Oh, brothers (& sisters) where art thou?!?
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/1268617305.html
You guys already know I'm a sucker for old-skool Eurotrash GT cars. Heck, I own two VR6 Corrados.
I've never owned an Italian car. I'm not really serious about taking the plunge at the moment, but if I did, what should I be looking for if I get stupid enough to go look at the thing? Help, please..for Mercury's sake! He's already got it trailered up, and he lives in the same town I do!
Rust, of course, is the big obvious one. Check everywhere for rust. The rebuilt transaxle is a neat thing to have...although, better than fixing the original is replacing it with an Alfa Milano unit, (improved shifter linkage and the possibility of L.S.D.)
The engine will need a new timing belt (interference design), and possibly a bunch of other stuff, depending how long it's been sitting. The rubber driveshaft flex-couplings/"guibos" would likely need replacing as well.
Prices for these seem to be rising, and you could probably get that one for ~$1000, making it quite good value, assuming the rust situation isn't dire. They're great fun to drive, not anywhere near as unreliable as the haters and sceptics make them out to be, and the V6 sounds fantastic.
If its not rusty that a good deal. If you buy it, some of the exciting maintaince you have to look forward to is a new timng belt, tensioner, cam seals, and water pump (preferably before cranking the engine at all), replacement of about 10 feet of high pressure fuel line under the hood and under the back of the car, removal of the driveshaft to replace the flywheel bearings, clutch fork pivot ball, rubber flex joints and center support bearing, and replacing various suspension bushings. Also, take a look on the alfabb for information about the steering coupler problem with those (basicly there is a rubber part that wears out and falls apart that is important in keeping the wheels pointed the way you turn the steering wheel, pleasant thought huh?). Replacing the clutch master and slave cylinders, brake master cylinder, proportioning valve, and rebuilding the brake calipers will eventually need doing too. That said, its all worth it. :P I havent driven a GTV6, but I have a milano and it makes vws seem boring (even an aba swapped 86 gti with major suspension work that i drove).
Clarkson would say that you are not a real petrol head until you have owned an alfa.
The shifter sucks. The interior is made of self-mutilating materials. The water pump is almost riding against the radiator. They rust (front inner fenders are especially notorious). They have umpteen rubber guibos that fail. They have inboard rear brakes. And then there's the electrics...
But, oh, that V6! 
I'd buy one, provided it wasn't a rust bomb. Ditch the factory exhaust and let that sucker scream.
The only thing that really sucks about the rear brakes is they take forever to bleed, other than that they are easy to work on. If its at all rusty underneath you may have trouble getting the bolts out of the cv joint flange if you want to take the caliper off, but i didnt on mine. I did strip one when i was pulling a transmission in the junkyard though. For sure check the inner fenders (like near where the top of the shocks are) and around the windshield and rear hatch glass for rust.
Sorry, can't talk you down on this one. For the price it seems good to me assuming no big rust issues.
Instead of a talking down all I can offer you is a push off the edge...
They overheat. But you can take care of that with some "Water Wetter" or similar.
I say go for it.
EricM wrote: They overheat. But you can take care of that with some "Water Wetter" or similar. I say go for it.
I've had a GTV6 and I'm on my 2nd Milano. Never had one overheat.
The one thing that you have to be good at to be an Alfa owner is to take care of problems before they rear their ugly head. The car will break down if you don't pay attention. I've never been stranded by one yet but I listen to the car when it tells me there's about to be a problem.
Great car, providing it is not rusty. I daily drove mine for 3 years and it never left me stranded.
There are a couple of nice things being that the car is an 81. First, no sunroof. They leak and the seals are hard to find, also it has 4.10 grears. Those gears make it nice for driving an Alfa like an Alfa should be driven but your gas mileage will only be in the mid 30s on the highway.
The only really bad thing that i came across owning mine was adjusting the valves, you need shims and the whole kit is kind of pricey. I was very glad to find out that the local chapter of the Alfa club had a set that was lent around as needed.
With that being said, buy that car and then pick red on up as a parts car, I will let it go cheap. It was a Texas car to begin with but the Ohio winters have not been kind to it. (if you don't get it let me know, my wife would shoot me but it would be worth it)
My '86 didn't overheat, either. I dunno. Meh. I had one, meh. I traded it for a Volvo station wagon.
geomiata wrote: Clarkson would say that you are not a real petrol head until you have owned an alfa.
You stole my line! If I were 1.) within an easy drive from the selling point, 2.) had two nickels to rub together and 3.) had a cheap way to get it home I would pick that up myself.
Never fear, however, as precedent conditions 1 through 3 have not been met as of this writing. At the same time, Alfas are like high maintenance women. No matter how good they look, they are available because someone was completely tired of their, how is it said, E36 M3?
Weird thing is I just saw one of those at the junkyard a couple days ago. I said to myself, "man what a weird looking datsun." All the badges were gone but in the door it said alfa romeo.
