The Car Zoo Japanese imports

allandwf

Member
Messages
10,958
They seem to use ebay a lot, and they appear to have positive feedback. Interesting stock. I agree with your selespeed comment, wasn't that great.
 

Nayf

Member
Messages
2,734
The Selespeed In the GTAs are actually more closely related to that used in the Maserati 4200/Ferrari 360. Whether that means the shifts can be sharpened up in the same manner as the 4200 to 360CS specs, I’m not sure.
The Twin Spark Selespeeds are different and though fun, best avoided.

While there are some RHD manuals in Japan, most are LHD for tax prestige reasons. You can convert a Selespeed RHD to manual - it’s the same gearbox, but with a rod actuated gearchange - but I don’t know how much this would cost. However, with low mileage UK market GTAs getting rare and expensive, the right Japanese Selespeed car in the right colour might be worth converting, particularly for the 147s.
While most 156s were bought by people who cared for them, older types - as evidenced by the fair few that have gone past 120k-150k miles and are in great nick, the 147 wasn’t so lucky.
For many years it was just a cheap hot hatchback and a lot have been thrashed, abused or neglected. Mine had nine owners and just the last owner kept his history after rescuing it and doing it up as a trade in. Turns out it had half a new gearbox, half a refurb one…
Someone once told me that whatever 147 GTA you buy, be prepared to spend £10,000 all in. Either go top of the market and buy a minter, or spend £6k and spend £4K sorting it out.
Prices for minters has risen by six grand - the blue one at Alfa Aid, having driven and seen the work first hand, is worth £16k if not more - so be prepared to spend £16k whether you buy a cheap one or not.
as for this vendor - these Japanese cars have been up for sale for a long time and need gentle coaxing back into life. Budget at least a cambelt and waterpump, which is a grand - just to be on the safe side.
Then it’s a case of checking if it’s had a Q2/Quaife diff - another essential, another grand or so. This is another essential, if you don’t want to have your gearbox explode or under steer into a hedge.
Then I’d put serious thought into an aftermarket suspension setup, as the standard one is not brilliant and goes light over mid-corner bumps.
The other issue is Japanese servicing - what’s it had done? - but to be fair any GTA you buy will likely need something in the first year, so this shouldn’t be a turn off as long as there’s no rot.

I hope this doesn’t put you off - they are deeply charismatic machines that with the Q2 + aftermarket suspension turns into a Sunday morning adrenaline hit like really nothing else. It’s not a track car, it’s a road car that will demand more of you than something like a RenaultSport Megane/Clio, or Golf, with purer handling. The GTA is deeply impure, in the best way…
Personally I’d spend as much as I could a minter, rather than bring one up to spec.
 

Oneball

Member
Messages
11,075
Alfa Aid have had the blue GTA for sale for at least 2 1/2 years. I enquired about it.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
Alfa Aid have had the blue GTA for sale for at least 2 1/2 years. I enquired about it.
Never heard of Alfa Aid.
The blue one on their Web site does look nice.
They don't in the ad expand much on what mods it's had though.
... found myself looking at Autodelta mods.
 

Oneball

Member
Messages
11,075
Never heard of Alfa Aid.
The blue one on their Web site does look nice.
They don't in the ad expand much on what mods it's had though.
... found myself looking at Autodelta mods.

Im pretty sure when I enquired that it is absolutely standard.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
This looks nice.
Import with what appears a lot of work carried out.
 

Cyclone1

Member
Messages
504
This looks nice.
Import with what appears a lot of work carried out.
I enquired about this one in October last year, but never followed through with a viewing. Instead I imported a Fiat Coupé Turbo from Japan and spent just over 5 months having it restored.

A 147GTA remains on my list and I’ll pick one up in the next year or so. It’ll likely be an import though.
 

zagatoes30

Member
Messages
20,763
Never heard of Alfa Aid.
The blue one on their Web site does look nice.
They don't in the ad expand much on what mods it's had though.
... found myself looking at Autodelta mods.

Really a well known Alfa specialist asked them once why do you charge more than the main dealer hourly rate, instant response because we're better.

Adrian does know his SZs though and is a font of knowledge and once you get to know him he is really helpful, however their prices are Maserati levels. He is modifying my spare set of SZ rims, same size just changing the offset of the rears to fit the front and then widening the fronts to fit the back, I am expecting my wallet to be rolled over and hammered hard from the rear
 
Last edited:

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
I enquired about this one in October last year, but never followed through with a viewing. Instead I imported a Fiat Coupé Turbo from Japan and spent just over 5 months having it restored.

A 147GTA remains on my list and I’ll pick one up in the next year or so. It’ll likely be an import though.

It's been for sale for a while then, not long after most of the work carried out.
Must say I have noticed the Car Zoo stock has also been pretty static too. Covid not helping of course.
 

Matt82

Member
Messages
222
We bought our Alfa Giulietta QV from Alfa Aid. Very pleasant to deal with, clearly a wealth of Alfa knowledge and it was obvious they only stock decent condition cars.
They had three SZs in when I was there, they took the time to give me tour of them.
 

Cyclone1

Member
Messages
504
It's been for sale for a while then, not long after most of the work carried out.
Must say I have noticed the Car Zoo stock has also been pretty static too. Covid not helping of course.
I think the seller took the car off the market for a while. He was incredibly informative about the car and it has some recent service history in the UK at a very decent Indie, with a lot of work being carried out.

I agree reference Car Zoo, many there were for sale last Sept/Oct, the one there I would have considered had very low miles but that now appears to be sold.

The place I purchased and who restored my imported Fiat Coupé, also have an Alfa GTA for sale. I went there originally as they had a white 1 owner 147GTA with only 23k miles for sale. Through dithering I missed it by a day, but still went to see it, it was immaculate, so I was gutted. But I consoled myself By switching my attention to the Coupé and imported one of these instead.

Importing is a bit of a lottery and you have to factor in the car may not be as fully described, you also have to factor in damage in transit. However, there’s no doubting that the underside of these cars are in general superb compared to UK cars, plus if the RHD spec is comparable then it’s a no brainier (certainly the case with the Coupé).
 

Kincath

Member
Messages
358
This looks nice.
Import with what appears a lot of work carried out.

I have a lot of info on this car. I had agreed a price on it then lockdown took over. The guy selling it is a really nice chap and very informative. Going by the videos he sent me the car is an absolute showstopper. I’m still tempted by it.
 

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
Messages
9,033
I guess the big question for me I have to answer, could I swop my BMW M140i (3 door manual) for one, and still use it as a daily for business, with the required reliability, between 10 to 15K miles a year?
Am I kidding myself?
 

Oneball

Member
Messages
11,075
I was doing about 50k miles a year when I had a 147 (1.6). Only thing it needed was an exhaust manifold heat shield and tyres.
 

Twinspark

Member
Messages
460
Japanese import cars vary a lot in quality but most of them usually have little to no documentation of previous repair.

They’re generally unmodified but from my experience with two in Dubai its best to at least factor in a major service. I had an S6 that had the wrong spark plugs and a work timing belt that needed doing.