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122 Posts
I went through this dilema about a year ago when I bought my Spider. Financially speaking, I wish I'd purchsed the absolutely cherry 1974 Spider (after looking at how much I've spent on fixing mine). I opted for the 1982 for half the price. Most of the stuff I've done has been maintenance items, and pretty standard stuff for a car of its age.
Personally, 1982 is one of my favorites. You get the styling of the S2 cars with the reliability of the Bosch L-jet fuel injection. I test drove many alfas of various vintages before I ended up buying this one, and overall I'm glad I did. I never hesitate to drive it anywhere. My girlfriend used to live 2 hours from me, and I'd go to visit her on weekends in it (leaving my nice, reliable Toyota Land Cruiser in the driveway), and only once did it let me down. This was indirectly related to the large quantity of oil coming out from the rear of the head gasket, but I digress. People (non-alfisti) regularly ask me what year it is, and are astounded to hear it's not a 70s car.
Again, this is personal preference. Some people simply don't like the "ugly bumpers" of this vintage, but they've certainly grown on me. Call it sacrilege (sp?), but I'm considering the euro bumper swap. That way I get the best of both worlds! But again, I digress.
Personally, 1982 is one of my favorites. You get the styling of the S2 cars with the reliability of the Bosch L-jet fuel injection. I test drove many alfas of various vintages before I ended up buying this one, and overall I'm glad I did. I never hesitate to drive it anywhere. My girlfriend used to live 2 hours from me, and I'd go to visit her on weekends in it (leaving my nice, reliable Toyota Land Cruiser in the driveway), and only once did it let me down. This was indirectly related to the large quantity of oil coming out from the rear of the head gasket, but I digress. People (non-alfisti) regularly ask me what year it is, and are astounded to hear it's not a 70s car.
Again, this is personal preference. Some people simply don't like the "ugly bumpers" of this vintage, but they've certainly grown on me. Call it sacrilege (sp?), but I'm considering the euro bumper swap. That way I get the best of both worlds! But again, I digress.