Alfa gtv 2.0 ts opinions
Discussion
Hey, I'm thinking about getting a new car next year and would quite like an alfa, my dad had one a few years ago and I quite liked it so what are peoples opinions on them, good and bad points?
It will be a daily driver but not used a huge amount as I will be at university. I've looked at insurance and the coat of the car and should be able to afford it.
It will be a daily driver but not used a huge amount as I will be at university. I've looked at insurance and the coat of the car and should be able to afford it.
I ran a 2.0ts Spider for a couple of years (there's a blog of costs in my profile)
As long as you buy sensibly and are aware that you're buying an Italian sportscar, so don't expect Audi build quality, you'll be fine.
I put a fair few miles on mine, drove it around Europe and nothing serious ever went wrong... I had a bonnet hinge break through metal fatigue and the battery died a few times due to the car being left whilst I was away on business.
There are a few things to watch out for though.
Rear Suspension..... this is a complicated arrangement and costs nearly 4 figures to completely replace if needed. You will notice the difference. The car I bought had just had it done and I test drove a couple that clearly hadn't, the difference was night and day.
Thermostats should be considered consumable items, they're about 40 quid for the part and the tell-tale is if the temperature gauge on the dash barely moves even when the car's warm.
Air Con... by default is set to come on each time you start the car... obviously a pain, this can be disabled using a procedure from the manual.
Tyres.... the car's quite sensitive to geo setup, so watch for uneven wear.
Above all, enjoy... it's not quite as tuneful as the V6, but the ts engine is a peach.
(you know that there are 2 different levels of power from the ts engine depending on if it's a phase 1 or phase 2 car.... go for the ph2 if you can, the interior's a much nicer place to be as well!)
As long as you buy sensibly and are aware that you're buying an Italian sportscar, so don't expect Audi build quality, you'll be fine.
I put a fair few miles on mine, drove it around Europe and nothing serious ever went wrong... I had a bonnet hinge break through metal fatigue and the battery died a few times due to the car being left whilst I was away on business.
There are a few things to watch out for though.
Rear Suspension..... this is a complicated arrangement and costs nearly 4 figures to completely replace if needed. You will notice the difference. The car I bought had just had it done and I test drove a couple that clearly hadn't, the difference was night and day.
Thermostats should be considered consumable items, they're about 40 quid for the part and the tell-tale is if the temperature gauge on the dash barely moves even when the car's warm.
Air Con... by default is set to come on each time you start the car... obviously a pain, this can be disabled using a procedure from the manual.
Tyres.... the car's quite sensitive to geo setup, so watch for uneven wear.
Above all, enjoy... it's not quite as tuneful as the V6, but the ts engine is a peach.
(you know that there are 2 different levels of power from the ts engine depending on if it's a phase 1 or phase 2 car.... go for the ph2 if you can, the interior's a much nicer place to be as well!)
The TS engine needs cambelts every 36,000 miles or three years, around £350 at an Alfa specialist. Oil consumption can be very high - if you get 1,000 miles/litre you've got a good one!
With any Alfa of that age, look for evidence of a lot of money having been spent on it; won't guarantee that you won't have to spend a lot on it, but it lessens the odds.
With any Alfa of that age, look for evidence of a lot of money having been spent on it; won't guarantee that you won't have to spend a lot on it, but it lessens the odds.
check the rear subframe bushes, these can wear and due to the disimilar metals used the chassis wears away at the subframe and negates its replacement costing thousands.
As others have said dont be alarmed by high oil comsumption.. at the very least it gets you into good habits of checking oil regularly! Cambelts are a must, should also change tensioner at the same time.
Bear in mind that these cars are galvanised so shouldnt have any rust, rust would dictate accident damage or paint of some variety having been done.
Dont buy if you want a practical car, its the reason i sold mine! Boot is nearly unuseable and rear seats have no let room.
As others have said dont be alarmed by high oil comsumption.. at the very least it gets you into good habits of checking oil regularly! Cambelts are a must, should also change tensioner at the same time.
Bear in mind that these cars are galvanised so shouldnt have any rust, rust would dictate accident damage or paint of some variety having been done.
Dont buy if you want a practical car, its the reason i sold mine! Boot is nearly unuseable and rear seats have no let room.
Before thinking about this any further - get some insurance quotes.
