[fivendime]

Greasings and lubrications,
I'm new to the forum, but not new to classic car ownership, and have just purchased a 1973 spider. My experience has always been with drivers, and upon purchase of the car, I now realise that it is outside of my realm of understanding. To explain further, the car was sold in Edmonton, Alberta in September of 1975 by the local dealer (Ital Motors). It has since passed through 4 owners and has accumulated an astonishing 4765 miles in 42 years. It is an amazing time capsule, in near factory original condition, including factory tires (in amazing condition), manuals, Coco mats, Ansa exhaust tip, factory patina and inspection marks, bagged factory headlight covers, unused soft top cover with factory labels.
My dilemma is what to do to maintain the originality of the car, or if I am even the correct person to maintain this little piece of history. I have always purchased cars to drive, and it seems that this approach would destroy the value of the car. Any advice on preservation would be appreciated to help preserve the car.

Thanks

I'll post some pictures once it arrives.

 

[jvico]

New....

Congrats and welcome! Just my opinion, Drive it, have fun with it! Alfa's were made for driving and don't do well sitting around. There are many online sources or OEM, NOS, or excellent aftermarket parts for Alfa's. To just name a few.... centerline.com classicalfa.com alfaholics.com. I would think that the value will stay great as long as you take care of her and have fun!!

 

[Gubi]

Welcome to the board.

First off, replace the tires. 42 year old tires are CRAZY DANGEROUS and need to be replaced IMMEDIATELY. Take this seriously if you are planning to drive the car at all.

Personally I think cars are meant to be driven. Unless you want to keep it in a bubble, nothing wrong with using it as an occasional driver. Hell, even if you put 50K on it in the next 10 years (which would probably take some effort!) then it'll still probably be the lowest mileage '73 on the planet.

Just don't drive it in the salt or snow and you should be fine. Enjoy the car.

 

[Subtle]

One cannot believe how bad old tires are until there is practical instruction.

Bought my 101 Spider in 2006 and immediately wanted to drive to an event. It was a very light rain and the road was a little damp. Signal light changed to red, put the brakes on hard, wheels locked in an instant and the car finally stopped in the middle if the intersection.

Fortunately there were no other cars anywhere. I was only doing 30 mph and there was barely any traction. It was like being on ice.

Been using Vred Classic Sprints since and they are V. good in wet or dry.

:cool2::cool2: