[Top Down]

In Feb I will have owned my Giulia for 3 years, many people with cars on 3 year leases will be moving on to something else (hopefully another Giulia). Myself, I intend keeping my Giulia for many many years. So why am I doing this? Well I am of a certain age and with retirement will not be in a position in the future to change my car so often. Plus, if what we hear is correct, it could well be the last Alfa Romeo that is genuine Alfa Romeo, it is also a lasting legacy of Marchione. As I write this, I see no reason why I would want anything else.

So, the question I put to you, is do any others of you intend keeping your Giulia for a long time, and how long?

 

[metalgod23]

Good topic TD. Like you, as you know I am another one of those early 2.0 200hp adopters, before the Veloce came to the UK market, who joined the Giulia club coming from the 159 2.2 jts which I had for 9 years. I however am far away from joining that certain age and retirement being far far away, I do want to try a few other cars. I have never owned a BMW, Audi or a MB. With the PCP term coming to an end in 2 months I have been thinking what else and am struggling to find a suitable alternative. The early 200hp has been a great engine and being the same engine and turbo as the Veloce 280 it has been strong and punchy. The car has been great even though it has gone back for a few known warranty issues like the early ECU updates, failed turbo O ring, new battery etc. the main frustration being the delay with parts from Italy and the onus on myself to push for certain things under warranty.
While the 200hp engine is more than adequate, being a petrol head I am always hankering for more. A few mods with Seletron pedal booster, Remus axle back, BMC air filter, 19" teledials and the +5hp carbon spoiler (yes I am covered by insurance before some our expected fellow Alfistas jump in here), my car drives faster than a standard 280hp. As the time has come to pay off my PCP I am tempted by a Qf but can't justify buying it new at this point both in term of depreciation and the inability to use that extra 200hp on the roads that I drive and I am unsure of the early second hand ones with warranty about to expire. I would like to switch to a Veloce but the discounts and finance deals are not as great as last year plus it's not a step up in real terms compared to my version. Have casually looked at other makes and nothing seems to excite me in the price bracket I am looking except maybe the refreshed XE which now looks nice both from the front and back in the R dynamic guise along with a nice interior and a decent 4 cylinder petrol engine. I might test drive this and see how it compares to the Giulia. Ultimately though I can't see how I can convince myself to step into anything but another Giulia unless I find another car that can excite me the same way or close enough especially if the Giulia is the last genuine Alfa.

Top Gear magazine have posted a long term review of the 2.0 200hp. See the picture.

 

[Andy Bowden]

In Feb I will have owned my Giulia for 3 years, many people with cars on 3 year leases will be moving on to something else (hopefully another Giulia). Myself, I intend keeping my Giulia for many many years. So why am I doing this? Well I am of a certain age and with retirement will not be in a position in the future to change my car so often. Plus, if what we hear is correct, it could well be the last Alfa Romeo that is genuine Alfa Romeo, it is also a lasting legacy of Marchione. As I write this, I see no reason why I would want anything else.

So, the question I put to you, is do any others of you intend keeping your Giulia for a long time, and how long?

I kept my 156 GTA Selespeed for 13 years and 176,000miles. I got one 75 to 190,000 before it became uneconomic as a daily driver.

I'd like to keep my March 2017 Giulia Quadrifoglio for many years more. The limiting factor will be either the maintainability of such a complex car or, more likely, my age preventing me driving it as it should be driven.

Andy

 

[cue2]

I was thinking of keeping my Stelvio after the 3yr PCP ends but it looks like in a couple of years I might not be allowed to use it in various bits of London and maybe Kent as it’s a diesel.

 

[smarty156]

I'm hoping that I'll keep our March 2017 Quadrifoglio for many more fantastic years yet.
It's been fabulous and there's absolutely nothing else out there is want (well, possibly a Stelvio Quadrifoglio!).

 

[matty74]

After 9yrs in a 156 2.5 V6 S3 followed by 7yrs in a Brera SV 2.4 jdtm it was always my intention to keep the Giulia after the PCP finished, last week.

