Today, in my ongoing search for a knockabout motor, I drove a 2005 Alfa 156 Sportwagon with the 140 or 150hp 'Mjet' 1.9 diesel engine.
I really like them and the car itself was excellent - the best example of care I've seen in France - although the dealer couldn't show me a stamped service book, which is normal for here. It was, extremely unusually for here too, right on the money. It was turned in by its only previous owner at the local Mercedes dealer and traded out to another local firm.
It drove OK, everything worked fine and the seats seemed comfortable, if a bit high but I'm sure when I've driven this engine with a six-speed gearbox (which I dislike) it has been surprisingly smooth, powerful and quiet. But this one was very peaky, although fast when the turbo caught up, had no 'go' at all to speak off in fifth and sixth and to me sounded quite gruff right through the rev range. I was quite disappointed but is this what one should expect?
The computer, when I managed to squint at the read-out, was showing an average fuel consumption of around 44mpg.
It has just had a cambelt and water pump, as they do, but does anyone think it perhaps needs expert tuning or something? A few recent bills don't spell service history to me, but a once-in-a-lifetime oil change just before sale isn't unusual in this part of the world.
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