Well its a few days over 3mths since I collected the 156 and as it was proposed as a 3mth stopgap time for a review.
A reminder it cost £700 and in the first week or so I (happily) spent another £489 on a DIY all filters service, front brake pads, 4 new Dunlops, MOT, new no. plates and valet materials.
Since then it's been in use as my runabout for trips of mostly 1-40 miles and mixed roads from the 4-lane A1(M) to dreadful fen roads.
The only issue above initial work has been a sticky handbrake one frosty Jan morning so I fitted a new pair of cables for £25. Slightly self-inflicted as at MOT I noticed the cable end rubbers were perished and probably letting water in but I merely got the MOT chap to put some grease on the exposed ends as it passed on the roller test. Oh and I did treat it to new wiper blades last week so another £16.
So that's it... not one single threat of problems, it doesn't use oil or water and every single complex electrical/electronic system continues to work fine.
My vehicle need for decades has been family based with loads of kit in estate cars. Now though it's mostly just me or me+1 so this smaller saloon has managed fine. Driving pleasure on each and every run is a given and I very much like the retro feel of the whole car... hard to put into words but is has some echoes of sporty late 70s cars we owned.
The tax it came with expired end Feb which was close to the 3mths I'd proposed this temp car would need to last. However it's been such a complete success I've put another 6mths on and will run it until August with further thoughts then.
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Excellent news. Though not unexpected (from me at least!)
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I'm glad it's going well for you, and flying in the face of conventional wisdom :)
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There's a lot of satisfaction to be gained from successfully running a cheap car that is nice to drive, knowing you're not paying interest charges or depreciation or both.
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Great update, Fenlander. Sounds like a lovely car.
The only thing we have discovered on our own "cheap Alfa" that doesn't work is the clock illumination. We are just trying to find a weekend day when we are both free to get the gearbox swapped, then I look forward to putting some miles on it! :-)
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Had to do clock and fuel gauge bulbs on mine. I did a description with images over on the Alfa forum but your setup is a little different... however here it is...
www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-and-gt/167595-fuel-gauge-bulb-again.html
I had the bulbs from when I stripped a BX and put all the dash bulbs in a pot I've had for over ten years.
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When's the cambelt due, F? Is that something you'd DIY?
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>>A reminder it cost £700 and in the first week or so I (happily) spent another £489 on a >>DIY all filters service, front brake pads, 4 new Dunlops, MOT, new no. plates and valet >>materials.
>>
That's the way to do it. Buy cheaper and spend the cash on doing what needs doing. Better than buying one that's allegedly just serviced etc and hoping that someone else has done it properly.
IMHO, I (or in this case you) am far more likely to do a proper job than a previous owner looking to get shot of it or a dealer looking to maximise his profit.
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>>>That's the way to do it. Buy cheaper and spend the cash on doing what needs doing...
Yes and particularly at this price point where the bomb site dealers do not care one bit about what's been done or to what standard... "it's a cheap mota innit" etc etc.
Since my very first cars I've always spent £250-£500 fettling any older used car on arrival... it's paid off in reliability and satisfaction of a job well done.
>>>When's the cambelt due, F? Is that something you'd DIY?
At the start all these 156s were a 72k interval. Then they bought the petrols down to 36k but left the diesels alone. I understand the 10v 2.4 diesel like mine is known for having a decent timing belt setup... but caution often makes people advise a change between 50k-60k to be on the safe side. Mine was changed 40k ago (2.5yrs) with a full roller kit and water pump so not concerning myself for another 15k.
Timing belt kit with water pump is £135. £350 all in to have the job done by a fairly local specialist with free loan Alfa. If it is still with me I'd happily pay the specialist despite having the skills to do it... that 5cyl is very tight to the inner wing for spanner access!
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 13 Mar 13 at 13:40
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Yeah, but... no but...
If you buy a car and the really obvious bits - tyres and brakes - are so worn out that replacing them costs almost as much as the car did, what about the things you cannot see?
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Great stuff Fenlander. I have had a yen for a 156 Sportwagon for the last 12 years and it never quite happened. Enjoy for however long it is.
