Buying Advice '86 Alfasud Sprint

[stuka]

G'day

I had search on the forum but didnt have much luck. Does anybody have a link or advise about what to look out for when buying an Alfasud Sprint? Hidden rust, motor, gearbox etc. Its the 1.5 version and looks to be a good opportunity!

Any help appreciated!

Pat

[colcol]

There are 2 types of Sprints 77-83 Alfasud based car and 83 onwards are a 33 based car, the 33 based Sprints were less prone to rust than the Sud based Sprints, but they still were not as well rust proofed as a 33, look at tops of front and rear gaurds, around the front and rear wheel arches, around the front and rear screens, around the doors around the rubbers, pull the rubbers back to see if they are hiding any rust, the rubbers tend to hold dirt and moisture which leads to rusting, have a look at the service record to see that the scheduled work has been carried out, with no skipped oil changes, start the engine cold to see if it blows smoke, they always do on start up as the valves operate crossways and some oil will seep through overnight into the combustion chamber and be burnt off at start up, the cam belts have to be changed every 60,000 or 4 years, whichever comes first, and if possible have a look underneath to see if the water pump is dripping as these are notoriously hard to change, some do it when they change the belts and tensioners, try the gearbox and make sure gears engage easily and that 2nd gear synchro isn't crunching, otherwise it will have to have the gearbox out to renew it, try the clutch and see that it isn't jerky and it takes up smoothly, the adjustment on these is automatic and a slipping clutch means no more adjustment is available and its time for a new clutch, a clutch is not that dear, about $300 on ebay, but the labour bill will be most likely more than the car is worth, check that all the electrics work in the car and the speedo, if the speedo is not working, thens its most likely the cable, the airconditioners in these were useless anyway and by now they will have long ago broken down and you can't get the old type of gas these require, if i think of any more things, i will post them, Colin.

[stuka]

Great, thanks for the reply and useful information.

I do know the speedo and tacho dont work, are either of these an indication of serious issue? I intend to go for an inspection today, any further advice would be appreciated.

[colcol]

The speedo cables usually break because they have a sharp bend in them to go into a 'anti pollution' solution fix for Australia, you can bypass this and put a speedo cable out off an earlier series Alfasud, i think the cables are still around new, or the gear in the gearbox can strip or come loose, this is still fixable, or the speedo itself can stop working, this is fixed by a speedo repairer, the tacho not working is usually a bad connection in the instrument binnacle, this is fixed by a auto electrician, or if you are lucky the 'quick connector' on the coil has fallen off again, these are minor problems, just make sure the car does't have any rust as this will eat up the dollars rather quick, but if you get a good well looked after Sprint, then they are a very rewarding car to own, and i think it was one of styling great, Guigario greatest ever, Colin.

[stuka]

Thanks again. Will go for a look today, will let you know how I go.

[stuka]

Colin - I went for a look today and paid a deposit!

The condition is pretty average but can be improved. A little bit of rust on both front guards but no major structural rust anywhere. Motor and gearbox seem good. Its a 1986 1.5L model. Agreed on $700 which is probably fair.

I'll post up some photos when I pick up the car later in the week.

Thanks again for your advice.

Pat

[Miss Alfa Sprint]

The Sprint is an awesome car to have! and very fun to drive! Congrats, can't wait to see the pics 

[stuka]

Thanks, I'll post up some photos next week!