Discussion
There are a few companies in Italy who will hire them out if you want to do it that way. The S4 was the last of Alfa's 105 series which started in the early 60s. There's lots of 105 owners on here. Really you need to check for rust, rust and rust. The mechanicals are strong and the more you use them, the better they are. However you must remember it's essentially a 1960s car and whilst it will be a pretty and fun car to own you probably won't want to be trackdaying an S4.
Spares back up on the whole is very good from the likes of Alfaholics, ClassicAlfa, EB and Highwood. There will always be the odd item of trim which might be elusive like any old car.
Couple for sale on here to wet your whistle:
http://www.classicalfa.com/categories/Cars-for-Sal...
Spares back up on the whole is very good from the likes of Alfaholics, ClassicAlfa, EB and Highwood. There will always be the odd item of trim which might be elusive like any old car.
Couple for sale on here to wet your whistle:
http://www.classicalfa.com/categories/Cars-for-Sal...
mnay thanks for the quick reply 
i've done some very basic web searching on the cars & the general concensus is that the S4 is very much less of a rusty heap with the galvanised body-though i appreciate even the youngest are 20 year old cars so it has to be expected somewhere! though coming from classic porsche's i'm aware that a shiny polished body doesn't mean it's an old pear underneath.
my main concern is that with limited chance to use the thing before the big (3-4k mile) trip i want something that is reliable. i hadn't thought of hiring one but we're on a pretty tight schedule & only skirting through a bit of italy so perhaps not an option-i'll look into it though so thanks for the suggestion
i think there'll be enough storage space (she doesn't travel light!) with the large boot & behind the seats & as long as it can sit at 75mph ok i'm sure it will be fine.
i've done some very basic web searching on the cars & the general concensus is that the S4 is very much less of a rusty heap with the galvanised body-though i appreciate even the youngest are 20 year old cars so it has to be expected somewhere! though coming from classic porsche's i'm aware that a shiny polished body doesn't mean it's an old pear underneath.
my main concern is that with limited chance to use the thing before the big (3-4k mile) trip i want something that is reliable. i hadn't thought of hiring one but we're on a pretty tight schedule & only skirting through a bit of italy so perhaps not an option-i'll look into it though so thanks for the suggestion
i think there'll be enough storage space (she doesn't travel light!) with the large boot & behind the seats & as long as it can sit at 75mph ok i'm sure it will be fine.
I had an S3 last year and went to Le Mans in it a few weeks after buying it. I had no reliability issues. It's not particularly fast and doesn't handle particularly well but is a very very pleasant way to travel. It will sit at 90mph all day long, its got loads of luggage space (for a 2 seat convertible) and the roof goes up and down in seconds without the need to get out of the car. Looks great and the interior is a nice place to be.
Like a lot of Alfas it's difficult to say exactly why it's good, but it is. As you say an S4 is the least likely to be rusty. Mechanically they are very strong apart from gearbox synchro on 2nd gear.
S..
Like a lot of Alfas it's difficult to say exactly why it's good, but it is. As you say an S4 is the least likely to be rusty. Mechanically they are very strong apart from gearbox synchro on 2nd gear.
S..
I´ve had three S2 spiders. Absolutely bulletproof cars. All the parts readily availabe from aforementioned suppliers. As long as the body work is of, you can´t go wrong.
P.s. Buy an older one with webers. Very nice sound for a four cylinder engine...
P.s. Buy an older one with webers. Very nice sound for a four cylinder engine...
Edited by Finlandese on Tuesday 14th May 18:05
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