..going to look at a 166. any advise?

..going to look at a couply of 166's. it's not for myself, and the potential owner does over 60k per year, so i'm a bit nervous of finding him an old moose. any advise..?

couple of quetions;

how often are you
chaps doing timing belts in the tsparks?
how should the clutch feel..? i know it feels heavy on the V6's when on the way out..

what sort of mpg you getting from the tsparks?
what sort of mpg you getting from the 2.5 V6?

what kind of suspension wear are you experiencing..?

anybody here using them to cover high mileages..?

thanks in advance...

Someone who does 60,000 miles per year wants a 166???

I am in awe of that dedication. I did 25k a year in my 3.0 for about 2 years, absolutely raped my wallet (in descending order) on depreciation, fuel, main dealer servicing, tyres (fronts every 8k miles), misc other stuff (including very expensive shock absorbers). My much maligned (understandably on here ) 525d costs half as much each year compared to the 166.

As much as I loved that car, and as much as I implore everyone I meet to own a 166 at least once, I strongly advise against one with that sort of mileage.

Get a 156/159 2.4 JTD, preferably a couple of years old and run it into the ground.

To answer your specific questions though, my 3.0 manual averaged mid twenties mpg. Clutch is heavy in the V6s period. Rear shocks lasted 60k miles on mine, cost £700 to change at a dealer (pig of a rear seat/shelf out job). Tyres wear quickly, the camber/toe is set agressively for handling.

Cambelt on the V6s is every 72k, an expensive service. The 60k is pricy too, as it involves platinum spark plugs. I believe that it is strongly recommended to do the T/Spark belts/variator at 36k.

I am confident that the V6s (at least) will do many 100s of thousands of miles, but they will cost mucho money to keep sweet.

Just my ramblings, hope that they help.

Martin.

For gods sake don't leave it until 72K to change the belt. Mine went at 69K at a cost of 3 grand! (Alfa paid half though) I think the recommendation is 48K now.

I get 24mpg with my auto and I do drive it hard.

On 106K now and have had no suspension issues at all, but I travel mainly on decent road surfaces.

I don't think the mileage will cause any more issues than any other car, especially if he goes for the V6.

Depreciation will without doubt be heavy though.

Good luck finding a decent 3.0 in Dublin. People tend to hold on to them! There are a few 2.5's around but they are hard to justify over the 3.0 with road tax etc. There are a number of the 2.0 TS cars around, although none of the 166s seem to sell fast - if you trust carzone.ie I have seen cars advertised there for well over a year.

If you really intend to do 60k a year on Irish roads, just buy a Pug (or other) diesel. There are scads of PSA HDIs and VAG TDIs available second hand. Some of them have even had the oil changed regularly! The BMW 530d is a dear second hand buy, but can end up worthless by the time you go to move it on. 60,000 miles a year will knock the value off a car pretty quick! I'm not sure if a 6 month lease (if this is even possible) might be worth looking at?

Originally Posted by mick164

..going to look at a couply of 166's. it's not for myself,

Mick, have you told the prospective owner of your success to date in finding "interesting" Alfas <g> .... Eoghan

The belts should really be changed every 36k. If done at an independent specialist this is about £300 for the TS.

On longer journeys MPG in the TS is quite good. Up to 40 MPG can be achieved (according to the trip computer).

The 3.0 would eat up the mileage easily, but can have more problems with suspension than the lighter TS. The 166 is a excellent motorway muncher - far better to be doing that than threading through narrow streets in town..

..thanks for all the comments, which i'll pass on! hoping to have a look at a tspark today.. i think he's taken with the interior; if you're going to be doing that sort of mileage you might as well be sitting somewhere nice.

Originally Posted by rustyQV

Mick, have you told the prospective owner of your success to date in finding "interesting" Alfas <g> .... Eoghan

ha! well i'm feeling sort of guilty now cos i initially put the idea of a 166 in his head.. we started off looking for diesel A4's, and somehow it's come to this.

40 mpg!!! I wish

Actually, my car has had a bit of a drink problem ever since i monkeyed about with the throttle body and idle actuator - really struggle to get 30mpg now even with super-careful driving....maybe i should just get used to low mileage so that i can justify getting a V6

Recently I have been doing only short town/brief motorway trips. The TS is only giving 22.5 MPG... but this is typical of any 2.0 petrol I have met. Longer trips with motorway/main roads/back roads gives about 32-34 MPG. Never seen better than that!

