Alfa Spider (the classic one) info?

[Gompo]

I find the old Alfa Spider's really appealing for some reason. I know they were made for ages and never changed that much - but I want to know more.

Anyone here have experience of them, or could point me to a forum/info source that could feed my curiosity?


Cheers, Greg.

[jimjamspider]

Good to hear you have seen the light! I have the same affliction. I bought my Spider 4 years ago, never looked back. There are 4 incarnations. The most beautiful and desirable being the 'boat tail duetto' from the 60's, then the 70's S2, then the 80's S3 which is the cheapest to pick up partly because of its rubber spoiler and bumpers, and then the S4 which lasted from 90-93.
I opted for the last one, the S4 because it has the pretty looks of the older ones but with a little modern reliability and comfort! £5k+ should get you a good S2 or S4. Reasonable S3'S from £3K+ but it is the old thing of make sure you buy the best you can for your budget. Even though mine is from '92 there are signs of rust creeping around and it is obviously an issue with older ones. The parts network is fantastic though and very reasonable. I used mine everyday for work for 3 years and had no more than any normal cars servicing costs.
Check www.aroc-uk.com .The owners club forum has Spider buyers guides and a wealth of knowledge on any question you may have. Also
www.classicalfa.com
www.alfaholics.com
Hope that helps, keep us updated!

[jonspiderman]

Great cars, I finally got one last year and it's fantastic (1976 S2 I found on alfaholics). Took me a while to find a good one as there's some rotters (literally!) out there but the mains thing I would look out for are: if you are looking for a RHD one and it's been converted from LHD check it's been done by a reputable company like seaking or bell and colville. Other things are check floor pans and inner/outer sills for signs of corrosion and round the wheel arches (although I think the S4 has a galvanised body so much less of a problem).

Had a bit of trouble with it, mainly with the electrics, but I bought it as a hobby / fun car and you can't really expect a 30 year old car to be trouble free!

Websites I would recommend are

For Parts

www.alfaholics.com
www.ebspares.com

For Advice

www.alfabb.com - really good for problem solving as a there's a lot of members worldwide and you can get lots of diagrams and wiring charts for a small donation.

[Gompo]

Thanks for all the info guys. I'm still not sure whether I am ready for one yet but I know I'll need to sample one in the near future if only to get it out of my system.

Cheers, Greg.