Heeeelp

[tzonjos]

Hello
I am about to buy a 89 spider.I dream this car for 3 years now and now i can afford to buy her.I am not a have an other car so she is going to be my daily car.Is there anybody out there who can help me made my mind?
Can i drive her everyday?I dont have any mechanical or electrical knowledge.
What should I aware?Are there any usual problems?

Please reply to me!

[MrT]

I have had no unusual problems with Spiders. You will want to have a functional defroster fan if you drive it in wet weather. You don't say where you are in the world, so I can't guess. Spider defroster fans quit sometimes and are a mess to replace. Ask me about the '86 we have with a newly replaced (in progress) fan. Having the windows fog up is unpleasant while driving.

Make sure the window seals are OK (scraper seal included) and the plastic sheets inside the doors are OK., too. You might want a hardtop of you are in rain a lot. I enjoy the hardtop we acquired for the '86 (no soft top on it at all -- was cut off by the Previous Owner for sane but obsolete purposes).

Michael

[Roadtrip]

No, no strange or unusual problems. If you don't have any mechanical ability or knowledge, you need to find a good reliable Alfa mechanic nearby that can do a pre-purchase inspection, and then if you decide to buy, service the car for you. If you're not familiar with Alfas, I would strongly encourage you to get that inspection before you buy. It'll be the best $100 you ever spend.

[Davy13]

Personally, I bought my '86 spider with 15,000 miles on her, and drove her as a daily driver up to about 98,000. I can honestly say that the car NEVER left me stranded. On the TWO occasions I needed a tow, neither were because of the car. I had a u-joint changed, and the mechanic failed to put one of the c-clips on. He readilly admitted it, and paid for the tow. On the second occasion, I had a rotor break that had been put in a few days earlier. Obviously neither case could be blamed on the car herself... If you are in colder weather, I would also recommend allowing for about 15 minutes of warm up time. I used to go out, start the car, then go back in to finish getting dressed, or whatever... The fluids certainly appreciated the extra warm-up time, and the car was nice and toasty by the time I got into it...

[Bill]

I have driven my '78 Spider daily rain or sun, hot or icy cold and have averaged over 20,000 miles/year. I'm on my third year with this car.
It does help to get to know the car even without special mechanical/electrical skills. I dont have a mechanic who knows Alfas where I live, so I depend on this Forum and Alfafriends around the country for technical, spiritual and at times emotional support. You Can Do It !!

[WopJob]

I had a brand vew in 86 spider that I drove as a daily car even in the snow. that was my only car at thew time. Regretfully I sold that car years later. I did have some problems but usual problems that can be with any car.
Now I have a 87 spider that needs a few things and is not practical as as daily driver until I sert her out.

In your case it depends on the condition the car is now. There is no reason that a spider in good condition cannot be driven on a daily basis. after all It's a car isn't it?

TonyG.

[jrflyboyVP2]

The Alfa engine is extremely robust. I actually drove my 76 spider daily for several years with a cracked cylinder head (I didn't know it was cracked). I had oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil, but it still ran and ran and ran. The exhaust rusted out from the water in the exhaust, the car started to overheat from gunk in the radiator. I took the radiator to a shop and had it cleaned out, and drove it that way several more years. I finally rebuilt the engine this year.

Alfa's can be a daily driver as long as you don't mind dealing with the little things breaking. Like speedometer off by 10mph, top leaking, oil pressure not reading at idle, ect. Now don't think I am advocating ignoring major mechanical problems like I did. I got lucky I didn't destroy the engine, but I only paid $1800 for the car and drove it daily for about 5-6 years and figured I already got my moneys worth. Now I am trying to make up for being so abusive to it.

John

[Duke58]

My Spider cost $2500, purchased last year with 110K miles. I've been driving it everyday to and from work about 16 miles roundtrip.

You will either learn how to work on the car, or pay dearly for someone who knows how to work on the car. A pre-purchase inspection is well worth the money. Buy a manual and as many books as you can find and read them. Make friends who know these cars.

You'll have fun and appreciate the car more and more as you drive it.

Good luck!

[MrT]

Your only car, eh? A good car will do what you want, but the pre-purchase inspection is essential. If you get a sub-standard vehicle, it will cost you time and $ to fix. Get the engine checked out. Get the heater checked out. Verify the defroster fan works if that's important to you. Any emissions (legal/registration) deficiencies you should know about at purchase. You don't need surprises.

Michael

[SeekGTV]

There are no garantees with any car. With that said, anyone with the passion you have for a specific car should get it. So, it might break down once or twice, you will not be happy with anything else. IMO, if you find a good one you'll be fine and much happier than if you get something else.

Good luck and learn to live a little. Toss those dice, you'll have the house's odd's if you do your homework!

[papajam]

VERY well said, George!

[Duke58]

Mr. T,

Not my only car, but the other is a Honda which the wife uses and a 1963 Chev. PU in case the Alfa breaks.


The option is to spend Megabucks for a Porsche, Corvette, etc., and keep spending.

The Alfa was ahead of its time, and I love it. I drive it everyday for that reason!

Duke

[MrT]

Duke58: I meant to refer back to "tzonjos" comment in post #1 above that he has no other vehicle. My comment just happened to follow your reply.

I've had downtime for Alfa cars at purchase for a '93 164L (all my fault for not doing a proper pre-purchase inspection -- long story about missed connections with an Alfa mechanic in Orlando). and then the heater core split on the long drive home (not my fault). I've had a clutch wear out on a Spider (not my fault). I cracked the fan shroud reinstalling the clutch, only to have it later get sucked into the fan (not only destroying the fan but causing pieces of the fan to puncture the radiator and overstressing the water pump to cause its delayed failure a month or two later; these were my fault). I've had a failed Spica drive belt and an intermittent starter on this Spider. All of these are failures common to man and his tools. Some are avoidable. Live with the others and recognize that things break. But position yourself so you are less vulnerable to the intolerable.

Michael

[GeneW]

I've had my Spider for a few months now and even though it still needs a lot of work I really don't like driving anything else.
It's even easier to get up and go to work when I think about that morning drive with little traffic and I can let her stretch out a bit.
Mine seems to like cold weather and has been very dependable so far.
I believe if I take care of my Spider I won't need another car except for hauling a lot of people/stuff. That's what my van is for.

Gene

[magista]

If it's any help...while not a Spider, my daily driver is a 1970 Berlina. Alfas, if in good order, are reliable cars that have no problem being used on a daily basis. In fact the '64 TI I'm about to take hold of will most likely become my around the town beast. I don't think twice about using my Alfa(s) like any other car. That is if it's in good order.

Go for it!