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New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:44 pm
by Sundayjumper
Not mine so no need for the usual games. My Dad has bought a diesel Alfa on a complete whim
This one:
https://www.barons-auctions.com/view-lo ... -gt-19-jtd
He collected it today and so far has discovered the drivers window goes down but not up
Anyone want to wager which bit breaks next ?
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:49 pm
by IanF
It got to 100k... so that’s good...
Also, I pick electricks as the first thing to go wrong... And I’ve already won!

Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:03 pm
by Mito Man
At least it has a lovely interior to admire whilst waiting for the recovery truck.
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:14 pm
by GG.
From my prior experience with this vintage of Alfa... almost anything (see below)!
Brake lines, heater fan blower, aux belt tensioners, gearbox, rubber exhaust mount, MAF, wheel bearings... and I only had it about 18 months IIRC

Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:23 pm
by integrale_evo
List sounds the same as what goes wrong on pretty much every 10+ year old car. At least the gt still looks good while it's sat broken, unlike most.
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:24 pm
by Rich B
If it’s electric, it’ll break.
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:28 pm
by Sundayjumper
integrale_evo wrote: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:23 pm
List sounds the same as what goes wrong on pretty much every 10+ year old car. At least the gt still looks good while it's sat broken, unlike most.
I was assuming GG’s wasn’t 10+ years old at the time !
My Dad actually went to the auction thinking about buying the Bitter. THAT is a random thing to want.
https://www.barons-auctions.com/view-lo ... -bitter-sc
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:30 pm
by GG.
No to be fair it was and was slightly older (in terms of reg year rather than when I had it) than that GT but with similar underpinnings I think.
That stuff doesn't usually ALL go wrong on cars with 80,000 miles on them (well, not if they aren't Italian or French!)
My 10 year old e90 with 95,000 miles had a leaky gearbox seal in the 2 years I had it and that was it!
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:31 pm
by integrale_evo
Yeah I may have read that wrong
My dad had three 156s ( which the gt is based on obvs ) and the only one which ever had any issues was after autoglass fitted a replacement windscreen poorly which let water leak behind the dash causing a few electrical gremlins...
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:45 pm
by IanF
Sundayjumper wrote: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:28 pm
integrale_evo wrote: Wed Jun 05, 2019 7:23 pm
List sounds the same as what goes wrong on pretty much every 10+ year old car. At least the gt still looks good while it's sat broken, unlike most.
I was assuming GG’s wasn’t 10+ years old at the time !
My Dad actually went to the auction thinking about buying the Bitter. THAT is a random thing to want.
https://www.barons-auctions.com/view-lo ... -bitter-sc
That gearstick doesn’t seem to have any selectable gears... is it not intended to be actually used!?
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:55 pm
by Carlos
Sundayjumper wrote: Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:44 pm
He collected it today and so far has discovered the drivers window goes down but not up
But give the switch a wiggle and it goes back up ?
Classic Alfa

my 164 and 166 had similar issues even though they had totally different switch gear

Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:57 pm
by IanF
Carlos wrote: Wed Jun 05, 2019 8:55 pm
Sundayjumper wrote: Wed Jun 05, 2019 6:44 pm
He collected it today and so far has discovered the drivers window goes down but not up
But give the switch a wiggle and it goes back up ?
Classic Alfa

my 164 and 166 had similar issues even though they had totally different switch gear
Just need to run a bit of water down the inside of the door..
Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 9:16 pm
by Jobbo
The Bitter is generally in better condition than the Alfa judging by the stars

Re: New Car
Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2019 11:03 pm
by jamcg
My guess is it’s going to be a warning light to say the airbag isn’t working
Re: New Car
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:28 am
by ste
That Bitter looks lovely.

Re: New Car
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 11:45 am
by 240PP
Saw a Bitter last week, looked great. I had to do a mycarcheck to see what it was.
I had a black 57 plate 159 with that same engine (Vauxhall iirc). Lovely thing to look at and sit in (still the best seats) but it put me off Alfas for life. Engine and gearbox problems, rather than electrics though..
Re: New Car
Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:12 pm
by simon_g
I had a similar era 156 wagon (but with the big diesel) that I took well past 100k, and had a later owner get in touch via the service history who was past 140k.
They get through wishbones (no separate bushes, you replace the whole thing) and it blew a perished vacuum hose but generally really reliable. Never had any electrical issues.
Re: New Car
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 11:40 am
by Jezh
^THIS
Genuinely regret selling my 2.4 20V. relatively light and oodles of torque with the uprated Bilstein dampers from Harvey Bailey Engineering it was a dream to drive.

Re: New Car
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 11:46 am
by GG.
simon_g wrote: Thu Jun 06, 2019 12:12 pm
They get through wishbones (no separate bushes, you replace the whole thing) and it blew a perished vacuum hose but generally really reliable. Never had any electrical issues.
Oh yes - missed wishbone off my earlier list (and radiator). Oh and the fuel guage stuck at 1/4 and then would drop to nothing. Its the only car I've ever run out of fuel and the only front wheel drive car I've managed to spin
This was my abiding memory of it...

Re: New Car
Posted: Fri Jun 07, 2019 12:23 pm
by Mito Man
My mito had its third pair of front wishbones at the beginning of this year. It goes through them twice as fast as the tyres
