Looking at an 06 Brera
Discussion
There’s an 06 Brera for sale for me, price is low as well. I really like the look of the car and I’m finally getting to the point where the insurance difference for a mid decent powered car is only £200 a year.
The only things that put me off:
- It has 140k on the clock. Is this the end of life for an Alfa?
- Notorious unreliability of Alfas
- Dodgy mot history. Fails every year. Reg is YB06 HGY
It is the 2.2L. There is no V6 near me, and I can’t get a diesel as I need to drive into London and other cities that might add the ULEZ in the future.
Would I be an idiot to buy this as my car?
The only things that put me off:
- It has 140k on the clock. Is this the end of life for an Alfa?
- Notorious unreliability of Alfas
- Dodgy mot history. Fails every year. Reg is YB06 HGY
It is the 2.2L. There is no V6 near me, and I can’t get a diesel as I need to drive into London and other cities that might add the ULEZ in the future.
Would I be an idiot to buy this as my car?
That particular car wouldn't be my first choice looking at the history,.
It seems to have had a significant shunt
Nearside Front Body panel damaged and likely to cause injury wing (6.2.1 (a) (i))
Nearside Front Bumper damaged and likely to cause injury when grazed or contacted (6.1.4 (a) (i))
That also impacted the steering components.
The Brera is a pretty sturdy car, on par with the Germans imo.
You need to check the subframes as they rot, and the 2.2 is a bit lethargic and can have issues with the camchain stretching.
Personally I would walk from it, not due to the mileage but the shunt it has seemingly taken.
How cheap is it? As 54k mile cars from dealers are 4.5k, I suspect a good condition one at 142K would be £1.6k based on Ebay sold. That one, would probably need to be £1k ish assuming it was properly fixed/
It seems to have had a significant shunt
Nearside Front Body panel damaged and likely to cause injury wing (6.2.1 (a) (i))
Nearside Front Bumper damaged and likely to cause injury when grazed or contacted (6.1.4 (a) (i))
That also impacted the steering components.
The Brera is a pretty sturdy car, on par with the Germans imo.
You need to check the subframes as they rot, and the 2.2 is a bit lethargic and can have issues with the camchain stretching.
Personally I would walk from it, not due to the mileage but the shunt it has seemingly taken.
How cheap is it? As 54k mile cars from dealers are 4.5k, I suspect a good condition one at 142K would be £1.6k based on Ebay sold. That one, would probably need to be £1k ish assuming it was properly fixed/
Edited by V6Alfisti on Thursday 25th April 13:08
As others have said it would need to be cheap. Mot history mainly wear and tear, sort of unloved feel , but it has been capable of 10-15,000 miles a year.
As a cheap daily hack , that can take car park knocks and dents without worry, it should be ok. My 3.2 has done 138k so I wouldn't worry about mileage too much. It really depends what you want the car for.
As a cheap daily hack , that can take car park knocks and dents without worry, it should be ok. My 3.2 has done 138k so I wouldn't worry about mileage too much. It really depends what you want the car for.
This one any better, is 5.7 a reasonable price for what it is or too high? https://www.leicestervehiclefinance.co.uk/used-alf...
A few years ago I bought a V6 159 SW to use as a daily. I sold again after 6 months as it was too unreliable. It would have been fine as a weekend toy but I couldn't trust it day to day. From all the research I did and talking to specialists and Alfa (I had plenty of opportunities to!) the life span of these was about 10-15 years or around 100k miles. Mine was 9 years old with 70k and a full Alfa and specialist service history with oil changes at every 9k
ndreaw said:
This one any better, is 5.7 a reasonable price for what it is or too high? https://www.leicestervehiclefinance.co.uk/used-alf...
I think you could get that for about £4k privately ! based on ebay sold.I bought an 07 Brera 3.2 a couple of months ago to use as a daily hack. Some of the research I did during the buying process was a little off putting, but I particularly wanted a 4WD Alfa to use through the winter, so I went ahead when I found what looked to be a good example.
