This is what happens when I surf FB marketplace unattended.

"-Amateur" (amateur) 05/13/2020 at 11:08 • Filed to: None

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I end up buying a 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce in really bad shape as a “ fun ” “ hobby ” project.

I’ve been hankering for an Alfa Romeo for about half a year now. Here’s the 411 folks, there are two types of vintage Alfas; The first are pristine/restored ones that command a hefty premium and the second are rusty dilapidated husks that mascaraed as a car.

I’ve never driven an Alfa and the classic ones I’ve seen in the wild are far and few (probably because they rust before your eyes when exposed to atmospheric air).

But the allure was always there. I find their cars to be utterly gorgeous and I was eager to take the plunge into classic Alfa ownership to experience firsthand what made them so special. I’ve never owned a car older than 1987 (thanks Chevy Nova) and so the intricacies of a Spica mechanical fuel injection are foreign to me.

I’ve always figured I’d end up with a mid 80s GTV to be honest.

But wowza, a Pininfarina designed Alfa Romeo Duetto/Spider is the knockout that stole me heart. The first boat tail iteration is obviously the most beautiful, most expensive and least produced...but hey, I’ll settle for second best; the follow-up kammback tailed model that still retains the beautiful charm of the original at a fraction of the cost.

They made this car for almost 30 years straight and the Spider would eventually get fat rubber bumpers and whimsical side skirts (1980s Alfa Spider Verde Quadrifoglio anyone?) until settling with a modern clean take at its swan song in the 90s.

This Italian convertible has at its heart, an all aluminum DOHC 2.0L engine that is iconic Alfa and soo advanced for its time. For the nerds, 128HP@5800RPM and 130 LB FT@3700RPM. It has a 5 speed manual and only weighs 2200 lbs; Mine has the fun option of a limited slip diff in it.

This Spider has been sitting outside for 20 years and it looks the part. Most of the bits are there but there’s much-o rust lurking on the floorpan and rockers, shocking I know. Forget that, just take a minute to enjoy a wonderful wooden brimmed steering wheel, the deep big ‘ol gauge cluster and the utter Italian flair of it all.

I’m way over my head here and will never financially recover from fixing her up. The good news is, all the sheetmetal are readily available for literally every panel on this car and parts are quite plentiful. That is super! It’s a labor of love and for the record, I have yet to drive an Alfa Romeo since this one doesn’t actually run. Thanks for reading!

As a bonus, the owner had a 1960s GTV in his garage that I HAD to snap pictures of. Sheer elegance:

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:16

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Hooooly shit.  That’s one hell of a project

facw > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:16

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I see nothing wrong with this...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:18

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You really shouldn’t come to Oppo for sound advice about Alfas, though  this is obviously a labor of pure love. I look forward to hearing more about it.

VincentMalamute-Kim > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:19

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oh my... no more FB Marketplace for you without adult supervision!

Snuze: Needs another Swede > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:20

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I hope you’re up to date on your tetanus shots!

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:21

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Suddenly, I feel waaaaaay better about the state of my project cars. Enjoy!

The Ghost of Oppo > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:22

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Nice. No Quadrifolgio badge?

Nom De Plume > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:31

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The first are pristine/restored ones that command a hefty premium and the second are rusty dilapidated husks that mascaraed as a car.

Firstly, masquerade. 

Second, I’ll fight for a perma-ban if these make an appearance on that car.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:31

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I’m about to have my student loans paid off, so while I don’t intend to compound my project car problems this much, I’m looking forward to some also- rash decisions in future.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 05/13/2020 at 11:33

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Also, I’ve never technically *owned* a car newer than ‘87.

glemon > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:34

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I have been doing the same thing, except for the buying part. Colorado seems to be the place to go for the few cars that aren’t basket cases or pristine/restored/very expensive.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/809303584/overview/?aff=atempest4&utm_source=AutoTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest4

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/d/denver-1976-alfa-romeo-spider/7119105127.html

https://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/d/parker-1987-alfa-romeo-veloce-spider/7118445715.html

Stop salivating oppos, still trying to figure out what is wrong with the white one, it has been listed for some time, bondo-mobile?

-Amateur > The Ghost of Oppo 05/13/2020 at 11:39

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The 4 leaf clover came only as a tiny OEM fender emblem on the mid 80s Quadrifoglio Spider. This gen was too early for it, but rather has those sick Pininfarina emblems on its quarters. 

