A High Mileage Alfa Romeo GTV V6 Hows it holding up

[@downesy68]

Can I just say at this point that I’m glad I drive Alfa Romeos in Australia and not the UK?

[@E46_Lenker]

Yes, yes you can

[@tedburnard841]

@downesy68 Alfa’s have obviously improved rust wise since I bought my Alfetta 1.8 sedan new in 1976 here in Adelaide, South Australia, garaged it every night and it rusted out around the windscreen and back window within four years. So disappointing, as it was a lovely car to drive, hard.

[@downesy68]

@@tedburnard841 they definitely have but I’d think you could say that about most cars. Plenty of Holdens rusted back in the 70s as well.

[@downesy68]

@@tedburnard841 by the way, I’m in Adelaide as well.

[@AdamAus85]

Aye. I'm on the Gold Coast with an 05 156 SW MT in alfa red. Love the colour combo (red over tan), but I did find 3 small rust holes under the windscreen cowl. Then I parted out another 156 that was grey and it didn't have the same rust issues under the cowl. Note the clear has come off a lot of the SW and paint is in generally poor state.

[@alancampbell1008]

Hope he saves it...I'm beginning to really like these.

[@nairodoohk6362]

I bet owner saves it.. A GTV is not about practicalities.. its all about the emotion, drive, and above all smile that the thing gives you EVERY time you get into the front seat and take her out. I have a far from perfect 2l ts phaze 2 916 yr 2000 and I am simply madly in love with it despite its faults!!

[@NaNa-wj8tw]

Absolutely spot on. Magnificent cars.

[@seamuskelly9711]

So have I a phase 2 and love it. Thankfully not two many problems yet

[@AdamAus85]

Man I was wondering when you'd stop picking at that rust, lol. I say again, thank God for Australian weather.

[@Romeo_GR]

My Coupe' LE was sitting for 10 years (in a garage that is ventilated frequently). But, I live in Crete, Greece .That mean relatively high temperatures ,not much rain and wind which sends away humidity. So, no chassis rust at all. Not even minimum. A complete mechanical restoration was enough to bring it on the road again. Nice video!

[@calumbaxter9946]

If it was my car, and it had sentimental value, and I had the money, I would save it. The actual value of the car against the cost of restoration would be irrelevant. I have spent way more on my Spider than it is ever worth but I love the car and therefore it is money well spent.

[@ranjanaluwihare1511]

Neil is God! What a great man he his! He knows what he’s doing with these fragile Alfa’s! Parts are limited for these great classic Italian nightmares! Rx

[@Matteo_Licata]

Holy moly... That looks like a very substantial repair bill indeed. But probably worth it, as these cars have become quite sought after and valuable, at least here in Italy, where rust like this is unheard of, obviously :)

[@lkr8013]

What a coincidence, I watched your videos yesterday on the Shamal and Busso engine as I own a 156 GTA Sportwagon and 3200GT Assetto Corsa.

[@stewarthaddon3219]

Great video again Nelly, if this was any other brand it wouldn't even reach the assesment stage. I saw another Brera (black) today and it felt like we were in some kind of sadistic secret club as we exchanged a nod😂. Save the bugger!

[@GiulioDalleVedove]

I know it’s all rusted and it needs A LOT of work, but i would save it just for its color! So beautiful and rare

[@howardlake6178]

Probably, the reason for you seeing the heated seats with this colour, is they were dealer demonstrators. That paint finish was 3 grand as an option. Beautiful iridescent colour changes from silvery blue to turquoise and green. Or....if you could afford the 3 grand, the heated seats wasn't that much more. Hopefully it's saved, but it doesn't look good 😳😳

[@TABRO284]

Neil have a look at the fuel rail pipes. The small rubber hose that links the two bank's rails. Its barely hanging on over the blue plastic firtree style union. I could see it at 3:03. Looks wet too.

[@ItaliaAutos]

Have you seen how rotten the pipes are underneath

[@TABRO284]

@@ItaliaAutos not yet still watching.

[@gertjoeschuurman536]

Nice to be back Neill What aan beautifull car .

[@chrisrichmond403]

I call it a saver .. Yes it needs a bit of work but get it A1 with all other things like cambelt done & well looked after & not sat anywhere it has a good life left in it.

[@silvermane9370]

I’d never scrap anything unless it was a complete basket case. At least that was my attitude when my wallet was fat. Now I’m retired I just weep at the loss of another great car.

