155 V6 or 164 V6?

[marino.simons@domain.elided]

Hi,

I own a 1993 Alfa 155 V6, one of the first build I believe, as it was
build in 1992.  I bought mine 3 years ago, the car had been stranded in my
dealers showroom for 5 years (only 40.000km on the clock). And I must say
that I am very happy with my car. I've had some problems with my car but
most of them were due to lack of use, perished fuel line, fuel pump,
radiator.  I've also encoutered the stepper motor failure problem, so not
only 164s suffer from that, and the fix it on a 155 the entire dashboard
must be removed, and it is a very expensive job. As on any V6 alfa you
need to replace the belts every 60.000km, and while you are doing this it
might be wise to replace the waterpump, as these do fail on 155s.  Mine
failed at 147.000km.  The timingbelt tensioner, can work itself loose (my
car did that, but fortunatly your hear this before damage occurs), and it
is prone to leaking.. (mine did).
Apart from these things nothing goes wrong with them, the roadholding of a
155 V6 is much better than that of a standard 155. I've had a 155 2.0TD on
loan from my mechanic, and the difference was HUGE..  The brakes are very
good, brake pads last long, discs are also durable.  To make very fast
progress you have to keep up the revs, as the V6 is very flexible and
relaxed, it only gives it best after 4000rpm. And then your 155 is going
fast :)
And DON'T use second gear on a 155 V6 until the gearbox is warmed up...
I raced against a porsche boxter at the traffic ligts, and my 'old'
Italian family car kept up with the "sportscar". I thing that a 164 3.0 V6
is the more relaxed car to drive, but I also believe that a 155 V6 or 164
V6 are equally complex and expensive to fix.  A lot of mechanical parts
are the same, and on both cars is replacing the timing belt a
timeconsuming job.. You can't reach it without taking the car apart :) )
In my opnnion is the 155 the better looking car as a 164 is starting to
look a bit dated..But that's a matter of opinion.  I drive a 164 Q4, and I
like a lot..  Though it felt almost the same as my 155... (took it to the
racetrack a month ago, and I was impressed about the agility of this
1400kg family car..)

I hope this helps,
regards,
Marino  Simons
1988 Alfa 33 1.3S
1993 Alfa 155 V6
2002 Alfa 156 1.9 JTD





Date: Sun, 18 Aug 2002 20:41:17 +1200
From: Nick Brooker <nickb@domain.elided>
Subject: 155 V6 or 164 V6?

Hi,

I was taking a 96 155 V6 out for a test and we were getting close to
closing and I stumbled across a 94 164 Super.

The 155 is the wide track with sports suspension.  Very tight. The 164
is a nice standard super.

I think this is going to come down to a drivers car vs a luxury car.  Is
this the case or have I simplified it too much? I would guess the 155
would be more reliable and easier to get fixed, is this true or am I not
giving the 164 a fair go?

What I'm really looking for is a people who have driven both.  I haven't
driven a 164 in a about 6 months, but I remember them being tight for
the size of the car and pretty quick and that wasn't even the 24v one.
Or anything to be careful of in either car that may be overlooked.

Thanks

Nick
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