Bear in mind that the 166 hand brake cable tends to seize after 3-5 years and is a seats-out job to sort. Don't leave the spark plugs to 60k if you are doing short journeys/town gridlock. You can probably get 50 k out of the belts, but you are running a risk.

The leather seats may not give enough support for very high mileage.

If you run 17" wheels around Ireland, be prepared for regular alignments/balancing. Do not get a lowered car!* [EDIT: *if you regularly meet bad road surfaces, potholes, craters...] You will also get through plenty of tyres. And wishbones.

I'd still get a 166 over an A4 though ;-) However, a secondhand A8 might be worth a look - although with even higher running costs!

..advise, advice.. must read before posting

anyhow, tspark was sold, so he's safe for now.
brought another one for a spin though.. MAF was gone (which seller said he'd replace to be fair), but it was a pretty nice car.

however, seller hasn't managed to track down the service history yet so not a runner at the moment. was surprised at the quality of the switchgear in an otherwise clean car though.. is it normal for things like electric window switches to have a sloppy action..? car was a '00 with 64k miles...

..alfa mad, are they sienas on your 166? very nice..

Originally Posted by mick164

..alfa mad, are they sienas on your 166? very nice..

Yup. Not particularly buckled yet ;-) Permit me to ask, but might I have seen your 164 tb (with Sienas) in a certain garage?

By the way, I found parts of the following checklist (which I have customised to the Alfa TS) quite useful:

Presale service is expected to be a Full service and inspection to Alfa specification, which should include (but not limited to):
Poll engine control unit for any logged fault codes and report
New cam (timing) belt including other belts (balancer belt, multibelt), tensioners, idler pulleys, phase variator, fan belt etc.
New spark plugs
Check water pump; check engine mounts
Oil change (fully synthetic + provide bottle of same for top up), coolant change, replace all filters (air, oil, pollen etc.)
Will probably require new brake pads (especially front) if not done recently. New brake, clutch and steering fluid. Check wear on hand brake cable. Check discs for warping and replace if necessary; brake linings.
Check tyre wear (are these the original tyres? Spare wheel + jack etc.? Tyre pressure, alloy wheel deformation)
Do wheel tracking (alignment) and balancing
Check suspension (springs, shocks [especially rear shocks], ball joints, bushes, rubber boots gaiters etc.) and steering (was there an Alfa recall on hydraulic hose? Driveshaft joints condition?)
Check clutch wear
Check condition of hydraulic circuits (hoses and covers)
Check air conditioning (need regassing? is there bacteria build up?) and heater
Check all bulbs and headlight focus
Check operation of alarm, central locking, electric windows, heated seats (if applicable)
Require emissions check with print out
Check condition of battery
Check auto wiper function, wiper blades, screenwash and spray
Check radio and CD player; check petrol flap; check boot release
Check electric mirrors; check windscreen; check seatbelts
Ensure that security/ICS codes are provided with car

Originally Posted by alfa_mad

Permit me to ask, but might I have seen your 164 tb (with Sienas) in a certain garage?

..eh, yes. it's on permanent display along with the thema!

thanks for that checklist, that's really useful. i'm going to print off a few copies and give them to him.. just to make sure he buys a honda..

Originally Posted by mick164

..eh, yes. it's on permanent display along with the thema!

thanks for that checklist, that's really useful. i'm going to print off a few copies and give them to him.. just to make sure he buys a honda..

That's your thema V8? Crack the whip! He should be charging you rent!


Hey, there's nothing wild in that checklist. It looks way scarier when all written down. I left off the fuel filter check as that is in the tank - and good luck if you need to change it! It is all basically stuff covered in a main service/inspection. I might advise against producing it too early in the buying process... Just focus on belts and TENSIONERS.

P.S. A subset of that checklist (done by seller) cost over €1700. It is always advisable to change cambelts every 5 years (3 yr on Alfa) on any car (that doesn't use a chain). I think a city car (non Alfa) should have the belts etc. changed every 4 years for safety.

P.P.S. Hondas can have a thirst for "the black stuff" as well.

..nah, the thema's not mine, but they do look well together. actually the last day i was up there i think there was about four 166's hanging around, all on 17" wheels.. looked cool.

Originally Posted by mick164

..nah, the thema's not mine, but they do look well together. actually the last day i was up there i think there was about four 166's hanging around, all on 17" wheels.. looked cool.

Probably a quarter of the 166s in the city!

I'd be interested to know if you found your 166 test drive a bit of a disappointment compared to your 164s?

Originally Posted by alfa_mad

Do not get a lowered car!

Any particular reason?

I was thinking of fitting some Eibach springs that I have.

Cheers

Dan