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High mileage GTA

3K views 20 replies 8 participants last post by  Thedempsey 
#1 ·
Is there a buyer's guide for the 156 GTA? I've been looking at some high mileage ones that are currently for sale and wondered if it's worth buying them for the relatively steep asking price.

Also, what's the difference between the Q2 AND Quaife differentials?

I've caught the ALFA bug!

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#2 ·
Because of the age of those cars now condition is a more prudent choice over mileage, and history.
I’m also sure that “Quaife” is the brand of the Q2 diff If I’m not mistaken.
A 147 GTA went at our place for £8k not so very long age with 66,000 on the clock, it was also an Alfa Owners Club car too


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#3 ·
Because of the age of those cars now condition is a more prudent choice over mileage, and history.
I’m also sure that “Quaife” is the brand of the Q2 diff If I’m not mistaken.
A 147 GTA went at our place for £8k not so very long age with 66,000 on the clock, it was also an Alfa Owners Club car too


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I'm going to view one and (in my head I'm close to buying it!) It's more than 120k miles. Just wondering what to check for...

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#7 ·
Gearboxes go, is it original or replacement non-GTA? Clutch, recent replacement or not? Head gasket replacement, skimming etc is bad news if non-specialist. I think 2005 is the year VED goes through the roof. As mentioned ECUs get cooked. Plenty of help in the GTA lounge, have a look at rxe’s Resto threads.
 
#9 · (Edited)
My GTA has almost 160 thousand miles on the clock and still going well, knowing what I know now I would be checking:

1. Rust - These are old cars now - Check the floorpan, wings, sills and inner arches as all these are known to rust, in some cases badly. Check the rest of the bodywork and general condition of the paint, the front wings especially are known to rust and are now out of production.

2. Engine - Check the header tank and under the oil cap, you don't want to see any oil in the coolant header tank or white sludge under the cap as it could indicate head gasket issues. A compression test is the best way to confirm overall engine health. It's a few grand to rebuild an engine :cry:

3. Timing belt - Opinions do vary, but I would change mine every 3 years (or 40k) along with the tensioners and idlers, also, change the water pump every other timing belt change

4. Suspension - The shocks, especially rear ones, do collapse. Also check the rest of the suspension arms. A full-on suspension overhaul is easily £2000 (roll bars, shocks, springs, arms and wishbones that is)

5. Clutch / Gearbox - The clutch should feel quite light, check if it bites high which might indicate a worn clutch (replacement clutch £550-£600. Most cars should have a limited slip diff, either a Q2 or Quaife, if it doesn't it is worth fitting one as the GTAs are no stranger to blowing a standard diff. Clutch replacement and fitting of a Quaife diff is around £1200. Gearboxes are rare and some of the parts are now out of production, make sure all gears engage smoothly.

6. Oil Cooler - The cooler pipes corrode at the unions, there is a kit available but it's worth checking beforehand

7. Silly things - Wheel arch liners, front ones can be in a bit of a state and are now out of production. Engine ECUs are out of production (Autolusso can supply a replacement kit for £2k). Does it have xenon lights? Parts are rare and expensive to replace so make sure they work and align properly

Short story, I bought my GTA for £4500 with 146k on the clock, almost three years later it owes me about £12k all-told but it's a project car in my case. If you're serious about a GTA I would echo the words of my local specialist, "Buy the best one you can afford, there's no such thing as a cheap GTA". However, higher mileage does not necessarily mean it's a worse car than a lower mileage, condition and how it's been cared for would matter to me more.

Definitely check the GTA guide referenced above, this one might also give some pointers from a general 156 perspective too - https://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-andamp-gt/1174099-147-156-gt-buyers-guide.html

Hopefully that's a starter for ten :thumbs:

Best of luck with the search.
 
#10 ·
My GTA has almost 160 thousand miles on the clock, I would be checking:

1. Rust - These are old cars now - Check the floorpan, wings, sills and inner arches as all these are known to rust, in some cases badly. Check the rest of the bodywork and general condition of the paint, front wings are known to rust and are now out of production

2. Engine - Check the header tank and under the oil cap, you don't want to see any oil in the coolant header tank or mayo under the cap as it could indicate head gasket issues. A compression test is the best way to confirm. It's a few grand to rebuild an engine

3. Timing belt - Opinions do vary, but I would change mine every 3 years (or 40k) along with the tensioners and idlers, also, change the water pump every other timing belt change

4. Suspension - The shocks, especially rear ones, do collapse. Also check the rest of the suspension arms. A full-on suspension overhaul is easily £2000 (roll bars, shocks, springs, arms and wishbones that is)

5. Clutch / Gearbox - The clutch should feel quite light, check if it bites high which might indicate a worn clutch (replacement clutch £550-£600. Most cars should have a limited slip diff, either a Q2 or Quaife, if it doesn't it is worth fitting one as the GTAs are no stranger to blowing a standard diff. Clutch replacement and fitting of a Quaife diff is around a grand. Gearboxes are rare and some of the parts are now out of production, make sure all gears engage smoothly.

