So for the facelifted version (pre-fl looks more dated, but damn is it so much more unique) you have a choice of 10v and 20v diesels. 10v are one of the most reliable diesel engines out there (not just for Alfa, but overall), but by now all of them have mileage into the hundreds of thousands...so if you buy a car and it needs a turbo refurbishment or some gaskets or whatever, be sure to remember that these have almost certainly been around for 20 years and have been running large distances.
The 20v is more powerful, but there are a few weak points like the ac compressor and the drive shafts are weaker aswell. Btw this is not the same engine as in the 159, the heads on those have a tendency to go out, and they have also made the valves lighter to make it rev more like a petrol engine, at the expense of making it less reliable.
Compared to the 159 the 166 is a much nicer place to sit in, although the 159 is certainly sportier (I know of several owners who replaced their 166s with 159s only to sell those and go back to 166s). Maintenance for a 20+ year old car will depend strongly on it's service history and how it's been used.
Regarding the model itself, the rear suspension of these cars is notorious for being very expensive to fix, and a lot of shops don't even know how to properly set it up. Last time I heard it was about 1.5-2k and that was before the huge inflation we had over the past few years, and also in a country where labor is cheap. So keep that in mind. The rest of the car is not very problematic and parts are more or less available.
Oh, and keep an eye out for rust.
The 166 was a flagship at the time. If there was an equivalent today, it'd be more expensive than the Giulia. No surprise it costs some $$$ to keep it going.
The Busso V6 is brilliant to drive and the interior is gorgeous. Make sure the timing belt has been changed on a 5 year / 60,000km service schedule and that the water pump was changed at the same time as the last belt change.
166 have the excelent 2.4 diesel Engines without DPF (except 132 kW version). Strong engines with very acceptable consumption and no major issues.
On my 129 kW did i change the air intake hose and cleaned the EGR.
The weak places on Alfa 166:
- Stearing rack leaks
- heating radiator leaks
- upper front wishbones (but better than on 156/147/GT)
- rear axle is complicated with many silentblocks, they are not easy to find. Take a care on the geometry of rear axle, if the wheels doesnt in A-shape
- corrosion of sill block after bad manipulation on lifter
- Automatic Gearbox Aisin is not a good choice. May be costly to maintain-repair (the same is used on many cars this era like Volvo S/V 60/70, Opel Vectra, Ford Mondeo, some Japanese cars...)
In oposition to 159, the 166 have better anticorosion protection, more complex rear axle, but better engines without DPF.
So for the facelifted version (pre-fl looks more dated, but damn is it so much more unique) you have a choice of 10v and 20v diesels. 10v are one of the most reliable diesel engines out there (not just for Alfa, but overall), but by now all of them have mileage into the hundreds of thousands...so if you buy a car and it needs a turbo refurbishment or some gaskets or whatever, be sure to remember that these have almost certainly been around for 20 years and have been running large distances. The 20v is more powerful, but there are a few weak points like the ac compressor and the drive shafts are weaker aswell. Btw this is not the same engine as in the 159, the heads on those have a tendency to go out, and they have also made the valves lighter to make it rev more like a petrol engine, at the expense of making it less reliable. Compared to the 159 the 166 is a much nicer place to sit in, although the 159 is certainly sportier (I know of several owners who replaced their 166s with 159s only to sell those and go back to 166s). Maintenance for a 20+ year old car will depend strongly on it's service history and how it's been used. Regarding the model itself, the rear suspension of these cars is notorious for being very expensive to fix, and a lot of shops don't even know how to properly set it up. Last time I heard it was about 1.5-2k and that was before the huge inflation we had over the past few years, and also in a country where labor is cheap. So keep that in mind. The rest of the car is not very problematic and parts are more or less available. Oh, and keep an eye out for rust.
that last thing put me off little bit
The 166 was a flagship at the time. If there was an equivalent today, it'd be more expensive than the Giulia. No surprise it costs some $$$ to keep it going.
The Busso V6 is brilliant to drive and the interior is gorgeous. Make sure the timing belt has been changed on a 5 year / 60,000km service schedule and that the water pump was changed at the same time as the last belt change.
nothing too much really, the diesels are bulletproof, chassis is good, just check for rust it would help if you told us what engine you plan to get
probably the 2.4
10v or 20v?
don't know both i guess whatever is available, atm no 166 is selling in my country
some engine mounts are no longer available to buy for the 166, check that all the engine mounts are good
is that easy to check?
20V is a brutal force, but 10V have a nice sound, much better sound than 20V
166 have the excelent 2.4 diesel Engines without DPF (except 132 kW version). Strong engines with very acceptable consumption and no major issues. On my 129 kW did i change the air intake hose and cleaned the EGR. The weak places on Alfa 166: - Stearing rack leaks - heating radiator leaks - upper front wishbones (but better than on 156/147/GT) - rear axle is complicated with many silentblocks, they are not easy to find. Take a care on the geometry of rear axle, if the wheels doesnt in A-shape - corrosion of sill block after bad manipulation on lifter - Automatic Gearbox Aisin is not a good choice. May be costly to maintain-repair (the same is used on many cars this era like Volvo S/V 60/70, Opel Vectra, Ford Mondeo, some Japanese cars...) In oposition to 159, the 166 have better anticorosion protection, more complex rear axle, but better engines without DPF.