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SPORTS CARS OF THE '70s
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Comments
The Ita;lians always seemed to ahve some of the weirdest paint colors I ever saw.
Porsche 914>
BTW I'm sure Alfa offered the GTV 1750/2000 and the Giulia TI in mustard yellow .
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Such as:
I've driven a 914/6 and it's not for the timid. I think about 200HP is more than enough.
Besides, I'd want to get rid of the 914 transmission entirely and it seems to me that if would be more feasible to plug in the Boxster engine/trans.
Fact is, anything stock from the 70s that I can afford is not very exciting, and the ones that are exciting are way too expensive for me.
In the past year or so I've read that Porsche is considering building a sports car priced below the Boxter. If it does, maybe that would be the spiritual successor to the 914.
Where I come from, that's just being poor...
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Besides, being "poor" doesn't stop Americans. You could probably buy a brand new Boxster on a credit card down payment if you have an 800+ credit score.
So, the boy goes to community college, instead of Vanderbilt... so what? :surprise:
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They are cheap, but finding a really good one is not easy---and then you have to convince the previous owner, who no doubt spent a fortune making it a nice one, to let it go for the current market value. It's a hard car to buy and a hard car to sell.
Mechanical parts should be no problem, but interior and exterior trim pieces won't be easy.
I'm guessing, that for any GTV V6 that is not a project, basket case, rust bucket, mis-wired, patched up pile of junk, brutalized badly tuned science experiment, etc. (that is, most of them) then something like $4500 should get the job done.
A fun car, but be prepared to reject a lot of them and to have work to do on the one you do buy. Watch out for bad 1st and 2nd gear synchros, electrical gremlins, trashed interiors (broken seats, switches, etc) and tired suspension.
This is one car where patience really is rewarded.
Last Saturday I spent a couple of hours looking at dozens of Alfas at the 100th Centennial gathering near Frederick, MD, and chatting with owners. My brother (who once owned an Alfa) and I concluded that, while they're very interesting cars, we wouldn't want to own one.
I like Alfas, but I couldn't justify the expense and hassle of owning an old one. I wouldn't buy a new one, either, should they be reintroduced in the U.S. I might consider a 2-3 year old one, kind of in the same spirit as buying a depreciated Saab or Audi, but would stay away from new and old ones.
If I had Jay Leno's money, I'd stuff an Alfa 164LS motor into a late model Spider, like a 1993. And I'd run an aftermarket fuel injection system on it that I dialed in myself.
Yeah, with Leno's money you could buy and do a lot of neat things. Come to think of it, my garage might not be too different from his.
(My apologies if I have exceeded Edmunds ridiculous 1/2 page width limitation. :sick: )
74 Alfa GTV - Chicago Area
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That's a bargain for one of the best looking and most useful Gran Turismos ever built.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
I'm surprised you'd say that because every time I've described the Alfa-like qualities of the 124 Sports you're the one who jumps in and says that the Alfas are much better made (something I've kinda doubted since they got their bodies from the same place and their electrics and switchgear are mostly (ugh!) Marelli and they usually all had Weber carbs, I know... some Alfas had SPICA F.I.---I'll take the Webers thank you).
I find myself doubting you could find a very nice 2002 for the same dough.
I like MGB-GTs but it was only half the car the Alfa GTVs were
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Fiats are cheaper than Alfas...perhaps not as vast a difference as between a VW and a Porsche from the 60s, that's true, but the Alfa uses better materials all 'round and fit and finish are better. Fiats in the 60s really were quite cheesy.
I personally wouldn't be quick to diss the MG GT---this is a very pleasant well-made car---somewhat stone-age compared to a GTV or a 2002---but fun to drive, with a torquey engine, and great utility as a little hatchback. Also much easier to fix than the German or Italian equivalents, (you could repair one shopping for parts at Home Depot) and much cheaper and easier parts accessibility. You could mail order an entire MGB in pieces to your house if you wanted to. You can even buy new bodies for them. Neither BMW nor Alfa has this level of aftermarket support--although both are good relative to most 70s cars.
Another nice MGB-GT feature is the overdrive transmission.
I have a problem-my local Alfa mechanic has closed up shop and retired!
I also read somewhere that it was extremely vulnerable to rust.
Or a Civic, or a smart...or a Labrador retriever...