Who has loved their Alfa?
“Alfa Romeos are renowned for their reliability” cackled the dealer, with his tongue so far into his cheek it almost broke out the other side.
But I wasn’t too worried – I had used the Used Car Expert fault guide to turn down two absolute pups, and this one just felt right.
While it can be easy to get frustrated with searching for a good deal on a used car, if you stay calm and take the time, you will eventually know the right car when you see it. Simply driving two or three will help you get a feel for the standard you can expect for your budget.
Car 1 for £2,200
In search of an Alfa Romeo GTV for £2,000 or less, I started with a dealer in North London. So far North it may even have been Hertfordshire.
For £2,200 I could buy their Alfa Romeo, with its slightly mis-coloured body work and two broken electric windows. Those things could have been fixed, and if they gave me the right price, I might still have gone for it. But there was no cambelt history, so I walked away.
Car 2 for £690
The second car I went to see was in Luton. It was more a warehouse of cars than a car dealer and while the car was low mileage it was also a right state. No MOT, a blowing exhaust, drab paintwork with peeling lacquer and an engine management light glowing proudly on the dash.
So for the second time I walked away, and headed even further a field. This time to a well-presented dealership called Burbury's of Cannock.
Car 3, for £890. It’s the one…
There was a major lacquer peel on one door – a common fault on red Alfas and Fiats of this age. But the rest of the paint work was bright red and the interior a lovely tan leather in good condition. A test drive and good look over it –using the fault check list - revealed nothing to worry about. I couldn’t find a road to get up to a high speed, but managed all the other checks.
With an £890 asking price, plus an estimated £200 of paintwork, I felt compared to the others that this made a good risk. I knew from my Used Car Expert prices that the value would then be £1,500 - £1,800 so there was scope to pay for hidden problems. Which seemed unlikely given all the paperwork showing its excellent history, 6 months MOT left, and the successful test drive. Plus in addition to Burbury's low price, they insisted on a levels check as they knew I had a long journey and everything about their dealership showed that they were committed to a fair deal.
It managed the 120 miles home – no problem. The journey revealed that there was a vibration in the steering when I braked really hard from high speed and that the front right head light had expired. The former was probably the common brake disc fault, and the bulb nothing, so I was still under budget.
The journey also revealed that the seats are incredibly comfortable. Even though I checked them all earlier, I was still amazed that the radio worked, the aerial automatically going up and down; that the air conditioning worked; that the window wipers and jets all worked, the de-misters and electric mirrors.. all… worked.
So my faith was starting to feel restored – you can still buy a great used car for not much money! But, I had promised myself that I would take the ultimate test after buying…
The Inspection at Velcoes Alfa Romeo Specialist
Veloces are an established Alfa Romeo Specilaist in North London. Their garage is immaculate, all white washed walls and Italian auto memorabilia. The mechanics push the cars in and out of the little workshops to ensure no mishaps.
All the cars they sell are perfectly prepared too. The only downside is that it all comes at a price – or two prices in a way.
Firstly, on the things you ask them to do you will pay a rate that puts them in the top quarter of the range – still cheaper than a main dealer, but not a bargain.
Secondly, they will tell you about every little thing that might need doing and in a way that can leave you worrying. Is this car a pup afterall?
And if you can’t afford to bring your Alfa Romeo up to ‘show standard’ then you need to be quite strong minded. I had the mechanical essentials done: replaced both fan resistors even though only one had failed (we don’t want the car overheating), a change of brake fluid and anti-freeze and the paint work.
As none of the rest was a safety factor, or could do wider consequential damage to the car’s reliability, I left them.
But that was still £586 including the VAT. The paint work was the expensive bit - £300, and therefore £100 more than I budgeted. I could have shopped around but ultimately I knew Veloces would do a great job of the paint work and I didn’t want to take the risk. And I may have been ‘techniqued’ by the service manager…
Tricks of the Trade…
The original quote was for one fan resistor and £380 of paint work, so I said, “please do the fan resistor and I’ll shop around on the paintwork.”