The 159 / Brera / Spider series have some contrasting characteristics. They are very solidly built compared to earlier Alfas, but they also have some very specific weaknesses that are likely to throw some big bills at some point in their lifespan. The bills on the 2.2 are likely to be smaller than the corresponding ones on the 3.2, and the 3.2 4WD cars are also VERY thirsty (I'm getting around 20 MPG, which is way worse than any V6 Busso I have owned, and only marginally better than a 4.7 Granturismo I owned for a couple of years).
As has already been mentioned, camchains are the big one. For the V6, you are looking at a £3K plus bill to replace, and they almost certainly WILL stretch at somepoint if they haven't already being replaced. The ones on my car were replaced at about 40K. A combination of ridiculously long service intervals (cue claggy oil), and the chains being dependent on oil sprays for lubrication (for economy reasons apparently...laughs ironically) means they are actually pretty much a service-item on these engines. 2.2 chain replacement is a lot cheaper, but the engine is a little gutless for the weight of the car. I'd rather pull my own teeth without anaesthetic than recommend a diesel, so I'll leave others to do that.
Apart from cam-chains, rusty subframes are a definite issue, and 2.2 gearboxes are prone to failure. Having the front lower bushes replaced with polyurethane items will make the steering much more responsive (and save tyre wear). With these in place, I really like how my Brera drives. You know you are driving something heavy, but it is actually reasonably sprightly (if you ignore the fuel consumption), and they are a nice place to sit.
Overall, I would not buy a 159/Brera/Spider if I was hoping to run on any kind of tight budget. For all their outward build quality, I think they are likely to throw bigger bills than almost any other post 2000 Alfa. If you do decide to go ahead, try and get a car that has had the camchains replaced, and make sure you change the oil at yearly / sub 10,000 mile intervals.
For all the above, I really like my Brera, but (albeit, only in my opinion) the engine is a massive, massive step back from the Busso in terms of reliability, driveability, charm and economy. If it wasn't for the 4WD aspect (and my Alfa complete-ist desire to try a 939 series car) I'd buy a decent petrol GT in preference every day of the week and twice on Sundays - I reckon they'd be a much less risky long-term option.
Worth checking the threads on Alfa Owner before committing - there is a lot of useful info there.
The 159 / Brera / Spider series have some contrasting characteristics. They are very solidly built compared to earlier Alfas, but they also have some very specific weaknesses that are likely to throw some big bills at some point in their lifespan. The bills on the 2.2 are likely to be smaller than the corresponding ones on the 3.2, and the 3.2 4WD cars are also VERY thirsty (I'm getting around 20 MPG, which is way worse than any V6 Busso I have owned, and only marginally better than a 4.7 Granturismo I owned for a couple of years).
As has already been mentioned, camchains are the big one. For the V6, you are looking at a £3K plus bill to replace, and they almost certainly WILL stretch at somepoint if they haven't already being replaced. The ones on my car were replaced at about 40K. A combination of ridiculously long service intervals (cue claggy oil), and the chains being dependent on oil sprays for lubrication (for economy reasons apparently...laughs ironically) means they are actually pretty much a service-item on these engines. 2.2 chain replacement is a lot cheaper, but the engine is a little gutless for the weight of the car. I'd rather pull my own teeth without anaesthetic than recommend a diesel, so I'll leave others to do that.
Apart from cam-chains, rusty subframes are a definite issue, and 2.2 gearboxes are prone to failure. Having the front lower bushes replaced with polyurethane items will make the steering much more responsive (and save tyre wear). With these in place, I really like how my Brera drives. You know you are driving something heavy, but it is actually reasonably sprightly (if you ignore the fuel consumption), and they are a nice place to sit.
Overall, I would not buy a 159/Brera/Spider if I was hoping to run on any kind of tight budget. For all their outward build quality, I think they are likely to throw bigger bills than almost any other post 2000 Alfa. If you do decide to go ahead, try and get a car that has had the camchains replaced, and make sure you change the oil at yearly / sub 10,000 mile intervals.
