Am i going to regret this?
Discussion
Just agreed to buy a 1972 Spider and i am nervous that i may be about to discover a world full of motoring trouble.
My nervousness isnt helped by the fact that i wont actually see the car until it is delivered but it looks fine in all of the photographs that i have requested and seen. Wouldnt normally buy a car under these circumstances but it is at the opposite end of the country.
Any advice,hints or tips would be most welcome.
My nervousness isnt helped by the fact that i wont actually see the car until it is delivered but it looks fine in all of the photographs that i have requested and seen. Wouldnt normally buy a car under these circumstances but it is at the opposite end of the country.
Any advice,hints or tips would be most welcome.
I was in a similar situation last year.
What I did was go and see the car with the express intention of buying it, PROVIDED it was exactly as described to me by the seller (a trader).
When I arrived I had the car put up on ramps so that I could see the underside of it and look specifically at the state of the sills.
I ended up buying the car.
Things to look for....
Bodywork:
Sills - these are REALLY expensive to replace (£2000 each side), there are 3 sections on each side, outer, middle and inner. If you can see rust on the outside of the sill then it is too late and you will need to replace both the outer and the middle at some point in the near future.
Floor pans - these often rust out due to water ingress, easy enough to patch, I just had mine done.
I think most of the outer panels are weld on so those would be an expensive repair.
Mechanical:
The second gear synchormesh is weak so watch out for that. If it goes a replacement gearbox is on the cards
Engines can run on unleaded, but best to put high octane in it.
The rubber mounts between the inlet manifold and the carbs and airbox perish and crack, if this happens then the engine will rev high etc etc, relatively cheep fix and you can get metal replacements if you want.
The engines seem to be quite reliable (touches wood).
Interior:
Seat pans are known to rust - easy to check this, just lift up the cushion
Centre console is expensive to replace if it is tatty - cosmetic though so if you can live with it then fire on, I just had mine replaced £125 for the part then 9 hours fitting it
Impossible to buy a ready made carpet set if yours needs replacing, all the carpet sets I have come across are for LHD cars.
Hood can leak (surprise surprise) a new one is about £400 plus fitting.
Windscreen seals are also prone to perishing and leaking, its about £80 for a new seal plus fitting.
Spare parts are easy to come by from either www.ebspares.co.uk or www.alfaholics.co.uk I think there are a few others but cant think of them off the top of my head.
Look at my profile for a blog on my experiences over this year.
I would say go for it, they are AWESOME cars to drive and are just great in every singe way
Good luck with the car and have a happy summers topless motoring!
Also for more information go to www.alfabb.com
And when you get it remember to post pics!
What I did was go and see the car with the express intention of buying it, PROVIDED it was exactly as described to me by the seller (a trader).
When I arrived I had the car put up on ramps so that I could see the underside of it and look specifically at the state of the sills.
I ended up buying the car.
Things to look for....
Bodywork:
Sills - these are REALLY expensive to replace (£2000 each side), there are 3 sections on each side, outer, middle and inner. If you can see rust on the outside of the sill then it is too late and you will need to replace both the outer and the middle at some point in the near future.
Floor pans - these often rust out due to water ingress, easy enough to patch, I just had mine done.
I think most of the outer panels are weld on so those would be an expensive repair.
Mechanical:
The second gear synchormesh is weak so watch out for that. If it goes a replacement gearbox is on the cards
Engines can run on unleaded, but best to put high octane in it.
The rubber mounts between the inlet manifold and the carbs and airbox perish and crack, if this happens then the engine will rev high etc etc, relatively cheep fix and you can get metal replacements if you want.
The engines seem to be quite reliable (touches wood).
Interior:
Seat pans are known to rust - easy to check this, just lift up the cushion
Centre console is expensive to replace if it is tatty - cosmetic though so if you can live with it then fire on, I just had mine replaced £125 for the part then 9 hours fitting it
Impossible to buy a ready made carpet set if yours needs replacing, all the carpet sets I have come across are for LHD cars.
Hood can leak (surprise surprise) a new one is about £400 plus fitting.
Windscreen seals are also prone to perishing and leaking, its about £80 for a new seal plus fitting.
Spare parts are easy to come by from either www.ebspares.co.uk or www.alfaholics.co.uk I think there are a few others but cant think of them off the top of my head.
Look at my profile for a blog on my experiences over this year.
I would say go for it, they are AWESOME cars to drive and are just great in every singe way
Good luck with the car and have a happy summers topless motoring!
Also for more information go to www.alfabb.com
And when you get it remember to post pics!
And also....
on the bottom edge of the centre console by the handbrake there are two pullstop things. The one on the passenger side is the hand throttle and the one on the drivers side is the choke.
You shouldn't really need to use the choke, my car starts without either pulled out, the hand throttle is useful for when the car is still warming up and you need to stop at a junction, by pulling it out you will increase the revs and stop the car from stalling. When you pull it out you can feel the accelerator move.
It is quite easy to flood the engine, this is embarassing as people tend to look at the car a lot.
Oh and check the points regularly as they can drift out.
Forgot to mention about brakes, they are discs all round and are good for the age of the car, they should feel quite positive, but nothing like a modern car. You will get used to it.
on the bottom edge of the centre console by the handbrake there are two pullstop things. The one on the passenger side is the hand throttle and the one on the drivers side is the choke.
You shouldn't really need to use the choke, my car starts without either pulled out, the hand throttle is useful for when the car is still warming up and you need to stop at a junction, by pulling it out you will increase the revs and stop the car from stalling. When you pull it out you can feel the accelerator move.
It is quite easy to flood the engine, this is embarassing as people tend to look at the car a lot.
Oh and check the points regularly as they can drift out.
Forgot to mention about brakes, they are discs all round and are good for the age of the car, they should feel quite positive, but nothing like a modern car. You will get used to it.
Alfachick said:
And also....
on the bottom edge of the centre console by the handbrake there are two pullstop things. The one on the passenger side is the hand throttle and the one on the drivers side is the choke.
You shouldn't really need to use the choke, my car starts without either pulled out, the hand throttle is useful for when the car is still warming up and you need to stop at a junction, by pulling it out you will increase the revs and stop the car from stalling. When you pull it out you can feel the accelerator move.
It is quite easy to flood the engine, this is embarassing as people tend to look at the car a lot.
Oh and check the points regularly as they can drift out.
Forgot to mention about brakes, they are discs all round and are good for the age of the car, they should feel quite positive, but nothing like a modern car. You will get used to it.
Thanks very much for the advice Helen.on the bottom edge of the centre console by the handbrake there are two pullstop things. The one on the passenger side is the hand throttle and the one on the drivers side is the choke.
You shouldn't really need to use the choke, my car starts without either pulled out, the hand throttle is useful for when the car is still warming up and you need to stop at a junction, by pulling it out you will increase the revs and stop the car from stalling. When you pull it out you can feel the accelerator move.
It is quite easy to flood the engine, this is embarassing as people tend to look at the car a lot.
Oh and check the points regularly as they can drift out.
Forgot to mention about brakes, they are discs all round and are good for the age of the car, they should feel quite positive, but nothing like a modern car. You will get used to it.
Ive decided not to buy this one as i would really prefer to see it for myself. I had arranged an inspection for £200 but then changed my mind when i found out delivery would cost £600 as the seller didnt recommend me driving it from Sussex to liverpool.
It was also a tad over priced bcaue it had a cherished plate on that was no good to me and i really couldnt be bothered with changing the plate to try and recoup the money.
The search goes on for one closer to home.
PS Your car looks stunning.
Edited by hueandcry71 on Monday 5th July 19:25
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff