Paging Timo....

I *think* you're the nearest person for this one....

There's a 156 I want checking out at Veloces in Barnet, any chance you
could do it for me?

Cheers,

 

SteveH scribbled on the back of a napkin:

Generally yes, the question is - what timeframe? I'm a tad busy at the
moment but should be able to do it next Saturday if I return in time
from the visit to the conveyancers.

 

Well, we can't get down until a week on Monday anyway (could possibly do
Thursday at a pinch), so that would do the job, unless I can persuade
Catman / JackH to do it sooner.

They also have Bravo HGT that I'd like an opinion on, too.....had a
very frustrating day looking at all sorts of tat today :-(

 

SteveH scribbled on the back of a napkin:

OK, furry 'nough.

Hmm. I like Fiats, but I think I can give you an opinion on that
straight away

 

Ahhh, this one's a little different to the usual crap... they've
actually changed the belts and will give a 12 month / 20k miles warranty
with it.

They go like **** and sound lovely.

 

SteveH says...

I could appraise it right now for you, if you like.

"It's an Alfa 156, ergo it's shit"

There you go.

 

SteveH scribbled on the back of a napkin:

<cue the Timo battlecry>
Oh well, if it's cheap enough..."

They're just not worth a lot, but hey...

 

Not worth a lot equates to 2 and a half grand, which isn't too bad,
IMHO, not for the performance.

But the 3 grand 156 is more interesting.

 

That'll be why they have relatively good residual values, then.

 

SteveH scribbled on the back of a napkin:

Still a bit much IMHO

AOL.

 

Can't be - it is, after all, at the end of the day, built on the same
floorpan as an Audi TT.

 

You should know better.

 

To be fair, the 156 is the only half-decent Alfa in the last 25 years.

 

There is a very simple way. Look after them and they will go on and on.
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 155 TS 75 TS
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

I'd rather have an Alfetta based car. It's just the rust that's a PITA
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
Alfa 116 Giulietta 3.0l (Really) Sprint 1.7 155 TS 75 TS
Triumph Speed Triple: Black with extra black bits
www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

He stil seems to know very little about more modern Alfas.

There's a couple of bits to watch for on a 164:

24v V6 engine can be problematic if it has had a less than careful
previous owner, but a full belt and tensioner service usually avoids any
problems.

The climate control is known to be a right PITA. If the logic board in
the dash doesn't give up then the stepper motors buried in the depths of
the dash will give problems.

They don't rust, other than the odd one that suffers under the back seat
around the rear suspension mounts, but that's a weakness of a lot of
older cars (manufacturers are very good at protecting the bits you can
see, but the bits you can't are where they save the money).

All in all they're pretty much rock-solid, unfortunately they're so
cheap now that most V6s are being snapped up for their engines with the
rest of the car going to scrap.

 

Funny that, in all my years of driving Italian cars I've only had one
die in a way that couldn't be easily fixed, even then it may have been a
simple job, but I was bored of the car so flogged it on ebay in
preference to having it fixed.

 

Well, it's about as believable as you knowing a specialist in every
subject under the sun, then.

 

Someone I know ran one (a 3-litre Lusso) in company with a 75 Twin
Spark, for many years.

The 75 had 'issues', but the 164 went on and on. I had a spin in it
once, albeit in the passenger seat. It went like stink, but you could
see the steering wheel twitching from the torque steer every time he
floored it.

All those square buttons look a bit odd. I quite like the looks, even if
it is essentially Peugeot 405. I did think about when when I was out
buying my old Saab (same floorpan....).

I'd have thought any 164s left on the road are starting to get a bit
ropey now, though.

 

I want one of Lancia's Fulvia-esque concept cars I saw a snap of a
while back.