Somebody *please* talk me out of this

Timo Geusch gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

I had a 75 v6 for a while - great fun. SteveH'll be along in a minute to extol the joys of transaxle Alfas, too.

My bro had one of these with similar engine. Fantastic fun when on song, but a bitch to maintain that way .. listen to Pete M .. ;)

Especially as a mostly track-day car I'd say keep away, things like discs and pads and the drive-train in general are likely to have accelerated wear, and they just are NOT fun to work on and change.

He'll go on about how the 4 cyl is better, but remember, it's not.

'Shite old cars that aren't that easy to work on and which I'll almost certainly have to work on... repeatedly. I can give them up any time... can't I?'

Seriously, don't.

Forget what the car actually is, look at what it's apparently been used for over the last couple of years; 5,000 miles worth of commuting.

In other words, it's not likely that it's been put through anywhere near the level of stress it will be the moment you take it on the track, and will almost certainly protest in an expensive fashion about being rudely awakened in this manner.

Initial purchase cost aside, I still reckon Sir should stop faffing around and get himself something like a Westfield or Caterham, given it's trackdays he wants to use whatever primarily for.

The bike engined ones looked an absolute hoot the other day down at Lydden... which reminds me, I need to sort you out with some of the pics.

Does the 911 actually see the light of day that often?

If not, would it not make sense to flog that to get something more track focused if funds are tight, and then run something sensible the rest of the time?

If it were me, I'd concentrate on having just the one sensible car and one decent track toy... and whilst it might not set the world on fire, you've already got the former covered with the Golf.

Get shot of that for something along the lines of what you were discussing the other day, and you just know within a couple of weeks you'll find a need to transport something which won't fit in anything smaller than an estate car. ;-)

And to be fair, he could have the latter covered with the Eunos.

Personally, ownership of a GTV6 is soemthing I would rather keep in the 'wish I had bought one' list. Is suspect that actually converting that desire into ownershipo would be the biggest letdown.

This car ceased production before all of the truly fast cars even started production. I suspect a 2.8 quattro version of my current favourite A4 would disspear up the road never to be seen again by the owner of the Alfa.

Seriously, don't do it. Let the auction end and just wish you had bought it.

"Bob Sherunckle" gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Probably very true. I was having a flip through a recent performance car mag (I forget which title) in a waiting room t'other day - with a back-to- back between a 'grale and a few current chav superminis. Corsa VXR, Fester RS, that sort of thing.

The modern stuff wiped the floor with the 'grale.

But which would you rather own?

Apologies for my previous poor quality post. Must proof read in future.

I would have the Integrale any day of the week. But I wouldn't have the Fiesta or Corsa anyway.

I change my mind with the wind, but seeing as I'm currently piloting an A4, that's my favourite. The front end is fantastic. Not brilliantly communicative, but supple and grippy at the same time. I love good turn in on a car - so many have that horrible initial turn in where you can feel the understeer killing the corner before it even starts. This doesn't. Just grips and gets into the corner and stays settled. Some would see that as dull. I see it as just working. Add a V6 and 4WD and I would be in a good place. The fact that you can buy one for under a couple of grand makes it even better.

Seriously, I would have a modern one before an UR Quattro. Much as I would love an Integrale, my only experience of Lancias (Dedra) confirms what I suspect about build quality. (non existent.)

The A4 or A6 would / will tow my Sylva and that's where the real fun is :-)

Chavtastic as they are, I wouldn't mind a Corsa VXR myself...

Ahhh... it's you with a Sylva!

Saw one in action down at Lydden last week - looked like a lot of fun and it was wiping the floor with most other stuff out on the track with it. :-D

Nah, mine was OK when I took it to the track.

Needed the rear brakes stripping, cleaning and a new set of discs, but that was all.

Even the clutch isn't the PITA expense it is often thought to be, as the significantly cheaper TSpark clutch from a 75 is, ISTR, a straight swap.

I'd be a tad concerned about the rust mentioned - but it could well be worth checking out.

Just budget for a cambelt change as part of the track fettling process.

Do keep up at the back, willya?

Yes, like a certain MX5...

Yes, like a certain MX5...

The trouble with Caterfields is that you really do need a garage for them. Even with the "full weather gear" they leak quite well. Plus, ones worth having a similar money to an Elise and I'd rather have an S1 Elise.

The other issue is that whatever I get, I will have to sell in autumn. So something cheaper appeals, but OTOH I guess the market for Elises isn't suddenly going to collapse.

During the non-salty season, yes. During the winter, no.

Well, funds are tighter than they used to be but as I'm also flogging a few bikes, between that and the MX5 there should be enough money for something decent as long as I can park it outside.

Well, there is always the sensible estate car on Jersey that I was looking at:

Proper Q-Car that, but after a short discussion on pissed-on heads about tracking an M5, the cost is a tad on the high side.

I know what you're saying, but one of the reasons I'm looking to get shot of the MX5 is that need to stop pouring money into it.

It wasn't exactly outclassed from what I could see, when Timo was slinging it round the track.

Yours has been well fettled in recent years - a £600 gearbox rebuild for one thing.

Just because yours is well sorted, it doesn't mean another totally different model Alfa with a totally different engine, and which you've no real idea as to how well fettled it genuinely is, will put up with the same abuse.

One: I'd consider stopping lining the pockets of 'specialists', and do some of it yourself... or with regards to the ECU wiring / mapping, I can have 'a word' with the mate who used to run the dyno and is still in there enough to maybe be able to help sort it using the rollers there once the wiring etc is improved.

He's got quite good form in that respect; he's wired in several piggyback and dedicated ECUs, and then done the mapping, including a Haltech on his RB26.

It may well be he can't be arsed, but like I say, I can have a word if you want. :-)

Two: You know the MX5 needs money thrown at it to get it how you want it - and that's the thing... you *know* what it now needs. You could end up buying someone elses problems (again), if you get shot of it and buy something else, no matter how careful you are.

Unless you really can't see the drivability being improved to the point you're happy with it with a bit of mapping, see point one and see if you can get the cost down a bit - have you had a ballpark figure from the other place yet how much they'd want to sort it?

Just some suggestions anyway - I quite like that MX5 having been in it, and it looked like it was holding its own on the track the other day without having the shit kicked out of it. :-)

That'll be the MX5 you've now got the measure of, yes? ;-)

That'll be the MX... well, you get the general picture. ;-)

Whilst the MX5 isn't overly practical, I reckon you can live with it on a daily basis a lot better than an Elise.

I have an idea - get rid of all the s**te old bikes in the garage and buy a Caterham. ;-)

And then let me look after it when you leave the country... yes... that'll work. :-D

Another reason then to maybe persevere with the MX5, methinks.

Just my opinion anyway... you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

Nice doorcards, too. ;-)

Very understated given the performance, mind.

So, you want to stop pouring money into a trackday weapon, and are considering getting an old Alfa... I like Alfas myself but surely this is not the way forward?

Stick with the MX5, once the engine stuffs are sorted it'll be a beast.

It was EVO, the finish order was Corsa VXR-R (235bhp, lowered, track wheels and 888s), Clio 197 Cup (you can get 197s for under £10k and they are obscene levels of fun), Fiesta ST185 (don't really exist, ST with a £4k tuning pack for +35bhp, which was 20bhp on the rollers) and finally 'grale. It was about a 100 second lap iirc and the 'grale was 2 secs off the Corsa and Clio and just about with the Fiesta. The test was done on a track, the writer of the piece pointed out the 'grale was designed on and for British B Roads and if the test was held there the results may be quite different. They were surprised how close it was as it was so much softer etc than the rest.