Hey everyone.
Thanks for the kind remarks about the Alfa. In regard to my limited amount of posts, almost all of the questions I have had on the Mystique had already been covered; this board is really great. One of the earlier reply's really hit the mark about owning an Alfa. There are several high-risk items about owning this car. It really is much more of an orphan than our beloved Contours and Mystiques. Parts are still available but take time to find and get here. There was also a significant model change in the 164 in 1994 when they upgraded the engine from 12v to 24v. Also, they redid the interior and minor body changes so finding used parts here is difficult.
Alfa left the US in 1995 but continued selling the car in Europe until I believe 1998, when the 166 came out. The 24v 3.0-liter engine was in production up until, well this year (in 3.2 liter form) when they replaced it with a General Motors V6 block from Australia combined with an Alfa designed head and valves. I would not have taken on this challenge if I did not have the benefit of a highly trusted local mechanic. The other high-risk item on this car is the engine design. It has a timing belt instead of a chain and it must be changed every 30K miles to be safe. If the belt brakes, the valves will get bent by the pistons and will require a very expensive engine overhaul. There are also issues with belt tensioner bearings.
The good news was that a lot of these factors had helped push the used car price down to a very reasonable level. I picked up the car with 35K for only $5,500. I spent another $3k+ on getting the car back on the road. However my overall $8,500 basis is much less than I was considering spending on a newer used car with comparable mileage. Plus, if I wanted reliability and sameness, I would have purchased a Camry or an Accord. The car has never left me stranded and I much prefer driving something that is unique, has lots of class (at least in my mind) and still looks good. My kids also love it, espically when I show them the Alfa emblem with the snake eating the little man.
Other history, the 164 shares its platform with the Saab 9000, the Lancia Thema and the Fiat Croma (the latter two not available here), and dates back to the mid to late 80s. The car is very nose heavy and I believe my Mystique corners better than this car and is probably more rigid.
I will try and take some interior photographs shortly and post them onto the website. I am very impressed that some of the members remember Alfa. Every now and then someone will ask me about how my Volvo is running or over worse, how is my Volkswagen doing.
Take care,
Jeff
Dallas, Texas
BTW nice ride.
