Great starter car, especially these days given the price. Only a couple of things to be wary of with the 147 with T-Spark engine. Timing belt is a must. The one posted above must have that changed given the age and mileage. Variator's are also a common enough issue (part of the engine timing). Try start one from cold and listen for a momentary tappety noise before the engine oil gets up to pressure and conceals the issue. Again no biggy, easily fixed, common enough issue, but if its not done, its haggle room for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by 318 iS Cosmos
Unfortunately the 147 also likes front suspension components much like the E46, so pay a bit of attention there also. Again, parts plentiful and not extortionate.
Bulbs. Bulbs. Bulbs. The 147 & GT suffer from bad earthing on front headlight bulbs! Usually the pushfit sidelights, still a bit of a pain in the arse. Bit of DIY re-doing the connections are you are good to go.
Finally inside. The interiors are top notch in look/feel/design and materials used, sadly let down by some shoddy fit and finish. This improved over the years I was in Alfa's, and in most cases is fixed with refitting interior panels using new clips.
The BOSE audio upgrade is ok in them. Good additional thump and a bit of depth, its not superb, but was better than the HK system in my old E46. So don't let it be a deal breaker.
As you can see, all minor things. But unfortunately, all these fiddly issues together give the Alfa's fuel for bashing. I'd buy another without hesitation - probably a Ti sportwagen though :cool:
http://mobilite.mobi/wp-content/uplo...n-images-1.jpg
Oh yeah, Dave just bought his touring from that company, might be worth a shout for some feedback.