What you need is a 159 TBI the best version of the 159, it has the 4C engine in it, I have a estate which I am really impressed with. It is 200hp standard and can be remapped to 240, 280hp, however as mine is low mileage, it really feels faster than 200hp, especially mid range over taking. I also own a GTV busso 3.2, which they only made 500 of. Worked on Italian cars for 30 year and owned and driven most of them. The TBI's are rare, especially in TI versions, but can't think of a better everyday family car that looks amazing, as seen on James Bond! The 159 V6 is a General Motors block and is no Busso, the TBI is by far a better engine to have.
@@dadcars I have a 159 V6 Ti Q4 manual, its on of only 2 in the UK, its had a few choice mods Bilsteins, eibach lowering springs , selected polybushes and its an absoluetly brilliant and underrated car, i also put a catback staiunless steel exhaust on it and it sounds amazing.
What a load of crap.... the 1750 tbi on the 159 is actually the worst the Giulietta beats it any day, still has 5 doors and not much diference in space to the 159... so a better dad car overall...
Get an Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce 280bhp 0-60 in 5.7s. Pick them up from around £15k. Some call them the baby QV but trust me they are much more than that. Fantastic drive without the craziness of the QV. Very much underrated and flies under the radar because of its big brother. Well worth a review.
Love that the Giulia is rwd. I have a base model from the States where all of them have 280hp. Very happy with it. Before that I had a couple of 166's, those were cheap as chips around 10 years ago, but it's getting hard to find a good one now
I love how you involve your daughters. I also love how involved they are in your video. They actually seem interested. While I doubt they will not all grow up to car girls but I suspect at least 1 if not 2 of them will do. Also a lovely car. If by some miracle i ever had the money I would have two of these 1 manual 1 selespeed and one each of the saloon and estate.
I hear all the time about petrolheads who have sons and one doesn’t care and the other loves cars so odds are not all of them will be. But with 4 I’m hoping one or two are car enthusiasts 🙏
I daily my 147 GTA, absolutely love it! It keeps up with much more exotic machinery with no trouble. Fantastic and underrated cars. I’ve had six Busso engined cars, one had over 250 000 kms and had never been rebuilt, just well looked after. I had a 159 with the 2.4 diesel, it was the most reliable car ever.
All very tasteful modifications! Love the OEM+ way of modifying 😊 As you say Ben they don’t make them like they used to and only enthusiasts are saving them and putting money into these noughties hot hatches. There will come a time when values will keep going up and up when the rough ones get cut up and only enthusiasts ones are left. These are already on the up!
@@dadcars really glad it got other owners to step forward! Just need a Vauxhall Astra VXR and VW Golf with the VR6 of the same generation (in blue?!) to step forward and you’ve pretty much got some of the most characterful hot hatches of that era covered.
Po' Dad sensible compromise option: 147 Sport Q2 (150bhp) or Ducati Corsa (170bhp), 80% of GTA at ~25% of cost. Map to 185-200bhp and still get 47mpg on a run. Only thing is no Busso snarl, but the JTDM's sound like a Lancaster on a bombing run. Provided the swirl flaps (grenade!) have been removed and cam belt & waterpump is serviced, the 1.91 16v JTDM is bulletproof and easily capable of 300,000mls with no more than regular service. Rustproofing was also better on these later (2007-2010) cars.
Had the 156 gta. It was an expensive pain in the ass even 11 years ago - i shudder to think what it'd be like now they dont make the parts for them - but i miss it more than anything else I've owned. It was something really special.
Same! Owned a 147GTA and it cost me a fortune to keep on the road. Previous owner gave me a boatload of receipts, but it still needed lots of regular TLC....that was back in 2008 as well, so can only imagine it's worse now! Absolutely loved that car though....started my love for the Alfa brand. Now on a Giulia Quad after owning a 4C.
Well I can tell you - I daily a 2002 156 GTA with over 270,000km on it (inc 50,000km by me in almost three years). It is the best car of the +20 I've owned in the last 35 years. As to cost - well I bought it for almost nothing (probably the cheapest in Oz in 2021) - I paid A$8500 (about £4k) with 220,000km on it and has always been used, never babied. It is a very early GTA but has most of the usual mods and upgrades: adjustable coilovers, Q2 diff, 330mm Brembos, front and rear strut braces, custom headers and exhaust. Needed to spend another £1.5k to get it up to speed for local registration, but that was prety much it for 2 years other than servicing. In that time was actually cheaper to maintain than my two prior 2.5L 156 V6s. I've been using a family-owned Alfa workshop for all my Alfas for the last 15 years, and they are brilliant, and ultimately cheaper as they fix things the first time. Now, I'll admit in the last 6 months I've had a few unplanned expenses - all simply due to the age of the car which together with usual services costs have cost about £5k - clutch replacement, busted injector which hydrolocked one cylinder with fuel (but did no other damage), snapped gear selector cable, failed engine bay main fusebox (lost half the electrics), leaking fuel line-fuel rail connection - all of which involved standing by the roadside waiting for a flatbed. On top of that, in about six months it'll be due for its next cambelt/pump replacement (about £1.2k). In a normal "non-cambelt" year, annual maintenance servicing is typically about £1.5k. But insurance here is not too unaffordable though I had to use an "enthusiasts/specialist" insurer (insured for £10k @ £40/month) and she is surprisingly economical given I do +300km/week in mostly peak hour traffic - averaging 10-11L/100km (98RON costs about £1/L here). I absolutely love this car and at this point think I'll keep it for good - though I am now starting to ponder buying a really cheap Japanese runaround just for the daily grind, so I'm not overloading the old girl as much. Plus that would enable me to take the dogs out with me on the road - no way they're allowed to scuff the leather of the GTA. But I might find the missus would put the pressure on to get rid of my other Alfa ('81 GTV) if I were to do that - in her world, 4 cars for two people on one driveway is a bit extravagant... To put all that in context, I could pay + £30k for a newish 3 series, S3, or Golf GTi, and still be spending all the same/higher on-road + maintenance costs whilst also facing the prospect of financially ruinous engine/electrical/transmission issues as soon as the car gets near 150,000km.
Well I can tell you - I daily a 2002 156 GTA with over 270,000km on it (inc 50,000km by me in almost three years). It is the best car of the +20 I've owned in the last 35 years. As to cost - well I bought it for almost nothing (probably the cheapest in Oz in 2021) - I paid A$8500 (about £4k) with 220,000km on it and has always been used, never babied. It is a very early GTA but has most of the usual mods and upgrades: adjustable coilovers, Q2 diff, 330mm Brembos, front and rear strut braces, custom headers and exhaust. Needed to spend another £1.5k to get it up to speed for local registration, but that was pretty much it for 2 years other than servicing. In that time was actually cheaper to maintain than my two prior 2.5L 156 V6s. I've been using a family-owned Alfa workshop for all my Alfas for the last 15 years, and they are brilliant, and ultimately cheaper as they fix things the first time. Now, I'll admit in the last 6 months I've had a few unplanned expenses - all simply due to the age of the car which together with usual services costs have cost about £5k - clutch replacement, busted injector which hydrolocked one cylinder with fuel (but did no other damage), snapped gear selector cable, failed engine bay main fusebox (lost half the electrics), leaking fuel line-fuel rail connection - all of which involved standing by the roadside waiting for a flatbed. On top of that, in about six months it'll be due for its next cambelt/pump replacement (about £1.2k). In a normal "non-cambelt" year, annual maintenance servicing is typically about £1.5k. But insurance here is not too unaffordable though I had to use an "enthusiasts/specialist" insurer (insured for £10k @ £40/month) and she is surprisingly economical given I do +300km/week in mostly peak hour traffic - averaging 10-11L/100km (98RON costs about £1/L here). I absolutely love this car and at this point think I'll keep it for good - though I am now starting to ponder buying a really cheap Japanese runaround just for the daily grind, so I'm not overloading the old girl as much. Plus that would enable me to take the dogs out with me on the road - no way they're allowed to scuff the leather of the GTA. But I might find the missus would put the pressure on to get rid of my other Alfa ('81 GTV) if I were to do that - in her world, 4 cars for two people on one driveway is a bit extravagant... To put all that in context, I could pay + £30k for a newish 3 series, S3, or Golf GTi, and still be spending all the same/higher on-road + maintenance costs whilst also facing the prospect of financially ruinous engine/electrical/transmission issues as soon as the car gets near 150,000km.
