Is the 75 a good daily driver?

[Mezevenf]

You are welcome to get behind the wheel of my 24v, though it wont prove as much of a test, since my car is not so stock

I'll come down to Byron one day soon if you like, I live in Northern NSW anyway, not really the Gold Coast

[AlfaPDent]

Firstly I admit that I don't use my 75 as a daily driver, as I do 27,000 miles a year.

I have owned Suds, 33s, a 164, 156s and a 101 Series Spider as well as the 75, and I have to say that I find the 75 the most rewarding drive of the them all.

It has proved to be fairly reliable. I get about 32 mpg, but I am afraid that I don't know what that is in metric.

Mine has the Recaro interior which I can recommend looking for, as the seats are incredibly comfortable.

We use it on club events and it is great to have something a little different that can carry the whole family around.

The picture below was taken at a UK AROC event with a modern equivalent in the background.

[Craig]

G'Day Ben,

Quote:

Originally Posted by italiansedanman I used to have a 116 Giulietta that I really loved driving, despite the shift. I guess if i can get behind the wheel of a 75 I can make my mind up.

[Mezevenf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlfaPDent It has proved to be fairly reliable. I get about 32 mpg, but I am afraid that I don't know what that is in metric.

[Craig]

Nope, two types of gallon. UK 4.546 litres and US 3.785 litres.

[Mezevenf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig Nope, two types of gallon. UK 4.546 litres and US 3.785 litres.

[PuntIt]

I know it's a bit late but I came across this whilst looking for suggestions about mechanics to use in Melbourne.

GET THE 75 TS, my friend.

I have owned many cars. Some fast, some reliable, rarely both at once.

Nissan Pulsar GTiR.............Toyota Corolla Ke70 1.3L and many in between.

The 75 TS is an absolute beauty. She goes hard when I spank her, looks cool in that retro 80s box-a-thon kinda way and most importantly sounds fantastic. I do not use the radio.

You will have things go wrong but that is the price you pay the smile that will be on your face the other 95% of the time.

In two years I have had:

-Broken gearbox mounts
-Re-conditioned starter motor
-Broken driver's door latch

Compared to my GTiR, the little 75 has friggin Toyota-like reliability...(a slight stretch, I know)
(I realise I have jinxed myself and will spend the rest of this year paying bills for my baby)

In short this is what I have found from my experience:

-Engine pulls hard and sounds great
-Handling 9.5/10 Supreme, superb, sublime (except in the wet when it's ****:>...could be my tyre selection, i know)
-You will need to be a simian to be comfortable driving it for longer than 30 mins. Short legs long arms.......but you get used it
-Petrol consumption 10L/100....but I flog her mercilessly (she loves it)
-**** will fall off.....so far I have broken the driver's door latches (both inside and out) and a few small plasticky bits and bobs. Nothing serious though.
-You WILL do the "look back" at it. I still check her out when leaving her (2 years and running).
-There will be strange sounds from your gearbox when changing in and out of second. Synchros are **** but you learn to double clutch or deal with it.
-Parts are fun to find ...... easy enough once you track things through places like alfabb. Some stuff is same as Alfa 90, some is same as Alfetta. You get the idea.
-Having two distributors will confuse backwater mechanics. Point and explain. Works for me.
-Red is the best colour. Silver is cool but reserved for 1750, 2000 gtv etc.

You will have a beaming smile and racing heart when you do what was meant to be done to these little beauties....PUNT IT and Punt It hard, my friend. The combination of sounds, performance and handling will get you wet. Or at least a little moist.

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Sorry, got side tracked. Just staring at my little red baby out the window.










DO IT.

[hughqv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by PuntIt -Engine pulls hard and sounds great -Handling 9.5/10 Supreme, superb, sublime (except in the wet when it's ****:>...could be my tyre selection, i know) -You will need to be a simian to be comfortable driving it for longer than 30 mins. Short legs long arms.......but you get used it -Petrol consumption 10L/100....but I flog her mercilessly (she loves it) -**** will fall off.....so far I have broken the driver's door latches (both inside and out) and a few small plasticky bits and bobs. Nothing serious though. -You WILL do the "look back" at it. I still check her out when leaving her (2 years and running). -There will be strange sounds from your gearbox when changing in and out of second. Synchros are **** but you learn to double clutch or deal with it. -Parts are fun to find ...... easy enough once you track things through places like alfabb. Some stuff is same as Alfa 90, some is same as Alfetta. You get the idea. -Having two distributors will confuse backwater mechanics. Point and explain. Works for me. -Red is the best colour. Silver is cool but reserved for 1750, 2000 gtv etc. You will have a beaming smile and racing heart when you do what was meant to be done to these little beauties....PUNT IT and Punt It hard, my friend. The combination of sounds, performance and handling will get you wet. Or at least a little moist.

[MaxSport]

I drive my red '87 2.5 V6 almost every day.
We have owned it for 15 years. As of today it has a bit over 71k miles.

These days I sometimes must drive 40 or 50 miles round trip to see clients and can do so without worry about breaking down.

That said, I have spent thousands in parts and labor to replace or upgrade parts to make it that way. It damn well ought to be reliable.

Electrical issues, water pump, flex joints, exhaust, timing belt-bent valves,
fuel pump,rusty rear fenders etc. have about worn me out ( not to mention my wife who wanted me to give up and buy something new after all the heart ache. Ever changed a fuel pump laying on the ground at a truck stop?).

However,at this point,I do enjoy driving this car more than ever.
New poly bushings have made the car better than new.
What could I buy that is this much fun for the money I have spent?

With Ansa installed it sounds so great.
A quasi-enthusiast neighbor has a black Maserati Quattroporte and he loves my car.

I am sure he has no idea of what year the Milano is
-or what it's "book value" really is.

While a new car is tempting, the 40+ k I would spend on the car I want would be hard to justify, even if I can afford to do it.

Alfas are a cult and I can't leave now.

[Rookie ROX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hughqv Only thing I have to say handling is not 9.5/10 in stock form. A set of konis does the job though. Stock mine handled like a shopping basket to be honest, body roll was ridiculas...

[AlfaTango1]

My 87 2.5 Gold was so much fun and for three years my daily driver. There were several years when I was doing the rotary thing (RX7's) and did not have an Alfa. Well I now have two 164's an L and S, just bought an 84 GTV6 Monday and love it. And guess what? I just found a pristine 87 Milano 2.5 auto for $1500 U.S. It's the same color that mine was but with cloth and an automatic. I should not spend any more money buying an Alfa this week but this car is so clean and it has only 75,000 miles and I know the old lady owner and all the maintenence so wtf?! Now I can drive with only one foot and still enjoy the ride. Oh by the way after about 50 mph the autos are a real kick to drive. So to sum up, yes I'd drive a 75 as a daily driver again.

[alfaspence]

I have a 3.0ltr veloce as my daily driver (even on hiddious uk fuel prices) shes a bit rough round the edges but none the less a reall rewarding hoot to drive! Even at the end of a stressful day at work, the journey home always raises a smile!
I have no stereo, just a side exit pipe and electric windows!!!!

[alfahaka]

Quote:

Originally Posted by italiansedanman Mezevenf, why dont you drive it nicely to Byron Bay some time?!? Come and have a coffee at my cafe and talkaboutadaalfas eh? Back to 75s, If and when the time comes to get this daily driver, if there's a good 75 on the market it might well be "the" car. I think I am still more inclined to go the route of the TS just because I love the twin cam and I dont really have the need for the V6. Seems as though nobody ever complains about the gearshift linkages in 75s - I assume they were vastly improved from the 116 series cars. I used to have a 116 Giulietta that I really loved driving, despite the shift. I guess if i can get behind the wheel of a 75 I can make my mind up.