late 90's Spider. Any Good?

[verminator]

I need to sell my old Pajero as i no longer need a 4x4. I have always liked the look of the 90's
spiders and fancy one as an every day car. Can I get a reasonable one for around the £2.5k mark,
and of course will it be a reliable every day car? How are the running costs for these cars?
I already have two expensive cars to run (Aston v12 vv & TVR Cerbera) so i really dont want
something thats gonna cost a lot to run for an every day car. Also could someone be kind enough
to point out any particular problems these cars suffer from?

[galaxie5000]

Hi,

I have a '98 Phase 1 2.0 Spider- its a 'good' one, 58 k miles only and I am the second owner. Paid £2k

Its my daily driver and has never let me down- and with an Asso back box WHAT A NOISE! can't be a better one from a four pot.

Generally, its been a joy for the last year and I would't hesitate to recommend.

It is not ruinously expensive to run by any means, BUT re are a number of issues I have had to sort, most of which I gather are common:

-Cam belt to be changed religiously every 35k miles OR 3 years, whichever sooner. Budget £350 quid and have it done immediately if not done recently as failure could render a write off
-Check oil weekly. They use alot, and apparently normal. I change oil every 6k
-Rear screens prone to cloudng/cracking. Replaced mine- £150 from ebay suppliers
-Tracking is an issue. Laser alignment for £30 transformed steering of mine.
-Check radiator for corrosion- finest Italian steel built for the Riviera, not Blighty. Mine had rusted- £250 to replace
-Clonks from rear suspension- bushes notoriously weak. Had mine replaced with Powerflex polyurethane (£300). Neglecting this stores up expensive suspension trouble.
-Assorted old Alfa electrical gremlins- electric mirror packed up, one electric window stuck down...par for the course

In short, budeget £750 to a grand on top of the purchase price to get into the sort of condition where it is a realistic prospect as a daily driver..

For a total outlay of £3k, I now have sometbing lovely.

[galaxie5000]

If anyone is interested, my car as described above is for sale.

£2795 OVNO- as described, much of the usual work has been done- all at ProAlfa Watford.

[verminator]

Many thanks for the info. Will have to sell the Pajero before buying an Alfa,
otherwise I would have been interested in your car.

[alfa pint]

Only wear and tear items on my 99 Spider which I've owned for 5 years - 2 x wheel bearings, a few sets of disks and pads, tyres, bonnet light switch, the odd suspension bit, lambda sensor and a crank sensor in 55 000 miles. Mine's also for sale as I'm not using the MG B enough in the summer.

[mike9009]

Surely with an Aston and Cerbera in the garage, the need for another potential car with bills and a request for something cheap to run is a little conflicting? Surely a cheap Ford/ Vauxhall/ Toyota would satisfy the need and the rest of the garage for fun??

Having said that, petrol heads never seem to make rational decisions when it comes to purchases! And my Alfa 156 has been fairly cheap to run over the past three years. (Only big bill was recently on various suspension components, service and MOT (with other small bits needed) for £700.)

So, I would say go for it because it is completely irrational decision

Mike

[Redlake27]

Galaxie's assessment is spot on.

To drive, they are very involving. Great steering, responsive engine and pretty comfortable.

On bigger wheels the ride can make the body jiggle over rutted roads, but on smooth roads its fine.

Mine's a 100K miler one, and it has been as reliable as any other 15 year old car - just the odd niggle (hood needs hydraulic fluid every 3 months, exhaust brackets breaking - but otherwise reliable)

I enjoy the drive. It is no MX5, but it has character.