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New Forum Member
Greetings from a new forum member and long time Australian Alfisti.
I drive a 2006 147 JTDM (150hp) and a 1981 Alfasud Ti. Previously I've owned a couple of 1967 Giulia Supers, 1985 GTV6, 1984 Alfa 33, 1990 75 2.0 Twin Spark and a 1982 Alfasud (4 door).
At risk of offending 147 owners, the 147 isn't endearing itself as either an Alfa or an ordinary car. Performance is good (though I'm trawling for info on chip upgrades. Australian suppliers charge about $1,300 AUD per chip, which seems a lot more european sources. I'm not starting a thread on this, but I'm trying to get informaton on whether these chips work 'downstream' of the ECU and if they change just the fuel delivery or both the fuel and timing - suppliers respond to queries with evasive statements.)
But the 147's upright driving position, unsupportive seats, poor rear vision, large turning circle, tractor noise, rubbish CD/radio, unreliability (3 factory recalls and other failures so far) and poor dealer 'support' argues powerfully against it. I can't recommend buying a new Alfa, no matter how beautiful they are. Also, in Australia diesel costs about 20% more than petrol, which helps create the overall higher running costs for any diesel car over petrol equivalents. Still, when the 147 is clean it does looks good with red leather interior and dark blue ('di luna') paint. Tip: never buy a dark coloured car on a planet where dust, pollen & road grim exists.
My Alfasud was bought as an 'interim measure' between car, but several years later its still here, stronger and faster and more fun. It's my second 'Sud with zero rust (the locate climate is kind). After shoveling out the leaves, sand and a spider army, I tarted it up with an original dealer twin 40mm Weber conversion kit, 1700 pipes, K&N filters, 'Fuelstar' canister, lower King springs, 'red' Konis, Nolathane bushes, new paint (original Rosso 530), etc. ...Brmmmmn...pop pop pop... It's a car to enjoy, not take seriously.
What I can recommend to forum readers are the 'Magnecor' ignition leads and 'PerTronix' ignition coil - what a difference a good spark makes!
My next Alfa? Mmmm. Maybe another 75TS, unless a barn reveals an orphaned 1950's Giulietta.
Anyhow, I'm looking forward to visiting the Forum. Ciao.
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