6. Oil Cooler - The cooler pipes corrode at the unions, there is a kit available but it's worth checking beforehand

7. Silly things - Wheel arch liners, front ones can be in a bit of a state and are now out of production. Engine ECUs are out of production (Autolusso can supply a replacement kit for £2k). Does it have xenon lights? Parts are rare and expensive to replace so make sure they work and align properly

As a short story, I bought my GTA for £4500 with 150k on the clock, almost three years later it owes me about £12k all in but it's a project car in my case, if you're serious about a GTA I would echo the words of my local specialist, "Buy the best one you can afford, there's no such thing as a cheap GTA". However, higher mileage does not necessarily mean it's a worse car than a lower mileage, condition and how it's been cared for would matter to me more.

Definitely check the GTA guide referenced above, this one might also give some pointers from a general 156 perspective too - https://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-andamp-gt/1174099-147-156-gt-buyers-guide.html

Hopefully that's a starter for ten :thumbs:

Best of luck with the search.
Very helpful info, Baxter.
I'll have to chew on this before I jump in and commit.

Cheers! :thumbs:
 
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#13 · (Edited)
And don't overlook the GT V6 - same engine and gearbox as the 156 and 147 GTA with the added advantage that most of the body parts for the GT are still available as they are common to the rest of the GT range. Trying to find anything new in terms of trim and bodywork for the 156 GTA is becoming difficult. The GT V6 can also be picked up cheaper than the GTA models.
 
#14 ·
I have considered the GT V6 in the past, and almost came close to viewing one until I unexpectedly saw one parked up near my area....took a good look and realised that the styling looks better on screen than in real life.
:disappointed:
 
#16 · (Edited)
This one? - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classi...rchad=New&radius=1500&postcode=bb186bz&page=1

No really sure what's going on there, it's been for sale for a long time and only done 2500 miles since May 2014. There's a couple of interesting failures in the MOT history although it doesn't appear to be a disaster, short of getting it up in the air. If I were looking for a GTA, I'd try my luck at £4000 to £4500 for that one. :thumbs:
 
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#17 ·
I would mostly buy on body condition these days - paint and rust. Especially rust.

1) Simple visual check. Is the paint in good order, no lacquer peel and dents? Is the body kit in good order, or is it cracked and battered. Fixing this stuff properly is expensive. Probably more expensive than a new engine (for example).

2) Rust - floorpans and sills rot. Unless they have been dealt with, most floorpans are rusty. If there is no receipt for work, assume that you'll have to spend a few hundred welding up the drain holes. Look at the MOT history - corrosion advisories are warnings. Loads of people botch these repairs for an MOT. Inner wings rot as well, behind the front springs.

3) Engine - does it idle well when hot? A smooth idle is a good indicator of decent compression, the electrics working and the cam timing being right. A rythmic hunting is usually cam timing. A persistent miss is usually compression or electrics. Smooth is good. If someone is selling a car with a lumpy idle and makes up some story about it being normal, walk away.

4) Gearbox should be a whole load of nothing. If you notice it, its got problems.

5) Suspension - it will let you know when it is knackered. Clonks and bangs are good indicators of tiredness, as is a bouncy castle ride. The good news is the suspension is common across the range and therefore OE parts (TRW) are cheap. The only nasty thing in the suspension department is the front ARB bushes which are £350 of labour to replace a £10 part.

6) Interior - check the electrics work, they usually do. Check the heater heats when asked to and cools when asked to. Some go mad. Check the AC works. Rear windows can seize - not a biggie, but a few hundred to get fixed.

Upgrades worth paying for:

330 brakes. 25 better than the 305s that were on some cars.
Q2/Quaife. The Alfa Q2 seems more subtle than the quaife. I like the quaife, which clearly telegraphs the "I'm on it" signal to the driver.
KW shocks. Loads of discussion about what is the best, its simple, KWs are the answer. Coilovers solve all of the ride height issues, and V3s solve all of the hardness questions - though default settings work well for me.
Decent exhausts - Wizards are great, but there are several options.
Xenon lights - though good luck replacing them if you bash 'em.
 
#20 ·
Nothing much to add to everyone else's input, but for completeness I bought a cheap GT 3.2 (same engine, same chassis as 156) knowing it had a decentish history of some mods and work done. That meant naff all if I'm honest, if these cars are left for even a few years with neglect then you'll pay, as I did, someone obviously loved this car 15 years ago but subsequent owners did not. I've got 8k in the car after the purchase price. Nearly half of that was to fix/replace issues and half was mods. In a year.

Check the sills, and then check em again. Get some magnets and run them up and down the sill, if they start to drop then they've been bodged, of if there is newish underseal on there then be wary.

Suspension on these is crap in my opinion, shove some money to one side for some coilovers or a bilstein kit.

Check for any blowing or repairs to the downpipes or exhaust, get your noggin right under there.

Check the filter housing and see if the bolts are rusty, now housing isn't massively expensive but it all adds up.

That's it, plenty of dudes that know much more than I do about these cars, but I've lived a year of "Alfa ownership," and can contest to the fact that there's is no such thing as cheap busso ownership!!!

Demps
 
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