing cars, so everything else seems sortova pointless right now.)
You'd have to be smoking crack to pick an Alfa over a Stagea. Bad crack. Crack made from stuff that makes you go insane.
Fraser
I feel what your saying the golf is well boring, and not as reliable as people seem to think well mine isn't. Once mine dies I'm heading to a BMW
330 maybe or something just a little fun :)
This one's been OK so far. Well, apart from the 400-something bill I just got hit with thanks to a leaky waterpump and some other assorted shenanigans that suggest that some previous owner (ie not the person I bought it off) was using a Thick Fit type place for servicing...
They'll be really cheap really soon, with the way petrol prices are going at the moment.
It allegedly had a new water pump when the chap I got it off did the cambelt, not long before I bought it... did it himself, apparently.
What else was found to be up with it in the 'shenanigans' stakes???
They've risen rather quickly of late, haven't they. :-S
-- JackH
Ah yes, the did it himself bit would explain a few things. Like the mullered crankshaft pulley bolts (which supposedly doesn't have to come off anyway). According to our learned expert :-) he also didn't exactly buy the most expensive water pump in the shop (or MAF, for that matter, 'cos that's been changed in the past, too).
More mullered bolts around the area that said previous owner was last seen working on...
It's playing merry hell with the personal budget here as I always seem to overspend on the fuel for the bikes. And I can't really reduce the mileage on them...
Doh.
I suppose at least it hasn't let either of us down in the time that we've known it.
Well a V12 5.0 for the purposes of 'sensible car', won't help on that score either methinks. ;-)
-- JackH
That's true, although I didn't want to chance the water pump much longer.
I think I'll cap it at 4.0 straight sixes for the time being :^)
In the ad's VW's reliability was compared to life not other cars. VW consistently come in as "average" on reliability indexes which means
1/2 of all other car markers products are better in terms of reliability. All Japanese makes are better. All French and Italian are worse. Seat, Audi and Skoda are all better, go figure.MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.