Dear BBI Car aficionados, have any of you owned a Giulia with AWD? If so, what's your opinion of the car and its reliability?
I'm exploring the idea of purchasing a used Alfa Romeo Giulia when my lease runs out on my WRX later this year. I can't afford a new one. I think the car is beautiful, and what I've heard of the car in the car magazines is that its a great driving car, but its reliability is not so great and there are other buggy issues with it like where the controls display is located on the dash.
What do you guys think? Is it a good idea to get a used Giulia?
I'll probably get to the Alfa Romeo in a couple of years.....
This is not the tempermental Italian that you want.
Car and Driver having issues with their Giulia - ( New Window )
Agreed on both points. Myself, I'm looking at a used Audi A4.
That's all I got ... as a guy with an old Altima and a '73 LeMans. Love my cars. :)
Friends reaction when I told him looks me dead in the eyes as serious as could
“Wish you had borrowed my Alfa Romeo”
He hates his car so much, that his first instinct was he wished it was his car that got totaled, not mine. Beautiful car, but that was an eye opening comment...
I’d talk to other owners before doing anything.
It's coming off of a 2 year lease and I decided today to buy it out of the lease.
My wife and I are both car people and it is simply the nicest car I've ever owned. Happy to share more detail if you like.
Unlike Fatman, we've only owned BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus and Lincolns! I currently have an 08 E90 M3 in my garage and there is no contest as to which car I like better.
The only issues we've had with it are with the programming for the infotainment system. It's a known issue which took a while to figure out, it was just an inconvenience rather than a real problem, but it's been resolved.
The Giulia was more enjoyable to drive, but inside it is a disjointed mess. The infotainment system is so far behind the rest of the industry, it isn't funny and the interior is "cheap". It feels like where BMW/Audi were in 2010.
Its pleasant on the eyes, but the B-pillar is not where it should be. This sounds weird, but Alfa placed it right in your blindspot when you drive. It was jarring when I test drove it as glancing to my left required me to then shift forward and look around the pillar to see what was coming. Its not worth basing a decision on, but its just weird.
The reliability factor is also abysmal - so much so that I was hesitant to even lease for 3 years (for fear the car would catch fire and the dealership would fold, leaving me nowhere to have my dilapidated car to get repaired). The car magazines are doing burn in reviews of cars and Giulias with ~30k miles are not fairing well at all (which is what you're thinking of getting into).
I ended up in a BMW M340 - which actually came in close to the non-Quadrifoglio Alfa Guilia was for lease payments, despite having an Turbo I6 and other M-Sport features that basically put it way ahead in performance. Its not a true M3, but I needed AWD and 382 hp is nothing to sneeze at.
The depreciation on an Alfa is also bad, even though they have discounts and slashed their Money Facor to keep it competitive (BMWs depreciation is 61%, Alfa's is 51% - that's massive). That doesn't impact you necessarily, but the things bleed equity.
You want a looker? Nab a Sportsback Audi A5 off lease. Audis are excessively boring to drive, but look great.
You want a driver? Buy a BMW M240/M235 off lease. This is the true heir to the old-school 3 series and is more fun to drive than a modern M3.
You want a headache? Go for the Giulia.
The Giulia was more enjoyable to drive, but inside it is a disjointed mess. The infotainment system is so far behind the rest of the industry, it isn't funny and the interior is "cheap". It feels like where BMW/Audi were in 2010.
Its pleasant on the eyes, but the B-pillar is not where it should be. This sounds weird, but Alfa placed it right in your blindspot when you drive. It was jarring when I test drove it as glancing to my left required me to then shift forward and look around the pillar to see what was coming. Its not worth basing a decision on, but its just weird.
The reliability factor is also abysmal - so much so that I was hesitant to even lease for 3 years (for fear the car would catch fire and the dealership would fold, leaving me nowhere to have my dilapidated car to get repaired). The car magazines are doing burn in reviews of cars and Giulias with ~30k miles are not fairing well at all (which is what you're thinking of getting into).
I ended up in a BMW M340 - which actually came in close to the non-Quadrifoglio Alfa Guilia was for lease payments, despite having an Turbo I6 and other M-Sport features that basically put it way ahead in performance. Its not a true M3, but I needed AWD and 382 hp is nothing to sneeze at.
The depreciation on an Alfa is also bad, even though they have discounts and slashed their Money Facor to keep it competitive (BMWs depreciation is 61%, Alfa's is 51% - that's massive). That doesn't impact you necessarily, but the things bleed equity.
You want a looker? Nab a Sportsback Audi A5 off lease. Audis are excessively boring to drive, but look great.
You want a driver? Buy a BMW M240/M235 off lease. This is the true heir to the old-school 3 series and is more fun to drive than a modern M3.
You want a headache? Go for the Giulia.
Thanks UAGiant. Great detail on the info about the Giulia. A pretty veneer is nice, but if the core of thing is crap, it just isn't worth it. I'm on the fence regarding what to get next. The WRX has been a fun car to drive, and it's exceptionally reliable. But I have to admit that I got spoiled rotten by my Infiniti G35x. As a result, I'm leaning towards getting another luxury driver. I want to get a good car that I can afford and will have for a while. So we'll see. Thanks for all of the advice.
