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Hi Dakka!

So, my missus has given me the green light to go and buy a second car. Now that's bloody brilliant because she and I have been sharing the same car for 3 years. And that can be a right pain in the A**!

A mate of mine has offered me an Alfa Romeo 156 'Selespeed'.

Now then, I have always had a great fondness for Alfa Romeos and the first thing I thought was 'Buy Buy Buy!'.... However, after having done some research I have found that that particular model has some pretty serious problems associated with it. Namely the ECU going bang or the conrods dropping out....pretty terminal...It does not drive like a normal car being somewhere between a manual and an auto box, you still have to shift gears, but it's got a 'Dry Clutch', which means it's a simple push up or pull down on the gearstick to change gear.
I have driven it, and it was stupendously good. So now comes the dilemma, do I buy it and face the cost when it goes wrong (which will be astronomical)?
OR, do I use my head and go for something else?

Come on Dakka, I know there are some petrol heads out there who can give me some sage advice....



I hope.....

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:

Come on Dakka, I know there are some petrol heads out there who can give me some sage advice....

I hope.....

*sigh*

No self respecting man goes without a CRASSUS ARMORED ASSAULT PIMPMOBILE.

/thread

Ha! This coming from American's, who wouldn't know a decent car if it bit them on the ass!

If you could hook me up with a CRASSUS ARMOURED ASSAULT PIMPMOBILE, I would be eternally in your debt!

*Drives and lives in a GMC Van*

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:Ha! This coming from American's, who wouldn't know a decent car if it bit them on the ass!

-scoffs-

I beg your pardon good sir?

Hmmmm, tasty motors there I'll give you that.....BUT! show them a corner and your day ends in tyre smoke and shame.

When I get to a laptop, I will post some proper cars......

On topic - I wouldn't buy an Alfa if it were my decision; they have quite a poor reputation for reliability.

Avoid an Alfa.
Granted, they look great, however,
And it's a big however,
The reliability is awful, the repair costs are huge, and so are the servicing costs.

If you ever want to have money again, don't buy one.
My advice?
Get something Japanese.
Toyota/Honda/Mitsubishi.

And as for US cars?
Nice looking, Great power, rubbish handling and build quality.
I know, I used to drive a Mustang.
Don't get me wrong, it was a fun car, and that V8 5.0 engine was loads of fun, but my 2.0 MR2 could run rings around it.

America also has this:

I know all about the US car thing. Currently driving a Chrysler Grand Voyager. Woeful handling, but the grunt from that 3.3 V6 from a standing start is hard to ignore

As for the Alfa problem? After doing some research, the answer is no way am I going to burden my wallet with a car that chews up £notes like I eat Wagon Wheels....

Meh, American cars are overrated. It's all very well having a 10 litre V8 engine or whatever but the amount of raw BHP they produce compared to their size is woeful. Take Subaru Imprezas for example - the amount of HP that they squeeze out of a 2 litre engine is incredible.

Hell, my car runs at about 280 BHP out of a 2.5 litre plus it has the added advantage of being able to go round a corner

Oh please don't get me wrong filbert, I much prefer European or even Japano-boxes to American Muscle.
The Dodge Viper is a prime example of wasted BHP. An 8 Litre V10 that produces a quite pathetic 500bhp.... You give that engine to European engineers and you can expect 650-700bhp out of a rig like that!
No no no... American cars do have thier place though. Like cruising down the A40 on a nice summer evening, roof down with some great tunes on....

So the question is, what is this second car going to be used for? If its commuting/day to day use and you do a moderate amount of miles, then you are best off going for a diesel - better economy, less working parts to go wrong and the road tax is cheap.

If your second car is purely for fun then what sort of criteria are you after? Something nippy or a big beast or something in between?

It'll be used day to day. 12-20 miles a day during work and maybe 40-50 miles a day when I'm off/running the wife around....
I will only be using the Voyager for long road trips with family and friends. The Reading festival, driving to see my nan etc etc..
My main problem with a diesel is budget tbh. I'm not sure if I can get a decent runner for £700. Especially a diesel.

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:Ha! This coming from American's, who wouldn't know a decent car if it bit them on the ass!

Haha, try me.

Anyways. How well is this car know for its problems? Every car has had some sort of crazy problem, but it depends on the frequency of the occurrence.

For instance: I drive a 66 Mustang. Ford wasn't thinking too well and made the gas tank THE FLOOR OF THE TRUNK!!! Now this means that it is possible for the Mustang to explode into flames upon being rear-ended. But here's the thing. Ask any older man who was a teen when the Stang first made its triumphant arrival on the market. They all say "You know, out of the thousands of Mustangs I've seen in my life and the hundreds of junk yards visit, I have NEVER seen the burnt and mangled chassis of a Mustang. Yes it HAS happened, but not likely."

Never, never ever do business with friends.

Bring it to a technician to get a clean bill of health before you buy it.

WARORK93 wrote:

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:Ha! This coming from American's, who wouldn't know a decent car if it bit them on the ass!

-scoffs-

I beg your pardon good sir?

Spoiler:

Really? Delorean? Decent? Really?

I'm with you on all the others though!

edited for grammar

I desperatly miss my old Fiat Coupé you can pick them up pretty cheaply now. I'd definatly get one as a second car if i had the money.

Here's a pic of my old girl oh how i miss her...

If you like alfas you'll like this.



Best place to pick them up is the fiat couple car club uk, they'll be on sale in the forum. You can pick a good one up for around £2.5K

http://www.fccuk.org/forum

I do like those Fiat Coupes... An old work colleague of mine had one in a fantastic bright yellow. The problem is simple, I need a 4 door. Which instantly puts paid to te idea of a gorgeous 2 door coupe

I was also looking at a Honda Prelude, although for the above reason, that's out of the running too.....

Ah 4 doors not much can be done for that then. You could get an old lancer or scooby? Maybe a skyline. Not much soul to them though. Italian cars are the best in that respect, just not known for being reliable.

BTW do you really need 4 doors? You can fit a surprising amount in the back of the Fiat. I have had two 6ft people in the back of the Fiat. They weren't THAT uncomfortable after the 2 hour journey.