[@Negativvv]

Rusted in some slightly worrying places, my 156 rusted bad on the floor panels and driver's side rear arch. Rest of it's underside is mostly OK however. That's a pig of a colour to match, thankfully mine's only metallic black. It's for the owner to decide whether it's worth saving, no Busso powered car is ever going to be cheap to run. I've run a V6 156 for years now, budget about £1k a year on maintenance!

[@porsche356a]

I would look for a cleaner body, maybe a cheap twin spark, and look at putting the 3.0 v6 and interior into that. You can bet there will be more rust on that car than already found, and mechanical swap will be much less hours than rust repair and respray I would imagine.

[@massimilianomicor8775]

Beautiful car she deserves to be saved...although it would be tough and heavy job!

[@craigkaschan4822]

You think they’d make them out of stainless for the UK. All car manufacturers should learn from things like this.

[@1nnu3ndo]

It seems like a huge amount of work to fix all the rust issues, hurts to say as a big GTV fan and former owner, but probably not worth saving this one. What I've always wondered is how do some cars of the same make and model survive so well without corrosion and others seem to hit the rust-lottery? Is it just a bit of random luck?

[@neilmcclary3589]

makes my 98 gtv look like a garage queen lol

[@liamcorrigan3158]

Came here to say the same! 😂 As sad as it is to see, I feel a whole lot better about the state of mine now!

[@neilmcclary3589]

@@liamcorrigan3158 mine lives ourside 365 days a year and is used every day and has noware near the amount of rust as that has . I thing the worst thing that can be done to a car is leaving standing for a long time

[@rezaq1]

What an absolute shed Neil

[@royprime6635]

Reminds me of the floor of my 156 that had been sitting. Almost the entire floor was replaced in the end.

[@carlosceoofredlinequickshift]

Hope he saves it I would.. I wanna see you weld up the inner wheel arch.. I need to weld mine to 😑😔, be good to see you do it first 😂😁

[@davidmccausland9063]

Deffo worth saving .... Cracking car

[@davidfairley2440]

They are getting thiner on the ground, so save as the colour and spec is rare.

[@timhancock6626]

I'm afraid I wouldn't fix this one either. The money would be better spent looking for a better example. Its done well for the British climate though. This car was registered in the year 2000.

[@Thanos.m]

Have you seen how much these are going for these days decent ish examples with 100k miles fetch upwards of £10k I wouldn't think this is worth scrapping

[@timhancock6626]

@@Thanos.m You won't get anything like that much in the UK unless it's a perfect example with low miles on it.

[@Thanos.m]

@@timhancock6626 Have a look online on places like car and classic and auto trader they have skyrocketed in price

[@tjshill82]

Probably a northern car or been near the coast or both! It’s certainly worth considering saving but I guess it depends how deep the customers pockets are because there’s some serious work to be done on it. I wonder what it’s like under the sill covers and behind the inner wheel arch covers 🤔

[@mikegattereder7502]

omg looks stunning from inside and the color. But it´s a lot to do? Full Rust Restauration. How much?

[@hannchris2762]

That GTV looks fantastic in that colour but sadly I think it needs too much work

[@slippinjimmy2149]

Nuvola Blue is hard to colour match so it will likely require a full respray. But ... Nuvola Blue!

[@kevgermany]

Save it.

[@deanstanley5799]

Never seen such bad wheel arches on a gtv were has that car been ! My 2000 model V6 is mint thank god !!!

[@typeopositivetypeopositive9818]

Car was certainly stationed outside and upon grass.

[@theadhdetectorist]

Nope, just on our paved driveway!

[@marchutchings8834]

Neil from an Australian perspective, the chassis and so many components of that car are completely cactus. Why bother with it is my advice to owner. Why don;t they rustproof cars in the UK . This car is spare parts only. Best regards Neil, I love your videos. Marc.

[@TheCarRestorer957]

Love your channel and watching you restore them cars underneath what’s the best products you recommend for surface rust and we scabs I used hammerite no one rust beater but after 6 months to a year the surface rust has come back 🙄🙄

[@ItaliaAutos]

Thanks. I use omnicote

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Just do what you NEED to do to preserve it and run for this year then do the lot properly when funds allow.....

[@155stw]

Nice color, save it!

[@GinToni_]

Momo seat leather are strong indestructible

[@markreynolds8449]

If only they made the whole body out of the mono leather…..might be a little less brittle!

[@michaelstaley2241]

Pretty bad I hope you save it quite a rare example, I imagine the costs will be considerably high but hopefully save it.😎

[@Strike86]

Alfa have just made genuine heritage panels available for the GTV. If it was a Cup you'd save this every day of the week, but being a normal model (even if it's loaded with rare options) its future hangs on the temperament of its owner.

