I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
Last weekend, I said goodbye to my 1982 Alfa Romeo Spider convertible, affectionately named Isabella . She was a beautiful car. Isabella ran reliably and drove like a dream. Every time I started her up, I had a grin from ear to ear. I owned her for nearly 4 years. Owning a classic, Italian roadster taught me many valuable lessons in car repair and in life.
However, Isabella was not my first love. Her name was Giada (Yes, named after the chef, why not?), She was a 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio. I bought Giada about 6 years ago from a guy name Rocco. I figured my first Italian car would be purchased from a Vinnie or a Tony, but Rocco fit the
bill. Rocco was an endearing old man. His whole family was into cars. When I first went to test drive Giada, Rocco needed to show me his "other wife" before he would even show me the Alfa he had for sale. Rocco's other wife was a vintage Alfa Romeo Giulia that was tricked out for racing at Watkins Glen.
Rocco and his friend Joey delivered Giada to my house on a flatbed. Before I could pay them, Joey insisted that we celebrate the deal with some homemade wine. $5,500 and 3 glasses of wine later, Giada was mine.
Giada was a flashy car, bright red, sporty wheels and the extra ground effects that came with the Quadrifoglio version. I drove her all Fall and then stored her in my garage for the Winter. As luck would have it, the second time I had her out in what would be my first full season, I got rear ended. Actually, I got totaled. A guy slammed into the back of me with a Jeep Cherokee while I was stopped in traffic. My poor little Alfa was crunched and twisted almost to the driver's seat. The Jeep Cherokee was untouched, save a small piece of plastic that cracked off. My heart was broken.
It all worked out, surprisingly. The insurance company was my advocate and my settlement was for $7500, $2000 more than I paid for the car. Luckily there are some great Alfa forums where the members suggested that I buy the car back in salvage and part it out. My favorite forum is
AlfaBB. Those guys have forgotten more about cars than I will ever know. So I bought the wreck for $1000. Needless to say, I made over $6000 parting it out and am still selling parts. For those keeping track, I now have $12,5000 in my pocket. If you subtract my initial $5,500 for Giada, I am net $7000 ahead on the whole ordeal, but still need a replacement for Giada. No more
ricotta.
After a few months of searching, I found the perfect Alfa Romeo; a 1982 Spider Veloce, the last year of the classic ducktail and the first year of fuel injection. Problem, it was almost 8 hours away in
Narragansett, RI and over an hour from an airport with reasonable fares. I plotted the most economical way to get it back; fly in, rent a car, drive it home, OR rent a car, drive 8 hours, drive it home, OR ship it. The first two options would have been exciting, driving a 25 year old car 8+ hours. The last option seemed the most seine and worked out to be almost the same price as the more exciting options. I would be buying a car site unseen. Luckily, I received several great photos from the family mechanic. The family who owned the car was very influential in RI and MA serving on the Senate and owning a large law practice. The family mechanic's job was servicing their fleet of Bimmers and Mercedes. He seemed sincere and hid nothing and had the BEST JOB EVER. I bought the car for $4700 and paid $600 to ship it to Buffalo.
For those still keeping track and still reading, I was ahead $7000 from the accident minus $5300 for the replacement Alfa for a net of $1700. I was paid $1700 for my new Alfa, sweet deal and zero guilt.
I loved Isabella for 4 years. She was in much better condition than Giada, shifted smoothly, cornered well, and had the classic Alfa look. She got thumbs up for old and young enthusiasts alike. Isabella also taught me a great deal about car maintenance and mechanics. I was not a car guy until I bought my first Alfa. I never changed my own oil and had no idea about the other components of a car.
During my ownership of Alfa's I learned the following skills, either from friends or the Internet:
- Rebuilding brake calipers
- Changing of brake pads
- Bleeding Brake lines
- Changing oils (transmission, differential and motor) and the different types and grades
- Front and rear springs
- Exhaust replacement
- Diagnostic of electronic fuel injection problems
- Thermostat replacement
- Bleeding of coolant
- Replacement of bushing
- etc, etc, etc
Not only did I learn new skills and techniques, I scored some cool tools ranging from 27mm sockets to breaker bars to hex drivers. This was an Italian car after all. Along with a set of tools, I also gained confidence along the way. This confidence has translated into thousands of dollars of savings on my other vehicles. Rarely do I take our daily drivers to the mechanics. If you just learn how to replace your own oil and brakes, you will save thousands of dollars over your lifetime. You will even find yourself swapping belts and alternators because you saw a guy on the Internet do it. It is easy, but you do have to invest in the right tools.
I decided with our new found lifestyle and goal of financial independence, owning a vintage sports car was no longer in the cards. It tied up money that could be invested. I really did not use it all that much and paid a yearly insurance premium. So I sold it to a car enthusiast from New Jersey. He flew in on a snowy morning, I had my farewell drive and saw Giada's taillights leave my street.
I was not sad at all. I knew that she was going to a good home and that I was over the allure of owning a vintage convertible. My new goals are much more important.
I ended up selling Giada for $5800. So at the end of the day, I had 6+ years of an Italian roadster that cost me about $600 in insurance. With the accident and part out my net was +$2200 and a grin from ear to ear.
