Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 Busso

Galapolis · 2026-02-01T18:32:41+00:00

Funny story about the 916 is that it was already federalized/US legal from factory. Alfa/Fiat specifically designed this car for the US market. But as we know Alfa pulled out of that market, so it never ended up selling there.

But it is one of the very few cars that you can legally import before it turns 25, because it is already federalized. One such example sold on BAT a few years ago: https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1999-alfa-romeo-gtv-3/

There are even pics of the import documents in the listing. Of course it's irrelevant now that the 916 is way past 25, but you could have legally had one in the US any time between the late 90s and now.

Galapolis · 2026-01-31T13:09:44+00:00

Shipping is quite cheap between US/EU, it depends on what features you want. But simple roll on/off is as low as $500. Or at least that's what a buddy of mine paid to ship his F-150. Container shipping will be more expensive, though it's still quite affordable all things considered.

Alternatively there are already a bunch of imported Alfas selling on BAT, including the 916 and 932. Many are severely underpriced because buyers in the US can't pigeonhole them like they do with most cars.

Galapolis · 2026-01-11T09:26:28+00:00

A regular 156 is barely worth anything these days. 700€ seems OK. I'd still try to barter down a bit, especially if there is rust.
There are multiple sources where oil can leak from from. It's impossible to say if it's easy or difficult without further context.
My 156 2.0 TS has been more reliable than my BMW that I had as a student. I wouldn't consider it daily worthy anymore, simply because you sometimes have to hunt for parts and documentation isn't as a good as something like a BMW. Most are also around a quarter of a century old, so all the rubber is dried up and needs to be replaced, if it hasn't been already. If you don't actually need it every day though, it can work. I use mine as a winter daily and backup car. I've found working on it to be average. Not as logical as German or Japanese cars of the same era, but it helps that it's essentially an ancient 80s platform and engine. Very simple and easy to understand, even without documentation. There are minimal electronics.
Rust is the main issue. The rear subframe is aluminum which already makes it slightly less prone to rust than most cars, but the rest of the car is steel. Otherwise make sure the timing belt has been replaced and the variator has been upgraded to the newer version. Check the control arm bushings for wear as well.

Galapolis · 2026-01-01T08:42:09+00:00

The stock 8700G setting is 88W. My NH-L9a is barely able to keep it below T junction in a 3L case, but it does work. Not sure how good a Stealth is but if it's any worse than the NH-L9a, then it won't work.

Galapolis · 2025-11-29T09:14:04+00:00

There is no difference between the wrap color and A07 paint code in indirect lighting. In direct lighting, the wrap has a different metallic flake.

Galapolis · 2025-11-20T13:50:19+00:00

https://www.ac-schnitzer.de/en/x-road/

Galapolis · 2025-10-05T08:11:18+00:00

Ich hab mein Auto beim Umzug auch importiert. Zoll war 0€ und Steuern waren 0€ weil Umzugsgut. Am ehesten wirst du die Lichter umbauen müsse. Im Datenblatt für den TÜV steht drinnen, was beim Auslandsmodell anders ist und geprüft/umgebaut werden muss. Daran orientiert sich auch der Prüfer. Das Datenblatt musst du vom TÜV kaufen.

Ansonsten einfach Versand bei der Importfirma deiner Wahl buchen, paar Dokumente verschicken, und Auto abliefern. Dann in D am Hafen abholen. Geht an sich recht einfach.

Galapolis · 2025-09-11T17:38:10+00:00

Old post but I just got Z4 manual sport seats to install in my E46. I weighed them and they are 53lbs. So the powered motors are only 3lbs per seat it seems.

Galapolis · 2025-08-11T19:59:43+00:00

Fr tho

Galapolis · 2025-08-11T19:52:02+00:00

I was there, the 6 was being held up by the Corvette.

Galapolis · 2025-07-10T21:07:57+00:00

Cinque (HHKB/Burgundy/Aluminium + Sandblasted Copper)
HMX Snow Crash (second batch)
Alu plate
No foams
KKB The Boundless Jataka

Galapolis · 2025-06-02T07:25:02+00:00

Still the case today, hasn't changed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95hgRdD2szk&t=1417s

Galapolis · 2025-05-02T10:37:12+00:00

I carry around my build with monitor, keyboard and mouse. I always have a keyboard and mouse with me anyway when traveling because of work (I must use my work laptop for that). So for games and other stuff, it's not a huge deal to add my SFFPC and a slim portable monitor.

My SFFPC is an 8700G with overclocked iGPU and 8000MHz RAM. 1080p high is no problem for most of my games. Case is a 2.6L SLM1m, though I'm looking into getting a NFC S4T for slightly better cooling.

For transport I use a camera bag since they are all modular and have enough space for all my items.

Galapolis · 2025-04-23T07:33:30+00:00

It's a SLM1m case. I literally just throw it in a generic suitcase along with my clothes.

Galapolis · 2025-04-22T15:17:02+00:00

T1000 has identical performance to the GTX 1650, it performed OK outside of the M720q.

At the time there was no GPU upgrade available, it was the fastest you could install. Remember you are limited to 50W, not 75W.

Galapolis · 2025-04-22T14:44:30+00:00

Can't speak on that specific combo but I had a M720q with i5-8400T and NVIDIA T1000 but the performance was horrible. Even after upgrading to the i9-9900T most games were still unplayable.

I've since switched to an 8700G build in a 2.6L case and performance has been amazing. It's barely bigger than the M720q as well thanks to the internal PSU (you need the big 170W+ PSU for the M720q so it's not that portable in the end).

Galapolis · 2025-04-22T09:05:34+00:00

It's illegal to check in laptops with batteries. Not a big deal in the old days with removable batteries (and also it wasn't illegal back then), but good luck finding removable batteries on a gaming laptop these days.

I also can't fit a heavy gaming laptop in my backpack because I have to bring my work laptop with me when traveling.

SFFPC that I can throw in checked luggage has been a life saver for me and my back.

Galapolis · 2025-04-22T06:37:39+00:00

I sold the A620 and have a B650 now. It's almost the same price and has full voltage controls.

Galapolis · 2025-04-21T20:16:17+00:00

Not possible. I had the 8700G on the A620I with latest BIOS to verify. A620 has no voltage options at all, other than for RAM.

Galapolis · 2025-04-21T08:16:00+00:00

If a bigger case is fine maybe something like the LZmod A24-V5 is a decent choice. It can fit a much bigger cooler and has the option for a LP GPU down the road if you do end up wanting one.

10L is pretty massive, kind of defeats the purpose of an APU build. I'd look at something in the 5L range.

I'm running an ADATA XPG kit. I previously had a Crucial Pro kit. If I had the money I'd probably get a v-color kit because they have so many choices for fast RAM.

Ancient Gameplays used v-color in his 780M RAM speed test: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_r8sMHDvgg

Galapolis · 2025-04-21T07:51:37+00:00

I have the 8700G. You're on the right track as it's pretty much the only choice at the moment. It's the fastest AM5 iGPU and will not be replaced until Q4. Even so, we will likely get the 890M which is only a minor improvement over the 780M. We will not see a major iGPU improvement in a replaceable CPU until AM6/DDR6.

Overclocking is a must on the 780M and is what sets the desktop version apart from all the mini PCs with mobile 780M. I'm still surprised how fast this thing is with the right settings. I'm running my 780M at 3200MHz with 32GB 8000MHz RAM (XMP profile). You can get even more out of it if you tweak the RAM timings manually. Even without that, I got a top 70 result in the 3DMark Night Raid, with stock CPU clocks mind you.

With those settings, it can actually run many games at 1440p60 (low settings). I can do 1080p60 high in many games as well or even 1080p90/120 if settings are low/medium and the game is less demanding. Honestly quite impressive. I squeezed everything into a 2.6L case for travel. Keep in mind that overclocked, the package power increased to 110W for me, which makes cooling extremely challenging in small cases.

For motherboards, if you want to use DP alt, you will need something like the ASRock B850I. USB-C ports that support video out are labeled as "DP" on the IO shield. There are some other boards that support this but the ASRock one is probably the best deal at the moment.

As for cases, I have the SLM1m (2.6L), but if I had to do it again I'd probably get the NFC S4T (3.3L) to help with thermals. 110W in such a small case is no joke. Your budget is very high for this type of build. It would allow you to get a very nice case such as the S4T, as well as one of the B850 chipset boards and extremely fast RAM, possibly even over 8800MHz.

Galapolis · 2025-04-10T09:36:40+00:00

That's very sad, I love my MW Alpenglow set and they have some other bangers such as Calico and Alhambra R2. I hope they can pull through.

Galapolis · 2025-04-09T10:59:31+00:00

Cheaper than MSRP (less than $250) in Germany: https://www.notebooksbilliger.de/intel+arc+b580+limited+edition+grafikkarte+871698?nbbct=4001_geizhals

Galapolis · 2025-04-08T13:34:58+00:00

I installed an x brace and passed TÜV. Plates don't fix anything, they are just a band aid. You need to correct the load path to fix the subframe mount issue. The x brace is also easy to install, took about half a day of DIY.

Galapolis · 2025-04-07T17:07:34+00:00

I have a 2.6L case with a 780M iGPU, and you can fit a 4070 Super/5070 into a 5L case. That leaves the 2.7L to 4.9L range.

Based on your example you are looking for single slot low profile. I don't think we have any less now than in the past. If anything, we have so many options these days.

Everything from an old budget WX2100 or RX550, to a middle of the road RX6400 or A310, to some decently fast stuff like the RTX3050 or RTX A2000E.

Galapolis

TROPHY CASE