[@markreynolds8449]

Tell me more?

[@Strike86]

@@markreynolds8449 About the panels? MoparStore.co.uk - their website has details. They've started doing bits for a fair few classic FCA cars, including the GTV, 155, Delta Integrale and more. I think you can get bonnet, bumpers and front wings for the GTV. Not exactly what this car needs but it's a start.

[@markreynolds8449]

@@Strike86 cheers. I have an early Spider in LHD and 3.0 V6 12V, they are getting rarer and rarer to find panels now.

[@916DegreesNorth]

10k and this car is gonna be good xD

[@marcdelaunay1]

Save it Neil!✌️❤️

[@MegaReddevil71]

Who moted it stevie wonder

[@TommyRogic18]

Ouch. I hope it’s saved as I would for any Alfa, especially a Busso, but I’m shocked at how much is to be done here. I know Neil wouldn’t give away the bill out of respect for the customer’s privacy but can anyone in the trade who’s watched speculate as to what a repair bill would be on rust that far gone?

[@rezaq1]

The seats and alloys are worth more than the car!

[@ranjanaluwihare1511]

Alfa’s, stunning designs, with stunning rust too! What a shame! Lovely timeless cars too!

[@timhancock6626]

Come on, its done 20 years on salt laden British roads, so its actually done very well by the standards of just about any other car.

[@TABRO284]

In the UK we are in the ridiculous situation of salting all roads for six months of the year.

[@Thanos.m]

@@TABRO284 honestly I've seen them salting the roads at 8+ degrees and I've been pulling my hair

[@felixlutticken5694]

Well look at a Mercedes from the early 2000, most of them are completly rusted away

[@MrPabsUk]

@@felixlutticken5694 Yep, my neighbours 98 BMW M5 was worse than that (he`s been repairing the rust & restoring it for the last 3 years), & my 99 Jag XJR`s not far behind, its done ok by late 90`s standards.

[@simonc5592]

I reckon if your own an Alfa in the uk you need rust proof it every 5 years. I've had an Alfa GTV 2.0 in Australia and i have none of these issues literally none.

[@tomthepetrolhead97]

I would say scrap personally just because it is so rotten underneath. If the guy loves GTVS he may as well get another in safer less rusty condition.

[@greengrass9572]

Current or former coastal residence car.

[@MrOlcaymeral]

What a bad condition! Everywhere rust. The weather conditions in UK are very detrimental for cars:( Hope it will alive.

[@typeopositivetypeopositive9818]

Car was certainly stationed outside and upon grass.

[@camerondowning7523]

Exhaust noisy, didn't know that could be an advisory

[@johncat9261]

what would be a better daily , GTV 916 or a 147 GTA ?

[@ItaliaAutos]

GTV V6 is less money and cheaper to maintain. But both are desirable modern classics.

[@michaelbacon561]

I keep reading that these cars were galvanized. I'm beginning to realise that this is not as effective against rust as I'd been lead to believe. I guess nothing lasts for ever.

[@RyderGaming]

Damn and I thought my GT looks bad with all of it's rust.

[@AlfaGTA156]

Goodness me, did he store it in the English Channel?

[@damienroberts934]

that was so depressing - it looked so good on the outside. I have an idiotic question - why don't they treat the parts with anti rust before sale?

[@TroyHR123]

Though this GTV v6 appears to be a particularly bad rust example (probably had a period of unloved ownership in its 21 years of age). Simple fact of the matter is, with the exception of a few cars, almost all cars are designed to have a useful life; manufacturers only need to build a car with sufficient build quality/protection to survive long enough that people do not associate a reputation of rust-prone/unreliability. Anything beyond that is profit out of the manufacturers pocket, see Lancia Beta stories for why this is important (although that was also around steel used and such). Cars 2010+ are generally better protected (due to more plastic body panels and better galvanised processes for steel body/body panels lending to better protection at least for the first 5-10 years

[@flaviokart16]

Is it economically feasible??

[@duncandonovan5270]

Just happy it's not my car 😲

[@visaziniskaktusas442]

I say that Fiat coupe looks better than gtv. Change my mind

[@sheeeet7797]

Coupe is a cheap GTV

[@visaziniskaktusas442]

Or maybe gtv is overpriced coupe 🤔. Anyway both cars are awesome, but 5 cil. sounds better.

[@timhancock6626]

@@visaziniskaktusas442 Nothing sounds better than a Busso Alfa V6

[@visaziniskaktusas442]

V6 is not best sounding engine. Busso is overhyped. 5 cil turbo will sound better and will pull better. That’s mine opinion.