It’s a fantastic car, spec’d exactly how I wanted. I got a cracking discount plus a 0% PCP.

Despite a few issues and dealer concerns, I will be keeping it for as long as I possibly can.

For all I know, the Giulia might be the last great Alfa


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Macca993]

Looks like Ill be hanging out with Smarty and Andy for a while yet on this board

My Jan 2017 build QV has been with me since March 2017 and is one of the few cars Ive owned (and there have been many) that I still love today as much as the first day I got it. Ive driven a few other late model sedans since and none provide the driving dynamics with the staunch good looks and the low key "brand awarness" (i.e. not easily stereotyped driving this car) and relative exclusivity of the Guilia.

In my town of 30,000 permanent residents (its a holiday town) I still have the one and only Guilia QV (that Im aware of).

I have the Sparco seats and I have to say that the car feels miles more special to sit in and drive than anything else I have owned (includes a number of Porsches including current 991.2 GT3 manual).

Over 2.5 years of ownership I have had:

1). a check engine light (waste gate solinoid plug was loose - I identified through this board using my MES to get the code and pushed the plug back on firmly eleminating a trip to the dealer)
2). A leaky headlight washer pump/actuator - this became apparent shortly after delivery and was addressed by warranty after a few months when teh updated parts were available.
3). Noisey rear passenger side suspension which I never solved even after the dealer poking around for a day - but turned out it must have been stones caught under teh rear spring in the perch, one day it mysteriously dissapeared (stones must have finally worked loose or pulverised).

Otherwise its been solid and reliable for the 15,000 miles Ive driven it as a daily. The only things on teh list to be looked at next service would be software update (Id love the latest with the speedo in Race mode) and the headlights still get me flashes from other motorists at night even though they have been adjusted twice - I suspect maybe something is wrong here).

Yes there are a few small quirks that are a little annoying. The software for the connect system is slow. Later cars wont have this issue. The Corsa tyres wear fast and the grabby tight lock turning is a bit odd.

My single biggest issue is warranty. It expires in 6 months and cannot be extended in our market by FCA. Aftermarket policies only give limited coverage per claim (not enough to replace and engine or a gearbox which are the two big ticket items with this car IMO). I either have to move it on in the next year and be conservative or put my big boys pants on and just own it out of warranty. Im still not sure exactly what I will do but as there is nothing else on teh market I desire more I will most likely own it for at least 1 further year outside of warranty and at the end of that period reconsider my options...

 

[jwq]

After 13 years with my (new bought) 147 GTA, I plan to hang on to my giulia veloce with all the bells and whistles for a long time , love the car.
Just extended the warranty though to 7 years, as repairs could potentially get expensive, though I've not had any problems whatsoever so far, knock wood .....

 

[Jimbon1973]

Good topic TD. Like you, as you know I am another one of those early 2.0 200hp adopters, before the Veloce came to the UK market, who joined the Giulia club coming from the 159 2.2 jts which I had for 9 years. I however am far away from joining that certain age and retirement being far far away, I do want to try a few other cars. I have never owned a BMW, Audi or a MB. With the PCP term coming to an end in 2 months I have been thinking what else and am struggling to find a suitable alternative. The early 200hp has been a great engine and being the same engine and turbo as the Veloce 280 it has been strong and punchy. The car has been great even though it has gone back for a few known warranty issues like the early ECU updates, failed turbo O ring, new battery etc. the main frustration being the delay with parts from Italy and the onus on myself to push for certain things under warranty.
While the 200hp engine is more than adequate, being a petrol head I am always hankering for more. A few mods with Squadra sportiva tuning box, Seletron pedal booster, Remus axle back, BMC air filter, 19" teledials and the +5hp carbon spoiler (yes I am covered by insurance before some our expected fellow Alfistas jump in here), my car drives faster than a standard 280hp. As the time has come to pay off my PCP I am tempted by a Qf but can't justify buying it new at this point both in term of depreciation and the inability to use that extra 200hp on the roads that I drive and I am unsure of the early second hand ones with warranty about to expire. I would like to switch to a Veloce but the discounts and finance deals are not as great as last year plus it's not a step up in real terms compared to my modified version. Have casually looked at other makes and nothing seems to excite me in the price bracket I am looking except maybe the refreshed XE which now looks nice both from the front and back in the R dynamic guise along with a nice interior and a decent 4 cylinder petrol engine. I might test drive this and see how it compares to the Giulia. Ultimately though I can't see how I can convince myself to step into anything but another Giulia unless I find another car that can excite me the same way or close enough especially if the Giulia is the last genuine Alfa.

