156 (Type 932) 1997 - 2005

Background

This pre-facelift Mk 1 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 Twin Spark ‘Tourismo’, registered 25^th October 2001, finished in ‘Grigio Ciaro’ with charcoal velour upholstery is one of just 45 left on the road (as at Q4 2025). I bought it in February 2021 and it has covered ~ 74,000 miles from new, ~13,000 in my ownership (used all year round).

It’s very original, factory spec and unrestored apart from some localised repairs – alloy wheels are unrestored.

These are now just 700 of all 156 variants left on the road in the UK including both facelifts, diesels, Sportwagon’s and the highly coveted GTAs, this is down from around 1500 just 5 years ago. In total, Alfa sold around 42000 new156s in the UK.

Alfie had 5 previous keepers, the last was a student who used him for about 3 weeks until a Saab came along then he was left outside for about 2 months until advertised for sale.

The owner before that was a ‘mature’ chap from Congleton who owned the car for about 8 years and clearly cherished it, but it seems to have got too much for him to keep up with. I’d love to trace this owner as I believe he has the rest of the Service History.

On arrival to view the car, it was somewhat 'down at heel'

The battery had gone flat with the windows partially open in the storms of January 2021 so the carpets were soaked and squelching. The battery was flat again and the vendor couldn’t start the car – but I managed and took it for a test drive round the local lanes – there was quite a harsh noise from the front nearside and it clearly had a few other issues to sort out just to pass an MOT (it had 3 weeks left). But the body and interior were in remarkable condition (in spite of the water ingress); and the engine & transmission seemed healthy, so a deal was done at £700.

A rear shock absorber had rusted, and the spring seat dropped (very common) and was bodged with an exhaust clamp! The airbag light was on, a rear window was stuck open a crack, air con not working, alarm not working and a front tyre was shot. The noise was a sticking FOS caliper dragging a bit too much on the surface rust on the disc.

The underside was remarkably rust free, thanks to copious amounts of underbody wax. It had obviously had a recent service – the oil was clean and nearly new as were the oil and air filters (good brands too!). There were receipts for a clutch at ~41000 miles and a full timing belt kit at ~58,000.

The battery ‘fault’ was a seized, loose +ve clamp. It took a week to dry the carpets and soundproofing after lifting (I extracted ~ 8L of water from the interior) but inside the floors and sill cavities were rust free. I had to weld one small plate under the corner of the rear nearside sill.

I eventually traced the Airbag fault to a failed ECU, fitted a new strut, repaired the rear window (it had a new regulator - wrongly fitted!) and bought a new tyre. We were MOT Ready and got a pass on 1/5/21.

Regular servicing and scheduled maintenance;

Boot struts replaced (and changed twice under warranty!),

New ARB links all round, New rear trailing arm hub bushes a rear wheel bearing and the other rear shock absorber;

Engine undertray and catalyst heatshield repaired;

Aircon repaired (eventually traced to a pin hole in a pipe under a clip);

Early ‘MIL’ issues traced to an upstream Lambda and MAF– both replaced along with new set NGK Plugs, then the  other upstream Lambda sensor;

The other 3 tyres were replaced, new front discs/pads & brake fluid change,

New Thermostat, coolant temp sensor, radiator fan resistor.

New battery fitted after the old one was killed by constant parasitic draining eventually traced to a faulty bulb failure warning circuit (used tachometer sorted that one!)

Most recently - new front suspension top arms.

For a 25 year old car, it’s very reliable, drives really well and I’m happy to drive it anywhere.

Front wing rear corner repairs (one needs doing again), front bumper paint correction, new number plates and bonnet badge, stone chops and minor corrosion treated and touched in. A later 156 CD stereo is installed to replace the ugly ill-fitting after-market item that was ‘fitted’ by previous owner.

Lots of random fettling including topping up rustproofing andengine bay detailing.

I’m gathering everything for a full belt replacement, more bodywork improvement, replacement keys with buttons that work!

Apart from tyres and aircon work, everything has been done by myself at home, under a carport.