Can't...help...myself...must...go..look!
Damn, the ad's still up, and I'm not working this weekend. The mechanical stuff, I can do. My BMWs had guibos, and early watercooled VWs had shimmed cam followers. I've worked on Eurocars my entire adult life, that kind of thing doesn't bother me. 
But if I believed in gods, I'd be praying to them for rust.
Rear shock towers, doorsills, bottom of the windshield, spare tire well & rear overhang around the bumper, right? Where else?
It's not that I don't want to do this, it's just that a couple of years ago or a couple of years from now would have been a little better. At least it's a real GT car..
Thanks, everyone. I'll probably update here if I don't pull the trigger, or start a new thread if I do.
I have always lusted after a RWD V6 Alfa, if it was closer I would jump on it, buy it and drive it like the Italian exotic it is.
Its the front shock towers that rust really bad, the back ones are not as much of a problem. Other than that, aroind the windshield is the most likely place.
Front shock towers are easy tos spot, Just pop open the hood and look at the junction of the fender top and the inner apron. I'd be amazed if there wasn't at least some bubbling paint. They'll survivie like that for awhile, but any holes should be an omen of bad things to come.
Okay.
It's remarkable how clean the tub is, compared to other Alfas I've seen. Evidently he had the rust (most in the rear valence) repaired about 10yrs ago when he bought it. It had an Earl Schieb style respray afterwards. He bought it back then with every intention of restoring it, but he's switched to Jeeps. He has a wife who's tired of it in the driveway, and a 1yr old child.
Shock towers F&R clean, sills clean, floors solid (some surface rust on a bend in one crossmember underneath, looks like from a jacking point accident), battery box clean. Rust coming back on a patch (about 2" x 4") on the rear valence and a perforation on the rim (up top near the hatch, almost dead center). Up front, rust on the lower lip around the R headlight, reaching down to the bumper shock opening. A little more on the same lip, closer to the centerline. No perferations, looks like some grinding, some leadwork, and a can o' POR15 would take care of it.
Travis_K, the driveshaft's already out.
It hasn't run in the time he's had it (more than 10yr), but he says the previous owner "went through the top end" of the engine before he bought it. And yes, it was running when parked. 
The exaust manifolds were removed, the gaskets replaced, and the manifolds re-attached. The rest of the exaust is off the car (but lying beside it on the trailer-looks like the cat is there).
Boxes of hardware, trim..and some original literature, a photocopy of the owners manual-AND a shop manual! Interior's a bit rough, but looks like the carpet's been replaced with an off-brand along the way. It needs mirrors, he has a set, but they're not original (so he removed them..)
By the trip odo, he lives about 4.6 miles away from me. Small world, eh? He said he'd take $1K..but I offered him the whole $1300 if he'd deliver it (I don't even own a truck anymore). Girlfriend approval pending, but first step looks good ("..oooh! An Alfa Romeo?!?")
(deep breath)
So, anybody wanna sell me an Alfa T-Shirt?
It'll be next weekend at the least before it comes home, I've got to liquidate some stock & get the money wired into my account. I'll throw it up on Readers' Rides when it happens.
Sounds like you kinda have to buy it now. Sorry.
thatsnowinnebago wrote: Sounds like you kinda have to buy it now. Sorry.
ROFL! Yeah, this is what we do. I figure if I get bored or chicken out, somebody here will take it. I'm still shocked that I saw an Alfa that didn't need the entire lower 4" of the unibody cut off & repaired.
I really, really, really want a GTV6.
My wife would have my nuts in a sling if one followed me home. Maybe I can live vicariously through you?
therex wrote: I really, really, really want a GTV6. My wife would have my nuts in a sling if one followed me home. Maybe I can live vicariously through you?
Simply become my minion and find me a can of Marvel Mystery Oil. The thing's been sitting for quite a while, even by my standards. I'm gonna go straight old school with the thing before I even try to turn it over.
Oh, and find me a link on just why that snake is eating that man. I know I've asked my Alfa buddies about that a thousand times, but it just didn't stick.
I'm gonna use some troll-like behavior here and "bump" the thread up. Call me a Bob Costas, but I'm looking for a lil' validation here...
81gtv6, ddavidv, Travis_K, any thoughts?
And c'mon, Luke..isn't it the middle of the day in OZ?
Sounds like a good deal. The cheapest a useable one goes for is around $3500. The guy I bought my milano from sold a running but rusty one that was smoking pretty bad for $1200 and the person who bought it was happy. Plan on replacing the timing belt also before you start it, and if the driveshaft is out, replace all 3 flex joints, the center support bearing, the flywheel bearings (in the front of the clutch cover), and the clutch fork pivot ball before you put it back in. Other than that, make sure you replace all the rubber fuel lines and whatever hydraulic components dont work anymore, then you should be able to try driving it.
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