As much as the vintage car market has seen its share of ridiculous price increases, some models remain surprisingly affordable. It’s hard to say whether it’s because of lack of desirability or due to some other market forces that have rendered a car stagnant, but perhaps it’s more important to focus on the fact that some fair deals still exist. The Alfa Romeo Spider is one of those cars, a vehicle that is certainly fun to drive and reasonably cheap to own and that seemingly isn’t going to bankrupt you to buy. Find this attractive black-on-cream Graduate edition here on eBay with bids to just over $2,000 and the reserve unmet.
The Spider is a charming entry into vintage car ownership, and with summer around the corner, now’s the time to buy before the convertible tax is added in. The Spider saw relatively few changes over its lifetime but the 1980s models brought improvements such as fuel injection and better integration of the obtuse U.S. safety bumpers. The rear spoiler shown here is another staple of the 1980s-era models, and the “Graduate” badges on the fenders were used as a very obvious homage to the Alfa’s role in the Mike Nichols’ film. The car shown here benefits from both cosmetic and mechanical improvements, including a new Zender rear spoiler and front air dam.
I’m not sure how the seller is defining this car as “black on black” example, but it must be in reference to the soft top and body color combo as the interior clearly isa cream color. It does have black carpets and insets on the door panels, so regardless of how you view the color scheme description, this is a very pretty Alfa. It’s not the classic red on tan that we see so often, and that’s not a bad thing. The listing notes that the seats benefit from new covers and seat sponges, so some work has been done to tidy up the cockpit. This generation of the Spider introduced the single pod gauge cluster, a refresh of the long-standing “floating” two-gauge setup.
The big reason why I believe these cars have never entered holy-grail status is because of the engine. It’s a 2.0L four-cylinder that, while fairly easy to live with outside of needing periodic valve adjustments and addressing oil leaks, is not exotic. This is not an engine that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up; it’s not fast nor does it make exotic sounds. Gearheads love the aural qualities of a car, and it’s the same reason why I struggle with buying a Porsche 968 or 944: they don’t sound all that enthralling. That being said, the maintenance bills on this Alfa will be far more manageable than a racier exotic, and assuming the reserve isn’t too high, a well-loved example like this Spider will deliver plenty of joy for a relatively modest investment.
Wheels reminiscent of the Ferrari Mondial 🇮🇹
Located in: Frederick, Maryland
Thank you. It would be nice if you didn’t have to do that.
What do you mean not expensive to own? Just dropped $5000 on a head gasket in my ’89! These are cars that you DON’T work on yourself unless know how to deal with the dual overhead cams and timing them. Then there’s the problem of finding someone to work on them. Don’t get me wrong. It’s fun to drive, even if is getting harder to get in and out, looks good on me on a sunny afternoon, and sounds like it’s going fast even if it can’t. But like all toys, they do cost money to maintain.
$5000? Someone fleeced you unless they did a complete valve job, shaved the head, reground and/or replaced all of the valves, and reground the cams. Just a head gasket should be a $1500-2000 job. I have an 89 and have done numerous head gaskets over the years, both for personal reasons and for professional ones on a variety of vehicles. You are correct though that they do cost money to maintain. 30 years old and they’re not just ‘set it and forget it’ cars.
there is a whole web forum on Alfa. tons of help over there on how to work on these.
These, and the FIAT 124 are cars you buy because you want a convertible that doesn’t initially break the bank. But you better not lack on the maintenance, or they quickly become expensive yard art.
A lot of naysayers on here. This is beautiful, and even if repairs are expensive, it still cheap compared to most collectibles. This dure is in nice shape.
I wonder if Mrs. Robinson bought one of these?
This is probably the first Alfa Romeo Spider we have ever seen on BF that all of the pictures are of the car with the top up.
I’ve often thought about buying one of these. I have never owned anything Italian,maybe it’s time to take the plunge. I do like the looks of these and the colors are my kind of liking. I’ll be watching this one.
This era of Spider looks best in black. It mitigates the large, black rubber edifices on either end. I owned an ’86. They are easy to work on and parts are plentiful. There are also plenty of online resources for the DIYer.
This could be a very good deal. Look it over thoroughly!
Says car was Salvage title at one time. Considering the replacement seats, and door panels, maybe a flood car?
Bidding ended on Sat, Mar 15
US $3,650.00
25 bids
Reserve not met