I'm trying to assess the pros and cons of an Alfa Spider 916 v 939 series or viceversa, having not driven either. The 916s will be all manual, the 939s either manual or selespeed. Not 100% sure if the Selespeed can be driven as a full automatic or gears have to be changed by the gear lever or paddles?
Current daily driver is a turbocharged DSG VW Golf looking for the Alfa as second car for club runs and the occassional one weekday a week runs. My Alfa driving experience is a 147 GTA and a rented diesel Guillietta in Puglia for a week about 5 years ago.
Any pros and cons appreciated!
Thanks in advance
John
Selespeeds have a bad reputation in my opinion, based on my old Citroen Pluriel experience. I own a 2001 916 Spider and the manual is easy to live with, but of course it has no hill holder, so you need to be aware of that. You have not said which engine your looking for, but in my view the 2L Twin Spark is pretty well built and can last a long time with proper maintenance. Hard to find a good V6 916, and handling wise they are not as balanced as the 2L in my opinion.
The 2L 916 with the manual roof will give you less trouble, and expense, than the electric roof versions, IMHO.
In looking for 916 Spiders on Carsales, be aware most of them will have problems, I know this based on six months of searching. Many problem preclude interstate registration (especially NSW) where a Blue Slip is required. Things like oil leaks, and dash warning lights, will fail a car, and require fixing prior to registration. Good luck.
GD