He called me back a bit later and said, “I’ve had a word with the body shop and they’ll do it for £300.”
A near 25% discount seemed good value to me. So I took it. Somewhere in that conversation though, he also got me to agree to doing two fan resistors, for an extra £79.
Coincidence? Or has he just moved the numbers about because he knew I would pay for any essential mechanical bits, but shop around for a cheaper deal on cosmetic stuff. We’ll never know.
Because the paint finish was of such an exceptional standard and everything else I asked for was sorted, I didn’t worry.
Driving Italiano…
I set about using the car in everyday situations to see how well it stood up to the challenge.
On several occasions, in the freezing cold, having stood for many days without use, I climbed in and winced at how cold the leather was. Then turned the key and… it started every time and within 5 minutes I was warm with de-misted windows and a big Alfa Romeo grin spread over my face.
I continued to marvel at how good it looks, how comfortable it is and on Norfolk’s B-roads I put 300 miles on the clock discovering and checking, and checking again, that its handling really is superb – and it is.
The steering needs quite big inputs compared to newer cars, but it doesn’t need a lot of inputs. Turn in once and hold your line, as the car produces a lovely poise and balance right through the corner. The mark of good handling.
As I became comfortable that the GTV wasn’t going to blow up at any second I started to rev a little harder out of corners and that’s when you discover the spirit of an Alfa Romeo. Under acceleration there is a growling little engine that stretched my grin a little bit more each time I heard it.
But Veloces list of suggested fixes was still nagging in the back of my mind. So I decided to take the car in for an MOT.
Cheap Reliable Car Inspection
The Alfa still had 6 months left on the existing ticket, so there was no risk. If it failed, the original MOT would still be valid. If it passed then it is useful context for me to judge Velcoes advice against.
Either way, I would get a list of ‘advisables’ which would tell me (or the next owner) what needs to be budgeted for in the year ahead.
And because the MOT test scheme is rigorously monitored, the advisables from the MOT test centre won’t exaggerate the advisable list, as a service manger, who is tasked with earning a garage money, might.
The MOT
I went to a Nationwide AutoCentre, who are endorsed by the AA and had an offer on for a half price MOT.
It passed with the following advisories, which for reference I compared to Veloces advice:
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Nationwide AutoCentre
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Veloces
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Top Ball Joint
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Not flagged
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Issue flagged
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Arm Bush
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Not flagged
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Issue flagged
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Reach Shock Absorber
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Not flagged
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Issue flagged
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Spring Pan Arm
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Not flagged
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Issue flagged
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Centre exhaust box rust
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Not flagged
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Issue flagged
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Front brake pads worn
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Issue flagged
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Issue flagged
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Front brake discs worn
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Issue flagged
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Issue flagged
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Front tyre wear
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Issue flagged
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Issue flagged
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Wheel alignment
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Issue flagged
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Issue flagged
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So there you go, I saved a lot of money, not doing things that don’t need to be done. And I know to budget for brakes and tyres over the next six months.
If only the Nationwide AutoCentre in North Finchley hadn’t crashed the front right corner, badly scuffing the bumper and gouging a chunk out of the front wing, I would have been pleased with them. It seems they don't push their cars in and out of the workshop, and that one gets what one pays for when it comes to mechanics.
Had they confessed to their mistake I would have been OK with them. However, as they tried to pretend they hadn’t done it, I have to warn you to go elsewhere for your M.O.T.
The Used Car Expert Conclusions
- Alfa Romeo GTVs are gorgeous little sports cars with poise and balance. They capture the spirit of the Alfa brand.
- They can be cheap to buy and do run reliably.
- You need to use good specialists for important maintenance, but not let them talk you into over-spending.
- MOTs are useful, but be careful which garage you go to for the work.