Just moved to England, two small people, and out of left field one of these came up at auction and we won with our final bid. Pick up on Thursday and just hoping this recent Japanese import doesn’t complain too much about the English weather. Will be my daily and kids at weekends. Properly stoked and enjoyed your vid.
I love these Alfas. Personally I´d go for a 156 GTA Sportwagon. And since they did make a 156 Crosswagon that had 4x4 I´d look into converting a GTA to 4x4. Would be the perfect sporty car for the winter here in Norway. But I have promised myself that the next car will be a GTV6 2,5 V6 Busso. Nice video as always.
I drive a 147 2.0 Twin Spark as my daily driver, and put teledials on it. With 5 doors it’s a little more practical and £160 quid a year to insure. I love it.
Wheels are referred to as teledials, cars are rock solid reliable if maintained, 156 GTA would be a better Dadcar option with two extra doors. All Alfa busso engined front drive cars should have a Q2 differential as that was the cars only weak spot. Later cars had 330 front rotors over the earlier 305.
Great video, love the interaction with your daughters! I had a 2004 156GTA SW from new (which had Isofix...) and it was a literal "new dad" car for me, as it was the car which replaced my Academy Caterham and tow car combo when my daughter was on the way! It was a wonderful car, probably the one I look back on most fondly as I bought it new (hugely discounted.....) and just loved the way it looked, sounded, and went. In 4.5 years it never broke down, but had plenty of niggles (the air con rarely worked for a start) and it was next to impossible to get them sorted. The dealers - as they had been for the 156 2.5V6 I had before racing the Caterham - were useless. When I had the suspension refreshed all round, cambelt and waterpump changed, and Q2 diff fitted, it cost me over £5000. From a specialist. In 2008. Good luck running one cheaply now........The 147 and 156GTA are very similar underneath, and back then were not a comparatively unsafe car in a crash, now they are. It skipped over bumps terrifyingly under hard braking, and would oversteer at the slightest lift cornering at - by modern car standards - modest speeds. That character is great compared to overly planted modern cars, but not for a dadcar...What could happen to your loved ones in a bad crash is the big issue with all older cars and you are right to highlight it, its not discussed enough. Why not get as low-cost a Giulia as possible? They start under £10k. I have a Quad now (which has broken down and is far more to run than the GTA was) and the best thing about it, is not the Quad stuff. Its the Giulia stuff. Its a sublime driving position in a lovely interior in a wonderful looking, wonderful handling, RWD car that can actually handle UK roads. And it had the highest NCAP ratings of any car when tested, so no excuses needed.
Yep I highlighted the great NCAP results in my review, better than a lot of SUVs 👏 if you hear of someone who’s about to PX one in let me know, it’s a shame my budget is too tight for the spec I’d want
@@dadcars Although the petrol ones start at £14k not £10k, bear in mind the 2.0T petrol engines are all the same. So you can easily chip it to Veloce+ spec (300bhp) and remove the "always on" TC at the same time....... Put some of the Quad teledial wheels on and it would be a nice car...
Ben, if you're tempted to try out a GTA "on a budget" there is always the GT coupe. Available with the last of the busso engine 3.2 (slightly down on power) up until about 2006. Best of all; at a fraction of the price of decent 147 GTA. Cheap as chips so no big Maserati-esque gambles!
@@dadcarsmarketing reasons to not steal the limelight of the GTAs. From what I have heard the difference is in the map because mechanically they are identical!
Actually the last 3.2GTs rolled into showrooms in 2010 - using the last of the GTA engines which had been sitting on the shelf since production ended in 2005. I believe it was detuned so as to not rob sales from the 159 3.2 (not a Busso - used the awful GM block). Plus the GT did not come with the Q2 diff as standard - and that really is a must have with the 3.2 Busso which had a tendency to eat gearboxes in cars with the stock open diff.
Brilliant video! You must try an Alfa Romeo GT. As a project you could get a 3.2 and with help (and maybe sponsorship) from a specialist, upgrade to GTA spec - including a remap and a Q2 differential!
We had one on our channel for 5 years! Miss this car everyday ! We did do a lot of content with it! I miss the noise, the smell of the leather, the way it drives... I don't miss spending the value of the car again after buying it haha!
I’ve had a 156 v6 and more recently a GT 3.2 v6. Engines pull hard and sound amazing. Modded with KW coilovers. Had no issues with my cars and they were driven hard but maintained meticulously. Highly recommend. Haven’t heard of these engines needing a rebuild at 100k either. A quaife/q2 diff is a must though 😉
Mine is nearly at 100k and it’s performing beautifully. Whilst I have seen ones at half the mileage with failed headgaskets. They need to be driven frequently and maintained properly.
@@dadcars very much so. For £10k a 147 GTA will not be a (mint) manual but instead an import selespeed, however, the GT will be manual and probably immaculate at that price. Ps I replaced my GT with a Gransport a few years back 😜
totally agree regarding the "rebuild" falsehood. Have a look in the owners groups - loads of GTAs and other Busso V6s with galactic mileage on the Continent. I've seen a 156 GTA with over 500,000km and lesser spec cars with over 600,000km. It's rarely the engines in these needing a rebuild unless the owner was a complete numpty who ignored the timing belt change interval. As I've already noted above, my '02 GTA has done over 270,000km and I drive +300km/week in peak hour traffic.
Those wheels are the factory GTA wheels for the 156/147 GTA. The GTV had a similar wheel called the Cup wheel. There are loads of Alfa wheels colloquially called “Teledials”
@@dadcars The GTA 17' teledials are the only choice for the GTA. Just had mine refurbished, and what a difference. Plus they are almost impossible to replace.
As a dad of 3 with one of these, they aren’t the most practical dad car but it’s doable. Like most young families with these it’s my weekend car and the family car is a far more sensible and reliable Touran! I love mine but be prepared to spend the odd ££££ when something expensive breaks!
Good old Afa 147 GTA, easily one of my favourite cars, but just pipped at the post by the GT with the Busso engine. I think they are Teledial wheels, or are very similar.
@@dadcars There is one for sale on Autotrader that I would love to own which has been properly looked after and has been fitted with the all important Quaife diff which makes the car a lot less of a hedgefinder. It's the most expensive one listed (£9,600), but it looks to be in beautiful condition. Ask your mate Jayemm about the GT, because he has reviewed one before.
Hi Ben. Hope you & Family are doing well. That is one cool car. I love the front end, color & the rims on it. It sounds really good too. Can't wait to see the next video. Take care and stay safe.
I do the same with Bluey 😊 we never get it 100% right but if you’re thinking about wanting to be a good dad then chances are you’re doing better than you think ❤️
Giuseppe Busso, whilst known for designing the sonorous V6, was previously Enzo's technical director at Ferrari. Busso also designed the four cylinder 'Bialbero' or 'Nord' engine which went into many other Alfa's. For a Dad car I think a 156 GTA Sportwagon would be much better than a 147. As others have mentioned too , a GT might be a better option to as it's built on the Sportwagon platform. Either way there is no other road going V6 that sounds that good.
Great video, Ben. I’ve been a huge fan of the 147 GTA since forever and have wanted one so badly. I came close many times but could never quite get there. The last time I came close to buying one, I bought my GranSport instead haha. The GTA is a fantastic car but one that has its quirks. It has to have the diff replaced with either a Quaife or a Q2 (this is absolutely essential) and timing belts need doing every 3 years or so, which is not cheap. I was actually told it’s cheaper to run my GranSport than the GTA. I will definitely get one soon though. They are a unique car with a great design and an absolute peach of an engine. They definitely don’t make them like this anymore
I f****** love these cars. I currently have a 916 GTV twin spark and I’m on the hunt for something with a Busso as it’s an itch I feel I have to scratch. The shortlist is one of these, a GTV with the Busso, GT or 156 GTA (saloon or tourer).
Just sold my 156 sportwagon GTA after 5 years. Only broke once when a water pipe split but it was on 120k miles when i sold it other than that mechanically very strong. Did it cost allot...yes .....22 mpg in normal town driving. I sold it as it was just getting harder to keep it nice as it was my daily..plastics were brittle and spares etc were getting hit and miss. Arches started bubling i could feel the bills coming. Now purchased a giulietta GV. While its not as "special" its 100 times more solid. Drives like an alfa has quick steering and it feels as fast if not faster than the GTA However i will miss that GTA for the rest of my days...the sound ....