Quote:
It was between a BMW 3 series and an Alfa Giulia.
The Giulia was more enjoyable to drive, but inside it is a disjointed mess. The infotainment system is so far behind the rest of the industry, it isn't funny and the interior is "cheap". It feels like where BMW/Audi were in 2010.
Its pleasant on the eyes, but the B-pillar is not where it should be. This sounds weird, but Alfa placed it right in your blindspot when you drive. It was jarring when I test drove it as glancing to my left required me to then shift forward and look around the pillar to see what was coming. Its not worth basing a decision on, but its just weird.
The reliability factor is also abysmal - so much so that I was hesitant to even lease for 3 years (for fear the car would catch fire and the dealership would fold, leaving me nowhere to have my dilapidated car to get repaired). The car magazines are doing burn in reviews of cars and Giulias with ~30k miles are not fairing well at all (which is what you're thinking of getting into).
I ended up in a BMW M340 - which actually came in close to the non-Quadrifoglio Alfa Guilia was for lease payments, despite having an Turbo I6 and other M-Sport features that basically put it way ahead in performance. Its not a true M3, but I needed AWD and 382 hp is nothing to sneeze at.
The depreciation on an Alfa is also bad, even though they have discounts and slashed their Money Facor to keep it competitive (BMWs depreciation is 61%, Alfa's is 51% - that's massive). That doesn't impact you necessarily, but the things bleed equity.
You want a looker? Nab a Sportsback Audi A5 off lease. Audis are excessively boring to drive, but look great.
You want a driver? Buy a BMW M240/M235 off lease. This is the true heir to the old-school 3 series and is more fun to drive than a modern M3.
You want a headache? Go for the Giulia.
Thanks UAGiant. Great detail on the info about the Giulia. A pretty veneer is nice, but if the core of thing is crap, it just isn't worth it. I'm on the fence regarding what to get next. The WRX has been a fun car to drive, and it's exceptionally reliable. But I have to admit that I got spoiled rotten by my Infiniti G35x. As a result, I'm leaning towards getting another luxury driver. I want to get a good car that I can afford and will have for a while. So we'll see. Thanks for all of the advice.
I wouldn't say total crap - but its going to be a finicky car that you have to overlook a lot to fully enjoy. I was in an Audi then a BMW and sitting in the Giulia felt like I was stepping back from my much older A5 as far as fit and finish go and overall presentation inside.
There's no denying its one of the best looker in the segment, its just got oddities like the b pillar that are going to annoy you. I also think its already starting to age a bit, but I've seen them consistently for a couple years now.
Any other requirements for your next car? I'm getting out of a M240 and honestly loved it - I just need another set of doors for my current lifestyle.
I'll probably get to the Alfa Romeo in a couple of years.....
Private chopper is the way to go. Land on roofs and in the parking lots. Take it food shopping, to the park, or just on a weekend mountain flight.
Pretty effective marketing/approach if the general consensus is its on that scale of automobiles, though
You want a looker? Nab a Sportsback Audi A5 off lease. Audis are excessively boring to drive, but look great.
You want a driver? Buy a BMW M240/M235 off lease. This is the true heir to the old-school 3 series and is more fun to drive than a modern M3.
You want a headache? Go for the Giulia.
I don't think the Audis are boring to drive! I mean they aren't race cars but I think the A4 and A5 are a great mix of comfort and drive-ability. 250 HP in that frame is not too bad... I mean sure I'm coming from SUVs for the last 10 years but still... lol. And I have to say the S4 is pretty kick ass... though too costly for me. Still, I do need to also check out the BMW 330... but at the same cost it's roughly the same HP.
Quote:
You want a looker? Nab a Sportsback Audi A5 off lease. Audis are excessively boring to drive, but look great.
You want a driver? Buy a BMW M240/M235 off lease. This is the true heir to the old-school 3 series and is more fun to drive than a modern M3.
You want a headache? Go for the Giulia.
I don't think the Audis are boring to drive! I mean they aren't race cars but I think the A4 and A5 are a great mix of comfort and drive-ability. 250 HP in that frame is not too bad... I mean sure I'm coming from SUVs for the last 10 years but still... lol. And I have to say the S4 is pretty kick ass... though too costly for me. Still, I do need to also check out the BMW 330... but at the same cost it's roughly the same HP.
I shouldn't have been as overly negative - Audi seems more focused on luxury than excitement. If you pull up most reviews of the A4/A5 they will call out that the driving is "numb". Part of that is due to Quattro and the car being pretty well planted, but Audis just don't feel as engaging when you're trying to throw them around a bit. I don't know how to really describe it beyond it being light and detached - it feels more like you're playing a video game than driving a car sometimes. Albeit everyone is doing electric steering now, it just doesn't feel like it on the BMWs, Mercedes or even Caddies (and definitely not the Alfas).
I owned an A5 for several years and it was a gorgeous car, it was just a sleepwalk to drive it - and that's back when they packed them with a naturally aspirated V6 with more horses and less turbo lag. If Audi leased worth a damn, I may still be in one (work setup has made leasing advantageous for me so I go that route vs own).