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Keith’s Blog: Would You Spend $2,000 For a Top?

Keith Martin

I will always recall the exact moment I bought our Alfa Romeo S4 Spider.

I had found this 14k-mile car on eBay and was following it. But that was far from my mind as I enjoyed an afternoon drive in our lovely Citroën DS 21.

It was twilight, and I had Bradley and his Scottie dog, Bella, with me. We had just crossed the Columbia River using the Bridge of the Gods. As we merged onto I-84, suddenly the Citroën’s engine stopped. We coasted to a halt on the side of the freeway. It was not a pleasant situation. Cars were whizzing by at 80 mph, and the DS hazard light was merely a single blinking bulb.

Later, Guru of All Things Mechanical, Chip Starr, would discover a piece of dirt was blocking the main jet in the carb.

However, at that moment we were just stuck, worried and waiting for a tow. There are all sorts of arcane requirements involved with putting a FWD Citroën with no “park” position for the gearbox onto a flatbed, but I ignored them all, as did the hauler when he arrived.

It was exactly as he was winching the DS onto the truck that the Alfa auction ended. But not before I clicked “Buy It Now.”

After my stroke, I still wanted a convertible Alfa in my collection. I got my first one when I was 17, so for the last 55 years I have owned a drop-top Alfa of one sort or another.

As I have less than no interest in modern Alfas – I already have car with modern electronics, a Hyundai, and I don’t need another – I was limited to an S4 Spider with the outdated three-speed auto. While I thought the S4 was a clever and attractive upgrade to the venerable Spider, underneath it still is a design from the late 1960s.

We’ve put another 10,000 miles on it since acquiring the car. We affectionately call it “Old Wheezer” due to its antiquated powertrain and suspension. We added a Super Sprint exhaust from Centerline, so at least it “sounds” like an Alfa.

We’ve had a lot of fun with it, and with no big expenses until the plastic back window suddenly cracked.

A replacement canvas top will be $2,000, and the shop tells me just replacing the window is not a feasible option.

I really have two options, spend the two grand on a car that might be worth $12k on a good day, or just keep putting packaging tape across the two cracks and hope I don’t have to park in the rain.

Which would you do? I look forward to reading your responses below.

Read my previous blog posts here.

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Keith Martin Avatar
Keith Martin
Keith Martin has been involved with the collector car hobby for more than 40 years. As a writer, publisher, television commentator and enthusiast, he is constantly on the go, meeting collectors and getting involved in their activities throughout the world. He is the founder and publisher of the monthly Sports Car Market, now in its 37th year. Keith has written for the New York Times, Automobile, AutoWeek, Road & Track and other publications, has been an emcee for numerous concours, and had his own show, “What’s My Car Worth,” shown on Velocity. He has received many honors, including the Lee Iacocca Award, the Edward Herrmann Award, was inducted into the Concorso Italiano Hall of Fame, and more. He has served on the board of directors of The LeMay Museum and Oregon Ballet Theater, and was formerly the chair of the board of the Meguiar’s Award.

22 responses to “Keith’s Blog: Would You Spend $2,000 For a Top?”

  1. Glenn Krasner Avatar
    Glenn Krasner

    Keith,
    You love the car and its driving experience, so just bite the bullet and buy the new top. You can’t put a pricetag on the joy the car gives you.
    Glenn in Brooklyn, NY

    Reply
  2. john Lobre Avatar
    john Lobre

    What else would you do with the $2K?

    Reply
  3. Joe Sweeney Avatar
    Joe Sweeney

    My ’87 Spider Quad that I bought for $8k 13 years ago has likely x4 that into it. I’d be lucky to get $13k if sold. That said, I simply like it and for any tour over 75 miles it is much more comfortable than my modified ’74 Spider. Life is short. Go for the top.

    Reply
  4. Michael Robinson Avatar
    Michael Robinson

    I second Glenn’s motion. Buy the top keep the car. The pride of ownership as a good steward of the vehicle will be your reward. Besides, now maybe the car will be worth $12,250 on a good day! 😉

    Reply
  5. mph Avatar
    mph

    Find a different upholstery shop! I had this same experience – like many medical situations, a second opinion is often valuable. Getting the old piece out is the hassle, installing a new one is simple! Save yourself some money & use it for the next Alfa repair.

    Reply
  6. Sean Dowd Avatar
    Sean Dowd

    I’d keep searching for a shop that could stitch/glue a replacement window in.

    Reply
  7. Forrest Schuck Avatar
    Forrest Schuck

    I’m with MPH. It can be done- (rear light replacement)- we’ve done an E36 BMW and an NB Miata that way. As long as the fabric is good over the bows and around the windows and the tension straps effective it’s the way to go. Additionally, no top is going to be much cheaper than 42k, likely a good deal more, and OEM off the way to go.

    Reply
  8. Mark Gardner Avatar
    Mark Gardner

    Keith, it’s not about added value, it’s about how you feel when you’re in the car. You will feel much better without tape holding the top together. You obviously care about this Alfa, spend the money!

    Reply
  9. Bob FitzSimons Avatar
    Bob FitzSimons

    Some guy at the geezer table at the diner told me his name was Adam Smith. He said any time a thing people want gets more expensive than its obvious cost, somebody is going to create a cheaper alternative. He cited counterfeit watches and what are now called “Dupe” designer goods as examples.
    Maybe your real choice is whether or not to risk offending the people who told you the whole top has to be replaced. Of course, what they say about price and quality is true. Do you want some back alley top shop messing with your car? Are you ready to hand over fifty bucks for a yard of crystal clear marine vinyl and a tube of adhesive sealant? What’s your favorite duct tape color? When is the last time you embarrassed Bradley?

    Let’s back up. How old is the top? How good is its overall condition? How many more months do you intend to keep this car? And here’s where the math gets interesting: If you intend to keep the car, making do with the cracked top might work. You know and I know, if you sell it, you’ll replace the top before you list it. So go ahead. Do for yourself what you’d do for a stranger.

    Reply
  10. Robert Cumberford Avatar
    Robert Cumberford

    I actually have two new tops for my 30-odd-year old Honda Beat, but the car will have gone to a new owner before either is needed because the original is still fine. But if I had a cracked backlight, I’d seek at least three repair shops for an estimate. It’s not that big a job to fix, not replace. Two grand for a top? Who are they kidding?

    Reply
  11. Dunbar Avatar
    Dunbar

    You’re lucky Keith as my fifties Brit received an ESTIMATE of $6000 to make a top for it. Treat yourself and enjoy an improved situation , you’ll not be sorry.

    Reply
  12. George E. Giese Avatar
    George E. Giese

    I have an old beat-up RHD Cobra Replica – I’m sure you’ve seen it many times at various places around Portland and while it has a top – I never use it. Initially, I just loved the open air. I still do, but now, after 25 years of ownership, I find simply getting in and out of the car with the top up to be very, uh, interesting and always amusing to bystanders as I don’t bend like I used to. So I simply regard it as a four-wheel motorcycle and use it when the weather would make a motorcycle usable. As you know, most of the Oregon rain will blow right over you at 30 mph so long as you’re moving so I don’t see it as really a big deal. So perhaps you don’t need a top at all!

    Reply
  13. Hans Kleinknecht Avatar
    Hans Kleinknecht

    Interesting dilemma as I have a ’99 E36 M3 sitting in the garage with no back window as we “speak”. While the top itself is fine, the tension straps are also limp after 27 years and with the cost of those two repairs it seems to add up to a whole new top. The larger problem for me is no one near me seems to want to do it and the closest “top shop” is 65 miles south near Seattle making it a royal pain in the bottom ( not the top) to get it done along with the added costs of missed work to have it there during the week. I’d love to drive it more in the off season but in the PNW dry days are at a premium a good part of the year.
    Just do it and count your self lucky to have the resources “local” to you.

    PS- The other E36 needs tension straps too. Am I dumb to have two convertibles in the PNW?

