MOTOR CHAT

RobMac":nlfqtlnh said:
And thank you Jeremy Clarkson :LOL:

When you get to my age, and have covered the miles I have in various locations and vehicles, you do tend to get so far up yourself you could do your own tonsillectomy.

I think Clarkson is a fair bit taller than me, so I reckon he wouldn't settle for the ultra low old Legacy. My back hurts!

Reckon I can probably drive a bit more swiftly too; his jowls flap too vigorously to allow more than gentlemanly progress, despite his certified cad status.

Alfa 147?

Damn fine wee motors!
 
highlandsflyer":yo234ky0 said:
Alfa 147?

Damn fine wee motors!

Yes they are, with some reservations...

1/ Avoid anything with a Selespeed gearbox. It's dire. In the same way that syphilis is dire, but the selespeed is probably more irritating and harder to get rid of.

2/ The 3.2l V6 GTA model might seem like a bargain hot hatch, but if you've already had a Golf R32, forget it. The GTA is very quick, and has an induction noise that will make you moist. But in almost every other respect its a very poor car. It understeers like its been driven over a Police stinger, and has the turning circle of the Ark Royal. Compared to the R32, it'll be a total disappointment.

3/ 1.6 litre petrols were / are gutless. In fact the 2.0 litre petrol is (in my book) only just tolerable. It pains me to say it, but the best ones are the diesels (ugh... :facepalm: ). (Alfa petrols have been bloody awful for years. In '07 I was lusting after a 159, but a test drive in a 2.0 petrol version put me right off. It felt so slow I thought there was actually something wrong with it. I ended up with a Mazda 6 MPS, a 260bhp 4 wheel drive performance saloon that was stealthier than a B2 bomber and more comfortable than a feather bed. I really miss that car.)

4/ The Q2 versions have an LSD and the 150hp diesel. So they go well, and have plenty of traction... That's the one to have.
 
@ GSB. Great advice. I was planning on getting the diesel. Heard the JTD engine was good. Some cracking examples around for the 2-3 grand mark. As long as water pump and timing belt are done it's a great car apparently :cool:
 
I used to be a car enthusiast, a temporary perversion of my youth back in the deluded days when derailleurs seemed a good idea.

My first car was a barn find - one of the Singer team cars from the 1934 Le Mans race - cost me £15. Bit of petrol, a borrowed dud battery, some energetic work with a bicycle pump (lots and lots of it!), about half an hour of maybe this time with the starting handle, and I drove it home unencumbered by a driving licence (too young), registration, insurance, or MoT. It had a crunchy diff, and that was the first of several major jobs I had to do on it. Luckily I didn't know diffs were supposed to be difficult, I just thought I wasn't very good at it and stripped it a few times to reshim and rematch cogs until I got it right.



Singer LeMans Special Speed "Porthos"
 
velomaniac":1rxe7wo7 said:
I read motor chat and find myself mystified most times. Dont know my big end from my back side me :LOL:

The big end is the bit that rattles if you don't keep yourself well lubricated. :)
 
Jawny":1l9uqf53 said:
Got my eye on a Alfa Romeo 147. A lot o car for 2 grand. I've driven some very nice cars over the years but been using a Transit for business. Damn I miss my wee golf r32


I've got an Alfa 147 2.0 t-spark, I love it other that the fuel and repair bills, I've been playing timing belt roulette for almost a year :) sadly having to sell it on now, 3 cars is too many.
 

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