[swillis]

1982 Alfa Spider

I am considering the purchase of a 1982 Alfa Spider, light yellow in color, 105,00 miles. Seems this has had 2 owners. Body shows small rust bubbles left front bottom quarter panel. Otherwise the car seems very straight and in good condition. Has the orig bill of sale of $15,400.
The leather seats look dry and have mild cracks. Top is is great condition as is the body. Engine is clean. I am taking this to a mechanic to check out. The asking price is $6500. I am going to offer $5k. Does that seem reasonable or am I paying too much. What do I need the mechanic to check.

I have drooled over an Alfa Spider since being a teenager.

Any advice is welcome.
Thanks

 

[patpend2000]

It's an Alfa Spider not an ALPHA Spider. Depending on location the asking price seems to be steep. Does it have a rebuilt motor? new top etc? If not, then $6500 seems like to much

 

[Davo1954]

I won't pile on... but what coast is the car on? The rust you see is often 1/10th of whats under the paint. If you're not planning on finding out and simply driving it and enjoying it, then you buy it cuz you love the car and it mostly checks out... But it seems high even at 5K and what you're describing....Hope it checks out and you can stop drooling... You'll dehydrate rapidly... good luck...

 

[AlfaVeloce]

Yeah,
$6500 is a lot to ask for a $3000 car.
Rust only shows after the damage is done. Like termites.
These cars are not rare. If you have $5000 to spend you can find one totally rust free and pretty well sorted in that range.

And not to belabor, but we're kind of sensitive to the spelling thing. Get that ironed out for us, will you?

 

[Lokki]

Generally speaking, all ALFA's (we are sensitive about the spelling thing) will have rust in the floors. This is considered no big deal, generally speaking, since old convertibles have the tops left down, the floors get wet and nature does its mischief. HOWEVER, rust in the sills can be worrisome since they're unibody convertibles. Rust in the quarter panels can suggest bad things. So, looking at her up on a lift is a good idea.

For that kind of money $6500)you could find a nice car without rust and probably have it trucked in too. One thing you probably won't find is a Spider with good second gear synchros. They really do "all do that" so learning to double-clutch is in your future.

One rule (imho) is that mechanical stuff is less work to take care of than mechanical stuff. Maybe leave him a lowball offer and a phone number while you keep looking. Check prices on eBay to see what Spiders are going for... I looked at 6 before I bought mine and although I love her, (promise not to tell her this?) I should have held out for the best example I could find.

 

[sloboy89]

1982 is actually a pretty good year for the Spider, IMO. It has the design of the Series 2 Spider (i.e., without the rear spoiler) but has the more reliable Bosch electronic fuel-injection system.

You might read the article at the link below. It provides a lot of information about the various generations of the Spider. (Don't worry about the spelling of Alfa -- at least you didn't spell it F-I-A-T)

Alfa Romeo Spider FAQ - Development and History

 

[swillis]

thanks for the feedback. In my haste to type up the post yesterday I typed "alpha " as I work in medicine and type alpha proteins and alpha cells daily.... just a habit thing...but I have never mis spelled De Rosa when referring to my Italian bike !

 

[eight-o-one]

'82 Spider

Here is my '82 Spider. It's a beast! It's not perfect! It's fun! It's reliable! It's a driver. 157K+ on the clock and still beating (albeit most everything is new top to bottom!) She sings and I've had a GREAT summer with "Celeste' Like fine wine; '82 was a very good year!....Ed K.

 

[Little Italian]

take to car to a garage and get it up on a lift . Probe the floor boards with a small screwdriver to look for rust. Particularly at the outside front corners of the floor boards, along the rocker panels and in behind the front wheels. Look in the truck, beheath the spare tire. If these places are not rusty, its a good car. All of the mechanicals can be overhauled or modified in a multitude of ways. There are a whole world of replacement and tuning parts for the engine, transmission, and suspension.
If you can get a car that has a good body, buy it.

Get a chassis stiffener if you do buy it. Be prepared to spend some maintenance money on the car.

My '86 car came from Oregon years ago, lived in Nashville several years, and now lives in Kentucky. No one drove the car in bad weather. The bottom is clean. Some people don't drive there Alfas in the Winter - even in New York . That the kind you want.

Good Luck!

P.S. That color is called "Straw" and that was the color of my first ALFA, 32 years and eight Alfas ago.