Should I be scared?

[bollingerRD]

Tom,

I'm no guru on Alfas, but I've found over the years that mechanical things in general, and cars in particular, are nothing to be afraid of. The nuts and bolts and maintenance can be easily mastered. And if you have a reputable tech you trust nearby for the bigger jobs you should have lots of happy motoring. In the end, it ain't rocket science. Good luck and keep us posted.

Bolly

[onethumb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Swan I'm not in the middle of nowhere, but I can see it from here. Stacy, it looks like you have an '87 Spider...is the upkeep on it difficult?

[GVVGTV6]

Owning an Alfa is going to be either time or money or maybe 1/2 of each. No matter what - you are looking at a Spider that is around 15 years old and getting older, and old cars have parts that wear out, besides the regular tuneup type of thing.

Either you have a competant Alfa mechanic nearby or you have the time and the interest to get your hands dirty. If you're not really a mechanical car tinkering kind of person than the first thing to do is look up some foreign car repair places that DO work on Alfas (say within 20 miles to where you live) which it sounds like you are doing - if there aren't any then I wouldn't suggest buying one. Kind of up to you on that one, how far are you willing to take the car to get it looked at. You do not want to take it to the local gas station for anything but maybe the most basic repairs, like brakes and hoses.

On the other hand if you've tinkered with cars in the past, and want to do things yourself or learn, and have the time to do it then by all means go for it!

My 83 gtv6 has been very dependable for almost 200K miles, it uses electronic fuel injection - it's a great car. But like all have said, you have to keep the car up and maintained, take care of things before they really do break if at all possible. At times it has been costly but then with very long periods of nothing but oil changes.

GV

[jack_linguini]

my 1984 ALFA gtv6 has required little maintenance that was not
by choice. I am constantly upgrading the suspension and brakes.
But as far as the day to day stuff. The transmissions are *mostly*
ZF and very sturdy. Clutches by Sachs. Bosch fuel injection. All pretty
good quality stuff. And the parts are really not too expensive.

But you will want to learn more about the car or pay the mechanic from
time to time. I would bet that if you cannot find a mech who specializes
in Italian cars, that a british or german car specialty shop ought to help
out.

listen to what everyone is saying too. Buy the best you can. Otherwise
you will have a lot of headaches. It seems like the worst thing for these
cars is sitting still. Mine hate it ; ). deferred maintenance and sitting
around are a recipe for an expensive car to keep.

If you find a nice car that has been driven and maintained lately you should
be a happy ALFA owner.

bests

JimL

[Munchen]

I bought my first Alfa ('89 Graduate) about 3 months ago, and love it. I have had other European cars, but this by far is "easier" to work on.

Just searching through this forum gave me insights on the "how to's" and don'ts. I live in the Phoenix metro area and found a mechanic first before I bought my car. They also new the seller whom I purchased the car from so there wasn't a lot of apprehension in making the purchase.

There is LOADS of support on this site along with links to many parts distributors at "reasonable" prices. And as usual get the stats before you purchase....like CarFax, emissions, visual and driving inspections. Heck it might be even worth the $50 from CarDisc to check out a shop manual before your buy to see what you're getting into.

Well that's my 2 cents.

[brownie93]

Hi Tom
congrats on the girls all of them
I buy all my parts from International parts and then get my mechanic, using my alfa cd manual, to fix her up. She's a real beauty, my 93, no problems to speak of and way less work than my 77 spider was
best of luck with your decision

[Pat Braden]

Quote:

Originally Posted by silverspider Go for it. Bought right, you will never regret it and will enjoy the experience forever (so will the girls). P.S. Don't listen to Lowmileage about tinkering, here's a picture of his handiwork on his own car...

[Oelholm]

4 girls, and prepubescent on top of that?

If anything, an Alfa Romeo is the answer for the frustrations these bring... Just go for an evening cruise, unwind, and hope that the missus has things under control when you come back

Anyways, an Alfa is not more complicated to own than automobile that provide the same sort of escape, think Austin-Healey, MG, or other European classics. The main difference is that your ride will be more stylish, and provide more looks.

