S2020

a known unreliable car (that the OP doesn't have time or money to fix) vs an unknown generally reliable car.

sounds like an easy decision to me.

mosesbotbol

They are not "unreliable" and he'd be at deficit to come up with price difference. Alfa is easy to fix, cheap parts, and I think if more of a chick magnet than the S2000. Alfa owners know you have to stomp the gas and drive like you stole it all the time.

Have you put the subframe brace on your Alfa? They are pretty cheap and look wicked cool. Ansa straight pipes to sport exhaust and it will sound incredible (and feel fast). My Alfa use to reel in the ladies and not just any bimbos either. S2000 worked too, but it was new at the time. Alfa Sypder is one of the greatest iconic automotive designs.

mhershey84

Thanks for the advice. At this point I'm leaning towards fixing the Alfa. Insurance for the S2000 would be about double what I'm paying now so I think it makes more financial sense to fix up the spider. Most of the things that need fixed are suspension components and gearbox. The engine is still in great shape and so is the interior and top. Hopefully I'll be able to test drive an S2000 in a week or two so I can make my final decision.

Spaceentity

The Alfa is a "Classic", and I would try to keep it if you can. I've always love the way they look. Too bad you can't keep it for your weekend driver and buy S2000 also.
But, as far as the "S", it's entirely a different car and you will love the performance and reliability of it.

spessx

I've never personally owned an Alfa but I've pushed at least three of the ones that my brother owned. I also got to drive them when they were running. He had a Spica injection '77 Spider, an 82 Spider (with Bosch injection, my fav), an '86 Spider, 3 GTV6's and one '71 GTV. I liked all of them and have always wanted a Duetto Spider.

The thing that I liked about the Spiders is that they're just elegant cars. The body work and even the valve cover on the twin cam motor is cool.

When I bought my S2000 in 2003 I remember thinking it was like a cross between that '82 Spider and a Porsche Boxster. It had a screaming engine with the solidity of a German car. 11 years later it's the longest I've ever owned a car. It's truly a special car that you can own, maintain and enjoy as a daily driver. It won't shit the bed and leave you on the side of the road or make you go dig through junk yards to look for a working Spica injection pump.

mhershey84

I finally got time to get an estimate of the work needed to make the car usable for long distance trips and it came out to around $4-6k.
I'm going to test drive an S2000 today. I'm leaning towards the S2000 at this point because of the high cost of fixing the Alfa, not to mention the fact that the engine and transmission will need to be rebuilt in the coming years. This was the closest S2000 I could find:
http://www.bobbyrahalhonda.com/used/...O_USED_DETAILS

According to KBB and Edmunds it should be around $11-13K, so I'm not sure why the asking price is so high.

mosesbotbol

That does sound expensive for an S2000 (19K), especially an older one, but the miles are on the low side. Were you planning to trade the Alfa in? They'll only give you like 3K

Once you drive an S2000, you'll want one for sure. How about an older XK convertible; like 2003-2005? For the same price as what you are looking at, perhaps even an XKR of that era. You should test drive everything; even cars that are out of your range. It helps put into perspective the car at hand.

For someone who drives an Alfa, you appreciate automotive design and cars that have emotion. S2000 has that, but there are others too like XK, or maybe a Boxster S? There's enough Boxster's out there you can find a pretty one with good options.

EricJT7

Typical dealership pricing, I wouldn't pay more than $15,000-$16,000 tops for that car, but I'm not one willing to pay the dealership premium for a used car.

I got my silverstone 01 with 32,000 miles on the clock for $14,000 two years ago in great condition, but would have a very tough time finding as nice a car for the money again.

mhershey84

I just got back from the dealership. I really enjoyed the way the car drove, although the clutch had about 1.5" of free-play and it felt like it wasn't disengaging the whole way. I also thought the steering felt a bit numb, but the rest of the car made up for that. The car had several large scratches in the paint so I think I'll keep looking.

mhershey84

I actually test drove a 2003 XK Coupe a few years ago before I got the Alfa. I liked it, but was disappointed it was never offered with a manual transmission. I thought about a Boxster, but from what I've read the repair costs can be very high when something goes wrong.