Alfantics articles...
Alfantics articles...
Don't even think about tucking your Alfa away until next summer! There are two great drives coming on successive weekends.
Saturday, Oct. 26 we will take to some of the finest backroads of Virginia on a carefully-mapped route designed for maximum pleasurable Alfa driving. Great views, curvy two-lanes, and a few nice straightaways are guaranteed on what will be a roughly 200-mile drive.
The following Sunday, Nov. 3, the Ferrari Club has invited us to join them for their fall drive.
We will meet for donuts and coffee at Sherry and Brewster Thackeray's house in Arlington, Va. (directions follow), starting at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday the 26th. We'll hit the road promptly at 10:45. Participants should have all fuel and any other necessities ready by then. We'll provide full directions with mileage noted. The scouted tour is entirely on paved roads.
Those who came on last fall's Ramble will warmly recall the 1763 Inn in Upperville, where we had dinner near our journey's end. This charming historic inn, set on a lovely pond at the start of the "countryside," serves brilliant German food, giving us a little variety from our typical Italian fare while still keeping it European. This year we will do things backwards by having lunch at the inn, rather than dinner, and embarking onto the backroads straight afterward. (Note that anyone who wishes to can meet us at the 1763 Inn, 10087 John S. Mosby Highway, Upperville, at 12:00 for lunch -- or 1:00, ready to drive without lunch -- rather than in Arlington). We should be back to Arlington by 6:00.
Please RSVP to Sherry & Brewster by Oct. 25, so we can let the Inn know how many! TwoThacks@aol.com by e-mail, or call 703/807-0798. Directions to the start point at 2117 North Dinwiddie St., Arlington, VA 22207:
>From DC traveling West on I-66: Exit 71 Glebe Road/ Fairfax Drive, turn right at light at end of ramp. Turn left at second traffic light onto 16th St. N., Mount Olivet Church on corner. Make third right onto Edison Street. Proceed up Edison several blocks, make a right at stop sign onto 22nd St. N., then the first right on to N. Dinwiddie Street. The Alfa Base is first house on left. Alternatively, turn right on to any numbered street from Edison and go over to Dinwiddie, where you'd take a left. Then the house will be up the hill on the right.
>From I-66 traveling East toward DC: Take Exit 71 Glebe Road/Fairfax Drive, turn left at second light on to Glebe. Turn left at traffic light on to 16th St. N., Mount Olivet Baptist Church on corner. Make third right onto Edison . Proceed up Edison, make a right onto 22nd St. N., then take first right onto N. Dinwiddie Street. House is the first on left facing Dinwiddie.
The Ferrari Club has graciously invited our Capital Chapter Alfa club to join them on Sunday, Nov. 3 for their Southern Maryland Fall Foliage Tour and Luncheon.
Sponsored by the Ferrari Club's Mid-Atlantic Region, this year's tour commences with continental breakfast at Capital Chapter Alfa and Ferrari Club members Mark and Jean Blace's home on the shore of the Patuxent River in Huntingtown, Md., from 9:30 to 11:00. A leisurely 2.5 hour drive through the scenic backroads of Calvert and Charles Counties will follow, concluding with lunch at the Old Field Inn in Prince Frederick.
There will be a cash bar at the Inn, followed by lunch at 2:30.
The cost for this event is $35 per person. Please mail checks to:Mark Blace, 3350 Carroll Road, Huntingtown, Md. 20639. For more information or directions, e-mail blacefamily@chesapeake.net, or call 410/414-3996.
We won't match their horsepower--but our Alfas will be happy to keep up
with the prancing horses on the curves!
On Sunday, Oct. 6, Club treasurer John Kay and his wife Kathleen led their annual Wine Tour in their appropriately burgundy-colored 164L. They were joined by seven other couples in an interesting array of Alfas, all but one of them either red or white (none rose).
Most notable among the participants were two matching white Giulietta Spiders, a 1958 and a 1961. The Grants and the Brouds drove another set of twins, red '91 Spiders. The Mellors represented the '80s in their 1985 GTV6 as did yet a third set of twins, the Beales' and our own red Spider Graduates. Club President Charlie Drake and his navigatrix Carol took charge of a fifth decade in their lovely red 1974 GTV. For those keeping track, that's nine cars, six of them with the top down, and more than half of them red.
