Spirito

Nice buy AlanM !! I had seen this advertised and it's good to know it's in good hands & will be looked after as it's a ver nice example. The Bathhurst shot is priceless Btw, how much were the B pillar door seals and was it an easy fit ?

Very cool. Hope all goes well

Yes, 110km/h max. So many people agree and studies suggest that raising the speed limit would actually make things safer but it's all about revenue and in my state speeding fines range from $106 to $2341 (+45km/h over the limit). Not only fines ... 30km/h over = 3 months suspension, 45km/h over - 6 months automatic suspension & can mean jail time. It's ridiculous & such draconian laws actually promote people to switch off and take less care whilst they're driving. My trips to Eruope and in some states of the USA have been dreams come true when I can actually drive fast & remain legal.

Ooh ... perhaps I should mention that our national speed limit is 100km/h with the exception of interstate highway's where it's 110km/h. Sounds boring and it is. I feel I needed to point this out as I live my Busso V6 & it's so much fun but becuase of our draconian speed limits, speed camera's and average speed camera's (yes section's of the highway are timed) it sometimes feels like the most frustrating thing in the world. Our highway roads are generally good but I've been on interstate trips (which is why I bought the GTV) and felt so locked up & stifled knowing I can only see redline in 2nd gear before I have to back off (or get locked up). I love what i have and wouldn't change a thing. The busso engine is so musical, so involving but if I was buying again I'd seriously consider a twin spark so I could feel like I can push the car a little harder, perhaps get a few more kicks. Just putting it out there so you know what you can expect (sorry for the boring info).

Lucky you. Good time to be moving Sound like you've got most things covered. You'll have a ball here in Sydney.

Without doubt it's an iconic car and much undervalued. They sold for about $63,000aud in about 2001 and when you consider the are now selling for about $9,000 to $14,000 for the average V6 Spider in good condition it is somewhat of a bargain. Becuase of their relatively low current price many original and current owners haven't sunk the $'s into them becuase they know they'll likely never recover their costs. This is were you'll need to be careful .. they can be cheap but with an used car it's not what it costs but what it might cost you. Without physical receipts, corresponding log books that match and known history discount anythig a seller might tell you. But there is nothing like them and amongst the hustle & bustle of Sydney traffic you'll be glad to have the V6. Sydney is more or less top down weather for most of the year & becuase there's so few of the 916's down here they always get much attention. Sit on your hands and wait for the right car. No matter how good the history or the mech's report I'd advise buying one only when you have seen & driven it yourself. Put some feeler's out on the Ausalfa forum. Don't worry about renting as there's a relatively easy car share program down here that's worth joining if you need a car to get about and test drive etc http://www.goget.com.au/ And whilst there's a few independant mechanics in Sydney the all have their pro's and con's (I've used them all). As an all rounder, someone who does good work, is trustworthy and is amenable for owners supplying their own parts I'd recommend Andrew Palumbo @ http://www.alfamotive.com.au/p/ He did the pre-purchse on my car when I bought it & is quite thorough. Re: local vandalism. Perhaps not more than anywhere else but keep in mind it's not likely anyeone local will have a soft top roof to suit your car if it's damaged so if it is hacked then you might have to wait 2 weeks or so till you source another. Factor in the bird & bat shit, baking hot summer weather, car parking that's a little touch and feely & you'll be spending lots of $'s or repairs, washing and detailing just having it looks it's best. That's why I mentioned having somwhere to park is a nice luxury (not the least to avoid parking fines etc). As for mods: Quaife/Q2 is a wise investment. Most cars are running on their original suspension so new shocks, wishbones and bushes is very worthwhile doing as 916's benefit most from this. Timing belts tend to get changed here every 3 or 4 years as our weather is quite extreme. Replenishing all the fluids is a good move with any car purchase so you have a good basis of maintenance whilst in our hands.

There is some truth to all of this but they are car's like any other and if you buy a good example, look after it then you should have little problem if any. As you've seen there isn't many on the market down here & they are very expensive (as is everything else here in Oz). I think the one you're interested in is listed below ... http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/results.aspx?silo=stock&vertical=car&q=%28%28%28%28%28%28%28%28SiloType%3d[brand+new+cars+in+stock]|SiloType%3d[brand+new+cars+available]%29|SiloType%3d[Demo+and+near+new+cars]%29|SiloType%3d[Dealer+used+cars]%29|SiloType%3d[Demo+and+near+new+cars]%29|SiloType%3d[Private+seller+cars]%29%26%28Make{%3d}[Alfa+Romeo]{%26}Model{%3d}[spider]%29%29%26Service%3d[Carsales]%29%26Cylinders%3d[6]%29&sortby=TopDeal To be honest the seller sound like a wanker and his copy/verbiage should be used for selling perfume not cars. Apart from mention of timing belt being due there's not a lot else actuall mentioned about it's service history. For a 2001 year car, even with low Km's you'll want to know what else has been done recently and if not set aside some $'s as suspension, exhaust, radiator, alternator, brakes etc might be due or near the end of it's life. Lucikly we don't have as much rust issues down here like in Europe but check the cars for bad bodywork repairs or if they live close to the coast. I wouldn't hesitate to suggest a Pre-purchase inspection with a reputable Alfa specialist prior to purchasing - it could save you a lot of $'s in the long run and help as a bagaining tool for bringing the price down. ausalfa.com is a local forum and I'd scour there for info about servicing and mechanics. That'll be the hardest part unless you can do the work yourself. Most Alfa enthusiasts from downunder order and buy their parts from Europe (forget about paying locally unless you like 3 times the price). Drive as many as you can, get to know the cars well and buy the best you can as often it will be much cheaper in the long run. I personally would make sure I have off street or secure under cover car parking for this kind of car overnight. The soft roof is just a target for idiots/thieves.

Nice upgrades Spirito . From picture with parts, the rear shock absorbers seems to be not sports one. Why you have choose to not upgrade rear shock, they are much cheaper than front one? Well spotted I ummed and ahhed long about this one, read a lot, drove a fair few cars before deciding that for me & the imperfect roads I drive on I wanted to bring it back to the original ride height (my car was lowered originally) and if I was keeping the 17" wheels I was hoping to make the suspension a little more compliant. The front has Koni sports becuase it needs it (does a lot of the work & is likely to wear sooner) but it's usually on about 1/3 setting from softest and the rear has TRW shocks that are to the OEM standard. I have new KYB standard height springs all round, the rear is all polybushed, new bump stops and the front has new arms, strut top mounts etc (standard). I cannot fault the rear end. It feels very well tied down, takes whatever roads I travel over with minimum of fuss & has grip levels that are in my experience incredible. With the polybushing at the rear I didn't think that firmer shocks (Koni's) were needed, in fact I think it would have made things too hard. Everybody I knew with Koni sports on the rear has them on the softest setting anyway which galvanized my choice for standard spec. rear shocks. The front is very good, still not perfect but is settling in now after 5000km's. I'm sure other will agree that finding the right compromise for the front end of these V6 916's isn't easy. I'm toying with ideas of uprating the rolll bars (especially at the rear) to give the steering a little more feel and directness. I am 100% happy with the ride/handling balance ... no longer am I on full alert for potholes & imperfections, mid corner surprises aren't likely to upset the car and I can live with the car on real roads. We don't do a lot of km's but it's our only car & it does a lot of long trips away. It still rides like a GTV (which is very lively). It will never be a boulevadier, it's suspension is a little old in design (Alfa 155 - 90's?) and more geared towards the sporting side. But I've bought the balance back a little bit and now that it's a little more compliant and a little less uncompromising I've found that it's actually more fun to drive faster & I can push it a little deeper without getting white knuckles or feeling like I'm going to break something. These are all subjective opinions of course ... but it works for me.

Hi Tony, thanks & sorry I took a while to post up here. Also happy the Quaife went to another 916 owner

what did the Q2 cost to install? Ciao Kangaroo !!! We've also met on the Ausalfa forum (my handle is the same). Quick answer: perhaps ask these guys here but I think it's a 3 to 4 hour job (in garage speak, meaning how much they'll be looking to charge you if they're willing to get their hands dirty). Of course in Oz they'll try and pump you for 6 hours labour but ask around. Long answer: I was looking to buy this car less than 2 weeks after a young guy had bought it from the original owner before busting the diff gearbox. We couldn't agree on price at this stage. I waited till he had it fixed using a 2nd hand gearbox & diff from some local wreckers. Once it was repaired & rolling by his mechanic I had the car looked over, bought it and I only drove it sparingly until about a year or so in when I had assembled all the parts & had all the work done. Included in the parts was a Quaife diff which I had sourced to be fitted. Mostly becuase I didn't want the same issue happening. Upon starting the work my mechanic called me to say there's a problem .. the 2nd hand gearbox with diff attached that had been fitted already had a Q2 fitted inside. I didn't know, nor did the short term intermediary owner, nor did the wreckers who salvaged the unit that they sold to him. Luckily, I found a local buyer (I think he's on these forums as well) for my new but unfitted Quaife (same as Q2) and it only needed a new set of seals as my mechanic used those to close up my diff again. It cost me a bit of labour and I still think of it as a happy surprise. I did think it drove well, but I was always taking it easy up until then becuase I was so wary of diff breakage & reading about such on various forums. Usually diff stories aren't very happy ones, I guess mine is unusual in that sense & I am very grateful.

Thanks for the welcome guys I'm not 100% if it was built at the Pininfarina factory but I do know it was built in Feb '01 and compliance plated here in Oz in Mar '02. That always makes me laugh. I know we're a long way away here in Australia but 13 months, wtf !!! There actually aren't too many of them here in Australia ... and good ones with service history and maintenance records are getting harder to find but they do stand out and I enjoy it's visual appeal as much as I driving it. I took a chance on this one & it was also my first Alfa. The best examples were out of my price range & this one seemed good enough knowing it had a lot of work to be done and parts to replace as I went along. The exhaust is unusual but was a locally sourced dealer fitted option from new & it now has the usual upgrades (Q2, Koni, Polybush, GTA flywheel/clutch etc). Still more to be done but the list is geting shorter.

I've lurked a little and recently was invited back to have another look, stop in and say hi.... I've had my GTV 3.0l for just under 2 years, enjoy it a lot and am close to getting it to a level I'm happy with. I have much admiration and enthusiasm for many of the wonderful 916's on this site. It's truly wonderful to see such well presented cars and so much knowledge shared Ciao, Ben