I suspect you'll be relieved of roughly 3-4 times the value of the car for a year's premium.
ETA: Re-reading this, you say you've checked insurance - what have you been quoted? - they're quite expensive cars to insure and I'm surprised you've legitimately found an affordable / reasonable quote as a relatively new and young driver.
I suspect you'll be relieved of roughly 3-4 times the value of the car for a year's premium.
ETA: Re-reading this, you say you've checked insurance - what have you been quoted? - they're quite expensive cars to insure and I'm surprised you've legitimately found an affordable / reasonable quote as a relatively new and young driver.
Edited by VeeFour on Wednesday 19th January 18:51
VeeFour said:
Before thinking about this any further - get some insurance quotes.
I suspect you'll be relieved of roughly 3-4 times the value of the car for a year's premium.
Bought mine aged 22, with 2 years no claims....and it came in WELL under a grand. My MK4 golf on the other hand is approaching £2k for next years quote I suspect you'll be relieved of roughly 3-4 times the value of the car for a year's premium.
As for the GTV, mine is on 102k and running perfectly. Needs new brakes at the moment, but what car doesn't need new brakes once in a while? No problems other than that
C2james said:
I got a quote of £1700, saying I was 20 with two years ncb, which will be true next year, I'm also hoping part of the money I get from my car will pay towards the insurance but at this time I'm just getting information.
Ouch.I'd consider knocking around in a low insurance group car for a year or two more - not much point in paying that much to insure something you'll rarely be able to drive!
I had one when I was 19. I'd gone from paper round money to a proper job and spent most of my income on the GTV. The insurance was initially about £1700 but went up to nearly £3000 when I told the truth about having only one year no claims. I paid something like £500 up front and then £250 per month for the insurance! The car absolutely broke me, I replaced the head gasket, suspension bushes, track rod ends, ecu, window motors, door seals, brake pipes amongst other things.
As I say, it ruined me but I was so happy with the car! Not reliable in the slightest but I later bought the 3.2 GTV, 147 2.0 TS and a 147 3.2 GTA so It got me hooked! Just buy on condition and try the alfa owner's club for sale section for some well looked after ones. Also, the cam belt replacement term is officially around 75k but was reduced to 32k or three years so make sure it's been done. Many owners didn't realise the term was reduced and are running around in cars about to explode! It used loads of oil too so be careful about oil starvation and make sure the previous owner is too as there could be damage from the previous owner not topping up.
As I say, it ruined me but I was so happy with the car! Not reliable in the slightest but I later bought the 3.2 GTV, 147 2.0 TS and a 147 3.2 GTA so It got me hooked! Just buy on condition and try the alfa owner's club for sale section for some well looked after ones. Also, the cam belt replacement term is officially around 75k but was reduced to 32k or three years so make sure it's been done. Many owners didn't realise the term was reduced and are running around in cars about to explode! It used loads of oil too so be careful about oil starvation and make sure the previous owner is too as there could be damage from the previous owner not topping up.
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 19th January 19:37
sebdangerfield said:
How on earth did you get it that price!? You mean you regretted the V6? My only regret was getting the none alfa 3.2 one instead of the 3.0, both awesome though!
The 3.2 in your GTV would still be the old Arese engine, the new engine was introduced with the Brera / 159.jamieboy said:
sebdangerfield said:
How on earth did you get it that price!? You mean you regretted the V6? My only regret was getting the none alfa 3.2 one instead of the 3.0, both awesome though!
The 3.2 in your GTV would still be the old Arese engine, the new engine was introduced with the Brera / 159.
sebdangerfield said:
jamieboy said:
sebdangerfield said:
How on earth did you get it that price!? You mean you regretted the V6? My only regret was getting the none alfa 3.2 one instead of the 3.0, both awesome though!
The 3.2 in your GTV would still be the old Arese engine, the new engine was introduced with the Brera / 159.
^ used in the Phase 3 GTV/Spider and the 147/156 GTA ... which is a larger version of the traditional 3L V6 often referred to as the busso/arese v6.
^ the GM one now in use.
Edited by utgjon on Wednesday 19th January 21:47
Bloody hell, the difference in those engines is very noticeable even for someone who doesn't really know engines; the first clearly looks like an engine designed by a manufacturer known for its design flair, and the latter just looks like a bog standard mass produced V6 with a fancy rocker cover.
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