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already have car with modern electronics, a Hyundai, and I don’t need another – I was limited to an S4 Spider with the outdated three-speed auto.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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