Re: Looking for some advise on buying and Alfa !!

[George Graves <gmgraves@domain.elided>]

on 5/26/02 11:44 AM, alfa-digest at owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided wrote:

> 
> Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 17:50:43 +0000
> From: "Steve ." <blind_creek@domain.elided>
> Subject: Looking for some advise on buying and Alfa !!
> 
> I'm looking for some tips etc on buying an Alfa.
> 
> 1st one is .....
> I saw a GTV-6 - mechanically it is in absolutely prime condition ...
> visually it looks good but when you get close it has the usual rust bubbles
> etc. now what I'm wondering is ...where are the bad rust areas to look at
> and how do I tell how bad they are.
> Where are the structural rust problems?
> I'm going to have another good look at it because I didn't have much time -
> what I did notice on my quickie tour was  ... just behind the right front
> wheel behind the plastic rocker panel cover a hole I could put two fingers
> in and quite a bit of rust flakes inside. Other places were on the (not sure
> what to call it) cross piece that runs between the hood hinges ... another
> is an area that could easily become a hole about the size of the drain plugs
> in the spare tire well. Another weak area is on the front passenger wheel
> well in the engine compartment.
> 
> So there it is about the rust now what would its value be ???

Rule of thumb: A rust-free non-running car with a blown engine, bad clutch,
and seized gearbox is preferable to a rust-riddled one with new engine,
clutch and perfect gearbox. The reason is simple. Mechanical repairs are
easy and cheap compared to the type of bodywork repairs needed to fix a
rusty car. Visible rust is like an iceberg. The rust you can see is usually
just a hint of the real problems, and to find them before you can even fix
them requires that the entire car be stripped down to bare metal. Leave this
one alone, and keep looking for a rust-free example. In the long run, its
the best bet.

When looking for GTV-6s look at the rocker panels under the doors, the
fender wells, at the base of the windshield, the rear hatch, and especially
the spare tire well and the battery well in the trunk. If you find no rust
there, likely the car is rust free. Don't be two concerned about surface
rust on various steel bits under the hood like the radiator cross-brace, the
cold air intake box, and the brake booster cylinder. A little steel wool,
elbow grease and Rustoleum will alleviate that. Avoid cars with any pitting
anywhere.  
> 
> Engine, drivetrain(no grind), brakes, suspension, clutch, tires are perfect
> (infact better - shankles, konis etc) absolute dream to drive.
> Excellent Alpine stereo, 2nd set of rims with autocross tires on them in
> excellent condition, interior has hole Approx 2x2 inches on the drives sear
> adjacent to the door and back seat is faded from the sun on the top - dash
> isn't cracked - AC doesn't work - all electrics work great. Wonderful car to
> look at (couple of minor scratches in the paint but then brand new cars have
> scratches too) paint is older but in excellent condition - just rust that
> hasn't come thru yet.
> 
> 2nd - What would I look for in a 164 - problem areas etc?
> 
> 3rd - What do I look for in problem areas on a Milano ?
> 
> Thx for all your help which I know is forthcoming
> 
> Regards
> Steve & Joyce
> Adrian Michigan
> 79 Spider
> 
> blind.creek@domain.elided
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