156 JTD Sportwagon
Discussion
Hi there,
We are thinking about buying a diesel alfa 156 sportwagon. Firstly do people rate these as good cars or generally unreliable and not worth the hassle (I do realise I am in the Alfa section)?
A friend of ours who has owned 2 alfa 156's has given us sone very good advice on what to look out for when buying so we arent going in to this totally blind, but if anyone else has had one of these cars and know what to look out for any advice is always welcome.
I have a few questions which you guys may be able to help with.
1) Do they have dual mass flywheels and are they rpone to breaking - we are coming from a (supposedly reliable) vw bora where we have had no end of problems with this item.
2) Is rust a problem at all on this age of Alfa? Again, have had a couple of fairly modern cars where rust has occurred.
3) Please could someone explain the power levels of the engines, i.e. I think the original 2.4 had about 150bhp, but later they made a 1.9 with 115bhp, and a 1.9 with 150bhp and then the 2.4 was upped to 170ish. Is this correct?
4) What are the main differences between the trim levels, of lusso, veloce, and tourisme and which is best.
5) What mileage and interval should we be looking to have the cam belt done and what is the approximate cost of this work on an alfa and could any local garage carry it out easily if we cannot get to an alfa specialist?
6) Heart says buy it but head is not convinced, which one is right?
Thanks in advance.
Chris
We are thinking about buying a diesel alfa 156 sportwagon. Firstly do people rate these as good cars or generally unreliable and not worth the hassle (I do realise I am in the Alfa section)?
A friend of ours who has owned 2 alfa 156's has given us sone very good advice on what to look out for when buying so we arent going in to this totally blind, but if anyone else has had one of these cars and know what to look out for any advice is always welcome.
I have a few questions which you guys may be able to help with.
1) Do they have dual mass flywheels and are they rpone to breaking - we are coming from a (supposedly reliable) vw bora where we have had no end of problems with this item.
2) Is rust a problem at all on this age of Alfa? Again, have had a couple of fairly modern cars where rust has occurred.
3) Please could someone explain the power levels of the engines, i.e. I think the original 2.4 had about 150bhp, but later they made a 1.9 with 115bhp, and a 1.9 with 150bhp and then the 2.4 was upped to 170ish. Is this correct?
4) What are the main differences between the trim levels, of lusso, veloce, and tourisme and which is best.
5) What mileage and interval should we be looking to have the cam belt done and what is the approximate cost of this work on an alfa and could any local garage carry it out easily if we cannot get to an alfa specialist?
6) Heart says buy it but head is not convinced, which one is right?
Thanks in advance.
Chris
Have owned a facelift 2.4 sportwagon for nearly 18 months and 30k miles, bought it with 60k miles. Beyond the days it's gone for servicing (usually plus another few bits) it's not needed any extra work and it's never failed to start or broken down. Everything works, no interior rattles or anything like that at all.
The two services have been fairly steep - first one belts plus a couple of bits, second a minor service but it needed discs+pads and a driveshaft which pushed it up. As with any 156, suspension wears and gets noisy (mine needs doing soon) but the parts aren't too expensive.
Not sure on flywheel, and mine is still on the original clutch. No rust issues, but it still under 5 years old. The early 156s I've had as courtesy cars haven't shown any sign of rust either, and they're getting on for 10 years old.
The engines - the 1.9 has been available as an 8v in 100-130hp variants, and a 16v with 150hp. 5-cylinder 2.4 has been a 10v with between 130 and 150hp, then a 20v with 175bhp. I have the latter and it's a cracking engine - revs to 5k, great spread of torque (unlike the VAG ones which can be gutless, then a massive peak, then drop straight off) and a rather good noise for a diesel. I get a real-world 43mpg, with a fair bit of motorway but a lot of plodding through town too. Expect a few more from a 16v 1.9.
Cambelt is 72k on all diesels. See this for servicing costs (although AW are quite cheap, some specialists charge more): http://www.alfaworkshop.co.uk/alfa_romeo_servicing...
Not sure on exact spec as Alfa played around with it a lot over the years, but generally Turismo is base-spec (usually Alfatex (cloth) seats, etc), Lusso is "luxury" spec so leather and sometimes the nasty wooden steering wheels, Veloce is "sports" spec, so lower/harder suspension along with leather, etc. I'm pretty sure that by the facelift things like dual zone climate were standard on all Lusso/Turismo spec.
Big thing to check on a sportwagon is the load cover - mine's been OK but they apparently have a habit of breaking (something inside wears and the roller sping pops off). Repairing them is a pain, and spares are very difficult to come by.
I was thinking of getting rid a little while ago but it's such a good car that I'll keep it, get the few annoyances (like the noisy suspension) fixed and get another year or two out of it. The dealer I bought it from runs a JTD wagon with 140k miles and no real issues, and was wanting to get at least 200k out of it!
The two services have been fairly steep - first one belts plus a couple of bits, second a minor service but it needed discs+pads and a driveshaft which pushed it up. As with any 156, suspension wears and gets noisy (mine needs doing soon) but the parts aren't too expensive.
Not sure on flywheel, and mine is still on the original clutch. No rust issues, but it still under 5 years old. The early 156s I've had as courtesy cars haven't shown any sign of rust either, and they're getting on for 10 years old.
The engines - the 1.9 has been available as an 8v in 100-130hp variants, and a 16v with 150hp. 5-cylinder 2.4 has been a 10v with between 130 and 150hp, then a 20v with 175bhp. I have the latter and it's a cracking engine - revs to 5k, great spread of torque (unlike the VAG ones which can be gutless, then a massive peak, then drop straight off) and a rather good noise for a diesel. I get a real-world 43mpg, with a fair bit of motorway but a lot of plodding through town too. Expect a few more from a 16v 1.9.
Cambelt is 72k on all diesels. See this for servicing costs (although AW are quite cheap, some specialists charge more): http://www.alfaworkshop.co.uk/alfa_romeo_servicing...
Not sure on exact spec as Alfa played around with it a lot over the years, but generally Turismo is base-spec (usually Alfatex (cloth) seats, etc), Lusso is "luxury" spec so leather and sometimes the nasty wooden steering wheels, Veloce is "sports" spec, so lower/harder suspension along with leather, etc. I'm pretty sure that by the facelift things like dual zone climate were standard on all Lusso/Turismo spec.
Big thing to check on a sportwagon is the load cover - mine's been OK but they apparently have a habit of breaking (something inside wears and the roller sping pops off). Repairing them is a pain, and spares are very difficult to come by.
I was thinking of getting rid a little while ago but it's such a good car that I'll keep it, get the few annoyances (like the noisy suspension) fixed and get another year or two out of it. The dealer I bought it from runs a JTD wagon with 140k miles and no real issues, and was wanting to get at least 200k out of it!
Agreed - the only niggle I have with the car is that the boot cover no longer retracts fully, but it still works.
Mine is the V6 petrol so can't comment on engines really, except it's great and at over 111K miles she's still going strong (X reg).
Other half took it to Wales this weekend with 3 other lads for a stag do, he's texted me to praise it's workhorsemanship (not sure that's really a word) in the floods.
It's a great small estate, that's what you have to bear in mind, it's not an estate, it's a sportswagon so smaller load space than some. But perfect for us.
Mine is the V6 petrol so can't comment on engines really, except it's great and at over 111K miles she's still going strong (X reg).
Other half took it to Wales this weekend with 3 other lads for a stag do, he's texted me to praise it's workhorsemanship (not sure that's really a word) in the floods.
It's a great small estate, that's what you have to bear in mind, it's not an estate, it's a sportswagon so smaller load space than some. But perfect for us.
Hi further to my post above we have enquired about going to see a car we have found. The guy was very honest as it is a fair trek for us (there dont seem to be many decent ones about). He said that some previous people had test driven it and were unhappy with a slight vibration when driving. He said he had all the wheels rebalanced and tracking done and it is still there. Is this a common problem in 156's and should I steer clear. It will be a waste of a whole day going to see it if its bad.....
