LOOKING FOR A SPIDER - EXPECTATIONS?

[giuliasuper]

Hi Everyone.

I'm thinking of trading my 69 GTV and returning to the world of roofless motoring. It's early days in this pursuit so I'm keen to get a bit of feel for what is around and the type of money one might pay. Today I visited a showroom to inspect a mid 70's Spider. The asking price was about $22K. Anyway I noticed that

1. There was virtually no history on the vehicle - neither very recent or past. Therefore I could not ascertain whether or when rebuilds may have occured, or anything else for that matter.
2. The interior was clean enough but door linings looked a bit rough
3. The seats had some splits (not bad) in them
4. There were signs of small areas of rust developing at the base of the right hand front wheel arch
5. The exterior in general was pretty average - noticeable dings, faded light covers, paint drips
6. The tyres had probably 40% left
7. I was advised that no warranties are offered on these sorts of vehicles, which surprised me a little

Wanting to find a car with little to do, I chose (perhaps foolishly) not to take the car out for a test drive.

Amusingly as I was driving my 'old girl' home, I had 2 people stop me without prompting and say how much they liked my car. Made me question the whole thing.  

I guess the questions are; What's a reasonable expectation when seeking out a 70's spider like this? Does one have to pay bigger money for a very well sorted spider of this vintage? What sort of money are we talking? Am I completely out of touch?!  

Your thoughts please.

[SimonR]

Have you checked AROCA NSW classifieds as thI think there are 2 for sale at the moment that look ok.

If you want a perfect 105 of any type I am not sure if $22k will be enough unless the owner is hard up for a sale. These cars are getting very expensive to restore properly and I dont mean a quick paint job and new softop. I also doubt that someone who has paid around $35-40k to fully restore one (first class job) is also likely to then turn around and sell it as they are likely to lose money immediatley as you still have the original purchase price he paid for it in the first place to consider.
I stopped counting at somewhere near $43k just for the restoration of mine and I am still spending money on it for other improvements (my wife doesnt know about this though!). I wouldnt sell it for any price in view of the pain I have suffered in order to get it to where it is now and I love it too much to sell.

If you are lucky you could always land a lucky deal for a solid car at the prices you are quoting, but I doubt it would have had a first class restoration job though. Just depends on what you want I guess.

Good luck in your search

[Paul Gulliver]

Not sure if you have driven the 105 spider yet, but if you already own a 105 coupe i think the lack of chassis stiffness in the spyder would drive you nutts. Well that was the impression i got after driving both a couple of years ago.

[Rigi]

As Simon mentions, there are 2 currently on the aroca nsw website for sale.

Having spoken to the owner of the white one a couple of months ago it 'seems like' one that is worth looking into.

The other one may be also but haven't spoken to the owner.

I have viewed neither, although an excuse to spend a weekend up at Foster would be nice.

Both placed their adverts with 'ono' so you never know ....

As an aside, not sure how many good older Alfa's would end up for sale on a dealership floor

[lance105]

One of my mates had a 70's spider which I drove quite a bit – however after being in a GTV for years I did notice the lack of chassis stiffness. I love roofless motoring as well, so I went half-way with my current 105 – it has a Webasto sunroof which rolls down to let in the sun in (they were a dealer option Im told). I know a lot of people who have taken their sunroofs out due to leaks, etc., however if you look after them they work well - personally I love them.

[Brett C]

I think trying to find any type of classic car in perfect condition and completely sorted is a challenge no matter what your budget. I went though quite a long adventure before finding the spider I bought eighteen months ago - but it was worth it! I believe you should be able to find a sound and reasonabley tidy car for the low 20's, but it won't be perfect and will require some fettling. That has been my experiance, but every time I fix or improve something my enjoyment in driving it increases - especially with the roof down.

The way Dutton's places themselves in the market one would hope anything sitting on their shiney showroom floor would be a pretty decent piece of kit, but it's always buyer beware I guess...

Good luck with the search

Brett

[aggie57]

There was a very nice Duetto advised recently. Personally, having spent quite a bit of time in one back in the eighties, that's what I'd be looking at for a truly classic open air Alfa feel.

[Craig_m67]

Go swinging sixties !!

There's been two good duettos in the last twelve months that I've noticed. In Sydney and Brisbane respectively.  Sydney one looked great, I've seen it around for a few years on and off, even have shots of its nose from an early Canberra show in my duetto nose collection. Asking price was around $24k. Brissy one looked immaculate in photos and was asking $10 or so higher again. No idea if they actually sold.  

I don't know either seller or vehicle. Im sure somebody here or the AlfaBB would though, its a very friendly small world.  I'd be tempted by either.  And the duetto is the original after all  

The Sydney one looked like a great buy (given I've spent nearly $10k on metal and bits already and haven't yet picked up the welder let alone a paint gun - it's a member of the family)

Good luck
Craig