Alfa 156 - the worst car I have ever owned

Originally Posted by percy5095

...discuss

Whats to discuss?

If you think you are a intellectual attempting to provoke debate, then you are severly lacking differentials to border your subject matter, you need to create boundaries in which to hold a debate.

Or

You could be a cranium titled 'Richard'

However I may be wrong

Originally Posted by injunfighter

On here?
Don't think that will be much of a discussion...
Maybe you could start us off?

What he said

The reason for asking the question is quite simple - having bought an Impreza WRX to replace my 156 I can clearly state -IN MY OPINION (before the small minded start throwing insults) that the 156 feels like a bag of bolts to drive in comparison - yes it has character and looks but these do not make up for the fact that the dynamics / quality of the car are seriously flawed.

NB: I very much enjoyed owning the 156 for it's looks and character BUT it is still the worst car I have ever owned (and no I have never owned a SAXO - I am well past puberty)

Well everyone has there own opionon and that is yours.

Im sorry you didnt enjoy your 156!

Enjoy the Impreza WRX

Originally Posted by percy5095

The reason for asking the question is quite simple - having bought an Impreza WRX to replace my 156 I can clearly state -IN MY OPINION (before the small minded start throwing insults) that the 156 feels like a bag of bolts to drive in comparison - yes it has character and looks but these do not make up for the fact that the dynamics / quality of the car are seriously flawed.

That's hardly insightful, is it?

Alfa-Character and looks.
WRX-Rally based saloon for the road.

Tell us something we don't know!

Originally Posted by percy5095

The reason for asking the question is quite simple - having bought an Impreza WRX to replace my 156 I can clearly state -IN MY OPINION (before the small minded start throwing insults) that the 156 feels like a bag of bolts to drive in comparison - yes it has character and looks but these do not make up for the fact that the dynamics / quality of the car are seriously flawed.

NB: I very much enjoyed owning the 156 for it's looks and character BUT it is still the worst car I have ever owned (and no I have never owned a SAXO - I am well past puberty)

Well you did have a JTD 156 - perhaps you would be better comparing the WRX to a GTA 156

Enjoy your Jap 'off-roader'. And remember to take your pace notes out with you when going to Morrisons.

Enjoyed my 156 2.0 TS, my first Alfa, gave me the bug

So you sell your Alfa, then come to the Alfa forum to tell us how much you prefer your Jap-mobile? Hmmm, you might want to re-think that one

I loved my 156, until I killed it

I have a long and very eclectic car history, and I can honestly say that the 156 remains one of my favourites (despite it being a fraction of the cost of some of them). I now have a 159, and I truely love it, a great sucessor, imo.

The worst I've ever had was a green Renault Savanna Estate

Pace notes to Morrisons

I love my 156sw 2.4jtd. 2001
I owe it for a 3 years now and i didnt have any problems with her only joy.

I think character is a huge issue for most AO folks - and the Scooby doesn't have any.

Since the WRX was developed for rallying and has 4WD I thing it's hardly surprising it handles better than a road-developed FWD saloon. I think your bag of bolts comment is a bit harsh as well; although the 156 does have a problem on poorly surfaced roads it is pretty damn competent on smooth roads and a revelation for a front wheel drive car.

My 156 Selespeed has needed in the 3 years I have owned it:
1 replacement Selespeed pump, (£400)
1 set of front discs and pads, (£200)
1 set of rear pads, (£60)
4 sidelight bulbs, (£40)
4 headlight bulbs (later replaced with HIDs), (£150)
3 litres of engine oil as top up. (£20)
About 20 litres of screenwash concentrate, (£20)
4 sets of wiper blade, (£80)
2 sets of screen washer nozzles, (£5)
4 bottles of leather cleaner and conditioner, and several bottles of colour matched wax. (£75)
1 full cambelt service at (£700)
2 major services at about (£200)
3 minor services at (£75)
6 tyres at about £85 a corner a time (£510)
Fuel enough for 34,000 miles at about £1 a litre average over 3 years at 30MPG = 1130 Gallons of fuel or about 5085 litres
(£5085 in fuel)
And 3 years insurance at about £300 a year = £900
Also £500 odd pounds in car tax.


So 3 years of 156 ownership have cost me.....£9370 plus about £2500 in depreciation. That is a grand total of £11870 or £330 a month to run and use.

Yet, you know what, I don't care!

