Thinking about buying a Spider
Discussion
Hi all - summer is here and I'm thinking about buying a 1997 Alfa Spider, 2ltr lusso, 30,000 miles on the clock (appears genuine, but will check with receipts). The timing belt has been changed - what else should I be looking out for? Any advice greatly appreciated.
Edited to add: I've already seen the GTVV6 faq and the owners' club faq & drawn up a checklist from them. Anything else I should be aware of?
>> Edited by windandwave on Tuesday 14th June 19:28
>> Edited by windandwave on Tuesday 14th June 19:29
Edited to add: I've already seen the GTVV6 faq and the owners' club faq & drawn up a checklist from them. Anything else I should be aware of?
>> Edited by windandwave on Tuesday 14th June 19:28
>> Edited by windandwave on Tuesday 14th June 19:29
So having put a couple of hundred miles on it, here are my first impressions:
1. MILF - you were at least partially right. No sooner did I get it out of the dealer than I discovered that the intermittent mode on the wipers didn't work! Still, that's what warranties are for.
2. It's a gorgeous design, still quite modern. Funny that it shares so many styling cues with the Fiat Coupe. Common designer?
3. Lovely to drive, and it's a challenge keeping it under the limit. Makes a lovely sound when you floor it in third or fourth.
4. Damp weekend here so didn't really get to drive with the top down, but I was impressed with the hood mechanism. This one's a manual hood, incidentally, so that's one thing less to go wrong.
5. Standard radio didn't seem to want to play with an iTrip - anyone experienced this?
6. It's a big car. My mental image of convertibles centres around MX5s or MGFs. Until I came to park it I didn't really appreciate the extra inches it has. I think this adds to its presence though.
1. MILF - you were at least partially right. No sooner did I get it out of the dealer than I discovered that the intermittent mode on the wipers didn't work! Still, that's what warranties are for.
2. It's a gorgeous design, still quite modern. Funny that it shares so many styling cues with the Fiat Coupe. Common designer?
3. Lovely to drive, and it's a challenge keeping it under the limit. Makes a lovely sound when you floor it in third or fourth.
4. Damp weekend here so didn't really get to drive with the top down, but I was impressed with the hood mechanism. This one's a manual hood, incidentally, so that's one thing less to go wrong.
5. Standard radio didn't seem to want to play with an iTrip - anyone experienced this?
6. It's a big car. My mental image of convertibles centres around MX5s or MGFs. Until I came to park it I didn't really appreciate the extra inches it has. I think this adds to its presence though.
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff