The mailbag always contains a few of these: “Dear Ari - I’m new to the collector car world, and want to be sure that I buy a car I can have a lot of fun with, that will be very reliable, and that I can make money on when I sell it. What do you recommend?-H.D., Carefree, AZ.”
Dear Hopeless Dreamer: Ari has been wishing the same thing as you for nearly two decades, without success. There is no such thing as a fun, reliable vintage car that is guaranteed to make you money. Want a second opinion? Call your local bank and ask for the “Special Assets” Division. Find out if they have finally cleared their vaults of all the high-flying exotics they suckered themselves into over-financing five years ago.
Nonetheless, Ari will dispense his wisdom to you. This month, here are the cars from the Land of Pasta that Ari is particularly enamored with. And should you purchase any of the vehicles below, they come with Ari’s 100% Guarantee of Assurance that “Ari Will Never Let you Lose More Than You Spend.” How’s that for being a friend?
Let’s start wish an Alfa Romeo TZ-1. The TZ-1 represents the ultimate front-engined postwar production race car. Its lines by Zagato have a timeless aggressiveness, and its performance on track included class and overall wins in nearly every category. TZ-1s hit a peak of $750,000 in the late 80s and have slid back to the $110,000 - $130,000 range, for cars without stories.
Eminently usable on street or track, if you have your ear-plugs in, and often fitted with 1750cc engines for increased reliability and horesepower, TZs are seen in a variety of competitive venues. Their value will come at the forefront of the market as they have a potent provenance to go with their striking appearance. Beware of fakes as the Italians are adept at making TZs out of old Topolinos.
If you want something REALLY reliable, go get yourself a 1991-1994 Alfa Spider with low miles. Make no mistake, the final iteration of the Alfa Spider is NOT going to appreciate during the next decade. And please don’t pay more than fifty extra cents for one of the last 200 “special commemorative edition” Spiders with tacky Italian flags stuck on their noses and an equally repulsive numbered plaque on the dashboard.
Ari understands that these Alfas are under-powered cars with an archaic suspension. However, for sheer driving pleasure on a daily basis, the $12,000 or so a very-low miles ’92 or ’93 will cost you is a bargain. Some are still under warranty (try to get a Ferrari Boxer owner to spell warranty sometime), have decent A/C for those too-hot LA days, and represent an era of classic, affordable Italian top-down driving that we will never see again.
Now, yet another snake and cross car is the ’64-’66 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce. In the under $20,000 classic sports car class, these cars have no equal. With superb brakes, decent weather equipment and exceptional, exotic mechanicals, they set a new standard when first produced. Partly because they are “unknown” compared to their more numerous English brethren, they have always been, and probably always will be, undervalued. This is not a car that will double in price during the next five years, but they will not go down either. To Ari’s taste, the Veloces are the perfect affordable classic open car.
Alfa purists keep waiting for a cult to develop around the Alfa Romeo GTV-6, but Ari doesn’t think it’s going to happen. A decent high speed tourer, the GTV-6 combined the sleek lines of the earlier underpowered Alfetta GT with the torque and horsepower of the superb 2.5 liter V-6 engine. The first, 1981-83 GTV-6s suffered from poor paint and shabby interiors, not to mention confusing shift linkage and terrible clutches. By 1984, Alfa had sorted things out a bit, and most of the final cars have beautiful full-leather seats and door panels, along with an A/C unit that actually blows cold now and again. Stay away from cars that have been hit and fixed poorly, as well as those that are showing evidence of rust. The “Maratona” variant is worth another $1,000 for its flares and unique perspex “See-through” hood scrape. While the GTV-6 is a good driving value for the money, it will never be a good investment car.
Current Price: $5,000, 5 Years: $5,000. 10 Years: $5,000. Rating: SELL.