Alfa Romeo Giulia | Page 70 | FerrariChat

Alfa Romeo Giulia

Discussion in 'Other Italian' started by TheMayor, Nov 19, 2015.

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  1. stardoc

    stardoc Formula Junior

    May 5, 2005
    668
    The big oven
    Full Name:
    K RA
    I think the unreliability rap these cars get is more myth than true. Go on the giulia forums and you won't see too many rants about reliability with the '18s or '19s. I've owned the QF for 18 months and truly had zero issues.
     
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  2. greg328

    greg328 F1 Rookie

    Nov 17, 2003
    4,178
    Austin, TX USA
    Full Name:
    Greg
    I purchased a pre-owned 2018 Ti Sport Performance about two weeks ago, with about 4,400 miles on it. So far so good but it’s early days. There are two small issues with sunroof sealing and rear AC flow but car is under warranty and I’ll get it in ASAP. This is only the 4cyl. It but the car pulls strongly and smoothly from 0 revs. Steering is super quick, and the 3 driving modes (DNA) really are different and useful. Another nice thing, this thing gets great mileage, better than my previous Fiat 500 Abarth . I would average about 27mpg/tank in the Fiat, but so far I’m getting 30/31mpg in the Giulia.


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  3. fastback33

    fastback33 Formula 3

    Mar 8, 2004
    1,851
    I wish they had made this car as a wagon. We need to move up from the abarth as the family grows and a wagon makes the most sense. These things also look damn good going down the road and I could forego having a manual for the paddle shift gearbox.
     
  4. greg328

    greg328 F1 Rookie

    Nov 17, 2003
    4,178
    Austin, TX USA
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    Greg
  5. fastback33

    fastback33 Formula 3

    Mar 8, 2004
    1,851
    Thought about it. I hate SUVs with a passion but I'm probably going to test drive one when the time comes.
     
  6. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Feb 11, 2008
    98,533
    Vegas baby
    I'd like a 2 door coupe.
     
  7. G. Pepper

    G. Pepper Three Time F1 World Champ
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  8. Patek

    Patek Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2006
    1,904
    Georgia
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    John Milton Denton
    I just traded mine for an AMG. The Quad Giulia stayed in the shop for 21 days for a oil change and new Fan. Seems that new fan you have to take off the front fender. Then you have to reset the adaptive cruise control, which Alfa dealers have to get from ALFA. No dealership owns this tool, that took almost a week. Then the Radiator started to pour on the pavement 48 hours later and had to be on a flatbed back to the dealer that was 2 1/2 Hours away. And of course it was in need of a new radiator.... and this meant the front fender had to come off again, and another 7 days to wait for this tool to reset the cruise control. Then I realized that soon , if Alfa leaves the US there will be no support ,and nobody will be able to fix it. I mean this tool was a big deal that dealer for some reason don't own. I loved the car, man I loved the sound and the handling was wicked sweet. But it is gone and I only lost $23,000 in 8 months on it. Very impressive in many ways. I paid $$75,000 trade in was $53,000 with 5100 miles. So........... buy one.... cheap.... but don't think they are a easy fix. Sorry about all this. Really sad.
     
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  9. stardoc

    stardoc Formula Junior

    May 5, 2005
    668
    The big oven
    Full Name:
    K RA
    just curios, was your QV a '17 or '18?
     
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  10. Foncool

    Foncool Formula Junior

    Oct 27, 2011
    301
    And there exposes the problem for Alfa and Maserati. They expanded their availability via the Chrysler dealer network, not exactly a group that is known for its customer service and commitment to the product.
     
  11. F1tommy

    F1tommy F1 World Champ
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    Dec 15, 2007
    10,254
    Chicagoland USA
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    Tom Tanner
    If you have a good dealer a lot of this would not be an issue. Same went for before back in the 1990's. I had several 164's(five) and they were very reliable. Was able to pick them up cheap second hand because the magazines and people who never owned one bashed them. Until the last one hit 25 years old and the wiring and fuel lines started going bad they were predictable and never stranded me. All of them left my hands with over 160,000 miles on them and still running with their original un rebuilt motors (although I had valve jobs on 2 early cars), not the sign of a unreliable car.
     
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  12. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Oct 17, 2001
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    There are 2 issues. I dont think there are a lot of good dealers in the Alfa network as you know from our conversations. One even closed already. The other one almost folded as well. That is very scary. Both are/were in wealthy areas.

    Second issue is that these cars now have much more tech than the old Alfas we like which could be fixed by a good mechanic.

    This article and the experience shared above have seriously cooled me off about buying a QV. Do they even certify them?
     
  13. Patek

    Patek Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2006
    1,904
    Georgia
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    John Milton Denton
    I had the 2018. Misano Blue, exhaust bypass controller. It was fun. You can see it for sale at the mercedes dealer, I think it will be a wicked slow sale for them. I doubt they can get $58,000... I hate that but, the car and driver article will not help.
     
  14. Monch

    Monch Karting
    Silver Subscribed

    Aug 29, 2012
    86
    Very sad to read the article.
    I’ve had my 2017 QF for slightly over 2 years and 12,000 miles (admittedly not many miles) and it has been a joy. No issues at all. Two visits to the dealer for annual service and that’s it. No warning lights, leaks or gremlins (knock on wood).