[@sheeeet7797]

Yes 5cyl sound better than 4cyl

[@matthewbell1968]

A real shame, such a beautiful iconic car (especially in that colour) but that car is scrap I'm afraid to say...

[@Thanos.m]

Seen a lot worse than this one being saved considering the money the v6s bring these days I think it worth sorting out

[@fhwolthuis]

I say take out the interior and engine and out it into a 145! 🍀😁

[@davecroden9793]

How much would it cost to bring in my GTV for the same kind of inspection Neil?

[@ItaliaAutos]

£40. For the same visual inspection

[@seamuskelly9711]

O that's great value for the advice of a man of Neil's experience

[@davecroden9793]

@@ItaliaAutos thanks Neil, I will give you call and arrange 👍

[@1240enzo]

I am sure glad we don’t salt the roads here in Oz, ouch the rust on this GTV isn’t pretty.

[@PhilipDjaferis]

save it!!

[@davidfoster1762]

4:59 . 😥

[@a11csc]

saver

[@HAZYFALKIRK]

This looks like a Scottish car

[@vassallo49]

Problemi: 1) molte parti della carrozzeria sono da sostituire e da riparare, quindi molto lavoro e costi. 2) il motore ha molte miglia (più di 200.000) e non sappiamo in quali condizioni sia. In conclusione non credo sia conveniente il restauro, a meno che non trovi un amatore disposto a volerla restaurare. Può essere usata come auto donatrice. Il motore rimane una incognita, dato il fatto che non lo hai provato. Problems: 1) many parts of the body need to be replaced and repaired, so a lot of work and costs. 2) the engine has many miles (more than 200,000) and we don't know what condition it is in. In conclusion, I don't think restoration is convenient, unless you find an amateur willing to want to restore it. It can be used as a donor car. The engine remains an unknown, given the fact that you haven't tried it.

[@MrPabsUk]

Some owners love their cars & don't care about the cost.. one of my neighbours spent £15,000 on a 1998 Fiat Coupe restoration about 10 years ago because it was his mothers (who had died), it was only worth £4-5000 in perfect condition at the time! I also had a customer when I was working at Jaguar, had a new engine & automatic gearbox fitted to his 10 year old XJS convertible, as well as all new air conditioning, all new wood, a new convertible top, some welding & paint, & lots more, the final bill was over £25,000, at the time the car was worth about £10,000. People do these things!

[@davescott4065]

TOO!

[@cliveengel5744]

The UK Alfa’s suffer from massive corrosion problems!

[@ItaliaAutos]

It's not just alfa

[@cliveengel5744]

@@ItaliaAutos Thanks - yes all cars .. is it possible to protect the underbody of the Alfa’s to last longer - My GTV is clean underneath and garaged and rinsed down underneath.

[@Thecarman1994]

You'll have to put a Saturday morning in.

[@colinedward3147]

Yeah save it, still too nice to be scrapped.

[@DoctorDARKSIDE]

This GTV must have been submerged in salty water at some point - poor thing.

[@paullloyd1276]

Im crusty

[@kentdaniel6]

145k isn't even that much is it?

[@Negativvv]

No, my 156 is about to hit 150k and I've only done 36k of that in the last 7 years...

[@kentdaniel6]

@@Negativvv yeah my 147 has done 152 😂😅

[@MegaReddevil71]

It's a breaker I think

[@alexdalgleish1061]

I'd take advantage of Kia's Scrappage Scheme. £2500 for the Alfa against a Kio Rio 1.0 Turbo 118 GT Line S in yellow if still do.

[@bcr1973.]

Too far gone underneath...

[@Pod-e4m]

Scrap it. It's got too much rust.

[@pereldh5741]

Wow thats even rustier than the worst Fiat Coupe’s I’ve seen

[@grotesmurf1]

What has a pizza and this GTV have in common..........the are both crusty........

[@nickevans7049]

save your money and buy an EV

[@zlatkovujevic7348]

Not worth it, too much rust and spent $$$. If is my car I would sell it for parts.

[@millekrisztian]

A big rusty peace of sh.. . Sorry but every £ the owner did put in this car is one o much

[@bcr1973.]

Agree, also the most expensive colour to repaint, it's scrap.

[@paullloyd1276]

Thats crustier than crusty

[@johnmoruzzi7236]

Crustier than Herschel “Krusty” Krustofski ?

[@gunnarlandin3258]

Typical Alfa...

[@timhancock6626]

Yup, lasted 20 years in a damp climate and is still going in spite of not having a cam belt for ten years. Typical Alfa 😉