Grab a Giulietta QV or Launch Edition... Stage 1 is pushing 280bhp. They're quite unreliable if they're not looked after 😂😂😂 BUT the list of things to look out for is generally pretty small, so when they do fail, there's plenty of documented stuff online amongst the Alfisti. Oh and the 2010 Euro NCAP rating was 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I love mine!
Hi @dadcars , great movie, great review. Congrats. One question please, as I have 2 kids and own a 156 GTA. The 147 GTA doesn't have Isofix on the back seats? Because the 156 GTA has. Thanks and keep doing these great reviews! Cheers.
I could be wrong, but those style wheels are known as Teledial, however there are many styles of teledial. My boss had them on a 1998 2.5 v6 156. Class.
I think these are an update of an older style of Alfa wheel called Teledials, named as has been mentioned, after a telephone dial. The old XR3 wheels were similarly styled.
I had an Alfa GT which sits on the 147/156 platform. For a coupe was surprisingly practical, it had a decent sized boot and plenty of space in the back and it was oh so pretty especially in black with tan interior. The only downside was that it only had 2 doors, but I managed fine with my 2 kids. I now have an Abarth 595 which is bonkers fun and it and I can still fit my kids in who are both senior school age. Also I see in the vid you are driving locally to me.
I have a 156 gta since 2006 with 240.000km on the clock and never have any issue with the engine or electronics only normal maintennace, I love that engine and also three years ago i added a 147 gta to my garage. I'll be a father now and the gtas will be dadcars most the 156 that have isofix and more doors.
My other half wants one, I’m a little skeptical because of curb weight (neither of my cars weigh more than a ton) I don’t feel like it’s for me. That engine is sublime and for that I’m all for it
If you want that engine in a better chassis and more practical but no less beautiful format go to the Alfa Romeo GT. wheels are called teledials or where on a GTV. Alfa GTV cup, 145 cloverleaf and current Brera
I don't think the v6 in the GT and Brera is the Busso unfortunately, but a GM v6 with nowhere near the character. Otherwise I would have owned Brera 3.2 Prodrive by now.
I had a 166 with a 3 litre Busso, fantastic car, very reliable,never let me down but it did need looking after. I put a bespoke exhaust on it and it sounded epic.
Talk about a bravery pill.. a non gta is a pain the arse. Ive had 156 and 147 in vatious twin spark guises...not one of them has had the same problem but all of them had a big problem. Gave up on the brand. The only itch id like to acratch from a retro pov is a 156 2.4jtd which can be tuned to well over 200bhp..
Those are Teledials, but need to add GTA. So you wont get regular teledials, which look different so. GTA teledial wheels. Those wheels came only with 156/147 GTA models.
Those wheels have about a million names 😅 teledials, horseshoes, cloverleafs, 5 holes, qv wheels etc etc, many different individual designs depending on the model too, absolutely one of my favourite wheel designs, but I would be biased
I think the sweetspot dadcar from this era of Alfa Romeo would be the 166, 3.0/3.2 liter busso with the same manual 6 speed as the 147 GTA. It has a real dual personality: same quick fun steering as the 147, and the Mighty Busso + manual can make it 80-90% as fun as a GTA on the backroad, but if you dont want to have fun, the 166 is much more comfortable, roomier, build quality is way better than a 147/156/GT, and probably safer than the 147 or 156... I dont know the stats in terms of safety, but i own a 1999 3.0 MT6 166, and the car feels very solid, even at speeds excess of 240km/h (german autobahn). A 166 really is like jeckyll & hyde if you opt for the top of the line busso with the six speed manual. Dont bother with the 4 speed auto, it ruins the whole sporty side of the character, which is pretty much the reason you would get an Alfa in the first place, right?
@@dadcars yeah i don't know the prices in the UK, but here in the Netherlands i paid 2.5k euro including a cambelt change for mine in January, that was a steal for how good the car drives 🤣. Usualy good Busso 166 start at 4-5k euro's here, and are pretty cheap compared to the prices in the rest of europe (i know for a fact that in Italy indeed asking price is almost Quattroporte money for a nice 166). Quattroportes on the other hand are more like 15-25k euro's for a good one in the Netherlands, and the yearly running costs are easy double of the 166, roadtax alone is a 500 euro diffference (1000-1500 euro per year)
one of these was for sale near me, if i hadnt bought a car 3 months ago id have been on that in instantly. sounds fantastic looks great and its fairly under the radar only people who already know would know its a little monster.
I've had my 147 GTA for 6 years now and can honestly say its one of the best bang for buck cars you can buy. Most of them are actually really reliable, the engine and gearbox are bulletproof once you put in the Q2 or Quaife diff. The only things that let it down are ECU issues, some rust issues, and owners who think they know better by installing rubbish suspension. I've done track days in my GTA and have embarrassed much more expensive and exotic cars.
Brilliant video! You should try an Alfa Romeo GT Coupe. As a project you could get a 3.2 Busso and (with the help of a specialist) upgrade it to GTA spec. Part of this process can include a remap and a Q2 differentail!
I had a Alfa gtv v6 and it’s expensive to maintain but god was it worth it, o I miss that sound. Still love alfas and have a Guilietta cloverleaf same engine as 4c and it has 5 seats, white with same same but black 18inch alloys wheel, Pam roof & red leather, was a bargain at £6k and looks like a 3 door but actually a 5 door with the hidden rear door handles, defiantly a dad car! Those alloys a are 17 inch gta alloys, they are all 5x98 so you can swap and change them, I had 18inch Alfa gt blackline alloys on my gtv and they looked fantastic the round design, teledials are gorgeous too
After learning about today's Quadrifoglio 2.9 oil leak problems and how teriffying are to repair ( engine, transmission, 6 radiators and half the car must be removed just to replace cam tower seals = consumables), the Busso looks like a weekend project😅
I had a Nuvelo Bianco 147GTA back in 2005, I used to daily it from Bournemouth to Hedge End near Southampton, and use it for Business use, only lasted 18 months beofre the fuel prices started to cripple me. sold it and bought a remapped 2.4 JTD 156 Sportwagon, which i used to tow my Escort track car around. Oh they were the days ..... before kids of course :-)
When new for sure, argument would be that both are too old to be a primary family car these days so as a weekend toy with rear seats maybe the 147 makes sense! 😅
@@dadcars True. I would not want to daily 156 GTA SW :D I have 156 GTA saloon and - NO, not a daily car :D 159 TI Sportwagon in the other hand is perfect daily. Isofix at the back, plenty of room. But had to sell it last month, after 7 years of ownership (minimum issues). But sold it because needed littlebit more room inside the cabin. And it had a bad paint job or something, because paint started to peel in different places. Techincally it was fine. Bought Maserati Quattroporte 2017 SQ4, as a daily to replace 159. This thing is HUGE! :D
Like others said, the 156 GTA Sportwagon would be much more ‘dad car’. I’ve owned mine for nearly 10 years now and it’s surprisingly practical. We took it on holiday for a few weeks to France with two kids. What you don’t realize, is that the boot door extends quite a bit into the roof, so the boot space is really well accessible. Makes for easy managing of your packing. It also has some small compartments and multiple points to mount baggage nets. And if your kids smoke: they have their own ashtray 😛 That said, it is very expensive to run and maintain. So don’t buy this with your last money, and budget well for maintenance.
@@dadcars cam belt is about 1000 euros and needs to be done every 3 years (you can get away with 4 or 5). Then regular oil change, filters etc. is 500. But that’s the bare minimum. If I look at only this year, I had a gearbox gasket replaced, subframe/suspension work done and a piece of wheel arch liner fixed (which had to be 3D printed because the part is impossible to find). This amounted to about 2500 euros. That’s not mentioning the more ‘optional’ work done, like a refurb of the steering wheel and repaint of the wheels. So on average, I spent a few thousand each year on keeping the car running well - and then thousands more on improvements, like the Q2 diff, coilovers, roll bars, etc. Don’t be surprised with a car like this if the total cost of maintenance surpasses the cost of purchase on the longer term.
