[HaydnW]

Looking for another 164 Cloverleaf

I can't shake the idea of returning to 164 ownership. It's only been a couple of years since I last owned one but I've had three different Alfas since and as much as I like them, I've come to realise that they're just not quite what I want. I really liked my 164s, warts and all!

Were I to buy another 164, it would have to be a Cloverleaf for me, having owned a Cloverleaf and a Q4 in the past. I'd prefer a 24v as I've already owned a 12v, but it depends what comes up really. I'm looking for more of a project than a minter, ie something I can get stuck into and gradually bring back to its best. And yes, I'm aware that it's pretty much always cheaper in the long run to spend more on a 'better' car! Cars that run/drive would be a bonus but not essential. I don't mind mechanical work but I don't want to have to do a lot of bodywork (though some bodywork issues are to be expected). Decent history and all keys would be a bonus but not essential.

I don't really have a timeframe, it depends what comes up really. My V6 GTV would have to go as well to make space. I guess I'm just putting the feelers out there to see what's about?

 

[Defonsecca1]

Great taste in cars :smokin: ! Very intrigued by the 164 Q4 3.5 Savali, never heard of that one before.

How about this one:

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1164254

... couple more 164's on there at moment too. Always worth checking that site, there's often Alfa's on there which aren't on the usual ebay / Autotrader go-to places.

Only one on Autotrader is this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1994-Alfa-Romeo-164/283568377205?hash=item4205fe0d75:g:ehkAAOSwteRdns7k

... what a stunner, but perhaps a bit too mint for you! And the price...arty: !!

 

[Defonsecca1]

.. or this if you like a project / challenge:

https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1145418

 

[Mufasa]

I like that red one!

 

[goremohekan]

I like that red one!

gosh yes, that is well cool!

 

[Mexibug98]

Seems to be quite a few about ( compared to the 166 ) so I guess you might be able to find the right degree of 'project' that you are after -
you are nearly as fussy as me ( lol ) , best of luck.....Jim.

 

[Defonsecca1]

Agreed about the red one! Really caught my eye as well, looks stunning with the recent respray. There's only 20 x V6 24v Cloverleafs left on the road & 49 on SORN in the UK looking at How Many Left.com, so it's certainly a rare bird esp in RHD. This one's done 137k miles but the Busso V6 can easily cope with that if it's been looked after.

You must be tempted Haydn...????

 

[Defonsecca1]

Seems to be quite a few about ( compared to the 166 ) so I guess you might be able to find the right degree of 'project' that you are after -
you are nearly as fussy as me ( lol ) , best of luck.....Jim.

Impossible Jim..... :cheeky:

 

[HaydnW]

Quite a few replies already, thanks guys.

The 3.5 Q4 was certainly an unusual car. It started life in Holland where it was converted to 3.5L at some point before being imported to the UK in 2004. The work was performed by Sam Van Lingen (SaVaLi) and they used to do all sorts of modifications to various Alfas in the 80s and 90s. I bought it in 2016 as a project as it had been parked up unused in a shed for years. Power was supposedly around 280hp though if I'm honest, it never really felt that powerful to me (even taking into account the Q4's additional weight). It was Proteo Rosso and over time I added black Recaros, Zender stainless kick plates and rear spoiler, Zender Milanos, lowering springs (the rears I had custom-made), a stainless custom exhaust, etc. It felt very solid and planted on the road, in fact the whole car felt so solidly built! Anyhow, it developed a gearbox problem which I tried to get fixed by taking the gearbox out (huge job) and sending it to a specialist, who said they couldn't get parts for it but tried to fix the problem (broken selector fork as I recall). I put it all back together and then it broke again on my first drive... I tried to buy two different used gearboxes, one from a breaker in Holland who randomly stopped replying to my messages and one from a chap in Germany who offered me one for free (though I still offered to pay of course) and then also stopped replying to me. A new one was available on eBay for £2500 which I wasn't prepared to pay. Also, at the time I was having back problems that were getting worse and worse so I was limited in terms of fixing the car, so I got fed up and sold it. That was two years ago and I only partially regret it now to be honest, I think the whole gearbox saga left a sour taste.

