ronbyrne wrote::shock: i live in dublin, have got it into my head to buy an fto or alfa romeo,
Hey,
Like Ciaran I'm on my second FTO - changed from the 1.8lt GS to a 2.0lt GR. And like you I considered an alfa when I was changing (well actually my finacé kinda pushed me that way).
Personally I really like the look of the 156 (as long as it has 16/17's and the side skirts) and they are pretty nice inside, especially with leather. The 2.0lt has good performance and sounds great for a 4 cylinder car. BUT (here it comes), have a look around, how many do you see every day?? And why do you think they have decreciated so much? Ok so you can pick up a low(ish) milage 00 reg for close to 10K euro which might seem like a good deal until..... (a) you realise you have to use alfa parts for all repairs (big bucks) & (b) things start to fall apart (and this is guaranteed)!! IThe advice from my mechanic (who loves alfa romeo's) was "great car but not if you own it"!!! Here's a good idea of the thought that (didn't) go into the design of the 156... apparently the airbox for the 156 is located close to the passenger front wheel - and because it is so low these cars suffer a lot from water damage to the engine from people driving through small puddles!!!
All the above pretty much applies in general to all alfa's and the GTV's I looked at were either way too expensive (25K+) or very crap and the 3.0lt is very expensive to maintain!
So what about the FTO???? Best combination of looks, handling and performance this side of 50K euro! Looks great, pretty rare, handles fantastic, performance is great and there is a superb network of owners in ireland and the UK as well as cheap parts suppliers so maintenance is pretty hassle free. Believe me the FTO will humble most other cars in real world performance. And all this for somewhere for 5-8K euro depending on condition, gearbox (manuals are more expensive) and mods............
As for insurance, I'm 29 with 4 years NCB (which I just go back cause had one accident 4 yrs ago) and I'm paying 1700 tpft so 1800 doesn't sound too bad.
i live in dublin, have got it into my head to buy an fto or alfa romeo, something with character you know, i want advice or help in testing in checking a few out and also advice on insurance quotes, i currently have a 520i costs 800 euro but i am quoted 1800 for fto, is that ok ? alfa 156 2ltr only 860 euro, i like the fto a bit mad ( i also own a kawasaki 500 h1 ) if anyone know what that is .
