General fiat coupe or alfa gtv?

[lloyd2]

Mondeo's cost between free and about £24,000... where abouts are we aiming?

Also you're looking to raise cash by spending it on a car? Sorry but what?!

here goes again...i have a car worth 8-9k, i have just paid a deposit on a new house, i have no more money left, the house is the best i could afford but it needs work and desperately needs a kitchen, so i sell the car (which i paid in full for and shouldn't have, could of paid more deposit and got a better house, sometimes mums are right) so with most of the car money i spend on said new house, i now need a car etc etc
bottom line i can't have my cake and eat it at the moment
and sorry, meant what sports car can you run on a mondeo budget, not the initial cost.

 

[Hellcat]

here goes again...i have a car worth 8-9k, i have just paid a deposit on a new house, i have no more money left, the house is the best i could afford but it needs work and desperately needs a kitchen, so i sell the car (which i paid in full for and shouldn't have, could of paid more deposit and got a better house, sometimes mums are right) so with most of the car money i spend on said new house, i now need a car etc etc
bottom line i can't have my cake and eat it at the moment
and sorry, meant what sports car can you run on a mondeo budget, not the initial cost.

As so you're currently driving around in your new kitchen?

What you really need is an estate! Get yourself a Marea 20v and drop the 20VT engne in it. Seriously - if you've a new house that needs work an estate is ideal. I know my Marea was well worth it. In fact get a 2.4JTD and have it mapped to 180ish for practical sillyness.

 

[lloyd2]

As so you're currently driving around in your new kitchen?

What you really need is an estate! Get yourself a Marea 20v and drop the 20VT engne in it. Seriously - if you've a new house that needs work an estate is ideal. I know my Marea was well worth it. In fact get a 2.4JTD and have it mapped to 180ish for practical sillyness.

didn't think of it like that but yeah, can't seem to find the sink and taps on it yet but i know the plug hole's working because that water stuff i think is called diesel seems to run straight through it

 

[maddogmorg]

Alfa GTV :slayer: especially with the V6! the GTV has better rear suspension than the coupe which gives better handling (i wouldn't know from experience though sadly) but they are stunning cars, and look better than the Fiat coupe though the styling of both of them is by pininfarina and fairly similar. Both are known to be expensive to run. really you need to get out on test drives to find which one puts the biggest smile on your face.

 

[lloyd2]

thanks the first recommendation for the gtv, i think both cars a great looking but i must admit the gtv is prettier, as for running cost they both appear to be similar, service them and keep an eye on the oil and you should be fine is the general opinion, but thinking back to my 20v n.a coop, it didn't use much oil, though i didn't have it that long before it was prematurely killed

 

[lloyd2]

having browsed though the stilo section (and been corrected on the standard equipment levels on the early abarth) the stilo abarth has just become a serious contender, having had a schuey le not so long ago before the gp, i wasn't going to get another abarth, but those early ones sure are value for money, even more than the schuey!

 

[thepottleflump]

If you opt for a GTV some things to check / look out for

Diesel noise one start up - variator only afflicts the T-Spark not the V6 - check when engine is completely cold and when warmed the noise dissappears very quickly - people may try to hide this.
Cambelt - needs changing every 36,000 miles. Use to haggle price down and if in doubt get it changed along with tensioners and probably get the variator done at the same time.
Bushes especially rear suspension, can get worn and cause expensive damage, check for play and listen for clonking over speed humps etc.
Wipers - make sure they work. There was a known problem with early phase 2 models which can cause them to judder/get stuck.
Electric aerial, make sure it works although a bit of WD40 will probably cure it, just keep it lubed.
Check gear change from cold, notchy/crunchy gearboxes esp 2nd gear
Wind noise from frameless doors/windows.
Airbag light is quite common, normally just the connectors under the seats.
Make sure you get all the keys, mine came with 4, 2 red, 1 brown master and a service key.
Usual knocks and dents, obviously check for signs of re-spray, collision.

Handling is good but the a little nervous on less than perfect roads, requires driving. Compared with a barge of a Stilo Abarth they handle like go-karts. T-Spark engine is great and should return around 30mpg but obviously if can afford the fuel bills and insurance go for the V6 which will have performance to match the looks.

I owned a GTV Lusso 2.0 T-Spark for a couple of years, mixed feelings, great car to drive with decent performance, looks to die for and some nice touches like decent deep pile carpets, has the feel of an expensive car. On the other hand my tenureship was not without problems, mostly fairly expensive mainteance, replaced cambelt and variator cost a decent wack as it a replacement clutch because the release bearing became noisy. Probably spent £2500 on servicing an maintenance and brake replacement / upgrades over 2 years despite the car being only 2 years old and 1 owner 28,000 miles although I probably doubled the mileage.

Buy as new a possible and ensure that the car has a full service history, few owners / one owner is probably is a good sign the car is reliable although make sure the owner isn't selling due to an impending expensive bill.

I loved the car and would buy another one tomorrow if I had a few spare grand burning a hole in my pocket, alas the mortgage is more pressing.

 

[lloyd2]

wow £2.5k is a lot to spend on a two year old car, i think i'll be sticking to the fiats, alfas seem to good to be true.

 

[T14086]

not many alfa garages around aswell,all seem to be swopping brand?

 

[thepottleflump]

Lloyd, what do you mean Alfas seem too good to be true?

 

[lloyd2]

Lloyd, what do you mean Alfas seem too good to be true?

they look fantastic, sound fantastic and you can buy one at an affordable price, what could go wrong? well according to a few members on this site and a few others i've talked to, a lot! to be honest i still love them but do you take a chance on one?

 

[h2ypr]

Couple of the boys on the fccuk have went to alfa's and had a few problems. Not saying that all alfa's are bad.

Ross

 

[lloyd2]

of course that's true,i bet there are lots of good and reliable alfas out there, it's just when you say to people you're thinking of getting one, people do that thing of sucking their lips and making general noises of wouldn't do that, kind of scares you off.

 

[h2ypr]

Lol. They do that with the coupe aswell. Only thing i would say about the coupe is there is a good support network there.

Ross

 

[lloyd2]

yeah there is a kind of warm and familiar feeling with the coupe

 

[h2ypr]

Well there is a few people in glasgow with them that would be more than willing to take you on a test drive if ya wantin? Mostly turbos tho.

Ross

 

[lloyd2]

h2ypr, have you see the w reg ink blue 20vt for sale on auto trader, six speed and starter button something like 60,000 on fsh, £3500, thats kinda tempting but seems a little cheap?

 

[h2ypr]

Pm me the link? Doesnt sound *that* cheap. They have dropped in price. If it was a plus or Le it would be cheap.

Ross

 

[lloyd2]

Pm me the link? Doesnt sound *that* cheap. They have dropped in price. If it was a plus or Le it would be cheap.

Ross

sorry not to savy with how to do the links, it's in glasgow area on auto trader, got leather too.

 

[h2ypr]

Dont look too shabby at all dude. If ya wanting to go view it give me a shout.

Ross