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Should I or shouldn't I......

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fa57gta

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#4 ·
Well sounds like you need to get one then!? £3500 is very cheap, but how many miles has it done? Has it had a cambelt change recently? Full service history? Any rust in the usual places?Are you going to be doing any upgrades (Q2, 330's, koni shocks, eibach springs, etc), as if you are you will want to take that into consideration. But for £3500 if it's all up together and honest, then go for it! Cheers Tom.
 
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silvervalver

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#5 ·
If it is a genuine advert that is a bargain for a sportswagon. They usually go for a premium.

However it is very cheap unless there are a lot of issues not being disclosed and the advert is 90% copy and paste from technical data.

If you go with cash take a scary looking mate who is "tooled up" for protection ;)
 
A

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#6 ·
i think if the mileage is over 100 its a reasonable price, if its well under 100k its a bargain. it has teledials which is plus point and bodywork will need a little attention. i would however check service history. but overall i wreckon a bargain if u intending to keep it and bring it up to scratch. good luck and snap it up quick.
 
OperationAlfa

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Giulia Quad, Cayman GT4, Cayenne Turbo
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#8 ·
I don't know there is no info on what has or hasnt been done to the car.. you could easily end up spending a couple of grand on it straight away...

Important questions are cambelt/waterpump...second from that you're looking at suspension.. If you want to fit a Q2 (highly recommended) then you are looking at another £750 ish.
 
badgers_nadgers

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#9 ·
I've seen that one parked outside my mother in law's. Only saw the outside though, so couldn't comment on its condition. Looked tidy enough at a glance.
 
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M

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#10 ·
The advert contains a lot of info you probably already know, & can get elsewhere anyway, & very little about the car in question itself: that always rings alarm bells with me, until I've viewed it properly. He talks about a "fulll engine rebuild from the garage he bought it from in 2009" - who & what was done? I'd tread carefully, & look closely - it may well be a bargain, but could very well be a money pit.
 
G

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Discussion Starter · #11 ·
Like you I had a 2.5 V6 for 4 years and decided to move on to GTA, I was surprised at how much of a different prospect it was in comparison. Be assured to live with they are a completely different beast and quite high maintenance. If this doesn't bother you then take heed of the comments that our fellow alfa compatriots have stated and check the car out thoroughly.
Its good money if its a genuine car but I'd put money on it that it probably needs some TLC. If you can and the owner has not objection and of course you have a dealship/specialist nearby, have an inspection done. This will sway your decision if your aware of any faults before handing over the doe.

I saw a red 156 GTA saloon with cambelt failure sell for £3000 two or three months ago, so it must be pretty tempting I bet:)
 
SGG

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Giulia Speciale, 156 GTA
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#13 ·
The seller has removed the auto pre-filled "Previous Owners" and not filled in the mileage or service history section.
There is no mention of service history which is critical on these cars (you could easily spend another £3500 just putting things right).
My day to day job is buying cars for a independent dealer and in my experience sellers who dodge questions have something to hide. Like a previous post said over 90% of the ad is blurb.
My gut feeling would be stay away especially the last bit about son selling the car...
Trader trying to get around the car being in a different name and address to the logbook?

My advice would be to ask a lot of direct questions -any waffle, forget it.
 
G

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Discussion Starter · #14 ·
Just for comparison I gave £6000 for a near identical car a couple of months back. It had 70k on it fsh, q2 recent cbelt etc.

Quick note on the colour, it is Miro red, it's a 3 layer pearl, as in red base, pearl flake mid and clear laquer top. Few bodyshop like them, colour match is near impossible, so needs blending. Thus adds to bodywork bills a lot. That car needs a fair bit of respraying work. Mines in for bonnet, front bumper, all four wings, and skirts, I'm looking at about £1300 give or take. Worth factoring in.

If it's legit bit of a bargain, go ask, and check against V5

1. Why selling it?
2. How long have you had it? Short time suggests issues or trader.
3. How many previous owners, probably about 4 or 5 at 8 years old.
4. Mileage - 80k is average for the year and car type, 10-15k each of first 3 years, then 10k, dropping by a k or so a year. Most cars that age will be doing limited mileages now.
5. service history. Not necessarily Alfa dealer, but someone who knows they business and had a good rep.
6. Ask why the son selling it.
7. Check the cars at the V5 registered house, ask to use the loo, just to be sure.
8. Test drive it thoroughly. Be careful as my first booting of a GTA left me paying asking price without any quibbling or haggling I just wanted it!!!
 
G

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Discussion Starter · #15 ·
Just looked at sellers eBay feedback. Shows he bought an Alfa GTV on eBay a while back. Makes more genuine noises, no long list of car sales there either.
 
fa57gta

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#17 ·
Prob one of the sellers mates bidding it up, and accidentally won it. So he's second chance offered it to ben as he was the next highest bidder. That sort of thing always happens on eBay!
 
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G

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Discussion Starter · #18 ·
I've owned Alfas for 20 years and know how hard they can hit your wallet, if you are serious about GTA ownership them consider spending double on a example that has good history and well sorted.
 
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Oggy_GTA
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