[sjmst]

I do. I have a 91 Spider and a 95 164LS. Both manual.
IF you had to choose one over the other, which would it be, and why?

 

[AlexGS]

I do. I have a 91 Spider and a 95 164LS. Both manual.
IF you had to choose one over the other, which would it be, and why?

Very few Spiders here so not much choice for me
If I did have a Spider and a 164, then I would lose the 164 first. The economical wind-in-the-hair motoring would be too much to miss.

But then, I had a low-mileage (~40,000) 1988 X1/9 and I sold that at the same time as the 164 - that saved having to make the decision. I do miss that open-top feeling but realistically, the car was 'a fiddle' to live with and I frequently ran out of space, e.g. could only give one person a lift, and could only fit one suitcase. Plus, the performance was in a completely different league to the 164. I think 0-60 took about twice as long in the X1/9 once you included time for fighting with the gearbox and the super-heavy clutch.

-Alex

 

[toddr124]

I do. I have a 91 Spider and a 95 164LS. Both manual.
IF you had to choose one over the other, which would it be, and why?

I made this choice. I had an 88 Quad spider and a 164L at the same time (also a 72 124 spider and Porsche 914). My wife made me trim the herd to buy a swimming pool. Sold the Alfa spider and the 914. The pedals are to close on the Alfa spider for my fat feet and driving the car was a pain in the ankle. The 914 was just to expensive for minor parts for my taste.

I will never be without a convertible, but an Alfa spider will never be that convertible again.

 

[modena782002]

I've also had both, If I had to choose, I would keep the Spider. However, the Spider that I owned was VERY rusty--and then along came a Dino!!

The 164 remains a great touring car, effortless highway driving, and pretty entertaining on a twisty back road.

The Spider was, as Alex GS said, an "economical wind-in-your-hair car". Few cars can claim that on a crisp autumn day.

 

[sjmst]

This would be a tough choice for me. The Spider gets more positive attention than I would have guessed. People in Lambos and M3's stop to ask what it is or give the thumbs up. Valets park it up front. Also, as a 91, it has A/C for muggy nights and power steering to make parking lot driving a breeze.

My 164 also gets compliments, though not as many as the Spider. On the other hand, it seats 5 and has truly effective A/C and is very comfortable..

Bottom line I think would be a coin toss.

 

[L Verde]

That's hard to answer absent a reason for making the choice. If I needed money, I would sell my Spider. I am sure I could sell it for several times what I could get for the 164. If I were downsizing, the 164 would go. I enjoy both vehicles for what they are and I hope I never have to make such a decision. I think the better question is, if you have a 164, why not get a Spider too?

 

[sjmst]

That's hard to answer absent a reason for making the choice. If I needed money, I would sell my Spider. I am sure I could sell it for several times what I could get for the 164. If I were downsizing, the 164 would go. I enjoy both vehicles for what they are and I hope I never have to make such a decision. I think the better question is, if you have a 164, why not get a Spider too?

Good answer, couldn't have put it better myself.
I see you have a CE, so that would be the one I would keep!

 

[Tetteh]

See, I would sell the spider!! (I am 6ft 4in tall and weigh 300lbs and cant fit in the darn thing!! I know, cos I wanted to buy one once!!)

 

[Peter]

oh, that's a tough one, it's like choosing which of your kids you like best. I have owned both, and loved both. When I owned a 164, a beautiful black Super (LS), it was my daily driver. I would prefer that one to be the DD. If it were for a weekend car, I think I would prefer the Spider, maybe because it's a convertible...Having said that, I have a Spider and a GTV, and if I had to sell one of them, I would not know what to do...perhaps I should post my own poll!!!

 

[redbaron]

I loved my spider. trading up from a Miata, the car that many accuse as being the 'spider killer' in the 90s. I had an 89 Voloce with AC and all the doodads. It was a real sweet car on warm west coast nights, but not so fun in the snow and rain. It doesn't have the effortless power of the 164, but if you work it hard enough it seems like it... Eventually I traded it in for an older saab 900 convertable - fewer leaks, squeeks and quirks plus a turbo. But I miss the pure style and uniqueness that made people on the freeways look at me and smile... I knew what they were thinking, they were wishing they had one too!

 

[elite38868]

This is really a tough one for me...I think I would lean on keeping the 164 over the spider as I can do a lot more with a 164 than a spider. On the other hand, getting out of giving all your friends rides everywhere is kind of nice

 

[Zunige]

I would keep my '84 Spider over my 164Q... It's very true that the 164 is much more practical and more comfortable, but I have driven Spiders for many years, and for many of those years, a Spider was my only car. Hence, I have learned to make them just as practical and comfortable as any other car. My '84 Spider has the right balance of vintage cosmetics and modern mechanics. It's been upgraded over many years and it has great handling and lots of power. In the fun category, it is unbeatable for every day driving, and it is just as much fun on the track.

Best regards,

 

[164 FAMILY]

Had both more than once and I sold the 91 Spider to get the 164 of my dreams!

Please note that every time I sold a Spider my oldest son was and is still mad at me.

 

[MarkZ]

I drive my '92 Spider when the weather permits and my '93 164 otherwise, although my Milano also is fun to drive.

Mark

 

[MrT]

I hope never to have to make the choice. L Verde up in post #6 gave the best answer: it depends. He also said, "if you have a 164, then why not buy a Spider?" I agree with that, too, although my process was inverted from this. I had a Spider, then another, then several 164s, and now have another Spider awaiting being made roadworthy after the first Spider was rear-ended/totalled, and the same thing happened to one or two of the 164s. Our family has one Spider and three 164s on the road, with another of each in the wings awaiting work. And we still have more drivers than cars.

 

[Pauliecarzz]

My 164 has been sitting soooo long that I have spiders inside the **** thing, so my answer is i wanna get rid of those annoying spiders!

 

[alfa_bob]

There is no real answer to your question, because they are so different. I have both and I cannot pick one over the other. They are both great for what they are.

 

[Alfissimo Int.]

There is no real answer to your question, because they are so different. I have both and I cannot pick one over the other. They are both great for what they are.

I agree. This is what I would have said.

 

[jontg428]

Well, in my case, being 6' 5" I have to go with the 164! No matter what Spider I have sat in, they do not have enough legroom to accommodate me. Now when it comes down to a tight twisty road, I have to choose my peugeot 405 MI16, 4 doors,and all, it has no problem keeping up with the spider's on a twisty tight roads! Sorry to burst your 164 bubble Sean, but yes, the Pug handles better then a 164! All said, I miss the power of my 164 when driving the Pug!

 

[peglegtom]

I have Both and it would be difficult

I have both a 164Q that is a recent purchase and two Duettos. The 164 is currently the only runner, and I got it to keep the Alfa fires burning while the Duettos are being rebuilt. (A very slow process with work, family, etc.) So I could sell the 164 for more, but would then not have a driver. The Duettos would not be an easy sell. So I plan on keeping them all. Like the others said, they are very different and can be used for different purposes (all of which include "fun" driving).

If I had to sell one car, it would probably be the SHO!