Possible 1980 Spyder (FI) owner

[joellg]

My neighbor is selling his 1980 spyder here in St. Louis. The body has no rust that I could see. The top is pretty new, but the interior needs a good going-through. The engine runs pretty good, has a valve cover leak, that he says he'll fix. Seats are in need of new material, drivers seems to be loose on one side, and the back seat needs to be redone. Dash has a crack. Door cards were ok, but faded. I dont recall how many miles, but he drives it often. He says its a little rough on cold starts, but runs well thereafter. I would love to tune-up, then start replacing old rubber parts like weatherstripping, seals, and even bushings. Hes asking $1700, Im figuring hell go down a little. Im pretty mechanically inclined, and would love a little project car. What do you all think, for a rust free car, is it worth it, or just an average deal?

[DUCeditor]

Both price and condition seem typical, although that can change depending on your own area.

The oil leak under the heads is also typical. The iron block has a different expansion rate then the aluminum heads and the gasket materials back then were not adequate to deal with it. It can be fixed with newer materials.

The loose seat is no big seal. If it is at the rails it can likely just be tightened although I have seen the hole tear out if it was loose too long. In that case a big heavy washer pretty wells solves the problem. If it is the seat base then folded tabs may have bent and usually can just be bent back.

All the interior items can be made nice with moderately priced kits.

Do learn the mileage and determine whether it is burning oil. (Follow him and have him take his foot off the accelerator, let the car slow, and then stomp and hold it without shifting. Blue exhaust means rings, valves or both.)

But even if it takes time and some cash, if it is a decent runner that you can enjoy as you slowly work through the list, think what you are getting for the money! I did all the above 22 years ago on my `77 and now I am doing some of it for the 2nd time. That's 22 years of driving pleasure for a relative pittance in comparison to anything new or near new. And it is a real Pininfarina!

-don

[pooldoctorstl]

Welcome to the forum! I live in St. Louis (Wildwood area) and let me know if you get the car, I would like to get a group together for some drives and car talk so keep in touch. As far as the car, I bought my 82 in January for $1,000, the guy wanted $1,500. I bought it because it has a perfect interior (even the dash), 52,000 original miles and almost no rust. That is the good. The bad was that it sat 8 years, wasn't running, the top was shot, brake system was dry and had to be rebuilt, tires were dry rotted, and it needed a tune up, timing belt, battery, gas tank cleanout, and paint. I have done all of the work myself with a lot of help and advice from forum members (thanks everyone!), and I have it on the road almost ready for paint. Be careful with the rust and make sure you look under the car, and inspect the structural parts of the body like front cross member, shock towers, steering box mount, and the floor pans.

I think if the body is truly solid, it runs and shifts good, with good brakes, and all of the lights and electrical system work, it is a pretty good deal for this part of the country. You can get a seat kit from several suppliers and fix the interior pretty quick. I looked at a lot of $500 cars that would have taken another $2,000 just to get them back on the road, so if you have a solid body car that runs good for $1,700.....I think you can't go wrong. Even better if you can get him down a little.

For comparison sake, you are welcome to come look at mine any time and discuss it more. PM me.

Jeff