Contrary to what all integra type r owners say about them being the best handling fwd drivers cars ever made….they simply can’t have ever driven a busso engined quick racked wide tracked 155 cloverleaf. I did and wow 🤩 and actually was reasonably reliable even though it told you it was broken in a different way every time you turned on the ignition with the lights on the centre of the dashboard. I actually kinda liked this after a while cause I had a wee game getting them to light up in a way that was patterned either a straight line or in each corner etc I still have regrets about not keeping it 😔
Hi Ben, I’m from Australia and have a very similar taste in cars to you. I currently own a Maserati Gransport, a 156 GTA and a Jag X308 XJR. I used to own a blue 147 GTA with tan interior just like the one you drove and whilst it was fun, I felt the interior quality in particular the dash rattles to be infuriating. I changed it for a 156 GTA which I use frequently. It’s just as fast, makes the same noise, is more practical, is rarer and the interior quality is much much better. I’d say it’s not far off an e46 which is a big praise. In saying that though, I find jumping out of the Maserati into the Alfa very disappointing. The values of the two are very similar which I find infuriating as the Gransport is just so much car for so little money. For your next car I’d potentially look at a 4200 or a Quattroporte. In my experience they cost about the same to run as the Alfa but they are just so much more special. I’ve also owned a 159. I wouldn’t go near another with a ten foot pole. It’s a rebadged Vectra in my opinion. Aside from ride quality, the 147/156 are superior in every way.
Yep the 00s Maseratis are hugely underrated bargains at the moment… as much as I’d love to I think trying another brand for the next car makes sense but it won’t be long and I’ll be back in a Maserati I am sure
@@dadcars for content views the Maserati’s don’t do very well. The obvious brand would be Porsche but they’re not very interesting and a 996/986 is a bit slow and dull in the engine department compared to a 4200. Best of luck with your next purchase. My pick would be a Holden (Vauxhall) Monaro Cv8. Us Aussies love them and it would be something different for a UK TH-camr.
Ah, the days when tiny FWD Alfa hatchback had a screaming V6, a Golf packs half-a-W12 and AWD, BMW thought what it needs for a hatchback is a 3-series chassis and straight-6 3-litre, and Mercedes stuffed 6.2-litre nuclear bomb in anything from small saloon car all the way to a people carrier and supercar. Those were simpler days...
If I ever buy a classic Alfa, this would be near the top. However, in Ireland the road tax would be €1809 for 1 year. Until.... It gets to 30 years old...... Unlikely a 147 GTA will see 30.....
Have owned both 147 and 156 GTA, if you really liked the 147 you will like the 156 GTA - bit more practical as well for you and your family, Dont get the 159 they dont have the Alfa spirit 😎
I know the philosophy if this channel is reviewing / buying more interesting cars which families could use. I was wondering if you would also review some more modern family cars which the majority are likely to buy? Although the magazines etc do review these, they don't really explain as a Dad of 3/4 what they are really like to live with. Masersti, Aston Martin, alfas etc are all amazing cars but realistically the majority of viewers with kids are unlikely to buy one of these, even if they 'could' afford one.
These cars are just WONDERFUL. I had two 3.0 GTV V6's and found the 147 GTA a big upgrade despite the not unsimilar underpinnings. After some detours in M cars and a Maserati i went full circle and bought an '06 Brera 2.4JTD for less expensive getting about and after 2 lucky GTV ownerships the Alfa luck ran out. The most expensive and unreliable car to run ive ever owned. And not very good with it. I do think a well sorted 159 is a fine proposition and in the TI spec has the proportions and looks to best any Brera. The GM V6 is sadly lacking and the revised 2.4 turbo diesel or 1.8 petrol turbo are the best two engines imho. The GM V6 was always going to struggle after 20+ glorious years and variants of the Busso but it is a worse engine on every level..... Ok, bar emissions 😂
@jasonmauracooper3881 I remember Porsche having sim card slots in the 996 I think. These days I can't remember to get my phone out of my pocket before driving off, much less take the sim card out and put it in the car 🤭
Anyone who cares about that sort of thing should find the crash test of the 147 on youtube before buying one. It ain't a pretty picture. Apparently it's built on top of a slightly updated platform from the 80s and it shows.
Do you have a cool Dad Car? Put a DadCars sticker on it! www.dadcarsshop.com/
What you need is a 159 TBI the best version of the 159, it has the 4C engine in it, I have a estate which I am really impressed with. It is 200hp standard and can be remapped to 240, 280hp, however as mine is low mileage, it really feels faster than 200hp, especially mid range over taking. I also own a GTV busso 3.2, which they only made 500 of. Worked on Italian cars for 30 year and owned and driven most of them. The TBI's are rare, especially in TI versions, but can't think of a better everyday family car that looks amazing, as seen on James Bond! The 159 V6 is a General Motors block and is no Busso, the TBI is by far a better engine to have.
Yeah I’d like to see what that engine is like
@@dadcars I have a 159 V6 Ti Q4 manual, its on of only 2 in the UK, its had a few choice mods Bilsteins, eibach lowering springs , selected polybushes and its an absoluetly brilliant and underrated car, i also put a catback staiunless steel exhaust on it and it sounds amazing.
@@dadcarsI have a Brera with the same 1.75 TBi engine, not sure it would work as a Dad car though due to the hopeless rear seats!
What a load of crap.... the 1750 tbi on the 159 is actually the worst the Giulietta beats it any day, still has 5 doors and not much diference in space to the 159... so a better dad car overall...
I have 159ti 1750TBi 6-speed sedan. Same engine as Giulietta in a more stylish premium platform.
Get an Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce 280bhp 0-60 in 5.7s. Pick them up from around £15k. Some call them the baby QV but trust me they are much more than that. Fantastic drive without the craziness of the QV. Very much underrated and flies under the radar because of its big brother. Well worth a review.
I’d love to try one, sadly above my 10k budget for the next car though
Love that the Giulia is rwd. I have a base model from the States where all of them have 280hp. Very happy with it. Before that I had a couple of 166's, those were cheap as chips around 10 years ago, but it's getting hard to find a good one now
I'd add the Stelvio is also awesome, love mine
I love how you involve your daughters. I also love how involved they are in your video. They actually seem interested. While I doubt they will not all grow up to car girls but I suspect at least 1 if not 2 of them will do. Also a lovely car. If by some miracle i ever had the money I would have two of these 1 manual 1 selespeed and one each of the saloon and estate.
I hear all the time about petrolheads who have sons and one doesn’t care and the other loves cars so odds are not all of them will be. But with 4 I’m hoping one or two are car enthusiasts 🙏
I daily my 147 GTA, absolutely love it! It keeps up with much more exotic machinery with no trouble. Fantastic and underrated cars. I’ve had six Busso engined cars, one had over 250 000 kms and had never been rebuilt, just well looked after. I had a 159 with the 2.4 diesel, it was the most reliable car ever.
Love to see someone else dailying a GTA - my 156 GTA has done over 270,000km, and I do about 300km/week in peak hour.
Awesome! What a cool daily 👏😅
All very tasteful modifications! Love the OEM+ way of modifying 😊 As you say Ben they don’t make them like they used to and only enthusiasts are saving them and putting money into these noughties hot hatches. There will come a time when values will keep going up and up when the rough ones get cut up and only enthusiasts ones are left. These are already on the up!
Thanks Albert! This review happened because of your car, he reached out when I said I want to try more hot hatched :)
@@dadcars really glad it got other owners to step forward! Just need a Vauxhall Astra VXR and VW Golf with the VR6 of the same generation (in blue?!) to step forward and you’ve pretty much got some of the most characterful hot hatches of that era covered.
Po' Dad sensible compromise option: 147 Sport Q2 (150bhp) or Ducati Corsa (170bhp), 80% of GTA at ~25% of cost. Map to 185-200bhp and still get 47mpg on a run. Only thing is no Busso snarl, but the JTDM's sound like a Lancaster on a bombing run. Provided the swirl flaps (grenade!) have been removed and cam belt & waterpump is serviced, the 1.91 16v JTDM is bulletproof and easily capable of 300,000mls with no more than regular service. Rustproofing was also better on these later (2007-2010) cars.
Had the 156 gta. It was an expensive pain in the ass even 11 years ago - i shudder to think what it'd be like now they dont make the parts for them - but i miss it more than anything else I've owned. It was something really special.
I think these Alfas like many cars from that era… it comes down to the car you buy and who’s owned it before
Same! Owned a 147GTA and it cost me a fortune to keep on the road. Previous owner gave me a boatload of receipts, but it still needed lots of regular TLC....that was back in 2008 as well, so can only imagine it's worse now! Absolutely loved that car though....started my love for the Alfa brand. Now on a Giulia Quad after owning a 4C.
Well I can tell you - I daily a 2002 156 GTA with over 270,000km on it (inc 50,000km by me in almost three years). It is the best car of the +20 I've owned in the last 35 years. As to cost - well I bought it for almost nothing (probably the cheapest in Oz in 2021) - I paid A$8500 (about £4k) with 220,000km on it and has always been used, never babied. It is a very early GTA but has most of the usual mods and upgrades: adjustable coilovers, Q2 diff, 330mm Brembos, front and rear strut braces, custom headers and exhaust. Needed to spend another £1.5k to get it up to speed for local registration, but that was prety much it for 2 years other than servicing. In that time was actually cheaper to maintain than my two prior 2.5L 156 V6s. I've been using a family-owned Alfa workshop for all my Alfas for the last 15 years, and they are brilliant, and ultimately cheaper as they fix things the first time. Now, I'll admit in the last 6 months I've had a few unplanned expenses - all simply due to the age of the car which together with usual services costs have cost about £5k - clutch replacement, busted injector which hydrolocked one cylinder with fuel (but did no other damage), snapped gear selector cable, failed engine bay main fusebox (lost half the electrics), leaking fuel line-fuel rail connection - all of which involved standing by the roadside waiting for a flatbed. On top of that, in about six months it'll be due for its next cambelt/pump replacement (about £1.2k). In a normal "non-cambelt" year, annual maintenance servicing is typically about £1.5k. But insurance here is not too unaffordable though I had to use an "enthusiasts/specialist" insurer (insured for £10k @ £40/month) and she is surprisingly economical given I do +300km/week in mostly peak hour traffic - averaging 10-11L/100km (98RON costs about £1/L here). I absolutely love this car and at this point think I'll keep it for good - though I am now starting to ponder buying a really cheap Japanese runaround just for the daily grind, so I'm not overloading the old girl as much. Plus that would enable me to take the dogs out with me on the road - no way they're allowed to scuff the leather of the GTA. But I might find the missus would put the pressure on to get rid of my other Alfa ('81 GTV) if I were to do that - in her world, 4 cars for two people on one driveway is a bit extravagant...
To put all that in context, I could pay + £30k for a newish 3 series, S3, or Golf GTi, and still be spending all the same/higher on-road + maintenance costs whilst also facing the prospect of financially ruinous engine/electrical/transmission issues as soon as the car gets near 150,000km.
Well I can tell you - I daily a 2002 156 GTA with over 270,000km on it (inc 50,000km by me in almost three years). It is the best car of the +20 I've owned in the last 35 years. As to cost - well I bought it for almost nothing (probably the cheapest in Oz in 2021) - I paid A$8500 (about £4k) with 220,000km on it and has always been used, never babied. It is a very early GTA but has most of the usual mods and upgrades: adjustable coilovers, Q2 diff, 330mm Brembos, front and rear strut braces, custom headers and exhaust. Needed to spend another £1.5k to get it up to speed for local registration, but that was pretty much it for 2 years other than servicing. In that time was actually cheaper to maintain than my two prior 2.5L 156 V6s. I've been using a family-owned Alfa workshop for all my Alfas for the last 15 years, and they are brilliant, and ultimately cheaper as they fix things the first time. Now, I'll admit in the last 6 months I've had a few unplanned expenses - all simply due to the age of the car which together with usual services costs have cost about £5k - clutch replacement, busted injector which hydrolocked one cylinder with fuel (but did no other damage), snapped gear selector cable, failed engine bay main fusebox (lost half the electrics), leaking fuel line-fuel rail connection - all of which involved standing by the roadside waiting for a flatbed. On top of that, in about six months it'll be due for its next cambelt/pump replacement (about £1.2k). In a normal "non-cambelt" year, annual maintenance servicing is typically about £1.5k. But insurance here is not too unaffordable though I had to use an "enthusiasts/specialist" insurer (insured for £10k @ £40/month) and she is surprisingly economical given I do +300km/week in mostly peak hour traffic - averaging 10-11L/100km (98RON costs about £1/L here).
I absolutely love this car and at this point think I'll keep it for good - though I am now starting to ponder buying a really cheap Japanese runaround just for the daily grind, so I'm not overloading the old girl as much. Plus that would enable me to take the dogs out with me on the road - no way they're allowed to scuff the leather of the GTA. But I might find the missus would put the pressure on to get rid of my other Alfa ('81 GTV) if I were to do that - in her world, 4 cars for two people on one driveway is a bit extravagant...
To put all that in context, I could pay + £30k for a newish 3 series, S3, or Golf GTi, and still be spending all the same/higher on-road + maintenance costs whilst also facing the prospect of financially ruinous engine/electrical/transmission issues as soon as the car gets near 150,000km.
I'm jealous @@johnphaceas7434
Just moved to England, two small people, and out of left field one of these came up at auction and we won with our final bid. Pick up on Thursday and just hoping this recent Japanese import doesn’t complain too much about the English weather. Will be my daily and kids at weekends. Properly stoked and enjoyed your vid.
Awesome congrats! 🙌❤️
You have 3 daughters and drive awesome cars, you're living the dream.
I have 4! 😅🙌
No, honestly, he really is not 😂
@@leccybadger what makes you say that
I love these Alfas.
Personally I´d go for a 156 GTA Sportwagon.
And since they did make a 156 Crosswagon that had 4x4 I´d look into converting a GTA to 4x4.
Would be the perfect sporty car for the winter here in Norway.
But I have promised myself that the next car will be a GTV6 2,5 V6 Busso.
Nice video as always.
Not in the UK it wouldn't it would be brown dust quickly with all the salt on the roads
@@neilfreeman4013 that does depend a lot on how you clean it and how often.
I drive a 147 2.0 Twin Spark as my daily driver, and put teledials on it. With 5 doors it’s a little more practical and £160 quid a year to insure. I love it.
Awesome! Sounds like a fab little daily!
@@dadcars Oh they are!! I have one too. No kids at home and at 66, the 147 Ti allows me to live my dream.
Wheels are referred to as teledials, cars are rock solid reliable if maintained, 156 GTA would be a better Dadcar option with two extra doors. All Alfa busso engined front drive cars should have a Q2 differential as that was the cars only weak spot. Later cars had 330 front rotors over the earlier 305.
Great video, love the interaction with your daughters! I had a 2004 156GTA SW from new (which had Isofix...) and it was a literal "new dad" car for me, as it was the car which replaced my Academy Caterham and tow car combo when my daughter was on the way! It was a wonderful car, probably the one I look back on most fondly as I bought it new (hugely discounted.....) and just loved the way it looked, sounded, and went. In 4.5 years it never broke down, but had plenty of niggles (the air con rarely worked for a start) and it was next to impossible to get them sorted. The dealers - as they had been for the 156 2.5V6 I had before racing the Caterham - were useless. When I had the suspension refreshed all round, cambelt and waterpump changed, and Q2 diff fitted, it cost me over £5000. From a specialist. In 2008. Good luck running one cheaply now........The 147 and 156GTA are very similar underneath, and back then were not a comparatively unsafe car in a crash, now they are. It skipped over bumps terrifyingly under hard braking, and would oversteer at the slightest lift cornering at - by modern car standards - modest speeds. That character is great compared to overly planted modern cars, but not for a dadcar...What could happen to your loved ones in a bad crash is the big issue with all older cars and you are right to highlight it, its not discussed enough. Why not get as low-cost a Giulia as possible? They start under £10k. I have a Quad now (which has broken down and is far more to run than the GTA was) and the best thing about it, is not the Quad stuff. Its the Giulia stuff. Its a sublime driving position in a lovely interior in a wonderful looking, wonderful handling, RWD car that can actually handle UK roads. And it had the highest NCAP ratings of any car when tested, so no excuses needed.
Yep I highlighted the great NCAP results in my review, better than a lot of SUVs 👏 if you hear of someone who’s about to PX one in let me know, it’s a shame my budget is too tight for the spec I’d want
@@dadcars Although the petrol ones start at £14k not £10k, bear in mind the 2.0T petrol engines are all the same. So you can easily chip it to Veloce+ spec (300bhp) and remove the "always on" TC at the same time....... Put some of the Quad teledial wheels on and it would be a nice car...
Thanks!
Thank you Frank! 🙌
@@dadcars Your welcome Ben. Anytime.
Ben, if you're tempted to try out a GTA "on a budget" there is always the GT coupe. Available with the last of the busso engine 3.2 (slightly down on power) up until about 2006. Best of all; at a fraction of the price of decent 147 GTA. Cheap as chips so no big Maserati-esque gambles!
Yeah why is the GT 240hp? 🤷♂️
@@dadcarsmarketing reasons to not steal the limelight of the GTAs. From what I have heard the difference is in the map because mechanically they are identical!
