1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio going for $25,000

You don’t have to go broke to park something classic and Italian to your garage.

We all aspire to enjoy the luxury lifestyle and appreciate the finer things in life. When it comes to classic European sports cars, though, the price of admission can be quite attainable for a middle-class, aspirational enthusiast.

While there is something to be said about buying an expensive car cheaply and quickly ending up underwater due to repairs, there are some real bargains on good cars for those who know where to look.

Consider this 1987 Alfa Romeo Spider Quadrifoglio—that’s Italian for four-leaf-clover—that’s offered for sale by CNC Motors in California for $24,999. Believe it or not, that’s a lot of money for the penultimate variation of Alfa Romeo’s classic roadster, whose basic design dates back all the way to 1966 and was made famous on the silver screen by Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate.

Speaking of silver, this Spider Quadrifoglio features a beautiful silver exterior with a striking red interior that’s equally as nice. It’s a classically European color combination, equal parts subtle and striking.

Despite having just over 100,000 miles on the odometer, this car wears those miles well, and looks absolutely stunning. While we’d still opt for a pre-purchase inspection, as we would on any older enthusiast car, we’re imagining that we’d find few surprises.

If any issues do arise, the care and feeding of such a car is surprisingly reasonable compared to contemporary Italian sports cars. One can expect many years of enjoyment out of this car with a comparatively small cash outlay.

We especially like the rare, color-matched hardtop. It’s a desirable accessory that surely adds to the car’s price. While we’re certain that cheaper Spider Quadrifoglios can be found, we doubt they’re this nice—and we doubt they come with the cool hardtop. Still, if you’re able to prove us wrong, please do so in the comments! What else can you find?

Photos: CNC Motors

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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