So my Uncle Joe bought this 1980 Alfa Spider new in 1980. It has been his mission ever since to keep it in the best overall condition ever since. He only took it out of the garage near Portland Or on sunny days. He would only drive around the country side near his home and then back to the garage. I once asked if we could take it and go to lunch. "AND LEAVE IT UNATTENDED IN A PARKING LOT"!?? Then once a year take it to the shop for service and ANY necessary repairs. It has had the usuall head gasket, motor mount,
brake calipers etc in it's short 44k miles. It has only seen rain once. Has rarely been washed with water. There is ZERO rust or corrosion anywhere. That was really driven home when tracking down and electrical issue (headlight out, not a bad bulb) and all the connections and grounds are like new. Not a fan of that fuse box btw. The paint and interior are as close to like new as you can get on a 45 year old car.
He always told me "when I die, you get the Alfa." I would just smile and say "okay Uncle Joe". Not really comfortable talking about such things. So recently he called and said I could just come and pick it up because he was done with it. His bad knee and bad back took all the fun out of driving it. He was actually pretty emotional when I was leaving with it. It has been a pretty big part of his life for a long time. He was never married or had any kids.
I have always been the only other car guy in the family. But I come from a muscle car background. GTO's, Camaros Mustangs Corvettes etc. So this is something very different for me. And so far it has been a very interesting and enjoyable experience. In my younger years, the was never anything more important than horsepower. But I am learning to enjoy the journey more. And while I appreciate Uncle Joe and those like him that place all the value they see in a vehicle by it's current condition, I have fairly recently learned I value the experiences that I have with the vehicle the most. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be well cared for, just not to the point that you are afraid to use it.
I have already done a few small projects. Replaced a torn door seal, put some dye on the seat leather (huge improvement!) Tightened the visors, removed front license plate, found a nice battery cover, put in the Centerline floor mats, new fuse for radio and headlight and brake lights. My steering wheel spacer should be hear in a couple days, really looking forward to that. I am 6'5 and can barely get to the clutch pedal. Knee hits the steering wheel. I tried to remove the little trim rings around the horn buttons to see if I could refurbished them, and they crumbled. So I got new ones of those. Same with clips for the boot. Car has never been professionally detailed so looking forward to doing some of that. And the diff and tranny have some small leaks that need to be addressed.
Just wanted to introduce myself and say I have been enjoying reading this forum for a bit. I am almost caught up on "what have you done with your spider today." I have learned so much already. I always enjoy learning from the people that do their own work and that have been around the brand for a long time. And people that DRIVE their cars!
