a few tips
1. Read everything you can find about Alfas. Pat Braden's books are especially informative.
2. Talk to everyone you can find who knows about Alfas. Fortunately, there's a great Alfa community in OZ so that won't be so hard. Ask questions!
3. If possible find some very good cars and give them a close examination. If possible go for a ride or, even better, drive one yourself.
4. Make friends with the local Alfa specialists in Melbourne and take whatever car you find to them before making a decision on buying. Do this even if you are mechanically skilled but relatively uninformed about Alfas. If you aren't particularly skilled (i.e., can't/don't work on cars yourself) then this rule should be absolute. Alternatively, you can also have a local, informed, enthusiast look the car over before you buy it.
5. Remember that most of these cars are pushing 40 now and that immediate apperances can be deceptive. When you are shown a car, look for some telltales: open the trunk/boot and look at the welds around the rear fenders and rear panel. If you see any distortion, rough welds, filler, etc., the car's been hit and repaired. Open the hood/bonnet and look at where the front fenders and front panel are attached. Are the corners straight and original or do the have rough welds and---even---jagged pieces of metal showing. I mention this because a lot of these cars have passed through uncaring hands on their way to becoming recognized classics. (If a car has been noticeably hit on all four corners---avoid it.) This is something you can do yourself before you waste time taking a less than good car to a specialist for a thorough $$$ evaluation.
6. When driving the car, note whether it feels as solid as the really good cars you sampled. If it feels wiggly at the rear or you probably need a suspension overhaul (quite common). Does the front suspension make noise? Same problem.
7. When driving the car, don't worry too much if it smokes a little under hard acceleration or even a bit on the overrun. Alfas always smoke a little. If the car smokes a lot or has a noisy motor, it will need engine work of course. If you can do the work yourself, it's relatively cheap. Paying someone to do it professionally is expensive. The same goes for the transmission. Alfas often have a scratchy 2nd gear syncro which will make the car harder to drive and enjoy.
8. As others have said, buy the very best car you can find for your first Alfa. I'm a little biased because I have one, but, IMHO, the 1750GTV is a better choice than a 2000. However don't pass up a good 1600 or 2000 if one drops in your lap. They're hard to find, too, and you may have to wait a long time to find a good 1750 for decent money.
9. Period mods are not really Alfa heresy. A lot of earlier cars have 1750/2000 motors, uprated suspensions, faster motors, minilites, Recaros,
even later twin spark motors, etc. Properly done, these can make a enjoyable car even better. Just my opinion, of course. On the other hand I'd avoid cars that are weird; zebra interiors (saw one once)
taxi cab quality paint, other maker's motors, etc, usually don't wear well on 2nd owners.
10. Do not, under any circumstances, allow yourself to be so romanced by whatever you find, that you buy a bad car. Unless you really know what you are looking at, a car might appear to need a "little of this and that" when, in fact, it needs thousands in repairs before it becomes a car you can truly enjoy. I mention this because of personal experience: I almost bought a rust bucket GTV because I really, really, wanted one and this was the only thing I found. Fortunately, some other fool bought it before I could reach a deal with the dealer.
Good luch on finding your car!
