To buy or not to buy- that is the question?

Strack,

Your understanding of the SPICA is very outdated. Ingram Enterprises will rebuild your unit, or take it in for an exchange. They have been working on the SPICA system for several decades, and their rebuilds are better than when these were new, as they have worked out every potential failure and replaced it with material that will hold up pretty much forever. They also build very nice performance units. Do spend some time perusing through their web site, and also reading here on the BB. Start with the "stickys" and note that John Stewart (Roadtrip) is a heavy contributor to this Board.

I would also encourage you to search for threads that provide comments about the different Spiders for potential owners. Yes, the '81 Spider, in stock form is the most "de-tuned" model, since it's SPICA was purposely set-up with the monofarfalla to deliver less fuel. (We've come a long way since the days when emissions were a huge hurdle, and the way to jump over it was to deliver less gas into the combustion chamber.) The '81 does have a reputation for being the slowest, based on it's stock configuration, but the SPICA units are the same and the '81 SPICA can be set-up like in an earlier year. ('74 SPICA injected Spiders were the fastest in stock form, compared to any later car from '75 to '94.) I would never pass on an '81 Spider based solely on it's SPICA set-up.

As far as 1994 models, these were in fact left over '93 cars. Furthermore, to close out the traditional Spider line in an elegant manner, Alfa badged 200 of the Spiders to be sold in 1994 as Commemorative Editions.

Best regards,

Strack said:

Zunige

Have you considered using Agip's 10W/60 motorcycle oil? It has zinc/phosphorus chemistry. The rep from Agip spoke highly of this oil as well as their 5W/40 synthetic which bmw uses for their extended service intervals.

Have you tried Mobil 1, 15W/50? I hear they reformulated it and it has the right chemistry for Alfa service.

I presently drive a 06 VW TDI (diesel)- and we are mandated to uses vw spec. 505.01 rated oil in order to keep the warranty in force. Our diesel injection pump ( Bosch Pumpe Duese) rides off the cam shaft, it has a very very high pressure rating and standard oil will not protect the cam unless it meets the 505.01 spec. I'm used to hunting down obscure products for unique applications, so this is par for the course.

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Strack,

I'm probably not a very good source for an opinion on this subject, as it isn't one that I even do much reading on, but I will give my two cents' worth. Quite frankly, I believe that we have such a variety of good oils today that is hard to go wrong with any of the well known preferences. Yes, for breaking-in a re-built engine you do need to go with a traditional type, but after that, it seems like many preferences work. There are many knowledgeable people who use different types, and I have yet to hear from them that they've found any problems when they tore down an engine. There were issues reported when the Zinc additives were removed, but that has been corrected now, and certainly the problems of years ago, like sludge, just don't occur with modern oils.

I have used Mobil 1, and still like it, but I use Castrol Syntec 20W-50 today. My '84 Spider goes on the track once a year, and even then my mechanic, who does prepare and support track cars, has told me often that there is no need for me to worry. (My '84 was fitted with 10:1 compression pistons and 16k mi. later, it consumes no oil, and I do mean zero.) I have friends that use other brands in the racing variety on their street cars, and even with the lack of detergent additives, their engines are doing fine. For that reason, I haven't asked for Agip. The Alfa shop that I use in NJ does carry it, but I know it used more as a "cool factor", rather than as an oil with a tangible advantage over other good lubricants. I'm convinced that for our older cars the more important factor is to change the oil by the recommended intervals, rather than which of the several types are actually used.

Best regards,