Advice for a first-time buyer

Folks,
Hoping some of you can help me. I've always had a thing for the GTA Turbo and the A610, but have never owned either. My first car- and only car to date- was a Maserati Quattroporte V8 Evo, so we've already established I am mad (I am also only 32 years old). My question is- if I found a good GTA Turbo (potentially the 1989 Laser Blue one STILL for sale in Scotland, which I've seen mentioned on this forum), how much do you think it would cost to maintain over a year...based on 3-4,000 miles of gentle running each year? And assuming it's in good nick to begin with, which would require some investigation. Would £2,400 a year maybe cover it or do you find the cars are rather less reliable than that? Any and all advice, gratefully received!
Many thanks
David

Without wanting to tempt fate just as mine is heading to RATS, general running costs are very reasonable for the amount of miles you're looking at and should certainly fit the budget you mention. I've had mine for years and years and it got to the point where it needed some TLC on the subframes etc. but you don't do that every year.

The GTA has always had the title of 'affordable supercar' and if you can start with a good one it needn't cost silly money.

Jon

[Alpineandy]

Are you a good mechanic or (like me) an OK 'fiddler' but not much use at anything serious?
Good with electrics (a real benefit with a fibreglass car )?
Kept in a garage with power (It does make a difference being able to keep the battery charged and checking that 'sticky window when the weather is cr4p etc)?
Roughly where are you based (near someone that knows about Alps?)?
All relevant to running costs.

With my A310s I've had years when I haven't used them (this year is another one) so tiny costs, and in some years when I've used them I've had years of pretty much zero cost and in some years the most I've spent well under 1k (inc new rad and D/Shaft seal).
Obviously excluding standard servicing costs and tyres.
But I also know that anything serous could mean a tow truck and a couple of grand or £50 from ebay plus 50 labour.... depending if it's in need of a general Renault part or a rare genuine Alpine part.


If you're near Clee, Mr Sage, Mr Law or El Presidente Dell, then I'd suggest you visit them for a chat as they may know of decent cars for sale (or know the faults of a 'for sale' car).
The biggest issue with A610s & GTAs at the moment seems to be internal chassis rust which Clee looks to have 'well sussed' but there are others issues that would be seen by an experienced eye. Cooling system can be an issue (especially air-locks and the main pipes) and if you're not doing the work but trying to 'cheapskate' it, then it can be very very time consuming = costly if you're paying someone else. But that's the same with any car when you chase a fault.

Many thanks Jon & Andy,

Chassis rust was the one thing I was going to be alert to, as I gather the chassis weren't galvanised. Of course actually spotting it is different to being aware of it - but it's a start!

Andy - I think I'd answer an emphatic "no" to all of the questions you asked. The car wouldn't even be garaged, though it would be covered when not in use; and when in use, driven every day or two. I live in central Edinburgh and am not aware of anyone in the area (or indeed Scotland) who's likely to have much experience with these - can you correct me?

Otherwise I'd probably try the independents who used to service my Maserati (Ferrari and Maserati specialists) but appreciate those are totally different beasts. Certainly I wouldn't be driving the car very much or very hard, and was prepared for hefty bills with the Maser. No point owning something like this if you can't look after it properly, one way or the other.

Anyway, I have much food for thought and gather I'm not the only person interested in this particular car anyway...so will sleep on things for a few nights! Thanks once again both, for your advice

David

David, just go for it.
My GTA is a better driver car than my Testarossa.
You wont regret it.
Simon

[stephendell]

I was supposed to be inspecting the George Mackay car but the buyer has gone cold.

I've had a lot of discussion with them and it sounds ok but hard to tell without actually taking a look.

Happy to come and do a formal inspection and/or haggle on your behalf if you are seriously interested.

Simon Hope might be able to give you some advice as well. He's not a million miles away.

Thanks Stephen,
I went to see the car this evening - amazing in the flesh, don't think I've previously seen one close-up!
The bodywork and interior appear (...) immaculate and there's been a lot of work done in the past 3 years. I'm speaking to the guys who serviced the car very recently, to get their view on the chassis & mechanicals and anything else on the 'to do' list. Two thoughts in my mind:

1) Is it worth paying to seal the underside of the car, give it a bit of weather/water protection?
2) Is there a cheaper alternative (ideally new, not used) to fitting Michelin MXWs on the rear end? Google didn't throw up any. This car is wearing Yokohamas but I assume they're no longer available. I can stomach the cost of new MXWs if/when required as I won't be racking up much mileage, but this must be a regular annoyance for Alpine owners so maybe someone has a better solution!

Many thanks again (and hope to join the owners' ranks soon...)
David

[BIG_MVS]

Nice one David. I must admit when this car was first advertised 2 or 3 years ago it looked over priced. Now that the market is catching up it's starting to look more of a canny buy. Do get all the chassis checked though!

Be careful under sealing, I took my first A610 to a "specialist" (they used a spray system to get the stuff on) under sealer and they made a right mess of it. Only way is to do it slowly one component at a time.

225 50 15's were ok in my experience for every day driving. I guess if you were giving it the full beans then they obviously would not stick like the 255's. Some members have tried the Toyo R888's in 235 50 15 format and have said they are pretty good. Priced around £150 a corner at the moment.

David, did you take the plunge?