I think it is a lovely, comfy car. I regularly carry people in it who say how comfortable and classy it is to sit in. It covers distances in calm quiet, and at a good pace. I can always find it in a car park because there are very rarely more that one or two 156s in any car park, and extremely rarely one in Proteo red. My wife loves it because she just uses the full auto option to drive it, I like to drive it in sequential manual mode and listen to it blip on downshifts!

I realise it isn't the fastest car on the block, but it handles well, and is predictable!

I have also owned a 155 V6 which is a more entertaining car and an even better noise, and I now also have a GTV, which is more nimble but not as comfy to sit in. I have owned most Fords made in the last 25 years from Sierras to KAs, a fair few Fiats and a Peugeot 405. And of all of these, my 156 is still my favourite and the only car I have ever owned for more than 12 months!

Just my views!

Andy

Very good post Andy

Worst wind up thread ever.

Key to this thread seems to be to get people to throw insults about. Everyone who is lucky enough to be able to afford to drive, drives a compromise between what they car afford and they want. I'd love a fleet of very expensive exotic supercars, but I drive a 156 Selespeed during the week, and a GTV at the weekend for fun! That is my choice, My wife and I lucky enough to be able to afford two cars between us, we chose Alfa Romeos!

Lets remember that in Britain, against the clear hostility of the loonie labour party and the overbearing force of the holier than thou green brigade, just owning a car is soon to be almost impossible. Take your choice on car, enjoy it before every road is a 20MPH zone, before every car has a GPS tracker on to charge you for driving, fine you for going to fast, too, slow, driving in a way that isn't environmentally friendly enough, entering a town, parking your car, using you Air conditioning system, carrying less that 4 strangers in the car with you and probably not being a registered labour party member!

Enjoy the ability to choose while you can, don't waste your breath telling people what they should or shouldn't own!

I loved the Subaru's when they first started rallying but the thing is no matter how accomplished it is the Subaru has looked like a dogs breakfast for many years, and the latest version is just awful.

Whereas the 156 is just gorgeous and for the average driver like me perfectly adequate.

There is no comparison.

I'm afraid that the word 'Chav' springs to mind as soon as anyone mentions the WRX. I'm not denying its speed, it build quality or anything else in its favour, but they are pig ugly, utterly tasteless statements that are pretty useless in normal day to day driving. Most people who have them get sick of them. You can only do 0-60 in 6 seconds so many times in a day before it gets boring. You get sub 20 mpg which costs a fortune, and if you maintain it properly according to the service schedule it will also cost quite a lot. One of my colleagues had a £3000 bill for a clutch on his.

Round here they are owned by the same folk who seem to think a rotweiler gives them status. You sometimes see their girlfriends driving them at about 30 mph and looking scared witless in case the damn thing takes off with them.

I don't actually think they are that nice to drive either. They are built for a purpose as point to point sprint cars, which they do extremely well. The last thing I want is a point to point sprint car I'd buy a decent motorcycle instead.

Alfas, as we know, have variable quality, but better than is popularly believed. What they have in bucket loads is style and usability as well as decent performance, reasonable economy and maintainance costs which mean most of us look after them.

Frankly I'm proud of having an Alfa on my drive, I'd feel embarrassed with a WRX parked there.

Just my opinion old boy

AlfaLincs

Originally Posted by percy5095

The reason for asking the question is quite simple - having bought an Impreza WRX to replace my 156 I can clearly state -IN MY OPINION (before the small minded start throwing insults) that the 156 feels like a bag of bolts to drive in comparison - yes it has character and looks but these do not make up for the fact that the dynamics / quality of the car are seriously flawed.

NB: I very much enjoyed owning the 156 for it's looks and character BUT it is still the worst car I have ever owned (and no I have never owned a SAXO - I am well past puberty)

did you own a TS??? if so it shouldn't be like a bag of bolts! something must have been wrong - even the diesel is smooth

ive had my 156 for two and a bit years now and i still love it. yes i have had some problems with it - but with a bit of time and money they pass! im proud to drive my alfa, and hate people who try to slag them off without ever driving or owning one. i love it that i dont own a focus or a astra like alot of my friends who gave up 'enjoying' driving years ago. my friends like my car and comment on the condition its in for a car ten years old there even more surprised how much of a bargain it was when i bought it.

What Bazzer said

Mr Percy is a wind up Troll