Much of the crew met up with the Kays in Maryland and crossed the mighty Potomac by boat at White's Ferry. A few of us met in Leesburg, Va., and proceeded to Tarara Vineyard near Lucketts, where the whole group found ourselves on Tarara's lovely deck built on a bluff overlooking the flood plains of the Potomac River.
Tarara offers a fine variety of wines, though their prices are creeping up. Their least expensive wine is now $12 and the most expensive tops out at $25. Tasting fees are generally $5, but you keep the tasting glass. Due to a festival on the grounds, regular tastings were not available. So rather than give up, the club charged me with the task of selecting three bottles to purchase, and with a little help from Tarara's staff, we conducted our own tasting!!
The first wine was Lost Corner Charval, a light blend of Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc fermented in stainless steel. Excellent wine for appetizers, cheese, or a summer picnic. The second wine was an oak-aged, fruity Chardonnay. Great with cheese and cream based dishes. Our last wine was an award winning blend of classic Bordeaux varietals, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, known as Tarara's Meritage.
Next we hit the road toward Loudoun Valley Vineyard where we encountered our second minor problem of the day... the road. Or should I say the lack thereof? While the map gave no indication that Route 662 was anything other than a hard surfaced road, it turned out to be several miles of a rather sketchy dirt road covered in loose gravel. Better for the Land Rover Club than ours, really! But we seem to have escaped with no permanent damage, just lots and lots of dust.
Loudoun Valley Vineyard is located near the intersection of Route 9 and Route 287 in Virginia. Again, there was a tasting fee, but you get to keep the oversized logo tasting glass. Loudoun Valley wines have characteristics and stylings of French white burgundy. German Riesling, and Italian wines. They have a variety of offerings suitable to assorted palates.
After lunching on Loudoun Valley's picturesque deck we headed to our final destination, Chrysalis Vineyard in the rolling foothills of the Piedmont near Middleburg. One of our club members works there but alas was not on duty this day.
Chrysalis offers award-winning Viognier and Chardonnay, two Spanish-style wines, America's first Petit Manseng, and a delightful Patio White. I, however, went to taste the Nortons.
Chrysalis claims to have the largest planting of the native American Norton grape, which is one of my favorites. Chrysalis offers three different Norton wines, a Reserve, an Estate, and a Whole Cluster Pressed.
The Norton grape produces a beautiful deep ruby color with a big bold Bordeaux-like fruit flavor, but without the astringent puckery tannins. The 2000 Norton - Locksley Reserve ($35) requires an additional tasting fee, but is interesting to compare in a side-by-side tasting with the 2001 Norton - Whole Cluster Pressed ($13), a fine value for the money. Kudos to the Kays for their time and effort getting to know the vineyards of our region--and for sharing them with the club!
In a break with tradition (eating in one of three fine Italian restaurants), we will have November's monthly dinner meeting someplace new: Summit Station in Gaithersburg, Md.
Why? Because variety is the spice of life; it's a great place to meet;
it's all of two blocks from Crown Auto for those of us whose cars are being
serviced there (we've invited Doug Mitchell of Crown to join us at the dinner),
the food is great in taste and value, and... Monday is "Mexican
night," with $3 margaritas and $2.25 draft beer.
Great burgers and crabcakes start at $6.95, brick-fired pizzas (see, it's
Italian after all!) for $7.95, salads from $3.95, and gourmet entrees in
the low teens make Summit Station an excellent value in keeping with our usual
meeting places. We will be seated in a special area called the "mezzanine."
As always, the official meeting time is 8:00 p.m., but folks are encouraged
to arrive early if they wish, 7:30 or so.
Check out www.summit-station.com for more information on the venue. Here's the directions: 270 North to 370. Go Right. Take the second exit to 355 North/Gaithersburg Town Center. At the 4th light, make a right onto South Summit Avenue. Summit Station is the red brick building on the left at the intersection of South Summit Avenue and East Diamond Avenue.
One of the nicest social gatherings the Club hosts each bgxcmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmyear (and it's after dark, so no concours-level polishing is required!) is our annual Holiday Party.
This year Steve Morrison has graciously offered to host the party, moving it to his house from the home of John and Kathleen Kay, where it had been held in recent years. The date of this year's party is Saturday, December 14.
Further details will be forthcoming of course in the December issue, but as you plan ahead, note that traditionally the club provides drinks, and the members provide food. If you have a favorite dish, especially if it is Italian, start digging up your recipes now!
In last month's issue, I addressed the question of whether one should consider bidding on an Alfa at an auction-especially an online auction, and in particular the largest of them, e-Bay-where the car will likely sell to someone who has never driven it. In summary, I said that it is always to some degree or another a gamble. You take some risks in exchange for a quick, haggle-free purchase, often at well under fair market value.
What about the flip side of the coin-should you consider selling your Alfa online? Well, that's a whole different gamble, and the answer, I will argue, depends on your specific car and circumstances.
The main reason you should not auction your car is that you are probably not going to get top dollar for it. There are frequent exceptions, but the average Alfa auctioned on e-Bay pulls in about two-thirds to three-quarters what it might on the open market. If you have a really good car, the kind that turns heads and drives smoothly, you may do just as well or better with a newspaper or online ad.
Then again, while you and I might agree that your 50,000-mile '88 Spider should be worth at least $7,500, and you might be able to sell it for close to that in these parts, an owner in an isolated town in South Dakota wouldn't find many folks lined up to purchase it. His ideal buyer could be in Los Angeles or Florida. They might see his car on e-Bay. And even if they don't bid, it could lead to correspondence with someone far away who would develop into a buyer. Even if you live in the D.C. area, showing off your car to thousands of potential buyers around the country can be well worth the $40 of a basic e-bay listing.
Catching someone's attention, even if it doesn't sell the car at auction, is also a good use of e-Bay if you have something rare. Late model Spiders, 164s, and Milanos are common enough that it's no surprise they don't bring top dollar at an auction. But more unusual cars, real antiques for instance, or Montreals, Junior Zagatos, etc., can be good candidates for using an online auction to get national attention and competition.
Finally, even if an auction doesn't get you top dollar, it may be the easiest way to unload the Alfa you are ready to be rid of. Do you want someone calling you at 8 a.m. Sunday morning about that ad in the paper? Do you want a 16 year-old taking it for his idea of a test drive? Do you want to haggle over a price? If all of these turn you off, you will avoid them with a successful auction.
Another thing to realize with on-line auctions is that some bidders are flaky. If you find the high bidder in an e-bay auction has hundreds of positive feedbacks and no negative ones, you have probably found a straight shooter to do business with. But if they have no feedback, they have nothing to lose. They may be a 12 year-old. There's a famous cartoon of two hounds at a computer, one saying to the other, "On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." You can try to pursue a bidder who bags on you, and you may have legal recourse; but chances are you just wasted $40 or more on your listing, and a week of time trying to sell the car.
There is also considerable onus on you as a seller to disclose all the flaws of your car. The more honestly and fully you do so, the less likely you'll wind up with a buyer who is disappointed or challenges your description when concluding the deal. (And if you've said the car has no rust, when it in fact has perforated rocker panels, Judge Judy will find in favor of the bidder).
To recap: with an honest, thorough listing, an auction will probably not get you top dollar for your car, but may lead to a quick and efficient sale.
Include lots of pictures. A basic e-Bay listing will allow you to include six pictures. You can take digital ones or, with your own equipment or a photo shop's, have still pictures scanned. If you know html or someone who does, you can even include the pictures in the text of your listing like the dealers do. Alternately you can provide a link to a webpage where you have posted pictures. You can potentially give prospective bidders a "virtual tour" of the car.
Show what buyers want to see. A couple of nice shots of the whole car, both straight on and from an angle; the interior, especially seats; anything especially nice, like a new top. Also show any major flaws you have mentioned, such as a dented fender or torn seat, since this will put it in perspective (e.g., does "torn" mean a little one-inch pull in the seat's stitching, or a shredded, foam-spewing wreck that is beyond salvage?) This is where the picture can be worth the proverbial thousand words. If the underside and engine bay are clean, show them. Anything you do not show, the smart buyer will assume is not in especially good shape.
List the good things about your car in detail. If you've done recent work (new brakes), or added important features (Ansa exhaust), don't neglect to say so. Not only do they make the car more valuable, they make it clear you really care about it. So does your AROC membership, a good thing to mention for the benefit of fellow enthusiasts. If you don't know the car's history, consider dropping $19 to get a Carfax report (www.carfax.com) so you can share this with prospective buyers, verifying mileage, etc.
List all the bad things too. This establishes your credibility with prospective buyers who are bidding based on your apparent trustworthiness. It also reduces the risk of the high bidder bagging on the deal over legitimate issues, such as "You didn't tell me about the tires being bald, the missing top or the seized engine!"
Think about your starting price. Remember, cars at auction generally sell for less than they might elsewhere. As an example, let's go back to that 50,000 mile Spider Veloce. I've seen similar cars in fine shape sell recently for between $5,000 to about $8,000. You might get a little more selling it in a different manner. But if you put your starting bid at $8,000, I virtually guarantee you no bids. If you put it at $5,000, you may well get some, but you may not. If you put it at $1,000, you will get dozens. But wait! You aren't desperate enough to sell that car for $3,500, are you?
That's why you may want to consider a reserve. This is an amount below which you will not be obligated to sell. Perhaps you think that '88 Spider is worth $7,500, but preserving your marriage by selling it fast makes it worth a loss. A small loss. You won't take $3,500, but you could live with $5,800. So put an opening bid of $1,000, and a reserve of $5,800, and see what happens. If it's your lucky day, bidding could go higher, but if it doesn't reach $5,800 you won't have to sell. And, if someone really wants the car, they'll contact you at auction's end if it hasn't sold to see what you might work out.
If you're new to auctions, especially on e-Bay, consider "building your reputation" before you dive in and sell a big-price item like a car. Buy and sell a few small items, pay for or ship them promptly, and get several "positive feedbacks." Prospective bidders will look at these to establish if you're a good person to deal with. Plus, this gives you an opportunity to learn more about how e-bay works. Between making smaller sales and tracking other Alfa auctions, you'll learn some basics of what works and what doesn't. (One important thing to note, however, is that car auctions have set listing prices, while most other e-Bay auctions require you to pay commission. Read the details carefully before plunging in.)
Let bidders know if you welcome them to call or e-mail you with questions. Being accessible during the auction can allow you to answer important questions, and talking with bidders may increase their likelihood of following through and feeling confident.
If you recall something you forgot, good or bad, you can add it to your listing, and you should.
If you have thought about the pros and cons of auctioning your Alfa, e-Bay and other online auctions may be a new answer to the question of how you will sell your car. But before you list it, be sure to take it out for one more nice sunny drive. Because if that auctioneer's gavel comes down and your car is sold, you will be reminded that Alfa stands for: Always Looking for Another!
by Russ Baer
Editor's note: When I asked Russ Baer to share some thoughts and memories about his 40 years with his Giulietta Spider Sunshine, he told me "You'll be sorry you asked!" Not because he didn't have any good stories but rather because he had a plethora of them. In the September issue, the first installment covered how and why he bought this particular car. Now, Russ answers a far more important question: When did he know that "Sunshine" was a keeper?
Short answer: 1969-1970
Long answer: At first I thought I would keep her for only a few years. That was normal. Besides, I was piling up lots of miles, driving to Pittsburgh, State College, Boston, and New England.
Remember how I said that my purchase was inevitable? Well, keeping her for 40 years was destiny.
It was at about Year Two I was told that Sunshine needed a valve job. After considerable shopping I wound up at Annapolis Motors in Kensington, Md. I was impressed with the professional nature of the place. For example, when I came to pick her up, two mechanics, one hanging out of the open door of a car on the lift and the other below, were having a battle with grease guns. Cute.
I guess the car ran better but not for long. I had problems within 1,000 miles and another valve job was done at Continental Motors by one Freddie Rosetti. Freddie endeared himself to me by breaking the driver side door window and by surprising me with a much larger bill than quoted. He said he had used sodium filled exhaust valves, and I would never need a valve job again. I had enough knowledge to be suckered. I knew that the new 105-1300 had sodium filled valves. So I paid.
About 15,000 miles later, I found out why I didn't need two valve jobs (even though Freddie showed me a burned exhaust valve that probably came from his stock of burned valves). I "burned" a piston.
Why do we need to know all this? Because at that time I was planning to trade for a new Duetto. I was convinced that the area behind the seats would pass as cargo space for my two kids. I can't be sure now if I was really serious but Sunshine made up my mind for me (I wasn't yet aware of her methods of getting my attention).
So instead of trading a non-running car, I decided that it was time for me to see if I could fix the engine myself. My theory was that while neither I nor any of the bozos who worked on her really knew what we were doing, at least I cared.
When I disassembled the engine I found several things. First, I was cheated by Continental (by then out of business). The valves were not sodium filled. Rosetti, then a "wrench" for Foreign Motors, pleaded innocent and blamed his vendor. Second, all the top rings were broken in half. One piston, however, had the break aligned with the opening on the ring below which in turn matched with the piston opening in the oil ring. Here was my compression miss and the probable reason for the valve jobs.
And then I remembered when the damage was done. It was in the fall of '63 going north on Gay Street at Chester in Baltimore. I was trying to squeeze between a streetcar and a parked car. I had committed. I couldn't back off. I couldn't shift. I buried the tach needle. I'm sure that's when the top rings cracked.
So now I start off on my way to being Boy Alfa Mechanic. Did I really lie on the bed of our VW Bus lapping valves while being driven up the Jersey Turnpike? A random synapse tells me I did.
I never finished the job because I spotted a too-good-to-be-true ad in the Sunday Sun. "1967 Alfa Romeo Spider, 13,000 miles, wrecked, $350." Wow! For $350 I could just swap engines!
I called but the wrong number was printed in the paper. I called the Sun to report the error. They promised to call me when they got the correct number. I couldn't wait and decided that probably it was just a transposed number pair. On the third try, I became the first caller for the car. After a few conversations I set up a Saturday appointment. On Friday, I got a call from the Sun, followed by a call from the Duetto owner, Ron Scardina. Someone was coming that evening; could I come immediately? I was dressing at the time to go to a fancy formal dance. Sure I could come.
When I saw the car it was beautiful except for the mess from the windshield forward that the head-on collision with a pickup truck had caused. While I was trying to make up my mind, another Alfa pulled into the drive. "Sold!" I said.
After writing this account, I went to my Baltimore Metro phone book to look for Ron Scardina. There was one Ronald and it was the one. I was surprised. He was surprised and told me I wouldn't have found him had I called two months later since he was moving to North Carolina.
It turned out that my engine swap plan was seriously optimistic. The car had been sitting near the water for a while, the engine was frozen, and the carbs were filled with aluminum oxide mush. I had to disassemble everything--crudely--cams then chain, then head, pan, front cover, oil pump, crank, then liners, and at last, with much force, the pistons. Needless to say, I didn't save much time. But I did have a 1600.
Sunshine was off the road for about two years by the time I drove her (after prying loose the stuck clutch disc from the convenient access hole in the flywheel). It took months before I got her sorted out; I really didn't know very much about what I was doing.
One piece of advice helped. A young Johnny DiFatta, then working for Berger, rode with me a few blocks. We stopped, opened the hood, and he informed me that I would never get the car running right unless I installed a carb support strut. (I still have the custom motor mount and strut to accomplish this).
I really haven't answered this question, have I? Now, I can say that it was during that 1968-1970 period when I was not driving her that I knew we would be together much longer. The two of us now had a real connection. I was bringing her back to life. I was finally more than someone who just put gas and oil to keep her going and sent her to the doctor when she complained. I was now to be the doctor and I had to be responsible.
Alfantics is the official publication of the Capital Chapter of the Alfa Romeo Owners Club (AROC). Local membership and a subscription to this newsletter is included in the annual AROC membership fee of $45.
Permission is granted to other AROC Chapter Newsletters to reproduce any original material herein, provided full credit is given to the author and the Capital Chapter. Pictures may be available from the editor in digital format.
Articles, letters and photos should be submitted to the editor, Brewster Thackeray; brewthack@aol.com; 100 Battle St. SE, Vienna, VA 22180.
Authors should be aware that acceptance for publication in Alfantics implicitly grants republication rights to other AROC Chapter newsletters. Alfantics reserves the right to edit or reject any submitted items. Classified ads for Alfa-related items are free to members of $5 for non-members. Commercial rates are available from the Treasurer.
The deadline for classified ads and contributions to the newsletter is the 15th of each month prior to publication. Articles may be sent to the editor by e-mail or on a diskette in a common format.
DISCLAIMER: While it is a service of the Capital Chapter of AROC to disseminate technical information, any techniques or modifications published in Alfantics should be weighed against the conventional or generally accepted practice. The mentioned product, service, or procedure in this newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by this Chapter, its Officers, Alfantics, AROC, or Alfa Romeo, Inc. Alfantics, its editor or contributors assume no liability for the accuracy of any technical information appearing herein.
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last updated: Aug 2001