For all the above, I really like my Brera, but (albeit, only in my opinion) the engine is a massive, massive step back from the Busso in terms of reliability, driveability, charm and economy. If it wasn't for the 4WD aspect (and my Alfa complete-ist desire to try a 939 series car) I'd buy a decent petrol GT in preference every day of the week and twice on Sundays - I reckon they'd be a much less risky long-term option.
Worth checking the threads on Alfa Owner before committing - there is a lot of useful info there.
I picked up a 2010 Brera TBI with 126,000 miles for £4500 3 weeks ago.
I'm using this car at weekends primarily as I have a company Mini Cooper for work use. I'd say the key thing with the Brera and any other older Alfa is history. I've considered a few cars before buying this particular as the service history was absolutely spot on from new even detailing paintwork done to the car and an engine rebuild following water pump failure under warranty.
I'm not bothered about miles on the clock provided the car has evidence to show it's been looked after. I've considered a couple of lower mileage cars but on further investigation either service history had gaps or missing altogether. One car had 60,000 miles on an 08 plate but with a horrifying list of advisories on the last MOT.
Don't get me wrong the car I've bought needs some jobs doing to get it how I want it but overall I'm happy I've spent the money reasonably well.
Bottom line; ask lots of questions, check everything works, check the subframe and PAS, get a car with good history and you won't go wrong too far wrong.
I'm using this car at weekends primarily as I have a company Mini Cooper for work use. I'd say the key thing with the Brera and any other older Alfa is history. I've considered a few cars before buying this particular as the service history was absolutely spot on from new even detailing paintwork done to the car and an engine rebuild following water pump failure under warranty.
I'm not bothered about miles on the clock provided the car has evidence to show it's been looked after. I've considered a couple of lower mileage cars but on further investigation either service history had gaps or missing altogether. One car had 60,000 miles on an 08 plate but with a horrifying list of advisories on the last MOT.
Don't get me wrong the car I've bought needs some jobs doing to get it how I want it but overall I'm happy I've spent the money reasonably well.
Bottom line; ask lots of questions, check everything works, check the subframe and PAS, get a car with good history and you won't go wrong too far wrong.
Let's settle a few things first: The engines in the all Breras, 159s Guiliettas... are all Vauxhall based, usually Insignia. The only exception is the 1750 TBI, which was a limited edition Alfa/Fiat engine (the same engine fitted to the 4C, with a few tweaks).
Biggest problem with these engines are the timing chain tensioners. They have a known problem and it isn't uncommon for the chain to jump the cogs. Same for the diesel versions, as, again, they are based on the Insignia platform.
From personal experience, from 2006 to the present, I've had no horror stories with my earlier 156 Sportwagons and GT 3.2. The Busso engine is as sweet as any V6 engine.
Not saying for one moment they are perfect: Suspension issues, minor electrical problems.... my current 2.0 JTS SW is one of most reliable cars I've owned, regardless of brand -- I've owned more cars than you can shake a stick at since 1982.
The biggest problem I've found with the Breras and 159s is how heavy they feel compared to the earlier models. When cornering they feel like tug boats compared to the 156, GTs....
Would I recommend an Alfa? Yes, I would make clear they come with their distinct quirks and foibles.
Biggest problem with these engines are the timing chain tensioners. They have a known problem and it isn't uncommon for the chain to jump the cogs. Same for the diesel versions, as, again, they are based on the Insignia platform.
From personal experience, from 2006 to the present, I've had no horror stories with my earlier 156 Sportwagons and GT 3.2. The Busso engine is as sweet as any V6 engine.
Not saying for one moment they are perfect: Suspension issues, minor electrical problems.... my current 2.0 JTS SW is one of most reliable cars I've owned, regardless of brand -- I've owned more cars than you can shake a stick at since 1982.
The biggest problem I've found with the Breras and 159s is how heavy they feel compared to the earlier models. When cornering they feel like tug boats compared to the 156, GTs....
Would I recommend an Alfa? Yes, I would make clear they come with their distinct quirks and foibles.
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