RE: Thinking about buying a Spider

[Richard Broughton <richard.broughton@martinmarietta.com>]

I looked at a 1986 Spider Veloce this week. The car has 122,000 miles on it,
with 50,000 on a rebuilt engine. Both of the doors seem to drop about 1/4 to
1/2" as they are opened. It feels like they have sagged on the hinges, or
maybe the latch mechanism is not aligned properly. I lifted up on the ends
of the open doors and couldn't detect any movement in the hinges. The left
rear fender has been re-painted, although the owner said the car had been
keyed and she'd had it painted, although the body shop did a lousy job
matching the paint. My magnet did not detect any filler in the fender, and
looking at the back side through the trunk, there was nothing obvious that
suggested an accident. The tires are worn out, but they are worn evenly. Is
this a common problem with the doors on this model, or am I looking at a
possible warped frame from collision damage? Any suggestions or thoughts are
welcomed.

Thanks in advance,

Richard Broughton