Note however, that it's likely that you'll be known among the boys in the area as the dad with a red Italian sports car. Which may, or may not be of advantage concerning your girls!

[GreyGTV6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Swan I need some input. I don't own an Alfa, but have been lusting after them for a while.

[GTVnut]

Dear Tom (or whatever your name is!)

I remember when I saw bought my first Alfa, 1982 GTV Alfetta. I had many of the same questions and concerns that you do. Most people said 'Dont touch it!' It was well priced although a little shabby and I had no mechanical experience and not much aptitude for it either!
Needless to say I bought it, took it home and spent two days cleaning it, polishing and vacuuming. The interior was so dirty it took 3 hours to get all the dirt off the headliner alone. Having done the cleaning, I managed to get it running and drove slowly around my very empty neighbourhood. Of course this is where the magic started. The car felt good, it felt driveable. The handling was good, the engine note sounded good. I was hooked!
Even though the car was runing, it was a long way off 'daily driving condition'. Since I had no real mechanical knowledge, I decided to begin with things that I could do myself and go from there. I started with the basics;
1) Tighten every loose screw, nut and bolt I could find
2) Change oil and filter
3) Clean and polish all the glass
Previous car experience had taught me to check fuses and wires. Having been told that Alfas were a little troublesome in that area, I started cleaning earth points, checking wiring and replacing fuses and connectors where needed. By this stage (week 3 of ownership) the car was looking much better and actually running a lot better as well. It was time for an 'Alfa Tune Up' A good high speed blast along some quiet local back roads and some periods of listening to the engine as it idled along the side of the road. After this I could see that the cooling system and brakes would need some work, although the engine was surprisingly smooth and sound. After a good hi rev burn out the engine was noticeably quieter and easier to start. A slightly uneven idle was fixed by tightening the carbie mounts and stabilising bar and a new air filter added some extra reassurance.
At that point I realised that other stuff like brakes and tune ups might need to be left to experts. Like you Tom, there were none in my area, so I had to use the internet, phone book and good old word of mouth to find people who had some experience in fixing Alfas. (A great chance to drive the car and visit them) At this point the 'grin factor' is there everytime I drive my Alfas, so don't hesitate! Get into your Alfa and enjoy it. The therapy it will give you is a great way of coping with the female factor at your place!
Best of Luck!

[Palmer]

Tom,

My daughters in-laws have identical triplet girls, in thier twentys now, dad relieves his frustrations by driving his TVR around Devon lanes. Get your Alfa, if only to get it out of your system. More likely you'll just become as infatuated with it as the rest of us. But please take on board the very good advice of the others before spending your money.

All the best and good luck.

[emf1600]

Do you have any experience working on newer cars? If so, an Alfa should be a piece of cake.

I bought my first Alfa 11 years ago when I was 17. At that point it was really complicated to work on. Over the past decade I wound up getting heavily into racing late model (Grand-American) Mustangs, and when I got back into Alfas again late last year I cracked open the hood of the 1967 Giuilia that had been sitting untouched since the late 90s and realized how simple they were by comparison.

Alfas are complex compared to their contemporaries, but simple by modern standards.

[bollingerRD]

I agree with emf. Go for it!

[sptsdn]

Lot's of good stuff already mentioned but I'd like to add one thing: look for a Graduate. In other words, keep it simple. My first Alfa was a 1985 Spider Graduate; no A/C, power windows, mirrors, etc., it was very simple. I think the biggest issues Alfa's (and let's face it, all other manufacturers) have are the electrics. If you can find a car without any unneeded electrical features, you'll probably enjoy the experience more.

I'm certainly not very mechanically inclined but owning the Spider was pretty easy for me. There are enough resources (books and this site for example), and the cars are very easy to work on - just about everything that wears out can be replaced with moderate ease.

As others have stated: buy the newest, best maintained, and overall best example you can, then keep up on the routine maintenance.

[Balocco211]

When you drive an Alfa Romeo it is like having a piece of history. It gets in your blood.