Well, what are you getting next?

 

Sorry to see you go and I have enjoyed your comments and contributions on here. As per GottWhat's questions - What's next for you?

 

Good luck. Yeah whats next?

 

Best wishes man. Hope you had a great last drive in her. When you move on to your electric mustang or whatever, you will want to remember her like that, not the parking sensor blarring as she sits in your garage in park...

Safe travels!!!

 

Haven’t had our ‘17 since 2019 when it was totaled. Still come back here. Appreciate this forum as I’m treated with respect here....

Don’t have to be a stranger.

 

Good luck, and don't be a stranger.

 

Alfa has always been a beast of burden. Believe me 42 years and counting. Alfa’s will always be a niche market imo. These newer FCA Alfa’s are no different and given the electronics: beyond quirkiness; It’s an excellent driving experience as always but beyond that...., mixed bag. The cost for parts and support is tantamount to extortion. Dealers are soulless entities merely trying to survive yet half heartedly trying to “ honor“ the badge. Warranty and CSI are diametrically opposed.
FCA vs Alfa......who runs the show anyways?? You buy Alfa because you love the Alfa mystic..otherwise go down the line and pick and choose ur manufacturer. German vs Japanese vs/or god forbid American. Lol
Thank heaven to Ebay and the salvage yards. For those of us in the auto repair business, Alfa is doable; connections with knowledgeable techs, parts, internet. ...(buyer beware 🥴🥴🤔) and general know how..it’s not so bad. For the average American consumer??? Not!!!
Alfa would and could never deliver the crazy standards of the US market
( based on them leaving the US market prior) and honestly would never seek to appease but instead merely give an alternative to the American car buying market. I kinda like it.....not everyone is capable of owning an ALFA. LOL

 

FCA vs Alfa......who runs the show anyways??

Haven't you heard? Stellantis.

 

Sorry to see you go. We all will eventually one way or another. I plan on keeping my QV for another 6 years and then revisit the subject. The family car is already a plug-in hybrid so maybe in 6 years I'll fully go electric. Who knows.

 

Software support for the ’17’s and early ‘18’s has now almost completely stopped, and the repeated unfulfilled promises on ACP and AA were a bitter pill. The navigation map fiasco , still continuing, was just a minor example of FCA’s failure to respect owners expenditures for a navigation system that was near useless.

The vehicle is itself is an absolute joy to drive, but the intrusive traction control and stability programs on the 2.0 kill some of the fun. Turbo lag is something you become accustomed to, but is clearly excessive versus competitive vehicles. The Giulia eats tires like candy, no matter how you police alignment and wear. The low front end is a self own waiting to happen, poorly designed for modern driving.

It's always a sad day when someone leaves an enthusiast forum like this & from reading posts from you & other long-time members, I feel I've learned a lot with your experiences with the Giulia. At the same time, it makes me nervous to purchase as well, even though it seems a lot of the issues you encountered have been fixed in the 2020+ model refresh. You cite a number of issues, which looks like there are solutions with the aftermarket vendors:

Turbo lag - would a tune from Squadra, Biesse, EC or other vendors minimize this?

Traction control/stability control - race mode kit? Race mode Kit for Adaptive Suspension

Alignment/eats tires - looks like Ideal Race has a front/rear solution Our Products (towards bottom of page)


Good luck with whatever vehicle you replace it with

 

It's always a sad day when someone leaves an enthusiast forum like this & from reading posts from you & other long-time members, I feel I've learned a lot with your experiences with the Giulia. At the same time, it makes me nervous to purchase as well, even though it seems a lot of the issues you encountered have been fixed in the 2020+ model refresh. You cite a number of issues, which looks like there are solutions with the aftermarket vendors:

Turbo lag - would a tune from Squadra, Biesse, EC or other vendors minimize this?

Traction control/stability control - race mode kit? Race mode Kit for Adaptive Suspension

Alignment/eats tires - looks like Ideal Race has a front/rear solution Our Products (towards bottom of page)


Good luck with whatever vehicle you replace it with

I certainly agree the later models have much improved functionality and reliability, especially the ‘19’s. The ‘20’s seem pretty solid too, so hopefully the learning curve has been conquered. There are a number of solutions to the issues, but they are issues to matters that FCA should have addressed themselves...especially the ACP/AA and navigation issues.