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  15. F1tommy

    F1tommy F1 World Champ
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    Dec 15, 2007
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    Tom Tanner
    All true, and what made me a little upset is when FIAT decided to make all the Ferrari dealers separate from their Maserati/Alfa dealers. Although expensive atleast the Ferrari dealers will be around for years to come based on past history. The Maserati Alfa dealers come and go, and the new ones are rather clueless about service. I do have a local mechanic who works on old and new so I will buy one when the get low enough priced, but I would not buy a new one due to the depreciation, something Alfa could fix with buy back price guarantees or a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper , something that is against the Italian car makers religion :)

    By the way, when I was on the way to the Glencoe Fuelfed event a few weeks ago I saw 5 new Alfa's up on the north shore driving when I was on the way to the event around at around 6PM. That was within a 20 minute span.
     
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  16. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    Feb 11, 2008
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    So I have said this many times, even before Alfa came to the USA.

    Putting ALFA's in FIAT dealerships is a HUGE MISTAKE. The dealerships cannot handle them. I haven't seen one dealer with more than one trained mechanic and most of the time they are fixing Fiat 500's.

    Its the dealerships that bring the brand down from the first experience walking in the showroom to the lack of knowledge by the sales people to the maintenance and repair experience and time to get parts.

    The Car and Driver article shows they liked the car and even would have put up with the things they experienced but the WAITING TIMES are not what you want for a Daily Driver. Yes, for Ferrari and even Maserati you can get away with it. NOT Alfa.

    Until they solve the Dealer problems the brand will never grow. In LA the dealer situation is simply ridiculous. I've said many times they should let Chrysler dealers do service for Alfa. That would help at least get people service earlier and closer to home.

    But do they listen? Nope.
     
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  17. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Oct 17, 2001
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    Joe Mansion

    Or train people at the Fiat dealers to know what an Alfa is.
     
  18. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    That is impossible.

    The problem is when they brought FIAT to the USA they forced all the dealers who signed up to make these their own studios, most of which are cracker jack boxes done at the lowest cost. For a car selling at $16 grand, it's fine. For cars selling at $45K to 90K, it's not.

    If it weren't for Alfa sales these dealers would all close. 500 sales are in the toilet and there's nothing on the horizon to help Fiat USA aside from Alfa.

    These are 500 sales in the USA by month. Pitiful considering they are on discount. Some leases are $99 a month or less.

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  19. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    But Alfa/FCA will never invest to have standalone Alfa dealers and Chrysler dealers aren't much better than Fiat.

    Typical italian mess.
     
  20. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    The dealers do the investment, not FCA.

    This is what FCA wanted. The original idea was that FIAT would self support itself as stand alone dealers like Mini. When that didn't happen, they threw them the ALFA bone. Well, it kept FIAT dealers (some of them) from shutting down but it killed Alfa in doing so.

    SOME Fiat Dealers also sell Maserati so Alfa is a better fit. But most are just Fiat dealers
     
  21. rockminster

    rockminster Formula Junior
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 20, 2003
    874
    Lake Tahoe
    I’m in No CA and have an ‘18 Giulia QF. I love the experience driving the car but have had a lot of issues with it. I will say that my dealer (Walnut Creek Luxury Cars) has been excellent. This is a Maserati/Bentley/Alfa dealer so I’m getting the benefit of a higher end dealer with very skilled mechanics. I’d say my only service experience frustration (other than frequency/severity!) is that FCA will only authorize an FCA car through Enterprise as a loaner.


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  22. ryalex

    ryalex Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 6, 2003
    24,957
    Las Vegas, NV
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    Ryan Alexander
    I will say that over the past 20 years I have come to appreciate that the automobile is perhaps man's greatest mechanical creation. Miraculously, manufacturers can combine tens of thousands of separately manufactured components into a single machine of incredibly high tolerances and overall reliability. It still blows my mind to think about how these things need relatively little repairs for tens of thousands of miles of travel.

    I understand the C&D article to the extent they are directly comparing with Hondas and Hyundais and Lexuses... but the issues they're complaining of are not catastrophic. Annoying, sure, but not terminal. And I suspect that they beat on the loaner car pretty relentlessly when they drive.

    Maybe I would be less forgiving if the driving experience itself wasn't so amazing. If we were talking about a sedate experience like a Sonata or Camry it might be different. But this car is still the most dynamic, "fun" sports sedan I've ever encountered.
     
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  23. stardoc

    stardoc Formula Junior

    May 5, 2005
    668
    The big oven
    Full Name:
    K RA
    I took my QF for the annual service at the local dealer this year. The only issue that I had was that the cheap plastic hood release latch inside the foot-well had broken off. I told them that it's too stiff and cheaply made. No lies, the service advisor was asked by the mechanic to ask me what reason I had to open the hood. I asked him if he's really serious, to which he replied the mechanic needs to know in order to determine if it would be covered under warranty.
    That said, the customer service from Alfa care is quite exceptional.
     
  24. Dai Baracca

    Dai Baracca Formula Junior

    Mar 4, 2007
    572
    NY
    Full Name:
    SB
    after almost 3 years with my QV I'm still in love...lol
    it has done everything asked of it from track days, long road trips & some DD duty at times...
    as has been said, the biggest issue is really the dealer network, if I didn't have Miller Motors around the corner from me I probably would not have bought the car as the local to me dealer is woefully lacking...
    that said, the fact remains that the ability to service/fix the car when/if necessary contributes greatly to the ownership experience and if dealers are not up to the task you will get pissed....but that applies to ALL BRANDS! I've had shiity BMW service and stellar GM! dealers are independents and you need to do your due diligence before you purchase
     
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