Alfa spider - 92 - any pointers ?

Hi,

normally I lurk around the more modern end of this forum, but today I saw a 92 spider for sale, and got thinking - even in norway summer _can_ be ok, I could almost justify it....(but I need help )

What do I need to look out for in checking out this car
(Alfa spider 92 ) ? I know its yellow, but apart from that it looks close to perfect....

Also its a 2 litre, there are also some 1.6's on offer locally, any fundamental differences between them. etc.etc.

cheers, Chris

The standard S4 1.6 Spider lacks the alloy wheels and larger section tyres of the 2.0 model and the trim is more basic using plastic in place of leather/alcantara trim.
Check for corrosion on any S4 along the sills, behind the body mouldings and under the nose. Spare wheel well often rusts out if the boot seal is perished and check the footwells, front and rear for dampness.
Engine should be good with regular maintainence for 100k miles. They are very hard to source used.
Transmission should be light and precise but don't be put off by a few rumbles or vibration from the propshaft. This is easily corrected with new bearings.
Check all the electrics work, windows and mirrors often fail but are usually just bad connections/earths.
Get out and enjoy the summer in your yellow Spider and remember Spiders are NEVER driven with the roof up!

Crafty,

Please tell me that I'm reading the price wrong and that they aren't asking 109,000.00 Euros. If that's the case, I'm perfectly willing to start up a business right now brokering the sale of Canadian and America Alfas to Finland or any other European or Scandinavian country that wants to pay me 20% of that price. I'll even throw in an inspection by a certified mechanic.

Just for comparison, here are a couple of spiders currently for sale by Toronto Alfa Club members.

1993 Alfa Romeo Spider
British Green, tan leather interior, tan top
Immaculate condition, never seen winter, no rust
45,000 Km original. 5 Speed standard.
New exhaust, new michelins, E test, certified.
Asking $16,350.00

1976 Alfa Romeo Spider
96,000 miles
Red (originally Ivory) with Burgundy Interior
No Rust, good clutch and exhaust system
New top being installed prior to sale
Asking $12,000 or best offer

The '76 is pretty much in range (if a bit high). The '93 is over-priced IMHO and I'm sure I could find a similar one cheaper than that.

And in case you care, today $1 Canadian will buy you 0.61 Euros.

And Sarto, believe me there are lots of times that you need to drive a spider with the roof up. That "top always down thing" is just one of those little lies that spider owners tell envious onlookers.
--Toronto

Toronto...

You're reading the price wrong. Norway, along with Denmark and Sweden havent switched to Euro's. The Norwegian "kroner" is worth a little less than the Danish one, but dividing the price by 7, should give you a rough estimate in €.

-- Hoygs

Thanks Hoygaard, 109k nok is not far off the canadian prices. Amazing considering how expensive new cars are here !

thanks to the rest of you for the advice - I'll let you know what happens !

Sato is spot on with major things to look for...here'sa few small ones

If the car hasn't been used for a bit then handbrake might stick on.... don't worry can be sorted easily.... where the handbrake bcable pivots on the axle casing often rust up... remove (split pins), sand paper and grease.

Only other thing with S4's that sit for a while to watch out for is that the throttle cables often become sticky.... has happened twice to me when test driving S4's that had been left out side... a little scary!!!!

Don't worry if the car is a bit lop-sided.... they all are.... Alfa never bothered to put different depth spring pans on the front of the S4s!!! (which all other 105's do)

Hoods often leak but new ones are available (sourced from Pininfarina if you use a certain supplier!!!)

Yellow is the best colour by far.... i had a yellow one for a while when i was 17, dropped it down several inches and put some Montreal Alloys on it.... awesome pimp mobile for the summer!!! Aiye!!!

Happy Cruzin'!!!!

Doh! I should have known better than to trust the Americans and especially their intelligence.

I thought that the price in Euros sounded seriously wrong, so I tried to look it up and confirm it was in Euros. One source that I have in my quick reference file is the CIA World Handbook. While I don't trust the political analysis provided for the countries, the basic facts are usually right. It seems this time they're not. From the Finland entry http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications...k/geos/fi.html

Currency:
euro (EUR)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by financial institutions of member countries; on 1 January 2002, the euro became the sole currency for everyday transactions within the member countries
Currency code:
EUR
Exchange rates:
euros per US dollar - 1.06 (2002), 1.12 (2001), 1.09 (2000), 0.94 (1999)
Fiscal year:
calendar year


And then went I went to the Bank of Canada looking for the exchange rates, I even checked to see if there was a Finnish krone/dollar/whatever and it didn't list anything. It did list a Danish and a Swedish krone, but I figured that Finland wouldn't use another country's currency.

I should have gone directly to DFAIT's analysis (Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade) but those briefings are a lot longer and I didn't feel like digging through them to confirm a simple fact. Idiot.
--Toronto

Hey Toronto,

I live in Norway not Finland.
Norway the land of fjords, etc. and the kroner is the currency
Finland, part of the EU, full of reindeers, and nokia telepohnes, currency=euro!

Sorry crafty,

I really need to stop reading and responding to posts at late at night. I'm never quite as sharp as I think I am at that time of the day.

Looking back the only probable reason I can see for my slip-up (besides complete and utter stupidity) is that the word "Finn" is plastered all over that used-car website. I'm guessing I saw that, subconsciously translated it to "Finland" and carried on wildly from there.

Once again, my apologies. And good luck car hunting.
--Toronto

Hey Toronto,
Might I suggest you try this exchange rate website.

It works for this unintelligent American.

Hey Papajam,

The problem wasn't with the currency converter. It was with my own lack of comprehension, attention and understanding. But unlike some regular folks (and world leaders) I can name, I am willing to admit my errors, and own up to the fact that I actually have made some mistakes in the past and will likely make some more in the future.
--Toronto

I found this site to be very useful as well....

spiderfaq


Regards

JaB