Actually the last 3.2GTs rolled into showrooms in 2010 - using the last of the GTA engines which had been sitting on the shelf since production ended in 2005. I believe it was detuned so as to not rob sales from the 159 3.2 (not a Busso - used the awful GM block). Plus the GT did not come with the Q2 diff as standard - and that really is a must have with the 3.2 Busso which had a tendency to eat gearboxes in cars with the stock open diff.
Brilliant video! You must try an Alfa Romeo GT. As a project you could get a 3.2 and with help (and maybe sponsorship) from a specialist, upgrade to GTA spec - including a remap and a Q2 differential!
@@johnphaceas7434the 147 gta never came with q2 diff or any lsd only open diff
I'd love to see this compared with a MK5 Golf R32. I have a 5 door in blue if you'd be interested in reviewing
I’d love :) message me on insta and let’s see if we can arrange a date
We had one on our channel for 5 years! Miss this car everyday ! We did do a lot of content with it!
I miss the noise, the smell of the leather, the way it drives...
I don't miss spending the value of the car again after buying it haha!
I’ve had a 156 v6 and more recently a GT 3.2 v6. Engines pull hard and sound amazing. Modded with KW coilovers. Had no issues with my cars and they were driven hard but maintained meticulously. Highly recommend. Haven’t heard of these engines needing a rebuild at 100k either. A quaife/q2 diff is a must though 😉
Mine is nearly at 100k and it’s performing beautifully. Whilst I have seen ones at half the mileage with failed headgaskets. They need to be driven frequently and maintained properly.
The GT is an attractive proposition 🤔
@@dadcars very much so. For £10k a 147 GTA will not be a (mint) manual but instead an import selespeed, however, the GT will be manual and probably immaculate at that price. Ps I replaced my GT with a Gransport a few years back 😜
totally agree regarding the "rebuild" falsehood. Have a look in the owners groups - loads of GTAs and other Busso V6s with galactic mileage on the Continent. I've seen a 156 GTA with over 500,000km and lesser spec cars with over 600,000km. It's rarely the engines in these needing a rebuild unless the owner was a complete numpty who ignored the timing belt change interval.
As I've already noted above, my '02 GTA has done over 270,000km and I drive +300km/week in peak hour traffic.
@@johnphaceas7434 exactly this. So many Busso v6’s with high miles and still going strong
The old teledial wheels are neat for sure! Love them on my 4c and my QV 🤩
Amazing 🙌 they’re must have wheels when I eventually get my first Alfa 🤙
Love a Busso!
The 147 5 door we had is still my favourite car.
Just been looking in the classified ads....
👏😅
Those wheels are the factory GTA wheels for the 156/147 GTA. The GTV had a similar wheel called the Cup wheel. There are loads of Alfa wheels colloquially called “Teledials”
Yep thanks man! My first Alfa needs teledials 💯
@@dadcars The GTA 17' teledials are the only choice for the GTA. Just had mine refurbished, and what a difference. Plus they are almost impossible to replace.
And now on 2024 VW Golf mk8.5 GTI's! 🤣🤣
As a dad of 3 with one of these, they aren’t the most practical dad car but it’s doable. Like most young families with these it’s my weekend car and the family car is a far more sensible and reliable Touran!
I love mine but be prepared to spend the odd ££££ when something expensive breaks!
Awesome! 👏
I had the 147 2.0 and it was my son's favourite car ever. Despite the rep, I'm happy to get a 147 GTA at the end of next year ☺️
The sweetie bin moment, “where where” 😂. Awesome content as always mate. Alphas never get old 😊🤟
lol 😂
Good old Afa 147 GTA, easily one of my favourite cars, but just pipped at the post by the GT with the Busso engine. I think they are Teledial wheels, or are very similar.
I’d REALLY love to try a GT
@@dadcars There is one for sale on Autotrader that I would love to own which has been properly looked after and has been fitted with the all important Quaife diff which makes the car a lot less of a hedgefinder. It's the most expensive one listed (£9,600), but it looks to be in beautiful condition. Ask your mate Jayemm about the GT, because he has reviewed one before.
Hi Ben. Hope you & Family are doing well.
That is one cool car. I love the front end, color & the rims on it. It sounds really good too.
Can't wait to see the next video.
Take care and stay safe.
You’ll love my next video Frank 😅 coming Wednesday 🤙
@@dadcars I can't wait.👍💯.
Came back to this video just to say thanks to Ben for constantly reminding me to be a better dad 💙
I do the same with Bluey 😊 we never get it 100% right but if you’re thinking about wanting to be a good dad then chances are you’re doing better than you think ❤️
12k views. 500 likes. How hard is it to like a video to help the creator.
This is a very relatable channel.
I know! It’s frustrating but I don’t like to keep asking in videos 🙈
Love these and it’s definitely on my list, the Mrs has a Giulietta 1.75tbi cloverleaf which would be a great family car, the successor to the 147.
Nice! Hatch backs are great family cars 👏
The guy who put all that red in the engine has a great eye!! It looks genuinely incredible!!
👌😮💨
Giuseppe Busso, whilst known for designing the sonorous V6, was previously Enzo's technical director at Ferrari. Busso also designed the four cylinder 'Bialbero' or 'Nord' engine which went into many other Alfa's. For a Dad car I think a 156 GTA Sportwagon would be much better than a 147. As others have mentioned too , a GT might be a better option to as it's built on the Sportwagon platform. Either way there is no other road going V6 that sounds that good.
I will get the other models on in time! And I’ll buy the one I like the most 😉
@@dadcars see if you can get hold of Ant from Auto Sportivo , h'es got a black sportwagon GTA. Be a good collab too !
Great video, Ben. I’ve been a huge fan of the 147 GTA since forever and have wanted one so badly. I came close many times but could never quite get there. The last time I came close to buying one, I bought my GranSport instead haha.
The GTA is a fantastic car but one that has its quirks. It has to have the diff replaced with either a Quaife or a Q2 (this is absolutely essential) and timing belts need doing every 3 years or so, which is not cheap. I was actually told it’s cheaper to run my GranSport than the GTA. I will definitely get one soon though. They are a unique car with a great design and an absolute peach of an engine. They definitely don’t make them like this anymore
The Gransport is such a special bargain
@@dadcars 100% agree! The GranSport really is a special car and such incredible value for money
I f****** love these cars. I currently have a 916 GTV twin spark and I’m on the hunt for something with a Busso as it’s an itch I feel I have to scratch. The shortlist is one of these, a GTV with the Busso, GT or 156 GTA (saloon or tourer).
I’d really like to try a GT, great looking car
My favorite ever hot hatch. Beautiful looking and sounds amazing
👌😮💨
Just sold my 156 sportwagon GTA after 5 years. Only broke once when a water pipe split but it was on 120k miles when i sold it other than that mechanically very strong.
Did it cost allot...yes .....22 mpg in normal town driving. I sold it as it was just getting harder to keep it nice as it was my daily..plastics were brittle and spares etc were getting hit and miss. Arches started bubling i could feel the bills coming.
Now purchased a giulietta GV. While its not as "special" its 100 times more solid. Drives like an alfa has quick steering and it feels as fast if not faster than the GTA
However i will miss that GTA for the rest of my days...the sound ....
It’s a valid rational for a dad to think about these things… what did you sell it for out of interest?
GV or QV? Just looking on Autotrader 😂
@dadcars 10k and was CAT C had a lot spent on it over the years
@michaelyounes29 QV ....sorry have two kids and don't have any spare brain cells to type the correct two letters :p
@neilfreeman4013 yeah just looking at them very nice mate...
If I was to ever get one it would be in red. It's sad we don't get to see such beautiful engines and sounds amazing to
Yeah red looks great too 👏 blue for me 🙌
Grab a Giulietta QV or Launch Edition... Stage 1 is pushing 280bhp. They're quite unreliable if they're not looked after 😂😂😂 BUT the list of things to look out for is generally pretty small, so when they do fail, there's plenty of documented stuff online amongst the Alfisti. Oh and the 2010 Euro NCAP rating was 5 stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love mine!
Hi @dadcars , great movie, great review. Congrats. One question please, as I have 2 kids and own a 156 GTA. The 147 GTA doesn't have Isofix on the back seats? Because the 156 GTA has. Thanks and keep doing these great reviews! Cheers.
Good to know the 156 does! I will get one on the channel soon 🤙
@@dadcars would be great if you can review an 156 GTA SW, as many dads are interested in extra room inside that 156 SW should offer.
Great video, I love 147’s, great you involve your daughters in the videos.
Making memories :)
I could be wrong, but those style wheels are known as Teledial, however there are many styles of teledial.
My boss had them on a 1998 2.5 v6 156. Class.
Weirdly I was looking at one of these a few days ago. Looking at a black one tomorrow. Number 27 has a good review as well.
I love Jack ❤️
There's a garage up in Middlesbrough called the car warehouse , or zoo garage that have quite a few of these. They import them from Japan.
@@glenm2113all Selespeeds though
I think these are an update of an older style of Alfa wheel called Teledials, named as has been mentioned, after a telephone dial. The old XR3 wheels were similarly styled.
Someone else said the same! Honestly never heard that so don’t feel so silly now 😅
Spot on, plus showing your age, or the age of car you look at.
@@hughstultz7849 Probably a bit of both!
@@dadcars They are beautiful wheels!
You need to review a fiat coupe 20vt LE or Plus! I’ve got both versions and kids love em!😂. Great vid as ever mate!😅
I really want to film one! 🙌
@@dadcars I’ll don
You mate. If I can’t get one to you I will know who can!!
@@dadcars I’ll go to website and message you!!!
I had an Alfa GT which sits on the 147/156 platform. For a coupe was surprisingly practical, it had a decent sized boot and plenty of space in the back and it was oh so pretty especially in black with tan interior. The only downside was that it only had 2 doors, but I managed fine with my 2 kids. I now have an Abarth 595 which is bonkers fun and it and I can still fit my kids in who are both senior school age. Also I see in the vid you are driving locally to me.
I have a 156 gta since 2006 with 240.000km on the clock and never have any issue with the engine or electronics only normal maintennace, I love that engine and also three years ago i added a 147 gta to my garage.
I'll be a father now and the gtas will be dadcars most the 156 that have isofix and more doors.
Yep DADDY needs to buy a alfa word from the wise👶 ❤ great video pal
My eldest has been with me in every Alfa I’ve ever driven and she loves them so it has to happen 🙌🥰
Dude loves his car, ten years and it looks brand new, and I bet that’s just weekly maintenance, it’s an amazing car and I will have one someday💪🏽
My other half wants one, I’m a little skeptical because of curb weight (neither of my cars weigh more than a ton) I don’t feel like it’s for me. That engine is sublime and for that I’m all for it
Your cars combined weigh the same as a typical family car these days
@@dadcars maybe a bit less. I took some weight out of the Swift and my Austin has a curb weight of about 600kg
If you want that engine in a better chassis and more practical but no less beautiful format go to the Alfa Romeo GT. wheels are called teledials or where on a GTV. Alfa GTV cup, 145 cloverleaf and current Brera
I don't think the v6 in the GT and Brera is the Busso unfortunately, but a GM v6 with nowhere near the character. Otherwise I would have owned Brera 3.2 Prodrive by now.
The GT did have the busso!
@@dadcars I stand corrected. Busso-tastic then! GT is a good shout.
@@iffy801 the GT has Busso and the Brera has the GM garbage
I had a 166 with a 3 litre Busso, fantastic car, very reliable,never let me down but it did need looking after. I put a bespoke exhaust on it and it sounded epic.
If parents would be like you, motor world would be so fun and diverse
There’s lots of us DadCarists out there!! 🙌
Talk about a bravery pill.. a non gta is a pain the arse. Ive had 156 and 147 in vatious twin spark guises...not one of them has had the same problem but all of them had a big problem. Gave up on the brand.
The only itch id like to acratch from a retro pov is a 156 2.4jtd which can be tuned to well over 200bhp..
Those are Teledials, but need to add GTA. So you wont get regular teledials, which look different so. GTA teledial wheels. Those wheels came only with 156/147 GTA models.
Those wheels have about a million names 😅 teledials, horseshoes, cloverleafs, 5 holes, qv wheels etc etc, many different individual designs depending on the model too, absolutely one of my favourite wheel designs, but I would be biased
Teledials it is then! 🙌😅
I think the sweetspot dadcar from this era of Alfa Romeo would be the 166, 3.0/3.2 liter busso with the same manual 6 speed as the 147 GTA. It has a real dual personality: same quick fun steering as the 147, and the Mighty Busso + manual can make it 80-90% as fun as a GTA on the backroad, but if you dont want to have fun, the 166 is much more comfortable, roomier, build quality is way better than a 147/156/GT, and probably safer than the 147 or 156... I dont know the stats in terms of safety, but i own a 1999 3.0 MT6 166, and the car feels very solid, even at speeds excess of 240km/h (german autobahn). A 166 really is like jeckyll & hyde if you opt for the top of the line busso with the six speed manual. Dont bother with the 4 speed auto, it ruins the whole sporty side of the character, which is pretty much the reason you would get an Alfa in the first place, right?
Also forgot to mention, the 166 is regarded a being a baby/budget Maserati Quattroporte, wouldn't that be a cool segway from your own Maserati 😏
I wouldn’t want an auto Alfa unless it’s a Guilia QP… we will on time do every Alfa with rear seats I’m sure, they are very special cars 🙌
But how much are they? You can get a decent Quattroporte for 10k!!
@@dadcars yeah i don't know the prices in the UK, but here in the Netherlands i paid 2.5k euro including a cambelt change for mine in January, that was a steal for how good the car drives 🤣.
Usualy good Busso 166 start at 4-5k euro's here, and are pretty cheap compared to the prices in the rest of europe (i know for a fact that in Italy indeed asking price is almost Quattroporte money for a nice 166).
Quattroportes on the other hand are more like 15-25k euro's for a good one in the Netherlands, and the yearly running costs are easy double of the 166, roadtax alone is a 500 euro diffference (1000-1500 euro per year)
one of these was for sale near me, if i hadnt bought a car 3 months ago id have been on that in instantly. sounds fantastic looks great and its fairly under the radar only people who already know would know its a little monster.
I've had my 147 GTA for 6 years now and can honestly say its one of the best bang for buck cars you can buy. Most of them are actually really reliable, the engine and gearbox are bulletproof once you put in the Q2 or Quaife diff. The only things that let it down are ECU issues, some rust issues, and owners who think they know better by installing rubbish suspension. I've done track days in my GTA and have embarrassed much more expensive and exotic cars.
Brilliant video! You should try an Alfa Romeo GT Coupe. As a project you could get a 3.2 Busso and (with the help of a specialist) upgrade it to GTA spec. Part of this process can include a remap and a Q2 differentail!
Yeah it seems most of these Alfas actually require modification to set them up correctly :)
Another excellent video mate
Thanks for watching! 😊
I had a Alfa gtv v6 and it’s expensive to maintain but god was it worth it, o I miss that sound. Still love alfas and have a Guilietta cloverleaf same engine as 4c and it has 5 seats, white with same same but black 18inch alloys wheel, Pam roof & red leather, was a bargain at £6k and looks like a 3 door but actually a 5 door with the hidden rear door handles, defiantly a dad car! Those alloys a are 17 inch gta alloys, they are all 5x98 so you can swap and change them, I had 18inch Alfa gt blackline alloys on my gtv and they looked fantastic the round design, teledials are gorgeous too
The wheels are generally referred to as phone dials, reminiscent of the old analog phones which had rotary dials. Dial up some fun!
Really?! 😅
@@dadcars Jup
@@MinusPlusForward cool! Well my first Alfa NEEDS teledial wheels! 😅
Absolutely. If you look at the wheels from the 60s-80s Alfa models the likeness is more pronounced than the more modern iterations.
Teledials
What a car 🤩 great video Ben.
After learning about today's Quadrifoglio 2.9 oil leak problems and how teriffying are to repair ( engine, transmission, 6 radiators and half the car must be removed just to replace cam tower seals = consumables), the Busso looks like a weekend project😅
🙈
I have seen that engine in the 75 now that is something !
the five kings of hat hatch noise: the alfa romeo 147 gta, golf r32, ford focus mk2 st225, audi rs3 and bmw 130i (the old shool bmw raspy i6 sound)
Fabulous looking car, I need to get my 166s engine bay looking that good 😅
A Busso glow up video would be great to watch 🤙 we need to get yours on the channel :)
What you need is an Alfetta GTV) with the GTA engine, without the factory computer, a set of cams and some extractors… like mine!
Drive safe Mate You Got Kids in The Car ;-)
I had a Nuvelo Bianco 147GTA back in 2005, I used to daily it from Bournemouth to Hedge End near Southampton, and use it for Business use, only lasted 18 months beofre the fuel prices started to cripple me. sold it and bought a remapped 2.4 JTD 156 Sportwagon, which i used to tow my Escort track car around. Oh they were the days ..... before kids of course :-)
Nice Color! Did you used Autolusso?
