What led to you owning an Alfa Romeo and what has surprised you?
101 - 120 of 138 Posts
Beautifully smooth drive; passengers often can’t believe the speed we’re at.
And absolutely, that love doesn’t seem to escape many Giulia drivers. Something keeps us in.
Joined
·
488 Posts
To answer the actual question . . . I arrived at the Giulia as most others seemed to have arrived at it. I was looking for a fun-to-drive compact sports sedan that I didn't see all the time. I had owned both a Kia Stinger and an Audi S6 in the recent past, and while both were great cars in their own right, they're really Autobahn cruisers and a bit too big to be fun in the curves. The new G20 3-series is much improved over the previous F30, but around here it seems like three of them would drive by in the time it takes me to blink. The same could be said about the Audi A4, although to a slightly lesser degree. So I went with the Giulia.I actually never test drove my Giulia. In fact - until I drove it off the lot after signing the paperwork, I'd never driven a Giulia at all.
Also, from a "historical" perspective, prior to getting the Giulia I'd owned cars from Sweden, Germany, Britain, Japan, and Korea, but I'd never owned an Italian car. So that was also a consideration for me.
Interestingly, not much has surprised me about this car. While I didn't test drive one before leasing mine, I did do extensive reading on the car, and the number of Giulia YouTube videos I watched is astounding, so I pretty much knew what I was getting myself into. The main thing I'm surprised with is how satisfied I am with it. The Giulia is my fifth car in the past 1.5 years. After trading in my 987.2 Cayman I just couldn't find something that I felt fit my personality and had a soul. The Giulia does both and more. Relatedly, I'm also somewhat surprised at how satisfied I am with having the 2.0T engine. While I'd love a slightly more powerful version (330-350hp), I can't imagine needing the 500+hp of the QV.
All of this said, I may end up switching over to a Stelvio when my lease on the Giulia is up. While I absolutely love the Giulia, it does leave me a bit wanting in the space department. I have a number of hobbies, and it's hard for me to fit my gear for all of them in the trunk of the Giulia at once. As it is, my relatively small carry golf bag barely fits by itself. If Alfa ever made a Giulia wagon available in the US I'd buy one in a heartbeat, but unfortunately the Stelvio is all there is. Right now I'm blessed to have an awesome old BMW E61 530xi that can carry my mountain biking and camping gear, so on days when I plan on doing either or both of those, I can take it. But it'd be nice if I had a single car to do it all.
Love this one, first time someone in the thread mentions it; I've been a bit more boring in my garage...it's been 90% domestic-US (i.e., Chevrolet, Pontiac, Jeep, etc.) with the occasional interest in Tesla v. Audi (the 10%). The pathway to the Giulia was basically Tesla (much more my wife pushing than honest interest) v. Audi v. Alfa Romeo and I went Italian...no regrets.
Agreed here as well, I was looking at some lower and higher price points for Audi and Tesla, without necessarily thinking I could afford an Alfa Romeo. Was shocked when I actually did the homework and realized there were some solid dealership deals around that made it more than feasible.
Joined
·
39 Posts
My first car was a 1978 Saab 99L and that began my love affair with quirky European cars. I subsequently owned a 900S, 9000 Aero, 9-5 Aero, and (2) Sonetts. My first true sports car was a Lotus Elise which I traded in for a 2012 BRZ Limited so I could have only one car and it would be an everyday driver. Along came grandkids and a bunch of safety features that weren't available in '12. An Alfa dealership opened up a mile away and they let me take one home for the weekend. All the safety features, all-wheel drive, four seats and more space for my hockey equipment were important, but the driving experience was what sealed the deal for me. It has been a dream car and I do like the fact that not everyone has one. BTW, I will be in Italy again next year and does anyone know if they have started giving tours of the Cassino assembly facility?
Turns out the Lion King’s circle of life also applies to automobiles. I learned to drive in 1969 on my dad’s 1965 Giulia Sprint GT. My first car was a Giulia Super 1300. So fast forward 60 years and my last car is now my 2018 Giulia Ti Sport. So for me, Alfa is in my DNA. The biggest and best surprise with the Ti Sport is all the things available for customization today. I have two pages of add-ons and I have yet to touch the mechanicals. The other thing which came as no surprise to me is the top notch quality and reliability. No problems at all. I have a great Alfa dealer here in Pensacola which makes all the difference in the world. Get to know your dealer and work together as a team.
Why did I buy it? Because it is soooo beautiful, inside and out, and so exciting to drive. After four years, I still look forward to the smallest errand so I have an excuse to drive it. And I still go out and just gaze at it; pathetic, eh? Biggest surprise? That the motoring press doesn't rave about them, and that they don't sell better.
I have admired Alfa since my dad had a 164 V6 when I was in my early 20s- a special demonstrator model with an utterly beautiful interior in shades of pale and dark grey suede and leather. The first car I bought for myself was a V6 75, and I have driven nothing but Alfas ever since - a string of used V6 models (164, 166, 159 x 2), all long-term. No trouble with any of them - reliable, beautiful and great to drive.