Edited by chrisga on Tuesday 9th September 14:09
I know this is a relativly old thread but did you see the car with the vibration, it wasn't in Essex was it? Just travelled the country looking for a good 1.9jtd (140) very few around compared to the 115hp. Looked at a car that seemed good on the face of it but the test drive revealed what was decribed by the vendor as a vibration to be more of a shake, very noticable under load. Pity the car was pretty clean and honest apart from that.
Hi edward, yes it was in essex, black sportwagon. Did you think it was fairly honest? While the vendor did tell us about the vibration he failed to tell us that the mileage wasnt the same as displayed on the "new" replacement dashboard, and failed to tell us about all the dings on the right hand side of the car. So we drove from the midlands all the way down there and drove it and there seemed to be 2 different vibrations, one when the clutch bit initially (just had a vw with a dmf go and felt similar to that) and also a wheel speed related vibration (may have been driveshaft possibly after reading alfa owners forum this can be common). The suspension was clunking as well, which isnt a problem just a bargaining point...
Did you buy it as it seems to have gone from auto-trader?
You are correct though, we are having real difficulties finding any good ones, have you found one?
Did you buy it as it seems to have gone from auto-trader?
You are correct though, we are having real difficulties finding any good ones, have you found one?
Edited by chrisga on Monday 29th September 18:30
Coming in a bit late here too but I thought I'd add my tuppence for what it's worth. I have a facelift 04 140bhp 1.9 and now after a year I can say I've been really pleased with it. From what I've read the engine is fundamentally solid and I've found the handling and quick-ratio steering is head and shoulders above others in the class. If you want a practical car that is rewarding to drive without going to the silly money German stuff, it fits the bill. Indeed I was initially looking for a higher mileage 320d but after reading horror stories of them ingesting their inlet manifold butterflies I went for the Alfa. Cheaper and with much lower mileage (mine was under 20k miles, compared with 80k for a BMW for the same money). I will say I was nervous about the reputation that proceeds them, largely unjust these days.
I will conceed that they are known for wearing suspension components but they do work hard, and the bits are cheap. As long as you don't get the work done at an Alfa dealer (unless still under warranty), or are handy with a spanner then it's a known quantity and not a nasty surprise.
I have the base level Tourismo spec which unlike most base trim levels is stylish, comfortable and sporty. They are drivers cars so try one, if its been looked after it won't disappoint.
I will conceed that they are known for wearing suspension components but they do work hard, and the bits are cheap. As long as you don't get the work done at an Alfa dealer (unless still under warranty), or are handy with a spanner then it's a known quantity and not a nasty surprise.
I have the base level Tourismo spec which unlike most base trim levels is stylish, comfortable and sporty. They are drivers cars so try one, if its been looked after it won't disappoint.
It was the black sportwagon we looked at sounds like the same one. Didn't buy it. Was a bit annoyed to driving down there and dscosver the vibration was more than he admitted on the phone. He may have learnt from you as he did admit to the mileage and the dings on the side over the phone but not the creaking wishbone and excessive shaking. If he had got the driveshaft (or whatever the probelem is) sorted I'd have probably made an offer, and probably got it knocked back.
I'v ejust bought a 54 plate turismo spec from West bromwich, slightly higher mileage than the Essex car and lower spec (although it has had cruise fitted as an extra from new). It needed the cam belt done and the clutch will need doing in the not to distant future along with the usual wishbone. despite that I'm happy with it the body work is alot cleaner than the essex car as is the interior. suspension is a little softer tha I had expected and turn in not as sharp as the wifes 147 but still better than the alternative I looked at (a golf). Performance fromt he diesel is great. Just been driving a company hire car (Astra sprt hatch 120) and was pleased to be back in the alfa.
Good luck with your search.
I'v ejust bought a 54 plate turismo spec from West bromwich, slightly higher mileage than the Essex car and lower spec (although it has had cruise fitted as an extra from new). It needed the cam belt done and the clutch will need doing in the not to distant future along with the usual wishbone. despite that I'm happy with it the body work is alot cleaner than the essex car as is the interior. suspension is a little softer tha I had expected and turn in not as sharp as the wifes 147 but still better than the alternative I looked at (a golf). Performance fromt he diesel is great. Just been driving a company hire car (Astra sprt hatch 120) and was pleased to be back in the alfa.
Good luck with your search.
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