    Reply
  14. John Gillespie Avatar
    John Gillespie

    At this point, I’m just piling on, but I would also look around for another shop to see if the top can be repaired. That said, if you have 100% trust in the shop recommending replacement, then maybe bite the bullet and go for a new top. Of course, you are not going to recoup the cost when it comes time to sell the car, but if you plan on keeping it long-term, it is probably worth the expense. $2000 seems pretty high for a top, but then I’m a Miata guy and accustomed to parts and accessories being much more reasonably priced. 🙂

    Reply
  15. Dennis White Avatar
    Dennis White

    Maybe you have to in Oregon, but does anyone drive their Alfas in the rain?

    Reply
  16. Kim Smith Avatar
    Kim Smith

    Hi Keith,
    I have the same dilemma with my 08 Miata.
    Condensation in the drivers headlight. Seeing as you have to remove the bumper cover, then r&r the $1200 (!) headlight assembly, it was prohibitively expensive.
    I got quotes from another source and they came up with a place that refurbishes and upgrades the assemblies (both sides) for $750. So I don’t have to worry about the other side going bad, and end up saving some $. The bottom line for me was not having to look at an unattractive front end and feeling good about the repair. I continued to look for other sources and got lucky with an alternative fix.
    I’d look a little more for another top guy who may have more options. I guess it comes down to wanting to drive a vehicle with a new top versus one with a funky rear window.
    Best.
    Kim (Sweep) Smith

    Reply
  17. Rick Ricker Avatar
    Rick Ricker

    I’d keep shopping Keith–admittedly a hard core DIY guy, I spent two seconds looking for an alfa top and found one brand new from a brand name company made in USA with Haartz fabric for $1008.95 with free shipping. Personally, I wouldn’t spend any time trying to patch the original 30 plus year old original although in a pinch I do recommend Gorilla Clear plastic tape it is incredibly sticky and flexible.

    Reply
  18. Robert Piacentini Avatar
    Robert Piacentini

    Are removable hard tops still available? Just a thought.

    Reply
  19. Frank Barrett Avatar
    Frank Barrett

    Keith, when my ’65 Giulia came along, its top was so scrofulous that I never dared erect it. Even the Alfa club would have shunned me. So I got a new one, but in 30 years it’s been up twice (even in the snow at 11,000 feet), and then only to keep a valued passenger from drowning or freezing to death. In the rain if you stop, you’ll like a new top, yet I don’t know what to advise you. But if and when you sell the car, the sharp prospective buyer will say, “Let’s knock off two grand for a new top.”

    Reply
  20. B.Mitchell Carlson Avatar
    B.Mitchell Carlson

    As someone who usually shovels money into your cars like coal into a furnace in Minot, ND on a “brisk” February morning just to make them “right”, I’m surprised to took the time to run it past the Peanut Gallery.
    34 years ago, I paid the best top guy in my area $2800 for a new top and his installation of it for my ’62 Corvair Monza. Today, even if he was still alive, I’d expect it to be no less than double that. When it comes to most tops (the exception being British mobile pup tents), the physical replacement top is half the battle, a competent installer is the other. Otherwise, get the clear Gorilla tape at Homeless Despot.
    At least it’s not a 1961-66 Lincoln or T-Bird…

    Reply
  21. Todd Cannon Avatar
    Todd Cannon

    I’d get a bid from Shaffer Custom Auto Upholstery by the Hillsboro airport.

    Great work on my projects

    Reply
  22. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    If the car is really special to you, then you’ll spend whatever it takes (as long as your pocketbook can afford it). But there’s a couple of things – replacing the window is possible. I was told that couldn’t be done on my first gen Porsche Boxster, but there’s folks who do it. So there’s someone who can do it on the Alfa as well. But $2000 for a new top seems fairly reasonable; when I was looking at new tops for my Boxster they were $4000 to $6000. I no longer have that car, but that was my mentality when I had it and still to this day with my current fun car. I wouldn’t hesitate to pay whatever it takes to keep the automotive love of my life in excellent working order.

    Reply

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