I test drove the Giulia and was immediately smitten - a different world from the 159 I had a the time. I didn't really have the money but an elderly neighbour, in his 80s with a fine BMW, insisted that I should get it while I was still young enough (59) to enjoy driving it hard. And since all the family loved it, I ordered a new grey Veloce with tan leather, only the second new car I have had in my life. We then, unexpectedly, emigrated to Australia and I brought it out here to Brisbane, where it is extremely rare - I have only ever seen a couple of others.
It attracts warm and friendly comment, not boy-racer competitiveness. My favourite quote came from a guy in a beautiful, expensive-looking BMW who wound down his window and said 'That really is the most beautiful car - just breath-taking'. And a friend who runs Astons drove it and said 'Blimey, that's quick'.
I agree with earlier comments that Alfa should just persuade people to test-drive them, and they will be hooked. I don't understand why they aren't much more popular (but I do enjoy the exclusivity!)
I have admired Alfa since my dad had a 164 V6 when I was in my early 20s- a special demonstrator model with an utterly beautiful interior in shades of pale and dark grey suede and leather. The first car I bought for myself was a V6 75, and I have driven nothing but Alfas ever since - a string of used V6 models (164, 166, 159 x 2), all long-term. No trouble with any of them - reliable, beautiful and great to drive.
I test drove the Giulia and was immediately smitten - a different world from the 159 I had a the time. I didn't really have the money but an elderly neighbour, in his 80s with a fine BMW, insisted that I should get it while I was still young enough (59) to enjoy driving it hard. And since all the family loved it, I ordered a new grey Veloce with tan leather, only the second new car I have had in my life. We then, unexpectedly, emigrated to Australia and I brought it out here to Brisbane, where it is extremely rare - I have only ever seen a couple of others.
It attracts warm and friendly comment, not boy-racer competitiveness. My favourite quote came from a guy in a beautiful, expensive-looking BMW who wound down his window and said 'That really is the most beautiful car - just breath-taking'. And a friend who runs Astons drove it and said 'Blimey, that's quick'.
I agree with earlier comments that Alfa should just persuade people to test-drive them, and they will be hooked. I don't understand why they aren't much more popular (but I do enjoy the exclusivity!)
I'll happily be first in line for that descriptor! Every time! Haha
It's a fun conundrum, we love the exclusivity but it's hard to make sense of the fact they're actually exclusive. Alfa marketing seems to be the simplest answer.
Which I'm fine with, it's not necessarily designed for the populus; therefore should not be marketed as such. But there's no doubt that their competitors within the sedan class (BMW, AUDI, etc.) absolutely do not live by the same rule.
My dad was a hot Rodder...he had a 65 Impala and later a 64 Falcon Sprint 2dr. But in the late 70s here in the states cars got bloated and slow...and these new Japanese cars came in were sleek and hi revving...so I became a huge JDM fan. You all know alfa's reputation here in the States, but that didn't stop me from wanting a Spider/Graduate...
I had started hearing rumors that alfa was returning to the US in a big way but largely ignored the signs until the QV was announced in 2015 and I got to see it. At that point, I knew I had to have one. Around 2017, I lived in an Apt and to get to my garage, I had to go in an alleyway behind a church, various houses and other apt buildings and someone back there owned a White Giulia Lusso. So every day when I came home I'd see it. I told my wife I was going to get one and she said she didn't like it. I had bought my Lancer GTS in 2009 and while it still looked and drove like new, it was getting long in the tooth...but I could never seem to part with it. Then last year, 2021, I was rear ended and the Lancer was totaled. Ins gave me way more than I thought I would get for her and so I joined here and for months read as much as I could about the Giulia and potential issues....then I bought a 2017 Giulia Ti Sport Q2.
I had started hearing rumors that alfa was returning to the US in a big way but largely ignored the signs until the QV was announced in 2015 and I got to see it. At that point, I knew I had to have one. Around 2017, I lived in an Apt and to get to my garage, I had to go in an alleyway behind a church, various houses and other apt buildings and someone back there owned a White Giulia Lusso. So every day when I came home I'd see it. I told my wife I was going to get one and she said she didn't like it. I had bought my Lancer GTS in 2009 and while it still looked and drove like new, it was getting long in the tooth...but I could never seem to part with it. Then last year, 2021, I was rear ended and the Lancer was totaled. Ins gave me way more than I thought I would get for her and so I joined here and for months read as much as I could about the Giulia and potential issues....then I bought a 2017 Giulia Ti Sport Q2.
Alfa Romeo was not on my radar at all until Jeremy Clarkson's Grand Tour review of the QV. I thought wow, that is one good looking car that makes one great noise. I was in college at the time, and I remember several times I'd be driving around in my WRX with my younger brother and we'd see a Giulia and get excited trying to figure out if it was a "Quadroformagio".
