revtothelimit - motorbike forum

In need of a cheap car to throw a bike or the dog in occasionally, tip runs etc... Would prefer an estate, but a hatchback with proper folding rear seats is big enough... Anyway...

Been looking and have found a 2006 Alfa 147 1.9JTD locally to me, with 104k on the clock, current owner has known the car its whole life, bought the car off previous owner who was a mechanic. The car has been over serviced, wanted for nothing it seems. MOT history absolutely spotless until this year it needed a new ARB drop link (and warnings about tyres being a bit perished)... It wasn't something I was necessarily looking for, but it is cheap... Like under £700 cheap. And it looks pretty much spotless.



So... Never having owned an Alfa or anything with the Fiat Multijet engine in either... What do I need to know? Reasons to avoid even at under £700? It looks lovely in a nice shade of dark blue, cream leather interior etc...

The question is, will I regret it, or like the last uber cheap banger I bought, will it turn out to be one of the best cars I've ever bought...?

Engine probably good, but make sure to check the bodywork for rust inside under and out, bit like a fiat supermiafiori(not sure of spelling, v4?). Goes like stink but rusts like shite

You'll need to wear a raincoat if you drive in the wet..

If you're after a cheap wagon and diesel is OK have a look for a seat exeo. It's basically an early audi a4 with the later vag engines in but without ad blue hassles.

Check the front wings for rust though as there is a piece of sound deadening foam which if not removed will retain moisture.

Alas have a history of body rot, but that looks very tidy.
Fiat engines tend towards being bomb proof. At £700 I would be inclined to go for it.

If you do buy it, don't forget that you will be obliged to drive around hanging out of the window, bibbing your horn annoyingly all night long, should any Italian team win a European match, notwithstanding how minor it is.

I'd go for. You can then call yourself an Alfisti. Bello!

For 700 quid I'd say it's a cheap way into being able to claim genuine petrol-head* status.











* Apparantly you're not a real car-driving enthusiast until you've owned and Alfa (and can complain about it).

Rockburner wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 10:01 am For 700 quid I'd say it's a cheap way into being able to claim genuine petrol-head* status.











* Apparantly you're not a real car-driving enthusiast until you've owned and Alfa (and can complain about it).

Woot! I'm a real car-driving enthusiast!

(They gave me an Alfa (diesel) when I was working in Belgium and I covered a lot of miles in it too-ing and fro-ing at weekends. It wasn't memorable in any way, just did what it needed to do and didn't go wrong. I have no idea what model it was. Best thing was it came with an account for fuel Oh, there is a memorable thing....because it had Belgian plates on it seemed to be a magnet for attention from les customs plod at the French end of the Tunnel. Another colleague in a similar situation had his car half dismantled - bumpers off etc - by them. Dunno why they pick on the Belgians, usual antipathy between neighbours maybe, but a Dutch colleague also thought that Belgians were gun-selling/dope dealing crims too).

Anything at that price you just have to drive and see if it's crap or not. Then go in to it assuming that the worst that will happen is that you'll weigh it in for scrap at some point for £150 or thereabouts.

It's not been over serviced or pampered if the tyres are perished. Does it need a cambelt?

If theres no history of rot then its all good. For me its a no brainer at that price.

Ditchfinder wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 6:34 am If you're after a cheap wagon and diesel is OK have a look for a seat exeo. It's basically an early audi a4 with the later vag engines in but without ad blue hassles.

Check the front wings for rust though as there is a piece of sound deadening foam which if not removed will retain moisture.

I have looked... Proper bangers available for £1500, anything worth buying is £2.5k up... Which I can't justify right now... Was high on the list (loved that older shape A4 and drove several, owned Passats of that era too) but still too much cash.

Taipan wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 12:15 pm If theres no history of rot then its all good. For me its a no brainer at that price.

Doesn't seem to be. Mention of a bit of surface corrosion on the front sub frame, but only for the first time in this year's MOT... Bit of lanoguard on that and it'd be several years before it became a problem I suspect.

dern wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 11:02 am Anything at that price you just have to drive and see if it's crap or not. Then go in to it assuming that the worst that will happen is that you'll weigh it in for scrap at some point for £150 or thereabouts.

It's not been over serviced or pampered if the tyres are perished. Does it need a cambelt?

Tyres are a consumable... Not too worried about them. Current owner has had it 2/3 years, bought it off the first owner who is the now retired mechanic who did all the work to it. It's only done about 2k miles per year for the last 10yrs looking at MOT history, so not surprised the tyres are perishing rather than worn out.

Cambelt and water pump was fitted not all that long ago I believe. Will check when another is due.

Cousin Jack wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 7:27 am Alas have a history of body rot, but that looks very tidy.
Fiat engines tend towards being bomb proof. At £700 I would be inclined to go for it.

