I’ve noticed a few alfa romeo spiders in my area going for around 4-5k, i love the look of them. they look like super fun cars. are these vehicles at least a little reliable? the 4 cylinders don’t look too difficult to work on, could be a fun project. i just don’t want a beautiful italian, non-running money pit sitting in my driveway
i just don’t want a beautiful italian, non-running money pit sitting in my driveway
So, stay away from those cars.
i just don’t want a beautiful italian, non-running money pit sitting in my driveway
They were problematic at best back in the 80's. Parts would be nearly impossible to get/find now. If you don't have a lot of $$ to fix them up and keep them running, then these cars aren't for you.
If you look up the word "Unreliable" in the dictionary, you'll see a picture of an Alfa Romeo.
The words "reliability" and "Alfa Romeo" do not belong in the same sentence. Gorgeous fun cars that need constant attention to keep running. They can be fun weekend toys if you have the patience and resources to deal with keeping them on the road. Expect lots of downtime. As a daily driver? Fuggetaboutit!
I bought a brand new one in 1988 from a Porche Audi dealer in Dallas. It was a black and a real cute roadster. I got to know the Alfa service manager by name after all the times I had to take it back to fix all the little stuff that went wrong with it. It was a head turner but barely had enough power to get out of its own way. I kept it about a year.
It was bad when it was new, with age, it's definitely going to be a money pit.
I herd the 159 being referred to as "The first reliable one", and given how crappy those are... I REALLY wouldn't expect 80s ones to be even drivable.
The worst part is that I don't think that many people know how to work on 40+ year old Italian cars...
If you're in Europe and want a ""reliable"" ""Alpha Romeo"" just get a MiTO, where I live they have 0 resale value - literally going for 1/3 - 1/4 the price of a similar Corolla (at least as of the last time I was considering getting my self a 2nd Euro money pit)
If you get one with a manual and a diesel, it's NOT reliable by any stretch of the imagination but it similar to an Opel Corsa ('06-'14), both are based on GM's small car platform.
i just don’t want a beautiful italian, non-running money pit sitting in my driveway
Have you learnt nothing from Jeremy Clarkson and Alfas..?!
