Press space or click image! Little update on the last 3 months of ownership for both of my cars, a 1994 Volkswagen Polo Mk2f and a 2003 Alfa Romeo 156 Veloce 1.9JTD More photos and writeups coming soon however for now enjoy these slightly dated photos of the Alfa from the end of last year. No pictures of the Polo this time however some will be shared on this account soon :)
January 28th marked the 3rd month of ownership on the little 156 and a few big things have occured since then! Being a quarter of the year into ownership, I have now gotten used to how the car drives and feel more confident driving it spiritedly, parking it and most of all feel happy booting it to overtake an old lady in a Honda Jazz! The car is driving really nicely however has had a few little bits needing seeing to. Towards the end of last year, the car would random beep at me and shut off power for a second or two. This gradually got worse, until Christmas Day 2023 when I was driving me and my family to a Christmas dinner, when the car cut out and I thought, I need... ...to fix this soon! I called up an auto electrician and took the car in to get sorted. It was soon diagnosed as a faulty relay. After getting this fitted for the pricely sum of £150, the car was back to driving like the sporty yet comfortable Italian saloon it was known to be! I also took the 156 to an Alfa Romeo specialist in the new year, to diagnose and find any problems mechanically or structurally. Overall the report came out quite well, with only a few things needing doing. Worst of which being 4 (four!) bent rear arms. The quote to get everything fixed was just over £1100, so I am trying to decide whether it's actually worth getting this done or not. I think I will get half the stuff... ...fixed realistically as the other bits weren't urgent. The rear brakes are starting to squeak and need replacing, but I will attempt to do these myself I reckon. I am looking at some new wheels to update the look of the car however I will probably not get any until the tyres on these wheels need replacing as that makes the most sense financially. The car also has a name now - Sergio! I am going to get it remapped hopefully, upping the hp by a further 40/50hp. In terms of my Polo - I drove it quite a bit over Christmas before the salty roads came. I've put on nearly 4000 miles since I bought it back in 2021! He runs very well as always, and will be great in summer!
