Hi, new member

[azza]

Hi there, im new to the forum, so im currently trawling through the vast amounts of info on here.
I've loved Alfa's for quite some time now, accepting their good points (and not so good).
Im in the market for a 105 series at the moment. Preferably a 1750, but im pretty open.
There seems to be quite a few coming up on the market at the moment, does it go through phases? Because there seems to be times i can find any.
I've been looking through some internet adds and came across this :
Carsales Ad
It looks interesting, is around the money i'd like to spend.
Does this belong to anybody on the board here? Has anyone seen it?
Can anyone shed some light on that sunroof it has? Was that installed by the dealer or factory etc? Do it impact negatively on the value? I imagine it'd be quite nice driving with the sunroof off, but it does look a little bit odd from the outside.
Does anybody know of any others on the market in that general price range?

Also, what is your opinion on using one of these as a daily driver? I understand things may not always work on it, electircs might decide to play up also, but in general, would it be too much to expect to drive one on a daily basis? Would they heat up too much if it was in traffic etc?

I've never owned an Alfa (some friends of mine have), but i have always wanted to. I think i just have to get one and get it out of my system, or even worse just become addicted to them, haha
cheers,

[py105]

azza, welcome to the board. A 1750 105 is a good place to start. A 1750 berlina is the best place to end up Ill try and answer some of your qs.

Quote:

Preferably a 1750, but im pretty open.

[azza]

wow, thanks for that fantastic reply.
it's shed some light on alot of things i was thinking about.
You're definatley right about spending a few more $$ on something that doesnt need as much work.
I guess i'll be keepng my eye out for something a bit better condition and something that hasnt been sitting on the market for so long, definately a bad sign.
thanks again for the info, im off to keep looking!
cheers

[Damo105]

I agree with everything Pete said.

When it comes to which model, it's all personal preference. Some people favour the early step nose cars, as they are the original design and certainly have a styling edge. Others prefer the later 1750s and 2000s as they're more powerful. No question the 2000 has the strongest engine, plus it has the benefit of the LSD.

Buy the best example you can afford. Restoration of these cars costs a LOT more than you realise.

When looking at cars be highly sceptical about any car that's claimed to be rust free. The ONLY 105s that are rust free are cars that have had a bare metal restoration, AND had a lot of attention and money spent on rust-proofing as part of the painting process. A paint job like that costs $10k or more, so many owners cut corners when painting, and hence the cars rust again, often within a couple of years.

Here's a rough guide to some mechanical resto costs:

engine rebuild - $5000-6000
gearbox rebuild - $1500
suspension refresh - $1500-2000
brake reconditioning - $2000-3000

Plus, general parts like lights, interior trim etc are available, but are fairly expensive. You could easily spend $4-5k refreshing the interior.

A typical scenario with these cars is something like this:

Someone pays $12k for a decent daily driver that looks the business. A couple of years down the track rust is coming through on a few exterior panels, gearbox synchros have worn, and the engine starts showing signs of age, gaskets are leaking and compression is down a bit.

They then realise it's gonna cost $10k to rectify the rust properly, and $4000-5000 to refresh the engine and gearbox. But they hadn't budgeted on this! So they get a panel shop to bog up the rust and paint the car for $4000, replace the head gasket (without machining the head) to stop the oil leaks, and put the car on carsales.com for $12k!! Then in steps you!

Not wanting to scare you, but make sure you know what you're buying !!

Damien

[alfettish]

It seems to me like you need an Alfetta!!!

[azza]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damo105 A typical scenario with these cars is something like this: Someone pays $12k for a decent daily driver that looks the business. A couple of years down the track rust is coming through on a few exterior panels, gearbox synchros have worn, and the engine starts showing signs of age, gaskets are leaking and compression is down a bit. They then realise it's gonna cost $10k to rectify the rust properly, and $4000-5000 to refresh the engine and gearbox. But they hadn't budgeted on this! So they get a panel shop to bog up the rust and paint the car for $4000, replace the head gasket (without machining the head) to stop the oil leaks, and put the car on carsales.com for $12k!! Then in steps you!

[jozza]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damo105 I agree with everything Pete said. When it comes to which model, it's all personal preference. Some people favour the early step nose cars, as they are the original design and certainly have a styling edge. Others prefer the later 1750s and 2000s as they're more powerful. No question the 2000 has the strongest engine, plus it has the benefit of the LSD. Buy the best example you can afford. Restoration of these cars costs a LOT more than you realise. When looking at cars be highly sceptical about any car that's claimed to be rust free. The ONLY 105s that are rust free are cars that have had a bare metal restoration, AND had a lot of attention and money spent on rust-proofing as part of the painting process. A paint job like that costs $10k or more, so many owners cut corners when painting, and hence the cars rust again, often within a couple of years. Here's a rough guide to some mechanical resto costs: engine rebuild - $5000-6000 gearbox rebuild - $1500 suspension refresh - $1500-2000 brake reconditioning - $2000-3000 Plus, general parts like lights, interior trim etc are available, but are fairly expensive. You could easily spend $4-5k refreshing the interior. A typical scenario with these cars is something like this: Someone pays $12k for a decent daily driver that looks the business. A couple of years down the track rust is coming through on a few exterior panels, gearbox synchros have worn, and the engine starts showing signs of age, gaskets are leaking and compression is down a bit. They then realise it's gonna cost $10k to rectify the rust properly, and $4000-5000 to refresh the engine and gearbox. But they hadn't budgeted on this! So they get a panel shop to bog up the rust and paint the car for $4000, replace the head gasket (without machining the head) to stop the oil leaks, and put the car on carsales.com for $12k!! Then in steps you! Not wanting to scare you, but make sure you know what you're buying !! Damien

[alfettish]

6k on an engine rebuild? Seems really steep to me. 2.5 to 3.5 seems more realistic.

[py105]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfettish 6k on an engine rebuild? Seems really steep to me. 2.5 to 3.5 seems more realistic.

[alfettish]

Yes, you are right.

[GCL105]

hey azza I went to have a look at that very car, py105 is spot on....

There were a large number of 1750's for sale at the end of last year. I managed to snap one up on Ebay which I bought blindly and was a huge risk. But I spoke to the guy who was selling and luckily enough he was great and I got exactly what I wanted which is not a perfect car, but one that It is just short of road worthy and that I can fully restore sometime in the future. I really want to get to know the car inside and out and make it a labour of love. I also have an Alfetta which is currently in hospital and hopefully will be back on the road soon as my daily driver I can afford to take my time with the 105.

This is my first post as well, this board is fan bloody tastic!!!

[py105]

Hey GCL105. Welcome to the board. We've just got this australian section and it's going great at the moment as you can see!

Any issues you saw with that white 1750? I considered it myself when I was in the market but I was a bit hesitant as it was in another state.

[GCL105]

thanks!

I cant really remember much to tell you the truth cause I saw it a while ago with my cousin as he wanted to buy it. I think the water pump needed replacing. There was a little rust. Needed a bit of a tune but it ran okay. My memory is pretty bad. The guy is pretty knowledgeable on the 105 though. I really didn't like that sunroof...

if you like i'll ask my cousin if he can remember

[Damo105]

It sounds like it's an $8k car that he's been trying to sell for $14k. Now that the price is more realistic it may sell.