Faults:

The list goes; head gasket failure on both banks of the boxer, rev counter failed, rear windows wouldn't open, rear window de-fogger failed, eyeball vents would shoot out of the dash on second fan speed, hatch pull failed, speedometer cable, plus too many niggles to list. Heck, even the dipstick had to be replaced as the top came off. That should give you an idea!

General Comments:

This was the car that was like the little girl with the curl. She was horrid in summer, with issues like vapour lock in the fuel lines & no ventilation to speak of. In winter she would leak... But show her a couple of bends & she was the most wonderful creature ever built by man. The sound of the engine, especially the exhaust crackle on the over-run never failed to rouse the spirit. Despite the problems I had, I always felt the car was on my side & didn't really want to let me down. I have never tinkered with a car so much, polishing this & tightening that; these things will do that to you. I made the mistake of using it as an everyday car. If you get one, do it justice & keep it for the weekends & you'll love it. Plus if you're selling one in good condition, I'd like to know!

Faults:

Blown head gasket.

Needed new radiator.

Needed new clutch.

Rear wiper not working.

Interior light not working.

Glove box lid broke.

Car has had more than the average number of major problems, given its still low mileage. But it's common knowledge that that's the deal with Alfas (at least older ones like mine). If you love the wonderful character, and the fact that the car is so much fun to drive, it's a wonder governments everywhere have not outlawed it, then you won't mind.

Generally mine is very reliable.

General Comments:

Car is FUN, FUN, FUN.

Wonderfully sharp steering, zippy, terrific engine/exhaust note.

It could use a bit more power, and I've thought about dropping an injected 1.8 Alfa 33 engine into it (I understand it drops in quite nicely)

The car still looks great, but the Sprint is basically a nicer-looking three door Alfasud. And there have been slight packaging compromises to get the nicer looking shape.

It's pretty poorly equipped: no air-con, no power windows, standard two speaker radio/cassette is pretty ordinary. Right-hand only rear view mirror. Basically, the car has no luxury items at all.

However, if you're looking for driving fun per dollar spent, this is probably the best car in the world.

Faults:

Many electrical faults.

Headlight switch died.

Previous owner had done some very dodgy backyard wiring which took a lot of time and money at the auto electrician to sort out.

Starter motor needed rebuilding.

Leaking cooling system repaired.

The tyres were quite bald. I had a puncture and then bought 4 new Kumho 185/60's.

Engine repeatedly needed retuning; it kept dropping onto 3 cylinders and in a flat 4 that is really, really not a good thing.

Rear control arms needed replacing.

Battery needed replacing.

Carburetors needed rebuilding, but I didn't have enough money to do this before I sold the car.

Door handles broken off inside.

Door locks all jammed up with what looked like cement. Solution? Never locked the doors, they didn't lock anyway.

Stereo only ever worked sporadically.

Needed new brake master cylinder, as previous owner had rebuilt his own and forgotten to put half the parts back in and it was leaking badly.

Window seals leaked, but I never got them fixed.

The driver's seat was torn.

The rear muffler had a hole in it.

General Comments:

Now, you're probably wondering why I even bought this car after all reading all the above problems. Most of these Alfas are eaten away by rust and this example had hardly any. So I bought this shiny Monza red example for $2600 from Collectable Classics.

I loved this car soooooo much. Even though I had to fork out $4500 more in repairs and maintenance, I loved it.

The chassis just had an impeccable balance and despite being front wheel drive never, ever under-steered, but stayed extremely neutral right up to the limit.

It was 100% a driver's car. On my favourite road up to Windy Point which is very windy and twisty this little Alfa was a dream come true. The raspy bark of the 1.5 twin carb engine echoed off the rock walls on the side of the road, and I screamed around corners faster than I ever imagined possible in this little coupe.

Even though I have sold this car (for $2300), I will never forget the snarl of the twin webers, or the bark of the exhaust, or being thrown back in my seat in first, second, and third gears.

The engine didn't have a lot of torque under 3000 rpm, but it just loved to rev right up to about 7200 rpm. The harder I drove this car the better it felt. Once my foot went to the floor and the next corner was in my sights it seemed to crouch down and charge off as if eager to thrill me more and more every time.

This car was definitely not perfect, the interior was a bit cramped, and the windscreen fogged up easily, but was quickly defogged by the after-market air conditioner, which worked very well.

If only it hadn't needed so many repairs, if only the previous owners had looked after it, if only...

If this car was brand new today, I would buy one without a second thought, then cherish it, pamper it and love it to death.