As the title says im toying with the idea of buying a 06-08+ if funds permit to get alfa 159 for my second car

But my friend keeps telling me that they are notoriously unreliable etc, a quick search shows that some people have had issues with there 159s but surly that is the same for any mass produced car?

If any one has any hands on experience with one i would very much like to know

The reason for wanting one is for the damn good looks of the car and second hand prices of them (4-7k) and insurance isnt that major considering i have only been driving for 4 months (£800-1000) i paid £711 for 1.2 punto :O

Oh yeah i was looking at one of the 1.9 diesels

So yeah, basically talk me out of getting one or give me evidence that they are reliable

Cheers

John

So blu73 has a 159 and can tell you some stories ...

Eklipze3k said:

So blu73 has a 159 and can tell you some stories ...

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I look forward to hearing from him...ha

well i just wrote a big reply to this and then pressed back on browser by accident and lost it....

Basic jist was yep, i love my 159 - i don't like the 1.9 jtdm engine though and would get a V6 and LPG it if i could start again.

I might write something a bit longer when i calmed down about losing my huge detailed reply

blu73 said:

well i just wrote a big reply to this and then pressed back on browser by accident and lost it....

Basic jist was yep, i love my 159 - i don't like the 1.9 jtdm engine though and would get a V6 and LPG it if i could start again.

I might write something a bit longer when i calmed down about losing my huge detailed reply

Click to expand...

I know that feel man, its all still high in the sky but they look bloody gorgeous

i know mate, i know. I forgive it alot just cause its gorgeous haha.

Even having owned it for over a year i still find myself ogling it from time to time lol.

I love my 1.9JTDM iv got a 147

Downsides are the EGR valve as with all diesels of that age

Plus side is Loads of Torque, good mpg if you behave

i think the 159 is just too heavy tbh, 147 is a tiny car by comparison. And mine being TI means its got big heavy seats and heavy electric motors, massive wheels and all that stuff.. According to what i have read it weighs about the same as my old merc Vito

blu73 said:

i think the 159 is just too heavy tbh, 147 is a tiny car by comparison. And mine being TI means its got big heavy seats and heavy electric motors, massive wheels and all that stuff.. According to what i have read it weighs about the same as my old merc Vito

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Gah! I still want one! :bang:

well then, go get one then. You will love it i promise - i stick by my V6 with lpg being a better idea than jtdm though.

I would have thought that the 159 should be an improvement over the 156 that preceded it, and the weight seems to be an attempt to make it more substantial.

We do have a 156 however, a 2.0 Veloce with the Momo interior and it's driven mainly by Mrs. Beard who loves it. We got it at almost 10 years old with about 62,000 miles on the clock. She now (the car, not Mrs. Beard.....obviously) is 13 years old with pretty close to 100,000 under her belt.

In that time we've travelled 4 up (adults) to Nice and back a journey of just under 2,000 miles return, 3 adults plus dog and luggage for a week in Northumberland in some of the wettest weather and pretty extreme flooding; the water on the A1 near Alnwick came up to the bottom of the doors and she kept going which was more than can be said for some of the other cars on that journey. Last year we again went 3 up plus dog and luggage for a week in the Inner Hebrides during which we covered around 1,000 miles. In between these long trips she's given consistently reliable service taking Mrs. Beard to work and back.

During that time she's let us down 3 times which were all actually the same fault, it just took some time to work out what it was. A Crankshaft Position Sensor, so that was really only one fault.

She's now getting a bit rough around the edges and we've got to make a decision soon as to whether we're going to pay a thousand or so to keep her running or cut our losses and run.

The wheels are losing their lacquer but only one is showing any sign of corrosion. There is some corrosion underneath but it's repairable. Electrically, she's not bad but has a habit of blowing side light bulbs which, unusually, are halogen and bright enough to be mistaken for DRLs. The electric rear windows are very slow and need some help getting all the way up (it's the only thing that has that problem) but otherwise she's a belter. I'm for keeping and spending some money.

On the basis that I mentioned before that a new model should be better made than the one before, I'd have no worries about buying a 159, just, as always, buy the newest one with the lowest mileage that you can afford.

Buona venturra.