Every time I see an Alfa-Romeo Spider I think of Dustin Hoffman in the movie, “The Graduate”. While hardly a car movie, the Alfa gets a lot of screen time with what is probably dubbed-in engine tone but it sounds great and you get Hoffman’s perspective from behind the wheel. Generally, I think of the colors red (like Hoffman’s) or black or white when I conjure up a vision of a Spider. What caught my attention about this featured 1983 Alfa Romeo Spider, located in Union, New Jersey and available here on eBay for a current bid of $2,002, is its color, silver-blue. I believe this is the first one that I have seen in this shade.

Alfa Romeo produced the Spider from 1966 until 1993 before returning in 2015 as a substantially different car. The original Spiders are broken down into four different series and this example would be considered a series 3, 1983 through 1990. Alfa produced 5,356 Spiders in 1983 which is the sixth-highest production model year, 1991 being the highest at 9,073 and 1981 being the lowest at 1,653.

This Spider really shows well! The finish, which I think is great in silver blue, is strong and appears unblemished. The black plastic bits do not appear to be faded, misaligned or cracked. The chrome components/trim are still pretty bright. This listing, like many I review, says very little in terms of details so we are left with photographic evidence to make determinations, and based on that, the exterior looks very sound. Ditto for the canvas convertible top, it appears to have a lot of life left in it.

There isn’t a broad, comprehensive image of the interior included but what is present reveals a typical Italian sports car design and layout – very driver-oriented. The console and switchgear show a little bit of wear but this Alfa is 37 years old too. The wooden steering wheel shows light use, no significant wear incurred from this Alfa’s 70K miles of usage. The seller states that this Spider has been sitting for seven years so it would seem to have experienced proper storage.

So many positives about this Spider, there has to be a down-side, right? Well, there is, it doesn’t run. All the seller says is, “needs work.” The non-running situation could be serious or very minor, there is just no way to know without probing. The non-running engine is a 2.0 liter, four-cylinder, DOHC, fuel-injected motor wringing out (when it’s running) 126 HP. With that kind of power coming from a 2.0-liter engine, and combined with the Spider’s diminutive size, this Alfa should be a feisty performer. Power to the wheels is regulated by a five-speed manual transmission.

On the surface, this looks like quite a bargain with the bid at only $2,002 and there are only two days of bidding to go. The non-running engine is of concern, of course, but some probing questions may help to narrow down the malady. So, here’s to you Mrs. Robinson, I think you should ditch the guy and go for his car. I really like this Alfa Romeo Spider, how about you?