@@IDBvmax No I used an independant based in Poole.
As a family car 156 GTA Sportwagon seems much better choice. Still no isofix, but better room at the back and in the boot.
When new for sure, argument would be that both are too old to be a primary family car these days so as a weekend toy with rear seats maybe the 147 makes sense! 😅
@@dadcars True. I would not want to daily 156 GTA SW :D I have 156 GTA saloon and - NO, not a daily car :D
159 TI Sportwagon in the other hand is perfect daily. Isofix at the back, plenty of room. But had to sell it last month, after 7 years of ownership (minimum issues). But sold it because needed littlebit more room inside the cabin. And it had a bad paint job or something, because paint started to peel in different places. Techincally it was fine.
Bought Maserati Quattroporte 2017 SQ4, as a daily to replace 159. This thing is HUGE! :D
My Fiat Punto still smokes it with 6hp less:) you should try the Giulietta QV mapped makes more HP than the 147 and its a much faster car.
Love It Spread the Word
Was very surprised to find insurance for me as a 27yo on one of these is £320 a year, must have a good postcode
Like others said, the 156 GTA Sportwagon would be much more ‘dad car’. I’ve owned mine for nearly 10 years now and it’s surprisingly practical. We took it on holiday for a few weeks to France with two kids. What you don’t realize, is that the boot door extends quite a bit into the roof, so the boot space is really well accessible. Makes for easy managing of your packing. It also has some small compartments and multiple points to mount baggage nets. And if your kids smoke: they have their own ashtray 😛
That said, it is very expensive to run and maintain. So don’t buy this with your last money, and budget well for maintenance.
How much per year has it average out to maintain roughly?
@@dadcars cam belt is about 1000 euros and needs to be done every 3 years (you can get away with 4 or 5). Then regular oil change, filters etc. is 500. But that’s the bare minimum. If I look at only this year, I had a gearbox gasket replaced, subframe/suspension work done and a piece of wheel arch liner fixed (which had to be 3D printed because the part is impossible to find). This amounted to about 2500 euros. That’s not mentioning the more ‘optional’ work done, like a refurb of the steering wheel and repaint of the wheels.
So on average, I spent a few thousand each year on keeping the car running well - and then thousands more on improvements, like the Q2 diff, coilovers, roll bars, etc. Don’t be surprised with a car like this if the total cost of maintenance surpasses the cost of purchase on the longer term.
Love the GTA, very fare review from a practical perspective... just one small thing though, ALFA has never been owned by GM.
The GM V6 took over from the busso V6
I average 25 mpg mixed driving in a mainly rural area driving at, or around, the national speed limit in my 147gta.
You made the little lady sad. She really liked the toy car. Hehe
Contrary to what all integra type r owners say about them being the best handling fwd drivers cars ever made….they simply can’t have ever driven a busso engined quick racked wide tracked 155 cloverleaf. I did and wow 🤩 and actually was reasonably reliable even though it told you it was broken in a different way every time you turned on the ignition with the lights on the centre of the dashboard. I actually kinda liked this after a while cause I had a wee game getting them to light up in a way that was patterned either a straight line or in each corner etc
I still have regrets about not keeping it 😔
A clip with a Busso V6, I will watch it
I prefer the 156 GTA, but the 147 is close.
The wheels are known as teledials.
I’ll have to drive one :)
Hi Ben, I’m from Australia and have a very similar taste in cars to you.
I currently own a Maserati Gransport, a 156 GTA and a Jag X308 XJR.
I used to own a blue 147 GTA with tan interior just like the one you drove and whilst it was fun, I felt the interior quality in particular the dash rattles to be infuriating. I changed it for a 156 GTA which I use frequently. It’s just as fast, makes the same noise, is more practical, is rarer and the interior quality is much much better. I’d say it’s not far off an e46 which is a big praise.
In saying that though, I find jumping out of the Maserati into the Alfa very disappointing. The values of the two are very similar which I find infuriating as the Gransport is just so much car for so little money.
For your next car I’d potentially look at a 4200 or a Quattroporte. In my experience they cost about the same to run as the Alfa but they are just so much more special.
I’ve also owned a 159. I wouldn’t go near another with a ten foot pole. It’s a rebadged Vectra in my opinion. Aside from ride quality, the 147/156 are superior in every way.
Yep the 00s Maseratis are hugely underrated bargains at the moment… as much as I’d love to I think trying another brand for the next car makes sense but it won’t be long and I’ll be back in a Maserati I am sure
@@dadcars for content views the Maserati’s don’t do very well. The obvious brand would be Porsche but they’re not very interesting and a 996/986 is a bit slow and dull in the engine department compared to a 4200.
Best of luck with your next purchase. My pick would be a Holden (Vauxhall) Monaro Cv8. Us Aussies love them and it would be something different for a UK TH-camr.
About the wheels: they look like 17 inch 5×98 GTA Teledial
Teledial 👏
Ah, the days when tiny FWD Alfa hatchback had a screaming V6, a Golf packs half-a-W12 and AWD, BMW thought what it needs for a hatchback is a 3-series chassis and straight-6 3-litre, and Mercedes stuffed 6.2-litre nuclear bomb in anything from small saloon car all the way to a people carrier and supercar. Those were simpler days...
The 00s are my favourite 🥰
Great engine and great looking car. What a shame it's FWD.
If I ever buy a classic Alfa, this would be near the top. However, in Ireland the road tax would be €1809 for 1 year. Until.... It gets to 30 years old...... Unlikely a 147 GTA will see 30.....
As meninas são muito comportadas.
E o carro é um espetáculo.
Love all Alfas, but BUSSSSO🍀
(but the girls are hilarious)😂😂
That could do with a stage 1. Those swirls!
Teledials is the name of the wheels.
👍 thanks man
Have owned both 147 and 156 GTA, if you really liked the 147 you will like the 156 GTA - bit more practical as well for you and your family, Dont get the 159 they dont have the Alfa spirit 😎
what exhaust system is on that ?
See description
Temperature being hidden on a different screen? It’s right in front of you next to the fuel gauge, marked “Aqua” 🤦♂️
I think he's on about oil temp, located on the last page of the Info centre screen
I know the philosophy if this channel is reviewing / buying more interesting cars which families could use. I was wondering if you would also review some more modern family cars which the majority are likely to buy? Although the magazines etc do review these, they don't really explain as a Dad of 3/4 what they are really like to live with. Masersti, Aston Martin, alfas etc are all amazing cars but realistically the majority of viewers with kids are unlikely to buy one of these, even if they 'could' afford one.
Check out my last video… literally what you’re asking for 👍
I did lol run a gta for 5 years with 2 kids. Perfectly doable.. if you have a 2nd "normal" car as well
@@neilfreeman4013that’s the spirit 🙌
These cars are just WONDERFUL. I had two 3.0 GTV V6's and found the 147 GTA a big upgrade despite the not unsimilar underpinnings. After some detours in M cars and a Maserati i went full circle and bought an '06 Brera 2.4JTD for less expensive getting about and after 2 lucky GTV ownerships the Alfa luck ran out. The most expensive and unreliable car to run ive ever owned. And not very good with it. I do think a well sorted 159 is a fine proposition and in the TI spec has the proportions and looks to best any Brera. The GM V6 is sadly lacking and the revised 2.4 turbo diesel or 1.8 petrol turbo are the best two engines imho. The GM V6 was always going to struggle after 20+ glorious years and variants of the Busso but it is a worse engine on every level.....
Ok, bar emissions 😂
Pepper Pot wheels?
Why not a good Cayenne or a 156 GTA Sportwagon? 159 platform has really bad handling and engines.
I will review a 156 GTA SW has to happen, I’ve done a cayenne turbo before and loved it but I will never own an SUV as my dad car 😅
That sat nav looks like a cash machine, complete with a card slot
Card slot is for a telephone SIM card, both that and the satnav still work in my 03 plate gta.
@jasonmauracooper3881 I remember Porsche having sim card slots in the 996 I think. These days I can't remember to get my phone out of my pocket before driving off, much less take the sim card out and put it in the car 🤭
😂😂
Anyone who cares about that sort of thing should find the crash test of the 147 on youtube before buying one. It ain't a pretty picture. Apparently it's built on top of a slightly updated platform from the 80s and it shows.
Hai buon gusto Dad 👍