[PaulDexler]

Saracene,
I also have an Alfa 164L. I just got my SVX last week, and am starting to work on it to bring it to somewhere near the condition of the Alfa. I also have a third car, a convertible like your Maser, but my (Italian) mechanic told me that if I got a biturbo, he wouldn't work on it. The 164 has 95,000 miles on it, and is all original with a few local and club concours trophies. The convertible is an Australian-built Mercury Capri with 105,000 miles on it and a delight to drive. (I just took it on a 600 mile round trip to Monterey and the Pebble Beach weekend. I would have taken the SVX, but I had brought it home the preceding Monday with no A/C and other issues. Took it into the shop the day I got back, and had all fluids changed. They also said the brakes were low, so I had the discs re-surfaced and new pads all around. Then checked out the A/C, and after replacing an O-ring, it is holding charge and cooling wonderfully. It has 152,000 miles on it, and is suffering from sun-baked damage, but it spent most of its life in the high desert, so there is no rust, and the baked paint can be polished out.
Now, I'm going to enjoy it.
Oh, yeah, I write about cars for a living, and I drove a NEW SVX back in the day and fell in love. My bank account said no, however. So now I have one that I can afford.