Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Imowface on March 22, 2011, 02:32:04 PM
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Well, my plan is sort of set in place to buy an alfa romeo SZ when I go to Italy with my family in 2013, my mom is playing soccer at the world masters games in turin, but I have my own agenda, I have the cash set up so that with the money I have saves, and the money I will get from selling my current summer car, I plane on going there, buying the SZ, driving it around for my vacation, then shipping it back to my parents house in canada, I figure it is a good idea, as I already have imported my GTO from japan, so I sort of know what I am doing, but I always like to get a second oppinion, so what do you guys think, is it a good Idea, or am I a bit stupid for going through with it
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my o-p-i-n-i-o-n is that you spelled opinion wrong...but, on a serious note...never been a fan of alfa romeo...nice looking but, when it comes to repairs and or getting parts...unless they have changed the way they source things, i'd rather try to find parts for a '36 ford 5 window coupe.
now, about your mom...very first actual soccer mom i've heard about...got a pic? :D
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Ty gyrene, I realise parts might be a problem, there is a fiat dealer in town, which I might check out and see what they can source and cant source, this is going to be the second italian car I have ever owned/will be buying, and the first was a bit of a disaster as at the time I had it there was no dealership in canada that could get parts for me
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What side is the steering wheel on in Italy?
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Left, not that it matter though
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You left out the soccer mom pic!!! :furious
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Just that I've seen a few guys import cars from the US and not factor in the cost of a conversion, not that they have to, but it is easier to drive.
Edit: Pic
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sorry guys here you go
(http://www.towneandcountree.com/userfiles/events/a2cbdb5ce26bc949c0324ea29a2e6fe6.jpg)
phatzo, I have two RHD vehicles atm, and it is really no different to drive, I just am more carefull when I turn left, and in canada I can not get full coverage insurance wise on them
but it will be nice to be on the left again if I can go through with this Alfa
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sorry guys here you go
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s256/satanikhellrazor/SoccerGirl.jpg)
{BEER GOGGLES = ON} :cheers:
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s256/satanikhellrazor/SoccerGirl.jpg)
:D
Sorry, couldn't resist!
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Don't worry about getting parts. I have a vintage Fiat and I know of several parts suppliers in North Ameica that specialize in Fiat/Alfa parts. They aren't hard to get. They are a little on the pricey side though.
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soccer mum in Rip's post = more epic win than charlie sheen
:O
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{BEER GOGGLES = ON} :cheers:
(http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s256/satanikhellrazor/SoccerGirl.jpg)
:D
Sorry, couldn't resist!
Man, we're really getting bad without our Wednesday Babe threads.
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Don't worry about getting parts. I have a vintage Fiat and I know of several parts suppliers in North Ameica that specialize in Fiat/Alfa parts. They aren't hard to get. They are a little on the pricey side though.
yeah, I am somewhat prepaired for the price of some parts and general matenance, I am not too worried, as the car is 90's era, but due to my prior experience with a classic italian car, I could not buy anything older then this, I give you a big :salute though for keeping your vintage fiat, as I failed horribly with my classic haha
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hmmmm...your mom looks like she could kick a guy for saying the wrong thing...the fact that she's actively playing soccer is impressive.
i had one of these once...
(http://static.cargurus.com/images/site/2009/03/15/05/49/1985_alfa_romeo_spider-pic-43045.jpeg)
got it dirt cheap considering it was only 4 years old...didn't realize it was going to cost more to maintain than it did to buy...everything had to be specific...the only thing i could buy off the shelf was anti-freeze and windshield wiper fluid...everything else had to be ordered for a premium cost...and the flippin fuel injectors were finicky...fun to drive though.
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A lot of the parts can be bought from stores like AutoZone (etc). They just won't be OEM parts. For instance, I replaced the fuel pump recently. An actual Fiat pump was available from a specialty parts supplier for $279, but I was able to get a third party equivelent (that looks identical) at AutoZone for $84.
Of course not everything you might need is available that way, but it is worth checking around when you need something before buying it from the specialty supplier.
Here's my toy.
(http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w220/Davis_Andrews/Fiat4x6.jpg)
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A lot of the parts can be bought from stores like AutoZone (etc). They just won't be OEM parts. For instance, I replaced the fuel pump recently. An actual Fiat pump was available from a specialty parts supplier for $279, but I was able to get a third party equivelent (that looks identical) at AutoZone for $84.
Of course not everything you might need is available that way, but it is worth checking around when you need something before buying it from the specialty supplier.
Here's my toy.
(http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w220/Davis_Andrews/Fiat4x6.jpg)
very nice dave! did you buy it in that condition or did you put some elbow greese into it?
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It was in pretty good shape when I found it. I have put a little work into it. It only has 40k original miles and was clearly stored indoors and only driven on nice sunny days. This is the 3rd Fiat Spyder I have owned. This is the first one I have had that was fuel injected. I kind of miss the carb and points. On the older ones I owned, if something went wrong it was pretty easy to diagnose. I dread the day that the electronics that control the fuel system on this one start to go wonky.
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By the way, this company is a pretty good source for parts.
http://www.international-auto.com/
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very nice :aok as you have probably seen my posts refering to the first italian car I have owned, I found a cheap Merak ( what was I thinking) in rough shape, ( I am young, I should be able to fix it, right?) bought the car ( cool! I own a maserati!) get it home start taking it apart, finding all the hidden rust( it should buff out right?) starting to look for replacement parts for the worn ones (I didnt know it was that hard to get stuff nowdays with the internetz and what not) so all in all, a few months later, I end up putting it all back together, with the only thing I was able to do being changing the plugs and oil, and then I thankfully found someone to buy it who actually knew what they were doing, and I belive he actually did a full resto on it, but in the end I just lost way to much money, with that though, I belive I am going into this SZ knowing what to look for, and knowing the limits of my repair skills, and having the cash to get it done if I cant, some people still tell me though to stay away from it, so I am getting everyones perspective and doing a pros and cons sort of thing
I think this is worth it though:
(http://mycarblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Alfa_Romeo_SZ_-122-1-800.jpg)
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To put it in perspective. I love my little Italian sports car. But I wouldn't drive it as my primary vehicle. It's old, and stuff breaks. But I'm fortunate enough to be 41 years old with a successful business. So, I can afford a toy car. If something breaks, it sits in the garage until the replacement part arrives and I get around to making the repair. I don't rely on it for transportation, we have a couple of normal cars for that.
If you are prepared to deal with the inevitable mechanical issues, meaning you can afford the repairs as well as get to and from where you need to go while the repairs are in progress, then I would say go for it!
Besides, chicks dig a sweet little sports car. (I had my first Spyder when I was in college, it attracted a lot of attention from young ladies! Perhaps why I have such fond memories of that car!)
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well I may not be prepaired money wise to pay right away if something major goes wrong, I do have a second vehicle that I use for daily driving so If something were to break, it could atleased sit in the garage for awhile untill I get it fixed
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I do have a second vehicle that I use for daily driving so If something were to break, it could atleased sit in the garage for awhile untill I get it fixed
Well there you go then. I'd go for it!
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Italy is the best country on earth ;)
Hot women, fun clubs, and cool people. My entire family came over to America from Italy in 1900-1950.
-BigBOBCH