1993 Alfa Romeo Spider

2.0L 4 Cylinder Gasoline Fuel

Manual

ZARBB32N2P7006323

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE When I retired In Jan of 2010, I made up my mind to buy an ALFA Spider as a retirement gift for myself. I have wanted an ALFA Giulietta or the newer Giulia Spider since about 1962. Work, family and other things came first. In recent years, a restored car, or one I could restore, had priced me out of the market. Looking over the various Spider variations made since 1966, I decided that I liked the newest series 4 cars best. I searched for a very clean, well maintained, reliable – drivable car. After waiting and wanting a Spider for almost 50 years, I wanted a really good car. I didn’t want a 10 – 20k mile car that was almost never driven, one that might have been sitting parked in a garage for 10 or 12 years or maybe even more. Something I’d have to be afraid to get wet or even get a minor scratch, (just look at some of the recent eBay listings) a car that had an extremely high price, for a car that could start having problems because of not being used. ALFAs really need to be driven. The president of the Wisconsin ALFA Romeo Owners Club had just what I wanted. A car that was not a really high mileage car (it had 59,233 when I bought it) a proven good driver, maintained by a highly regarded shop (GT Motorsport in Milwaukee (an Italian specialist)) and an owner of good reputation. So in April of 2010, I purchased my ALFA and changed my name from Ralph to RALFA W. The car now up for auction is my lovely 1993 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce with only 66,648 on the odometer. As I said, I wanted a reliable driving car. In May of 2010, one month after buying the car, I participated in the New Glarus Hill climb, and the car was a real treat. Late in June 2010, my wife and I left for the AROC convention in Fredrick, MD taking the long way across northern PA, down to Philadelphia where a stop at Nick Falcone’s allowed for the replacing of the cooling fan relay. We continued to the convention, participated in the Autocross, and drove Summit Point Race Track. We visited Washington, DC (see pic #1), drove to Deals Gap, NC, where we took on “The Tail of the Dragon” (318 curves in 11 miles, no driveways and no cross) (see pic #2) and returned home. We traveled just about 3k miles and averaged 31 mpg. Not too bad for a trip like that. By the end of the driving season, I put 7k very enjoyable miles on the car. The car shows very good. The shine is there. When I washed it yesterday the water still beaded on last year’s wax. All the following pictures show the shine from my 2011 wax job. When I purchased the car, the only non-standard items on the car were the Alpine radio/cd player, the Infinity speakers, and Good Year Eagle Tires. They have 10,594 miles on them. Maintenance and repair done for or by me include: oil and filter changes (Castro GTX 20 W 50); flush and replace coolant (06-14-2010); replace clutch slave cylinder and DOT 4 fluid (12-03-2010); replace rear muffler, gasket and bracket; remove and repair improper extra rear muffler bracket installed by a previous owner (03-26-12); install an Interstate battery (03-26-2012); replaced broken heater control knob (05-11-2012); I cleaned both front airbag sensor contacts and packed same with dielectric grease and cleared airbag ecu codes (05-29-2012.). A previous owner had a shop clean the left front sensor contacts and was charged $300.00 but the shop didn’t pack or seal the connectors. Therefore his work only lasted 5 years. It took me about 45 minutes and $8.00 to do this work, and when properly done should easily last 10–15 years. A blinking or constant on airbag warning light is a fairly common condition. You can search it on the alfabb. Previous owners have done routine oil & filter service, replaced center and rear mufflers and the light timer relay (03-20-2002); replaced tires as mentioned above, replaced front brake rotors, pads, calipers, and horn relay (01-22-2007, @ 58,399 miles); ground on left front airbag sensor and a short by the driver side door was repaired (02-15-2007); flushed clutch fluid, replaced alternator/water pump belt, power steering belt (04-24-2007 @ 58,580 miles); passed WI emission test 05-02-2007.) I do not have service records prior to March of 2002, but I don’t believe that the car has ever had any major mechanical work performed. The man I purchased the car from indicated that the convertible top had recently been replaced. For anyone not familiar with this ALFA, it has power steering, power disc brakes, power windows, power antenna and air-conditioning. The transmission is a manual 5-speed and the synchro's work as they should. The shifts are smooth and precise. The engine is Alfa's Bosch fuel injected 2.0L - 4 cylinder with double overhead cams. The engine in this car uses almost no oil, less than ½ Qt in 3000 miles and it runs very strong and smooth. The interior is in very good condition, but does show some wear. The leather is still soft and the vinyl is not cracked. The plastic rear window has no discoloration. Tires, wheels and brakes are in very good condition including the spare. The carpets in the car and in the trunk are all in very good condition. Condition issues are as follows: the air conditioner does not blow cold air (it still has R-12 refrigerant but the pressure is low); courtesy lamp wiring needs to be checked; the horn relay may need to be replaced again, and the windshield washer fluid bag has a leak. I have not done troubleshooting on the electrical items. If I were keeping the car, I would fix all these items. The person, from whom I purchased the car, stored it for the winter in a heated insulated auto storage garage. I, have stored the car at Motion Products Inc. (look them up on the web, they are a very special auto restoration company) in a heated and occupied storage area of this company. I have garaged the car every day except when on out of town trips. I really love this car! So why am I selling it? As I mentioned above, I bought the car in April of 2010. On September 10, 2010, I had a total right knee replacement. I had a much longer than normal recovery period. Except to put the car in storage in December 2010, and remove it from storage in April 2011, I didn’t drive the car until late July of 2011. Every time I drive the car I have a very painful issue where my replacement knee joint is inserted into the bone of my lower leg. The pain is caused by the twisting position I need to use to hold my foot on the gas pedal. Problems with my new knee are also causing me to sell my Honda Gold Wing motorcycle. Payment: $500.00 by PayPal within 48 hours of the auction ending. The balance to be paid within ten (10) calendar days of the auction ending date by bank transfer to my bank, or a bank cashiers check or a personal check (all checks will require a waiting period for funds to clear your bank), or in cash in person by an acceptable date agreed upon before the end of the auction. Once the car is paid for, I will be willing to store the car for up to 30 days with no fee. Any shipping arrangements and the related cost, is the responsibility of the winning bidder. I will cooperate on this end with the loading on a car carrier. Good luck with your bidding and please feel free to call me with any questions. My phone number is 920-731-8714. On May-31-12 at 23:20:25 PDT, seller added the following information: Attention: It was pointed out to me that I checked Anti-Lock-Brakes. That is a mistake I made. These cars do not have ABS I'm sorry for the mistake, Ralph On Jun-02-12 at 06:21:20 PDT, seller added the following information: In response to a phone call - yes, the car is as-is, where-is just like all ebay auctions. Also, If any one wants more detail pictures, call me. Ralph On Jun-02-12 at 22:18:47 PDT, seller added the following information: Here is what the above ad says: The interior is in very good condition, but does show some wear. The leather is still soft and the vinyl is not cracked. That statement is correct. The leather and vinyl seating surface is very good and not cracked or torn. The pictures of the seats do not allow for zooming in on the seats. If you look really close at the lower edge of the drivers side backrest, there is an area where the edge trim or welt (about 4 inches) is torn. There is about 1.5 inches of the trim (welt) torn on the left side towards the front of the seat. If anyone wants a picture of this that you can zoom in on, send me a question and include an email address I can send it to.