Alfa Romeo Forum banner

Possible new gt owner - help

2K views 40 replies 14 participants last post by  CJO 
#1 ·
Good morning

I have been looking at a few alfa Gts with the Diesel engine. I currently drive an mg zr td but its reliability has became a concern for my 500mile a week trips .

I have been searching for some time now , I've looked at nearly everything from golfs , 207 , corsa , 1series but for money I can't seem to find anything close to the alfa for money .

I've seen a 45k for £6500 . My main concern is reliability again , I have read good and bad things . Just looking for advice really .
 
#2 ·
The GT's are great cars but be aware the cost of parts will be double than a stadard Alfa. It terms of reliabilty all Alfas are reliable if they havent been neglected. Make sure you check the oil on the dipstick is low which may show a sign the owner didnt care. Make sure there are no suspension sounds so test drive the car with the radio off. Also check the rotors for a lip, run your finger along to the rotor to the edge, alot of owners just change the pads but not the rotor. Check for headgasket issues, although they only have headgasket issues if the car has overheated before. Check the service record and make sure the cambelt has been changed unless you plan on spending extra. But just remember the Alfa GT will be more expensive to run than lets say a Toyota or Mazda.

Also just remember you will spend at least 300 pounds a year on something that will go wrong, not nessarily to leave you on the road, could be a wear and tear part.

Owning a BMW or and Audi can be more costly than Alfa. I remember an Audi A4 1994 model cost 1200 pounds for new aircon compressor, and a 7 series BMW rotors and brakes costing over 700 pounds.

ALWAYS SERVICE AT AN ALFA INDIE SPECIALIST!!! not your local mechanic.

Goodluck and i hope you get an Alfa
 
#5 ·
was gonna say the same......body different, running gear the same


if you look after your cars you will be ok with an alfa.....if your one of those who never does a thing to them then maybe they are not the car for you

apart from general wear and tear i have had relatively trouble free motoring for several years
 
#4 ·
#9 ·
The JTD parts prices for both the 147 and GT are the same.

You can't compare a 2.0 TS to a 3.2 V6. Or a TS to a JTS/JTD for that matter.

Make sure cambelt has been done. 4/5 year or 60k mile life on one. Suspension is cheese, squeaks and rattles can mean any of the front suspension assembly (ARB bushes, upper and lower wishbones, droplinks)
 
#17 ·
Thanks for all the advice.... I don't mind working on the car myself , the MG is just falling to bits around me . I just need something I can be sure will get me to work and back . As for the suspension is this always going ? I have recently just change the anti roll bars on the zr but the good thing is everything is so easy to get to on it . Is that the case on the alfa?

I know you are all bias owning alfas but if you were me would you actually go out and get one ?
 
#18 ·
Personally the one single most annoying thing on my car (156, but I understand it's identical on 147/GT ?) is the ARB constructions/fixing. I.e. it's been constructed so that one normally need to remove the subframe in order to replace bushes and/or the ARB. This will take few ours in total. The upper wish bones may also need rather frequent replacing but is not such a headache as they are easy to replace.

I would never advice anyone to get a specific car cause everyone seems to value different things. If you get one i guess one of the few weak points are really the front suspension parts that one has to be prepared to accept.
 
#19 ·
I havent worked on suspension before on these cars yet but i can tell you it is the hardest car to work on, well the 156 and the 147 is. The most un imaginable place they put components that cant be accessed. Give you an example, the alternator on on the 2.0TS is at least 3hrs work for me, the radiator is 3hrs, you have to pull the bumper off. Its not a easy car to work on and i have worked on Seaking helicopters. But there are worse cars out there, the maserati 2.5 engine requires to be removed to access starter motor!!!

But in all honesty i would say buy an Alfa, it will be the most rewarding car, and you will never want to drive anything else. You will always compare other cars to an Alfa, and nothing else will satisfy you. Unless you win lotto and can afford a supercar.
 
#20 ·
if u work on the gt your self u will be very happy i found opel opc parts for the main service a lot cheaper than alfa parts and the same thing, very reliable and light on juice for all the power, the same floor space as a q5 audi so ample pack space for a coupe and drives like a dream
i bought mine 1300 km away only looking at pictures on the internet and a year later only services and a hole lot of fun and practical :)
 
#21 ·
The diesel is a good workhorse, I bought mine as I had to go to Leeds and back every week and was racking up a few hundred miles a week.

Remember wishbones and ARB bushes won't go if you're doing mainly motorway miles.

Have put almost 40k miles on my 147 in less than 3 years and the loner it's been off the road is 4 days (though the AA did take 3 days getting it to its destination of Autolusso)

Take care of it and it will take care of you.
 
#24 ·
after looking and searching the net for one year, at last bought a nice metallic light blue with blue leather interior with sat-nav dvd tv etc on a 54 plate with full history, 80 k miles for 2300, drives and looks superb,
was offered a red 57 plate 70 k miles from a trader for 3900,
the 08 with low miles q2 offer 6k , good luck on the hunt , well worth the wait
 
#27 ·
If you like the look of the car, and the way it drives, then buy one. Your budget is at the high end of GT values, so you should be able to get a good one.

The fast wearing bits of the suspension are cheap and easy to replace. Rear hub bushes (£5 each), upper arms, (£50 each) and drop links (£15 each). I would change all of these on any car you buy, as they are likely to be tired - the car will be sharper after fixing these. The ARB is indeed a pain! but only goes at high mileage (> 80k), and is not actually that bad to fix.
 
#35 ·
Yeah, they are anything but a cruiser, not suited for long journeys or being in the car a lot.

Friend has a corsa he uses to commute 30 miles a day and hates it and the car just doesn't soak up the bumps/seats aren't very comfortable etc.

Another does a commute around 20 miles a day, 2 hour round trip because of traffic in a fiesta ghia (meant to he the comfortable one) and can't wait to change to something bigger.

If not the GT maybe look at a 147? Seats are über comfy and pretty much the same car as the GT diesel!
 
#37 ·
No has to the gt over the 147 mate ..... To he honest the zr isn't to bad on the motorway just the reliability really .

Ill keep my eye out for one , I was looking a while back and there seemed to be loads to chose from not as much now .

Does a remap make much difference to these cars?
 
G
#40 ·
Had GTD for 10 months now. 10000miles. Mostly motorways. Which is why i bought it. Could have gone German/French, but no thanks. Amoungst the mercs, beemers and urdis the gt outclasses them on looks everytime.described by an urdi driver as sex on wheels. which suits me fine.Reliability? Pretty good. Never let me down so far. Costs have been a service,lower turbo hose and front drop links. Only thing that i could say is difficult for myself is getting used to a diesel. Had to get one due to travel mileage and cost :( of fuel here in uk. Never owned a diesel before, except for a dyna and a tractor.... This one beats them hands down. Cleaned up and tear-assing round them there Welsh valleys, ain't nothing like it, tried it in the Honda's and it just ain't the same. There certainly is something about the alfa gt. Get one and try it,you will get hooked.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top