So that's the Savali story, thanks for listening 😂

I've seen the cars on Car and Classic - the red one looks nice but as you may have guessed, I'm looking to spend a bit less on something that I can work on and try to bring back to its best. The black one in Oxfordshire is more what I'm looking for, but I think if it needs a respray as the advert suggests (as well as all the other work, including the cambelt service which will be due on it) + transport to get it to me here in Yorkshire, then I'm not sure on the price. I'd rather have a red one too I think, but colour isn't really a deal breaker for me.

I came close to buying one from a breaker in Birmingham a few months ago, but I felt he was asking too much. It was £2000 for a red 24v Cloverleaf that had been off the road for 6 years or so, had done around 150k miles, and had quite a poor MOT history (lots of fails and advisories not being fixed between tests, which suggests it hasn't been lavished!). It needed a new interior, a couple of parts were missing, and it would need the cambelt service, as well as a load of other work.

Having bought several projects previously, I tend to be a bit more cautious re: price and condition these days. It's easy to get carried away and spend too much on a car that needs lots more work than you imagined. I'm not in a particular rush either, which helps.

Apologies for any spelling errors, I'm typing this on my phone and it's a pain to type on...

 

[Mufasa]

Great thread lads. I laughed at Defonie's burn re Jim's fussiness.
Helped keep this register alive!
I'd love a meet up at some stage.
Could we do it?

 

[HaydnW]

If I buy another 164 I'll do my bit to try and keep this forum alive!

 

[Mexibug98]

That would be good.....

Great thread lads. I laughed at Defonie's burn re Jim's fussiness.
Helped keep this register alive!
I'd love a meet up at some stage.
Could we do it?

.........................................
Yep, a good Touché from Defonie ( he even sounds French - Deaf on aaaaaa ).
As to a meet up that would be great , presumably would have to be a major
central venue we could all get to - mind you Mufasa will need to climb over
the ' not a hard border ' border in the Irish Sea if it's in the UK ( now stands for Unbelievable Kock-up ).
Keep on fussing folks.....that's why your motor looks great 👍 Jim.

 

[HaydnW]

Browsing through some pictures from a few years ago, I found the following picture of mine and my Dad's old 164 Cloverleafs from when we took both cars to visit a friend. His being the black 24v that's now owned by another forum member. My old 12v is sadly dead, after I sold it on as an ongoing project to somebody who seemingly did nothing with it and then sold it to Vintage Alfa as a breaker.

 

[HaydnW]

...and another, from the 'for sale' ad. It was far from mint condition, but was fun nonetheless.

 

[Avocet]

.........................................
Yep, a good Touché from Defonie ( he even sounds French - Deaf on aaaaaa ).
As to a meet up that would be great , presumably would have to be a major
central venue we could all get to - mind you Mufasa will need to climb over
the ' not a hard border ' border in the Irish Sea if it's in the UK ( now stands for Unbelievable Kock-up ).
Keep on fussing folks.....that's why your motor looks great 👍 Jim.

Yes, I'd be up for a meet-up. Somewhere in the middle of the country, I guess? Maybe a first step would be to work out where we all are. I'm in North West Cumbria...

 

[Mufasa]

Dublin, Ireland

 

[Mexibug98]

Essex Boy ( well old Boy actually :bigmouth: ) - just a thought would'nt Rachael ( Registrar ) have the complete listing ( nearly 200 according to the aroc 166 fb ) ; I will suggest it on that aroc fb closed group......Jim.

 

[HaydnW]

Outskirts of Leeds, not that I have a 164/6 at the moment.

 

[mick164]

..Dublin.

 

[derek155]

Sale, near manchester