-Amateur > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 05/13/2020 at 11:44

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Only now after the  “ buying high” wore off has it dawned on me that I’m in for some pain.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:45

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I hope you paid close to $0 for that, because holy shit

-Amateur > VincentMalamute-Kim 05/13/2020 at 11:50

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Where were you when I needed you most? ! I’m definitely keeping away from the marketplace for a long time, that’s for sure. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 11:50

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Just curious, do you have an S/O?  Because mine would never allow this kind of nonsense lol

-Amateur > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 05/13/2020 at 11:58

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Single as single can be, the only way I can get away with these shenanigans. Thanks for reminding me of my crippling loneliness. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 12:02

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You’re not lonely! You have an Alfa!  Cars are just metal friends

-Amateur > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 05/13/2020 at 12:03

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I approve of your future financial recklessness with unneeded project cars and also applaud your sound fiscal discipline paying of your student debts at the same time. 

-Amateur > Nom De Plume 05/13/2020 at 12:05

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It’s okay, I’ll be the first to throw myself off a cliff if those eyelashes so much glance the rust on my Alfa because clearly I’ve gone crazy at that point and cannot be trusted.

-Amateur > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 05/13/2020 at 12:07

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$750...I.. I don’t want to talk about it

-Amateur > glemon 05/13/2020 at 12:14

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Clearly Colorado is the land of the Alfas and not the southwest suburbs of Chicago. Those cars look terrific! Then again ANY  Alfa Romeo will look great compared to my new car that is actively being reclaimed by the moss of the Earth.

Thomas Donohue > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 12:25

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Sadly, that $750 will be minimal compared to your future expenditures of cash and time.  Good luck!

Jim Spanfeller > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 12:26

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I have FB marketplace to thank for me eventually buying my Thunderbird. I didn’t actually find mine on FB marketplace, but I did find a ‘65 on FB marketplace that I didn’t buy, but it made me fall in love with fourth-gen T-birds, leading me to seek out a better one, and then I found my ‘66.

66P1800inpieces > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 12:40

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Oh, ok, nice, the seller paid you $750 to tow it away. So $250 for the tow leaves $475 for fixing it up and $25 for a tetanus booster.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 13:11

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No you won’t because you’ll need a parts car now. This is how it begins. 

LongbowMkII > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 13:14

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You’re already borderline...

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 13:24

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Seller:

You:

Still...kudos for taking on this massive project

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > My X-type is too a real Jaguar 05/13/2020 at 13:25

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This wasn’t the parts car? Oh boy

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 14:22

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Oh man!!! I love me some old Alfas! :D

Looking forward to the build on this one! Are you going to be going ‘restoration’ style, or...’Aperson’ style? :P

Bryan > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 18:44

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Completely dumbass idea.  I am so jealous.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 18:56

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I will never complain about the condition of my Alfa again.

letwerf > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 18:59

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I have a 92 veloce that i’m selling. Less than 45,000 and garage stored. I’m in Michigan. If interested contact me cwoodjr0@yahoo.com

VincentMalamute-Kim > -Amateur 05/13/2020 at 19:58

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I like the plan - buy a Colorado car that isn’t about to turn into a large pile of Fe2 O3 and use this one as a parts car. I could help you check out some of them - I’ m an hour north of Denver.

CaptDale - is secretly British > -Amateur 05/14/2020 at 00:27

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Now that GTV I would be all over.

Been trying to find a beat TVR in a barn somewhere. Sadly no luck thus far. 

-Amateur > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 05/14/2020 at 09:56

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I have my sights on restoring it j ust enough to make it look pretty, drive nice and be structurally sound. The structurally sound part is gong to be 90% of the work.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > -Amateur 05/14/2020 at 10:09

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Good luck! Looking forward to updates!

HoustonRunner > -Amateur 05/14/2020 at 12:04

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Thankfully I’m not on FB so searching marketplace is super annoying, so I don’t.

Chas > -Amateur 05/14/2020 at 18:44

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I don’t know where you live but I have two very nice Alfa Romeo Veloce Spiders and a third Veloce Spider that is remarkable rust free and complete and in very nice condition but it needs an engine/gearbox. You should contact me at 617-965-4848 or 617-721-9400 because I will sell this car at a very reasonable price and you could simply install an engine/gearbox and have a remarkable, completely rust- free Veloce Spider at a much lower cost and much quicker than trying to save that rusted example. L et me know if you are interested.

Charles. chasgould @mac.com

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/14/2020 at 19:20

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I stand corrected.