My Dad had a couple of Alfa's in the late 70's and early 80's and he said they were deemed throwaway cars... Buy it new, run it for 3yrs (he used to do 40-50k miles per year back then as a salesman) and then if it was worth anything more than scrap value consider yourself lucky...

Times changed since then though. 147's were all fully galvanised I believe (or at least the later cars like this one were)... But I will give it a thorough check anyway.

mboy wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 2:08 pm

Ditchfinder wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 6:34 am If you're after a cheap wagon and diesel is OK have a look for a seat exeo. It's basically an early audi a4 with the later vag engines in but without ad blue hassles.

Check the front wings for rust though as there is a piece of sound deadening foam which if not removed will retain moisture.

I have looked... Proper bangers available for £1500, anything worth buying is £2.5k up... Which I can't justify right now... Was high on the list (loved that older shape A4 and drove several, owned Passats of that era too) but still too much cash.

I let mine go too cheap last week I reckon, (mine was the one on Singletrack)

gremlin wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 9:58 am If you do buy it, don't forget that you will be obliged to drive around hanging out of the window, bibbing your horn annoyingly all night long, should any Italian team win a European match, notwithstanding how minor it is.

I'd go for. You can then call yourself an Alfisti. Bello!

And loudly scream "Avanti! Avanti! " out the window within 2 nanoseconds of any traffic light turning green.

Who buys an old man blue Alfa?

Tell them you'll have it if they paint it red.

Ditchfinder wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 4:33 pm

mboy wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 2:08 pm

Ditchfinder wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 6:34 am If you're after a cheap wagon and diesel is OK have a look for a seat exeo. It's basically an early audi a4 with the later vag engines in but without ad blue hassles.

Check the front wings for rust though as there is a piece of sound deadening foam which if not removed will retain moisture.

I have looked... Proper bangers available for £1500, anything worth buying is £2.5k up... Which I can't justify right now... Was high on the list (loved that older shape A4 and drove several, owned Passats of that era too) but still too much cash.

I let mine go too cheap last week I reckon, (mine was the one on Singletrack)

You did! Hey ho.

KungFooBob wrote: Mon Jun 16, 2025 6:33 pm Who buys an old man blue Alfa?

Tell them you'll have it if they paint it red.

I LOVE that blue… Especially with the cream leather!

Honestly I saw a Ferrari 456 in a similar shade of metallic blue once and it suited the car so much better than the usual Red would have done…

Also, my last 2 cheap bangers that were brilliant cars were also dark metallic blue, so it’s definitely a good luck colour for me…

mboy wrote: Tue Jun 17, 2025 9:43 am Honestly I saw a Ferrari 456 in a similar shade of metallic blue once and it suited the car so much better than the usual Red would have done…

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/18622840

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Tue Jun 17, 2025 10:28 am

mboy wrote: Tue Jun 17, 2025 9:43 am Honestly I saw a Ferrari 456 in a similar shade of metallic blue once and it suited the car so much better than the usual Red would have done…

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/18622840

Lovely! A little out of my budget though…

Have you bought it yet?

Mr Moofo wrote: Tue Jun 17, 2025 3:45 pm Have you bought it yet?

He was busy last night in the end, but just been over to see it now.

Given him a deposit, he’s gonna drop it off to me next week sometime as soon as the V5 comes back (he’s had private plate on it which is coming off)…

So turns out he’s had it a year, the previous owner had it 18yrs… There’s a small garage and high end luxury car dealership (Porsches, Ferrari’s, Aston’s, Lambo’s etc.) not far away and turns out this car was the wife of the owners… It got serviced annually in the garage regardless of mileage and wanted for nothing. The guy I bought it off was the upholsterer for the garage (which is now under new ownership after the owner retired last year), and he inherited it as part payment last year for a job shortly after the wife had taken delivery of a brand new Alfa Stelvio…

So it’s maybe not as mint as it looks in the pics. There’s a few scuffs, a bit of surface rust starting at the edge of the wheel arches to the sills. And the bonnet could do with a repaint… But I’ve seen much worse on much newer German cars! There’s remarkably little rust underneath, obviously some surface corrosion but nothing deep that I could see. It goes well, drives straight, everything works (Aircon could do with a re-gas but hey, to be expected!) and it’s nice and clean and tidy to inside…

The tyres are actually all matching Conti’s in fairly good condition, they’re just strangely quite old (must have been old stock when fitted)… They’ll be ok for now.

Cambelt and pump were done 10k miles ago, although due next year on age if not mileage…

At £695 it comes with a £640 bill to get it through this years MOT (new brake caliper, arb drop links, labour etc) and has 10 months MOT left…

It’ll do for what I need it for for the immediate future…