Spiders are notorious for oil leaks around the head gasket. I'm used to this and just live with it.
No surprises with my car. No major problems. No ongoing small problems. It has been very reliable these 14 years, but it's very, very important to find a mechanic who really knows the quirks of this car.
The air conditioner is useless when outside air is over 75 degrees or so.
The seat base foam needs replacing by now.
There is a place at the driver's side rocker panel where the metal has cracked. I assume this is from repeated stress of ingress and egress, and these are common problem areas with the car, but otherwise rust has not been much of a problem since I live in California and it's usually garaged.
The clear coat on the special finish "vinaccia red" (wine red metallic) paint from Alfa appears to have been sprayed on without first sanding (according to body shops) since it's flaking off by now in places, but otherwise the paint looks as new even after all these years. Not so the carpeting, leather seats, foam in the seat base (the back of the seat is still fine) all of which I'll replace soon.
Parts are generally easy to get except for things like replacement dashboards for my years. Earlier (up to 1986) there are replacements for easily.
The Alfa Spider is a leisurely little performer. Anyone who calls it a sports car is dreaming.
The brakes seem adequate with some pumping.
The ride is a bit harsh compared to new cars, and now that I'm 42 I don't enjoy it much at all the way I did when I was younger. :)
I am 6'-1/2" and if I were ANY taller AT ALL I would absolutely not fit in this car. Even the shoes I wear or if there's a floor mat come into play with the fit. Otherwise it's fine, but not nearly as room as my former Triumph TR-8.
Unlike MGs, if maintained Alfas generally stay fixed so it's a cheap second or weekend car to own.
This is a fairly accurate review of the Alfa Spider, as it is known here in CA (USA). I have a 1974 model, it has the 2000 engine, 5 speed, nothing unusual about it, its almost 100% stock. I would take issue with a few comments the author made, more along the lines of opinion and a few facts. 1) "the Alfa leaks oil around the head, its just something they do, I have gotten used to it" (roughly, not verbatim).
Sir, something is wrong with your Alfa. A well maintained Alfa does not leak oil from the head as a normal procedure for the car. This is a problem, one that should be fixed. While it is true that the wet-sleeve design combined with running oil lines through the head gasket with the accompanying O rings is a weakness in design, perhaps leading to more frequent failure here than in other cars, but proper care and maintanance should prevent any serious problems. Torque your heads every 6 months and your odds of problems here decrease to almost nil. If you have to replace the headgasket, have a proper job done of it, and I can't imagine it causing more trouble if you just maintain the car well.
Yes, its not known for its air conditioning, nor is it comparable to a "modern car" - people don't buy Alfas for the luxery or the many convienences. It's an amazing ride, my 1974 Alfa - 54,000 miles, runs strong and fast, brakes work better than my wifes Toyota Camary, I can outrace most "sports" cars - including my favorite, to blow a Porsche Boxer away from a start, until about 70mph that is. Perhaps its the poor driving of the Porsche owners I have run across. My seats, too, need an overhaul. I am 6'2" and wish the things would go back another 3 inches. But I LOVE this car, people always ask me about it, its amazing, as you said it is a car (unlike so many British cars, a shame they can't make a 1968 XKE as reliable as a 1974 Alfa) that tends to run fine if it is working, and has unfairly been confused with FIATs by the great unwashed.
Overall, I think your review is fair, but it appears you don't enjoy the Alfa, perhaps you should consider replacing it? I can't imagine life without mine.
The original reviewer's statement about epidemic, leaking 2000 head gaskets is correct. There was history behind this, and numerous attempts by Alfa to rectify the problem. Single piece, dual piece and then back to single piece head gaskets were among the remedies that Alfa Romeo of North America tried in the 70's and early 80's.
A re-torqable (after market) teflon impregnated gasket made by Ereminas Engineering helped the problem. Cooler running (EFI) models starting in 1982 really helped.
I envy those who waited one extra year. My model was a 1981 with a one-off, big air plenum mech (Spica) FI, with single throttle valve. No Alfa shop *had tools* to tune this thing. Replacement with dual Delorto carbs, cast iron headers and Ansa exhaust finally ushered in the joy for the final six years of ownership.
Do NOT buy a pre-1982 Spider unless it has been converted to dual carbs, with requisite timing, and exhaust. I recommend instead buying an '82 or after, street-legal factory Bosch-injected model. Great performance, fewer heat related issues, longer valve and gasket life.
...not sure what exactly you'd call a sports car then... maybe a Mustang?
My '89 Alfa Spider Veloce is my only car. It fits like a glove, but I'm 5'7" with size 9 shoes. Leaving the top down even after it's cool out is fun.
It's not a neck snapper, but I think the pick-up is fine and the handling is really good. Carbon footprint is good: I refuel 10 or 11 times a year.
Do you know what makes this car beautiful? The front is a single piece of metal from driver door to passenger door. that horseshoe shaped sweeping curve with no seams, plus the intersecting curve that rolls from the hood sideways to the front wheels is why people like looking at the car. The guy who does body work on it is Italian and really appreciates the beauty. If you have one that's in really good shape take a look at it through that prism and see if you don't agree.
An old fix to the leaky head gasket was to tap roll pins into the oil galleys, then add gasket and (carefully) the head, then torque most properly!
Roll pins should not be tapped into the oil galleys unless the oil galleys are bored out sufficient to allow use of a roll pin with an inside diameter equal to the original oil galley diameter. Tapping roll pins into the oil galleys will restrict oil flow in the head, which could cause damage to the cam bearings, bucket tappets and valve train, and in turn may lead to further engine damage.
If the engine is out of the car, there is a better fix to the leaky head gasket problem. Bore out each of the oil galleys in both the block and head, then press metal sleeves into each oil galley in the block. The block and sleeve joint should be an interference fit and the head and sleeve joint should be a clearance fit. The metal sleeves should have an inside diameter equal to the original oil galley diameter. Prior to pressing in the metal sleeves, ensure that all metal shavings are removed from the oil galleys. Next add an Alfa Romeo factory head gasket, o-rings around the sleeves and carefully align the head onto the head bolts and then the metal sleeves. Torque head bolts incrementally ensuring that the properly torque pattern is used! This fix was used in the ‘70’s by a race team on a pair of Alfas. One of which went on to win several SCCA national championships.
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