Hello everyone.

After going along to your event in Lisburn, and being absolutely delighted with all the beautiful Italian metal on show, I would like to become a member of NIIMC. How do I go about doing that? Incidentally if you look further down the forum topics you will see Give Ireland back to the Italians which is an article (including pics and interview with owner of Best In Show) that I produced about the event.

Secondly I am on the market for my first Alfa. Looking at a 147 no more than 2.0. Not looking to pay for a newer model but a well maintained good example with 60 to 80k miles. I am currently selling a 2004 Mondeo ST220 3.0 V6 24v to fund this.

If anyone in the club can point me in the right direction for the answers to both these questions, please email me at 12cylindersymphony1973@gmail.com.

Thanks

Jon

Jon- Enjoyed you article. As I said in my original post it captured the spirit of what we are about. If you are looking for a 147 I can give you a few pointers:

1. Engines- diesels are great- with petrols you need to watch for a few things. Make sure the car has had regular servicng and oil changes. Also check the oil level. These engines can use a bit of oil (which is not an issue), but if the level runs low it can damage the crankshaft, which is not good. Also make sure the car has had a timing belt and tensioner change every 36000 miles. It is probably a good idea to change the water pump at the same time. The final thing on the petrol engine is the timing variator. This is the device that gives the engine variable cam timing. Usually after 40-50 thousand miles it starts to get noisy. Normal practice is to change this when you are doing the belts if this is the case. On diesels the belt change/water pump rule applies too, but these do not have timing variators.

2. Suspension- The 147 and 156 use a double wishbone/strut arrangement at the front and a multi-link independent system at the rear. The key issue here is that at around 40-50 thousand miles the bushes wear and the suspension can get 'clunky'. This can also have an effect on tyre wear, as the bush wear changes suspension geometry.

So, If you look at the above I would say either buy a car that has had a lot of this work done (using genuine parts, as pattern bits are crap) OR look very carefully and negotiate your purchase price accordingly. If you buy a cared for car it should be fine. Hope this helps!


If you contact Deirdre (wee smurf) on this forum, you can sort membership

Hi Jon

I've sent you an email regarding membership.

Thank you. Excellent pointers, however while I don't wish to insult any diesel lovers at the club, these engines in my own opinnion are the work of the devil and have no place sitting behind an Alfa grille....it's petrol only for me.

Search begins now......purchase may be a few months away.

I know what you mean! Considering you are coming from a V6 Mondeo, you should consider a V6 Alfa? The Alfa V6 is a classic engine and it is just about un-burstable.
If you want a 147, then a GTA is a good investment. These are actually going up in value, so you can potentially have fun and make a bit of money?

At the moment I'm downgrading as a V6 is a bit much fuel wise for daily driving and I won't have a diesel near me. A diesel in an Alfa is just not right in my opinion.

Hi, i also signed up that day, some great examples there!

Anyways i agree about petrol, im driving a 2.0 tspark 156. The feel of the drive is unbeatable!
I bought a poorly looked after alfa, so i could learn by fixing it myself, heres a list of what i would look out for judging by myn, but bear in mind i have a 156.
Timing belt change, see when it was last done, there breaking is very common, every 3 years or 36k miles is the change time. Also if you get a 2.0 tspark, the balance belt needs done at the same time, and you may aswell throw in a waterpump for good measure if you need this job done.
Dodgy electric window buttons, seen an awful lot very loose and broken off on a few i looked at when buying, just give them all a test!
Try find out how often the oil has been getting topped up, some are burners and you need to try avoid these, but this is something i guess you will only ever know after a few weeks of ownership, check the oil frequently! (i was lucky here)
If the car has high miles but full service history, dont be put off! these engines when looked after will run and run! ive seen a petrol with 212k miles (original engine!)
Drive with the windows open and listen carefuly from the front, upper/lower arms and be troublesome!
Good luck with finding a car, you wont regret it!

Hello Dedrie
I have been a member from long ago but have let membership renewal slip ,
I would like to renew my membership what is procedure ?
Regards
Richard

Richard. Unfortunately I don't have your contact details to send out the renewal form. However if you send me your email address, I can get your address to send you the membership renewal form to post back to me or if you come along to the next meeting, I can sign you up on the night.

We now meet at Lisburn Golf Club and it would be great to see you there!