You Can Buy An Alfa GT For Just Over £1000 And I'm Actually Quite Tempted
Alfa Romeo really does have a lot of making up to do. Sure, in the Giulia the Italian manufacturer now has a genuine BMW 3-series rival with a - shock horror - newly developed rear-wheel drive platform, but the era of shoddy Alfas we’re only just getting away from leaves a lot to be desired.
Case in point? The GT coupe. Under its handsome Bertone-penned flanks it’s essentially a rehashed, front-wheel drive 147 hatchback, a car derived from the 156 saloon, which itself sat on an old Fiat platform.
When I first passed my test I wanted one of these really badly, until I sat in one at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and experienced the laughably cheap-feeling cabin first hand. I do like the idea of the 3.2-litre ‘Busso’ V6 version, but the slow 2.0-litre ‘JTS’ petrol or 1.9-litre ‘JTDM’ diesel? Forget it.
However, when cars depreciate enough, they can become tempting propositions despite what you might have thought about them previously. And these non-V6 GTs are getting cheap: while the six-pots require a budget of £5000 and up, prices for other versions start as low as £1000 these days.
Yes, these aren’t the last word in handling and they’re hilariously slow (you’re looking at 9.6 seconds to 60mph for the 150bhp diesel for example), but as a pretty - potentially disposable - runaround for a little while? If I needed such a thing right now, I’d be tempted.
This one has done just under 100,000 miles, and is up for £1295. It is the diesel however, which has a habit of breaking. Expensively. So if you’re serious about buying one, maybe wait until a cheap JTS comes up. Either way, that’s a lot of car for £1295, isn’t it?
Comments
GTV is cheaper, I’d go for a Busso GTV. The prices start from 2000 or 3000 euros - in Finland ;)
I have a twin spark spider and it’s more reliable than any car I have owned
Like we don’t have enough rusty cars in CT staff…
These don’t rust, pre 96 cars rust, not these…
Is it just the m-jet you are talking about in the reliability? I have a 1.9 jtd 156 and i have seen many examples reaching 500k km easily. One even had 900k!!
In fact, those are very reliable engines… As the people who actually owned one know…
I own a 147 1.9 jtdm and I’ve made almost 400k km on it easily, and the only major fix I had to do in 17 years was a clutch. So I thinks it’s a quite reliable car!
There is an 156 1.9 jtd in Romania that has made 950k km
Friend of mine just sold his red JTS petrol for £1300. It was a very stylish and inculcate car. Very cheap for what it is really.
As a bloke whos owned too many alfas to count … BUY IT NOW FOR GOD SAKE IT WILL NOT DISAPOINT .
Agree… They have something special in them…
Many lies about the Alfa GT in this “article”… habit of breaking expensively? cheap feeling cabin? hilariously slow?? LOOOOL!! small talk from who has never driver or owned one of these cars…
Yep… I was perplexed too…
Mmmmm, pass, if a red Busso and in Australia for the same money however…
I own 1.9 JTD as my first car, it is brilliant to drive and a perfect first car for a young pertolhead. Absolutely a steal for its low price ;)
indead it is, i bought myself a 1.9 jtd 156 for my first car for 3.5k here in Portugal which is “kinda” of a bargain for the car you get, loving it ever since, and since the engines are bulletproof, I don’t understand why people don’t get their hands on these more.
Me too! It was about 800 euro’s and looks great (check pics please)
Owning an 156 JTS here. I’d recommend the diesel version, or even better a Busso, for someone that’s interested in buying a GT. Those JTS engines are known to be very unreliable engines, partly because of the 1st gen direct injection, partly because of the poor Bosch electronics.
Those diesels can take quite a beating and can be easily modified. With some modifications (bigger turbo, remap, FMIC) they can reach up to 230-250 bhp. Also you can fit a Quaife or Q2 (made by Alfa) lsd. #justmy2cents
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