Re: Always Looking For Another (hmm, practical?)

[JimboMGA@xxxxxxx]

As a veteran of two V6 Alfas I can let you in on a little secret. Most people 
never get to the "practical" part of owning an Alfa V6.
It seems to take about 18 months, 2,500 - 3,500 dollars and about a hundred 
hours of owner wrench time to break through the repairs and ill-considered 
things that POs do to an Alfa V6 in 10 years of ownership.
Most people bail out after a couple of trips to the mechanic (it's one of the 
reasons these spectacular cars are available to me).
In my experience, you can get to a state of "practical" ownership with the V6 
cars. You'll do better if you include a lot of personal time with the car 
maintaining the little stuff i.e. seat switches, electric antenna, blower motor, 
fuel filter, ignition coil, door handles...
The car will need you. I really enjoy that part of the deal. Many people 
don't.
I hope this information helps.
Sincerely,
Jim Oiler
1991 164L (in practical mode for three months now, door handles don't count 
today)
1969 912 (never accused of being practical)

In a message dated 7/25/2003 2:43:52 AM Central Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:
> Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 02:03:17 -0400
> From: "josiechris@domain.elided" <josiechris@domain.elided>
> Subject: RE: Always Looking For Another
> >I'm looking for a 164 as I need something 'practical' as
> >opposed to the Spider which is just for 'fun' (right?)
> Well, yes if you need a 4-door, but I would say on average that the running
> costs of a 164 are sky high compared to a Spider. You may want to save the
> 164 for weekend use and use the Spider as a daily driver!
> Chris Robyn
> SF Bay Area
> '88 Verde
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