Fast forward to 2021, graduated and working as an engineer. I start shopping for a replacement for the WRX as a 130,000 mile turbo Subaru motor is a ticking time bomb. I found a super sweet 996 911 Turbo at a dealer in Atlanta and fell in love.
![Wheel Tire Vehicle Car Vehicle registration plate]()
I started working on financing and scheduled a test drive for the upcoming weekend. The day before, the dealer sold it out from under me. Since we were already planning on going down, I whipped up a list of other things I was interested in test driving. While compiling the list I thought "Oh man, I'd never own one [something something Alfa reliability] but it would be cool to go test drive a Quadrifoglio while I have financing in hand." Headed down there, test drove a Model Y performance, Lexus RCF, Civic Type R, C6 Z06 Hennessey heads cam intake package, QV, then GT350. After driving the QV, I messaged my car buddies groupchat, "F*** boys, Quad is the one." It was everything Jeremy Clarkson had extolled and more. My favorite moment was when I found race mode, it got loud (and a lot more fun) and a couple minutes later the sales guy from the back seat went "Did you turn traction control off?!" and I just told him "I don't know, I just hit buttons until it got louder!"
I spent a week trying to convince myself not to do it. The maintenance, the reliability, etc. When my wife told me that the QV put the biggest smile on my face by far, that sealed it for me. Found the spec I wanted, flew to West Palm Beach, drove it back through the night, and went to work at 7AM. Don't regret it one bit, though I do think I would have been happy with the CTR or the Z06 too.
Fast forward to 2021, graduated and working as an engineer. I start shopping for a replacement for the WRX as a 130,000 mile turbo Subaru motor is a ticking time bomb. I found a super sweet 996 911 Turbo at a dealer in Atlanta and fell in love.
I started working on financing and scheduled a test drive for the upcoming weekend. The day before, the dealer sold it out from under me. Since we were already planning on going down, I whipped up a list of other things I was interested in test driving. While compiling the list I thought "Oh man, I'd never own one [something something Alfa reliability] but it would be cool to go test drive a Quadrifoglio while I have financing in hand." Headed down there, test drove a Model Y performance, Lexus RCF, Civic Type R, C6 Z06 Hennessey heads cam intake package, QV, then GT350. After driving the QV, I messaged my car buddies groupchat, "F*** boys, Quad is the one." It was everything Jeremy Clarkson had extolled and more. My favorite moment was when I found race mode, it got loud (and a lot more fun) and a couple minutes later the sales guy from the back seat went "Did you turn traction control off?!" and I just told him "I don't know, I just hit buttons until it got louder!"
I spent a week trying to convince myself not to do it. The maintenance, the reliability, etc. When my wife told me that the QV put the biggest smile on my face by far, that sealed it for me. Found the spec I wanted, flew to West Palm Beach, drove it back through the night, and went to work at 7AM. Don't regret it one bit, though I do think I would have been happy with the CTR or the Z06 too.
Early 20s and a qv? very nice!Alfa Romeo was not on my radar at all until Jeremy Clarkson's Grand Tour review of the QV. I thought wow, that is one good looking car that makes one great noise. I was in college at the time, and I remember several times I'd be driving around in my WRX with my younger brother and we'd see a Giulia and get excited trying to figure out if it was a "Quadroformagio".
Fast forward to 2021, graduated and working as an engineer. I start shopping for a replacement for the WRX as a 130,000 mile turbo Subaru motor is a ticking time bomb. I found a super sweet 996 911 Turbo at a dealer in Atlanta and fell in love.
View attachment 130930
I started working on financing and scheduled a test drive for the upcoming weekend. The day before, the dealer sold it out from under me. Since we were already planning on going down, I whipped up a list of other things I was interested in test driving. While compiling the list I thought "Oh man, I'd never own one [something something Alfa reliability] but it would be cool to go test drive a Quadrifoglio while I have financing in hand." Headed down there, test drove a Model Y performance, Lexus RCF, Civic Type R, C6 Z06 Hennessey heads cam intake package, QV, then GT350. After driving the QV, I messaged my car buddies groupchat, "F*** boys, Quad is the one." It was everything Jeremy Clarkson had extolled and more. My favorite moment was when I found race mode, it got loud (and a lot more fun) and a couple minutes later the sales guy from the back seat went "Did you turn traction control off?!" and I just told him "I don't know, I just hit buttons until it got louder!"
I spent a week trying to convince myself not to do it. The maintenance, the reliability, etc. When my wife told me that the QV put the biggest smile on my face by far, that sealed it for me. Found the spec I wanted, flew to West Palm Beach, drove it back through the night, and went to work at 7AM. Don't regret it one bit, though I do think I would have been happy with the CTR or the Z06 too.
Early 20s and a wife? As someone who basically did the same thing, I'm so sorry 🤣
Mid 20s, thank you very much!
Joined
·
30 Posts
101 - 120 of 138 Posts