The tire issues are not solvable, per see. The suspension setup of the Giulia is harsh on the tires by nature, and corrections generally reduce handling and grip.

All that being said, a Giulia is a quite good second vehicle, but has some compromises as an everyday driver. If you can stand the shitty dealer network (and, in some cases, behavior) and afford a performance import maintenance schedule, the Giulia is a cracking deal. If I wasn’t retiring and needing to make some changes, I would certainly have considered a new Giulia. As it is, I’m going back to a vehicle that I was quite surprised by just how much I enjoyed it, an Accord Hybrid. It’s a totally different driving experience and style, but one which will fit better with my strictly as needed use. The shutdown has shown me that the Giulia doesn’t like sitting, and driving it only occasionally simply increases my right-footed anti-social behavior.

 

Yeah Stellantis is the new thing. You know, FCA suffered a significant loss when Sergio died. Sure "The Sweater" may have had his quirks, but what he managed to accomplish with the team that built the Giulia/Stelvio pair on the Giorgio chassis was something else. I am really happy I got a mid year 2018. Late enough to avoid the electronic quirks but early enough to avoid the OBD gateway. Sure I had to do something about the 4x4 springs but it gave me a great project and I am really glad I did it. It was exactly what I wanted in many ways. Quadrifoglio performance, size, and heritage. I was looking for a Mazdaspeed 6 but those were gone. Alfa was a great step up. I really lucked out. The lightweight, "Superleggera" philosophy makes the Quad what it is. I love it more every day. I hope you find something better for your needs. We are lucky up here with a few reliable dealers in the New England area. I had my challenges but found the right shop.

 

Don't wake up with a hangover

Hope to see you around the block. Good luck in the meantime.

 

Sorry to see you go man. Reading what you've been through compared to my 2017, which has been and is an absolute jewel of a car, I can only wonder what your decision would be if you'd had my experience instead. I still have 4 1/2 years left on my 8 year warranty, so I'm going to wait until then to make my decision on what to do. I can't imagine driving anything else right now, but I'll have to wait and see what becomes available by then. Alfa had such an incredible opportunity to really get established, but they've just let the brand sit there without doing hardly anything. I truly hope the new guy in charge can make the kind of differences that are necessary to make the brand revive and flourish, but we'll just have to wait and see.

As others have said, don't be a stranger. Once an Alfisti, always an Alfisti; at least in spirit if nothing else.

 

I will be returning for the same reasons. The car is an unbelievable bargain for what it is, but the running costs are substantial, and as you said, it doesn't like to sit unused. Our car has eaten 2.5 sets of tires in 28K miles and a full set of pads. She also burns a fair amount of fuel even when not driven in anger, and our lifetime mpg is around 21 mpg in mixed driving. Before our Tesla was totaled by a Karen running a red, it cost us 25 bucks a month to run, and we never had to wait for the engine to warm up to give it the beans.

Some of the little rough spots have also become pretty grating. My Android Auto has gone from crashing occasionally to only working occasionally and is not phone dependent. Really maddening to have to now troubleshoot it every time I get in. The parking sensors blaring in Park, start / stop BS, and inability to disable easy entry just add to the frustration.

As you said, unbeatable second vehicle. Probably the best sport seats I've ever experienced and some of the best paint you get under 6 figures.

 

I will be returning for the same reasons. The car is an unbelievable bargain for what it is, but the running costs are substantial, and as you said, it doesn't like to sit unused. Our car has eaten 2.5 sets of tires in 28K miles and a full set of pads. She also burns a fair amount of fuel even when not driven in anger, and our lifetime mpg is around 21 mpg in mixed driving. Before our Tesla was totaled by a Karen running a red, it cost us 25 bucks a month to run, and we never had to wait for the engine to warm up to give it the beans.

Some of the little rough spots have also become pretty grating. My Android Auto has gone from crashing occasionally to only working occasionally and is not phone dependent. Really maddening to have to now troubleshoot it every time I get in. The parking sensors blaring in Park, start / stop BS, and inability to disable easy entry just add to the frustration.