You always regret the ones you let go...
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>>>If you buy a car and the really obvious bits - tyres and brakes - are so worn out that replacing them costs almost as much as the car did, what about the things you cannot see?
Which hidden bits are those that worry you?
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>> >>>If you buy a car and the really obvious bits - tyres and brakes -
>> are so worn out that replacing them costs almost as much as the car did,
>> what about the things you cannot see?
>>
>> Which hidden bits are those that worry you?
If he means things like clutch/DMF/gearbox then you'd know by their operation as to what condition they are in, and you usually get some warning before they go pear shaped.
I think anything untoward would have revealed itself by now anyway.
Last edited by: corax on Wed 13 Mar 13 at 17:11
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>>I think anything untoward would have revealed itself by now anyway.
Indeed. But as (I'm sure) you know that was not my point - he's bought it and spent it, so it's too late anyway! Moreover that was now three months ago.
If the general rule is 'buy on condition' and if the condition is such that the car requires as much spending on it as you paid for it, then perhaps it's the wrong car...
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>>>If the general rule is 'buy on condition' and if the condition is such that the car requires as much spending on it as you paid for it, then perhaps it's the wrong car...
You seem to misunderstand the whole point about £1000ish cars. Often they are basically sound (body, engine, transmission etc) but the consumables.... which are no reflection on the car itself... are often neglected to the point people say "they need more spending on them than they're worth".
In my situation I saw the bills that proved while the guy was using this car for business he spent thousands on all the right things however when he knew it was going and likely for less than £1000 he sensibly didn't bother to extend the 3mths MOT it had, to his mind the tyres were just legal, he knew it was 1000mls over a service and only the MOT brake rollers detected a slight front brake imbalance.
It is a wonderful car to use in excellent overall condition which makes its price a joke really in the scheme of things.
My budget to run a car excluding fuel and insurance is £300... if this lasts one more month it can catch fire and I've lost nothing.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 13 Mar 13 at 17:41
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Sorry... my monthly budget is £300 for running a car.
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Nothing but admiration for your reasoning. Too many people wasting money on cars and too concerned with what they're seen in. Nice car anyway.
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>> Nothing but admiration for your reasoning. Too many people wasting money on cars and too concerned with what they're seen in. Nice car anyway.
>>
Exactly.
I have just sent a car to scrap.
It cost me £200 5 months ago, sweet runner, all I did was put fuel in it.
(and Re-taxed and insured it - tax ran out in Jan. Claimed the remainder back...)
Why did I scrap it? Cambelt pulley broke up - very annoying as it had a belt change 15k ago.
Anyway, scrappy took it away, in exchange for a £120 cheque - so, excluding tax, insurance and fuel, which you have to pay for any car - £80 for 5 months motoring.
Unbeatable value in my book!
Last edited by: swiss tony on Wed 13 Mar 13 at 21:37
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Wear cambraces instead....
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Same problem. Only needs to snap to cause havoc...
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>>>Don't like cambelts...
So you say. Thankfully for those of us without the fear they don't fail.
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True. Even though this is an Alfa thread, we wouldn't want to see your giuliettas.
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Our Giulietta is anybody's after a couple of Babychams.
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Inspirational FL, hope you keep it indefinately.
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I didn't like cambelts until manufacturers decided to fit cam chains that require replacement within the life of the engine.
It's easier to change a belt.
Back in the day, any engine in which the cam chain did not last its full life between total rebuilds was rightly regarded as an utter dog and any manufacturer who made such found themselves with a very thin order book overnight. These days they seem to get away with it.
One of the few retrograde steps in engine design.
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>> Back in the day, any engine in which the cam chain did not last its
>> full life between total rebuilds was rightly regarded as an utter dog and any manufacturer
>> who made such found themselves with a very thin order book overnight. These days they
>> seem to get away with it.
I suspect the life of cam chains hasn't changed, but the life of engines has increased dramatically. Modern engines outlast the cars they are bolted into. Old engines simply didn't last long enough for the chain to fail.
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>>You seem to misunderstand the whole point about £1000ish cars.
