I’m thinking about buying an Alfa?

[andy303]

I do not like to be a wet blanket either, but if your wife is the primary driver, and unless she and you are dedicated gearhead enthusiasts, and at the risk of being flamed to death, I would recommend a cute little get-in-and-forget-about-it-drop-top-commuter: a Mazda Miata. For that kind of money you can find a clean low mileage second series (late nineties, maybe up to 2001) car with AC that will get 28 mpg. The Miata has far less panache than any Alfa ever made, but it is stone reliable. I actually sold one to buy my Alfa because I was bored. As the Chinese curse says "May you live in (automotively) interesting times".

[BradH]

Here are a few pictures. Any input would be greatly appriciated

[Bob Sacamano]

Looks like a nice car, but honestly speaking, not a $10K Spider by any means. For example look at this one, for 1/2 the price, and if I had to pick the best year for a Spider, it would be a '74:

fs 1974 alfa spider in sanfransisco

FWIW, I've got no interest in either car, and I don't know the owner of the '74.

[Tifosi]

Does it come with a boot cover for the top? (several 100$ item all by itself)

I see aftermarket shift knob, (looks like one of the nicer ones), aftermarket exhaust tip, aftermarket wheels, (which if Panasports, are worth a pretty penny), and what looks to be a big chip in the ashtray handle.

What's that residue looking stuff on the cam cover, especially near the oil fill cap?


Queries to those who'd know much better than I which would/should have bearing on just what the car represents AFA originality (which hand in hand with condition is a real valuemaker):

1) those can't be the right door mirrors, can they?

2) should there, or should there not be a mirror on the passenger side sun visor?

3) would that color doorskins and seats really have a black carpet, or for that matter, a black dash-n-console?

4) should there be a lighted center rearview mirror, or would that have been optional?


No doubt it's pretty, but I gotta agree with the others, definitely not 10k pretty.

[Joe Papa Sr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Sacamano Not to be a wet blanket, but $10K for an '81 seems way out of line. If one had to pick the single worst year Spider to have, the '81, because of the monofarfalla version of its Spica injection would have to be it. For $10K that Spider needs to be perfect in every other way, and I mean really perfect. Even if you need to stop at Wal-mart and buy a $100 digital camera, I would urge you to post some detailed pictures here before making any commitments. That car's not flying off the lot for that kind of $$$, don't worry.

[Joe Papa Sr]

On the mileage thing.....hopefully, you are not too serious on saving a lot of gas, as these cars, well, my 87 anyway, gets lousy mileage, for a tiny 2L engine, FI at that. There are plenty of posts agreeing with this position, likewise, plenty that dont. Definitely not unanimous for this being good on gas.

I have done everything to tune the car, and maintain, including many new parts. Still, 21-23 avg mpg. City it is baaaaaaaad ( I mean really city, like downtown Tallahassee FL)

[BradH]

Thanks for all the input and responses.

It appears that everyone agrees that this is not a $10k car

Is it a $9K car, a $8K can, a $7K car? How far off is the price?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Oh the wheels are Panasports and the tires are Pirellis and new

[Tifosi]

Based purely on the pix and descriptions, mabe a 4-5K pricetag would prolly be more in line. Perhaps even as low as 3k depending on market competition.

If that's lowball, then certainly not 7k anyway.


It might be a case of the dealership not actually ever having sold or examined one, and putting what they thought was a achievable/attainable price on it based on how rare or exotic they think it is (and if you've never seen more than one or two in your life, it can make them seem pretty special)

Add in a dash of inexperience in detecting what may or may not be correct for a given car/model/trim package, and quite possibly the inability to actually tell when something is wrong (I've got a cousin who's been a used car dealer for 20 odd years who knows little more about automobiles than where the keys and gas go, but that's always worked becuase he always picks up vehicles that look great, which is a self sell thing to people who are buying that don't know any better than he does. eg: if it looks clean, pretty and shiny, it must have a higher value) plus a markup for profit margin and you end up with a sticker that reflects an uninformed bloated value rather than what it actually is worth. (kind of a 'hey, this is a rare and exotic sportscar, so it has to be worth a fortune no matter what the condition' type syndrome)

Of course those are the toughest folks to bring back into reality, even if you aren't trying to screw them with your offer.


All just opinion and speculation on my part mind you.

[Bob Sacamano]

$5k tops, and that's assuming zero rust.

I hope you don't think we're all discouraging you from getting a Spider, because we're not. I've been driving them for 30 years, have 3 now, and wouldn't be happy with anything else. But, the awful truth is that there are a lot of badly-treated cars out there which will eat you alive with expenses related to poorly-done previous repairs, or hacks by well-meaning mechanics, and those cars are rarely worth the trouble. There are good ones available, but if you've never had one before, careful inspection by a known Alfa mechanic or owner before purchase equals time and money well-spent.

If I were recommending a Spider for a first-time Alfa owner, I'd say look for a mid to late 80's series 3 car. Less likely to have serious rust issues, improved reliability over the earlier Spica-injected cars, and many more available in good shape in the $5k price range.

[ty650]

I used to have a 74 fiat spider and loved it so much I sold it and bought a 2001 miata. The miata had far less interior space but mechanically terrific car, it was a nice model ($27,000 when someone bought it new) I wanted a roadster I could take anywhere with no worries and it was very comfortable. I ended up selling it only for the need of a back seat and since then I have missed a roadster. Not long ago my wife was nice enough to let me buy another as a 3rd car for cheap. I am now loving my 84 spider; a few minutes ago I took her for a ride, this is the first time she has ever ridden in a convertible so she loved it but won't ever drive it due to its quirkyness. On a side note I liked the added safety such as airbags the miata had.

[Frank S]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Sacamano Looks like a nice car, but honestly speaking, not a $10K Spider by any means. For example look at this one, for 1/2 the price, and if I had to pick the best year for a Spider, it would be a '74: fs 1974 alfa spider in sanfransisco FWIW, I've got no interest in either car, and I don't know the owner of the '74.

[lgbalfa]

car looks great.

there are many posts regarding new ownership with alfas.