Top Gear magazine have posted a long term review of the 2.0 200hp. See the picture.

Metalgod- let me know please if you're thinking of reverting to stock exhaust or getting rid of any of the other upgrades when you trade in?

I've taken out a 4 year deal with my veloce and 18months ish into that now.
I'd like to get the step up QV- perhaps even the Stelvio, but will see how the piggy bank is looking then!
Its my 3rd Alfa saloon- 156/159/giulia that have done me for 14 years in total and about 150k (and have to say, by far and away the best).

 

[Hamfisti]

Mine's 3 years old on March 1st and like most of you guys, I will be seeking out another 2 or 3 year warranty and keeping mine for at least another 2 years. I have access to 2 other cars, so although the quad is my daily driver, I've managed to keep mileage down to 22k miles so far.

Like Macca, I've been lucky to have some great cars. I drove an M5 immediately before this and a 911 GTS before that. I always buy new and within 2 years of ownership, am looking around for what to get next. If I'm honest, despite being a massive petrol head, I was getting bored with cars - the M5 was a good car, but not something you can be passionate about - boringly perfect!

The Giulia is my first Alfa and my favourite car ever (with the possible exception of my first 'proper car' - a Peugeot 205 GTi in the late 80s) and I just can't think of a reason to replace it right now. There's certainly no point trading it for a new quad, but if they make the GTV..........

 

[cue2]

If FCA was running the product cycle properly, like the German equivalents, we’d all be faced with a choice of replacing our cars as there’d been a sufficient incremental improvement. Our current car would get us a good trade-in and there’d be enough people waiting to buy it secondhand that reflected the residuals. However, it doesn’t appear that the cars have been cleverly freshened, just as with the Giulietta. I paid it off at the end of the PCP and ran it longer, two cycles instead of one.

 

[metalgod23]

That is exactly the dilemma I am facing. Either trade it in for a different make altogether / sell privately or keep it for another year or two hoping for something worth changing from Alfa. I will most likely keep it another year while am looking.

 

[cue2]

The issue is that the day before it’s 6 years old a car is about to go from trade to wholesale or something. A guy from WBAC explained it to me when I’d just taken a token amount for our Multipla that we’d had for 8 years. You lose sometimes thousands and you’re out of the chain of having a decent equity for another new car. That’s what prompted me to change to a 2017 Giulietta after the 2011 one. Then came the Stelvio but that’s another story..

 

[Top Down]

I believe some of the 'need' to change up to the latest model is what I call the 'i phone effect'. Some people queue for hours to get the latest i Phone, they just have to have the latest version. This applies to cars as well and is fuelled by some brands (German) updating their model range as often as Apple bring out a new phone. Question is, do you need it? I believe the answer is no, but the marketing people and the car mags will tell you differently and the German brands spending so much on advertising, strangely with the car mags, trying to make you feel inferior because you are in the 'old' model. This situation has been made easier for these manufactures because of subsidised finance. How much you pay for your car is in effect what is the monthly rental, then change at the next model change but you never own the thing.

 

[cue2]

You don’t need it but if you get a company leased car , which I don’t, the constant freshening means you just go for another unless you’ve been hassled at all. It also means the manufacturer gets more press coverage and more time spent befriending the media more regularly. That helps when the journalist sits down to write about their “mates” new introduction. You may even end up giving them a job in your team (VW).