As you said, unbeatable second vehicle. Probably the best sport seats I've ever experienced and some of the best paint you get under 6 figures.

There is something odd about Android Auto, it is problematic on my 2020 Mercedes as well. And wouldn't work in my Son's 2020 Kia.

 

Both my Giulias have been daily drivers.
I see the car’s mission as providing driving pleasure every day, injecting enjoyment into what otherwise would be dull moments.

 

Hello all. Just reading your posts and love your loyalty. I'm just about to order a 2021 Guilia QV as the drive and looks are so much more satisfying than the new M3. It's a real driver's car. I can't help but read about issues and I need reliability as this is my everyday driver. I've had three SRTs from FCA and two were lemons and lived in the shop yet the current 2015 has been virtually flawless. Please tell me there are plenty of you out there who haven't had nagging issues. I really want an Alfa! Thanks for reading and listening.

 

You have proven you are wiser, gutsier, and a stellantis human being. Enjoy!

...

 

Cheers. Super helpful.

 

Thanks guys!

 

What did he decide to purchase?

 

An Accord Hybrid (Post #12)

 

A car!

 

As your doctor if Stellantis is right for you.

 

there's a whole devoted YouTube section on the new Honda hybrids and how they are god's gift to mankind.

 

I wouldn’t go that far, but they are pretty decent cars for sure. Don’t be caught saying anything negative about them on the CRV owners forum though, those people are over the top fan boys — go figure.

 

Right on. But did you buy that CRV for the zoom zoom?

I feel like some vehicles brands have pushed so much new tech successfully in the last 5-7 years, as a market, if you are not updating your content (in this case the vehicles bells and whistles) every year, your management is basically stupid and doesn't deserve the job, bonus, anything.

 

@AlfaCrisis got an Accord, I got the CRV, so I was just commenting to him I like the hybrid technology In the Hondas.

The infotainment tech in the CRV is actually inferior vs my 2021 Alfa, but I believe the Accord has a totally different system.

 

15 days to go and somebody damaged my front bumper, probably while backing out Oh well. Life will go on.

 

That is a bummer. How bad is it (got pics)?

 

Best of luck with the new Accord.

I will be following on your heels -- my Vulcano 2018 Q2, sport everything, stagger, no driver assists -- gets turned in next week (4/22). I paid the last two months of my lease early just to get rid of it. Driving Alfas since 1967, but this will be my first and last automatic.

Can't fit into a Miata any more (just replaced the right knee), so I picked up a black 2021 VW GTI Autobahn, manual, to go with my wife's Kite Blue Mini Roadster S. Having an absolute ball with it. The Borla catback goes on tomorrow morning.

Enjoy your cars, guys, as much as you can!

 

Best of luck with the new Accord.

so I picked up a black 2021 VW GTI Autobahn, manual

Some of the best bang for your buck around but if you throw a tune on it plan for a new clutch!

 

I’ve had my 2018 Ti Sport for almost 3 years now and have about 28,000 miles on it. Not a single issue with it. Lease end is coming up in October and still not sure if I’m going to keep it. I really want to. But the last thing I want is to pay for repairs out of warranty. The car has needed one repair, which I do not consider an “issue”. I hit a pothole so hard in the rain one night that it felt like I totaled the car. The only damage was it broke the headlight adjuster on the drivers side headlight. The headlight was $2,000. My service writer wrote it up as a broken adjuster and it was warrantied.

But I would be distraught if I had to pay repair costs like that out of pocket. So, we’ll see...

 

I’ve had my 2018 Ti Sport for almost 3 years now and have about 28,000 miles on it. Not a single issue with it. Lease end is coming up in October and still not sure if I’m going to keep it. I really want to. But the last thing I want is to pay for repairs out of warranty. The car has needed one repair, which I do not consider an “issue”. I hit a pothole so hard in the rain one night that it felt like I totaled the car. The only damage was it broke the headlight adjuster on the drivers side headlight. The headlight was $2,000. My service writer wrote it up as a broken adjuster and it was warrantied.

But I would be distraught if I had to pay repair costs like that out of pocket. So, we’ll see...

You should price an extended warranty, an extra 4 years, 60k total mileage, with $100 deductible was <$1K for me. But I bought it very early in the car‘s life.