With all due respect, I think we're talking about different £1000ish cars.
Mine would be a £750 car which hasn't been neglected. Yours is a £750 car that needs another £500 spending on it. It's always cheaper if somebody else has done the work. :) Both the cars cost and are worth £750; one though needs another £500 spending.
>>My budget to run a car excluding fuel and insurance is £300
Wow. That's a heck of a lot for bangernomic motoring. Though I think the point is you're taking your "sensible" motoring money and proving what a bargain bangernomics is?
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Are you seriously saying that you would have expected this £700 car to come with 4 new quality tyres, a full all filters service, fresh MOT and brakes serviced/replaced to be good for another 20k?
You don't get that at £5k from a dealer.
As for this car being neglected...
Previous owner had it 6yrs and paid a specialist to regularly service and overhaul as needed. I have every invoice since new. At great cost in the not too distant past he replaced the clutch/dmf, timing belt, had a full suspension overhaul with bush/arm replacement etc etc. So it was a well judged purchase with all the big ticket stuff up to date and just routine consumables for me to do.
If it makes you feel better... to me this was a £1200 private sale car finished.... so I knocked it down to £700 knowing I could do all the work to a better standard than a garage and come in under budget.
But you're obviously winding me up and I've risen to it.
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FL
Mapmaker (IIRC) lives in London and therefore has easy access to a range of 'bangers' that those of us in the sticks can only dream of.
I certainly wouldn't worry about spending a bob or two on a 'bangernomics' machine whose provenance I was convinced of just as I spend money keeping my 12yo from new Xantia on the road.
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>> Are you seriously saying that you would have expected this £700 car to come with
>> 4 new quality tyres, a full all filters service, fresh MOT and brakes serviced/replaced to
>> be good for another 20k?
I think he does.
>> As for this car being neglected...
You don't need to repeat yourself because he's already stated that you've had the car three months, therefore he must have read the original posts with all the info.
Just a wind up merchant.
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Total spend is the key here. You've got a quick, well sorted turbodiesel saloon that's something a little bit out of the ordinary, with no significant faults, and which is highly likely to run for at least the next year without any major spend for £1300 including 3 months of use.
That is a bargain by any standards. I would imagine you'd get a grand back if you sold it on this time next year without too much trouble.
By buying the car cheap, then spending the money getting it sorted, you've given yourself a little more flexibility in determining what is worth doing, and what isn't, as well as knowing that what you have done has been done properly
I think you've done well.
Last edited by: DP on Thu 14 Mar 13 at 23:16
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>> Mine would be a £750 car which hasn't been neglected.
No, we're talking about a 1200 quid car here.
The choice is spending 1200 quid on one and trusting that all the things that you're told have been done have actually been done and done properly, or spending 700 quid and doing what needs doing with the balance.
I go for the second approach every time.
Five years ago, with a 9000 EUR budget, I bought a Zafira[1]. I did not buy a nicely tarted up and "recently serviced" 9000 EUR one, I bought a tidy, but aging, 8000 EUR one and treated it to four boots, front discs + pads all round, an exhaust, an EGR valve and a full service including cambelt.
Result was a car where I knew everything was right about it.
If you budget that way you don't spend any more money, but the peace of mind comes free and is worth quite a bit.
I flogged it the other day to some Georgian lads for 2200. Not bad.
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When I traded in my old BMW for peanuts, I had done everything to ensure it still had plenty of life to go. About the only thing it needed was tyres, which I didn't replace because I was getting to the stage where I wanted something different. Whoever bought that car would have just bought some tyres and had themselves a good runner. A mate has seen it still driving around. I hope it's giving them good service.
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>> Both the cars cost and are worth £750; one though needs another £500 spending.
Not really. One cost and is worth (presumably) £750, the other cost £750 + £500 and is worth £1250, or thereabouts.
Not really comparable.
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Oh don't get me wrong Fenlander, I'm still jealous ! Even if it does have a wretched cambelt ! One can forgive Alfas, like anything pretty, most things...
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Alfa Romeo 156 - 156 2.4JTD cheap car project - 3mths on. - PR