 

[Macca993]

I believe some of the 'need' to change up to the latest model is what I call the 'i phone effect'. Some people queue for hours to get the latest i Phone, they just have to have the latest version. This applies to cars as well and is fuelled by some brands (German) updating their model range as often as Apple bring out a new phone. Question is, do you need it? I believe the answer is no, but the marketing people and the car mags will tell you differently and the German brands spending so much on advertising, strangely with the car mags, trying to make you feel inferior because you are in the 'old' model. This situation has been made easier for these manufactures because of subsidised finance. How much you pay for your car is in effect what is the monthly rental, then change at the next model change but you never own the thing.

In a way that is the relief of owning the Giulia QV since early 2017. Alfa have done a few running upgrades to the infotainment, and are about to do so again shortly with some of the switchgear (and adding touch screen) but other than those small (and in some case retrogresive moves IMO) there has been no major Giulia "facelifts" that have tempted me to part with my money and it doesnt look likely that will be the case for another 2-3 years or possible ever if theres any truth in some of the FCA PSA merger rumours. The usual thing that creates a trigger for one to upgrade with the german brands is enhanced performance, styling and tech. An infotainment upgrade and some switchgear would never be enough. Given the QV and Giulia in general was so far ahead of everythig else in the packaging and performance stakes at the time it really doesnt seem a hardship to keep the hard earned in our pockets for the next few years - its not like we feel we are missing out on something - FCA through there lethagy have actually done us a favour!

 

[Andy Bowden]

In a way that is the relief of owning the Giulia QV since early 2017. Alfa have done a few running upgrades to the infotainment, and are about to do so again shortly with some of the switchgear (and adding touch screen) but other than those small (and in some case retrogresive moves IMO) there has been no major Giulia "facelifts" that have tempted me to part with my money and it doesnt look likely that will be the case for another 2-3 years or possible ever if theres any truth in some of the FCA PSA merger rumours. The usual thing that creates a trigger for one to upgrade with the german brands is enhanced performance, styling and tech. An infotainment upgrade and some switchgear would never be enough. Given the QV and Giulia in general was so far ahead of everythig else in the packaging and performance stakes at the time it really doesnt seem a hardship to keep the hard earned in our pockets for the next few years - its not like we feel we are missing out on something - FCA through there lethagy have actually done us a favour!

If AR hadn't reverted to rear wheel drive and, in the Giulia Quadrifoglio, brought out a better car than the 156 GTA which I bought in 2004, I would quite happily still be driving the GTA, now 15 years old.

I find it difficult to envisage replacing the Quadrifoglio any time in the next 10 years so long as it remains in good order. By then, I'll be 80 and be looking to drive something more suited to my advanced years.

Andy

 

[andypj]

Ok so I'm new to the party here, buying in at the 3 year old point and does it feel like a car to keep? Well yes, 2 months and 4500 miles in it feels absolutely solid like the 159 but light & nimble like the 156. It is just so different to everything I've had before or tried, including the other premium brands. Yes there have been issues to deal with, there always are when buying used, but they are solvable. I do however get the feeling I may get forced out of it in the way Cue describes but it may take a bit longer driving in the countryside or possibly shorter seeing as I draw up to the black pump. Thing is I can't think of anything I'd rather drive

 

[cue2]

Mine has a guaranteed value of £21k or so at 3 years. If diesel gets seriously restricted in use it may be worth less than that and I’d have to walk away. And as I’m way below the agreed mileage which would be a nice position to be if paying off the £21k. Its done 4750 miles since mid December when I collected it new and it would have been nice to think I could run it for a couple more years and keep it.

 

[metalgod23]

I don't feel the need to change except that I would more comfortable seats after a back injury and these standard non electric seats don't suit my back at present. The driving position is a bit unnatural compared to all my previous cars. So apart from seats and some creature comforts like heated seats and heated steering, and perhaps the V6 engine, I don't really need to upgrade. I have had the same phone for the last 3 years For me it's all about the driving experience, looks and engine +power.