2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia - 1yr/17k mile Review

Originally Posted by wings&wheels

I thought those of us in co-dependent relationships with marginally engineered and even less well built English cars were the 'hair shirt brigade'?


One of my friends is bringing a Europa Twin Cam back to life.
I'm sure he'd be MUCH happier in a Yaris, but what can you do?


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Man, this thread ran off the rails faster than a Toyota with a stuck accelerator.
 
Originally Posted by MCompact
Originally Posted by wings&wheels

The '..person in a high end car is either leasing or leveraged to the hilt as that is the only way they can afford it...' stereotype is tired.


It all just boils down to the old sour grape trope- I can't afford it so no one else should be able to.


Just a small correction because I know you would want accurate allegories. The sour grape trope is I can't afford it so I opine that it's not worth the money. That it's not that good of a car.

See the fox wanted the grapes but after realizing that he couldn't have them said they were probably sour anyway.
 
Originally Posted by SteveSRT8
So incredibly egocentric to imagine that you somehow know someone else's position in life. I need no advice from anyone except a really wealthy person, and he's not driving anything Toyota.

I don't rent/lease anything, and everything in my driveway is paid for in full except one of my work vans which is less than one year old. And yet you will never hear me scolding someone I do not even know about their choices!


We have different taste in cars but I fully agree with your last sentence. It's not my money.
 
Originally Posted by RamFan
Man, this thread ran off the rails faster than a Toyota with a stuck accelerator.

You gotta keep floor mats on top of the floor mats to keep that legendary Toyota resale!

Keep it nice for the next guy, right?
 
Originally Posted by RamFan
Man, this thread ran off the rails faster than a Toyota with a stuck accelerator.



Toyota itself can do no harm. It's always a supplier to Toyota that causes issues.
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Good evening, folks.

Saturday 9/21 marked the 1 year anniversary of taking home this Italian beauty. In that time I've racked up slightly over 17k miles of year-round daily driving usage. I wanted to share my experience thus far for anyone who may be in the market. Vehicle in question is an '18 Giulia Ti Sport Q4 w/ Performance Package. For a complete write up please check out my 5k mile review here. Nothing has changed regarding driving dynamics, looks, etc. So this will be short and sweet.

In 1 year the Giulia has seen the dealer 5 times. Twice for a passenger side door rattle, once for a recall and free oil change, once for a recall/oil maintenance light reset (after DIY change) and once for a valve stem replacement. That's it. No doom and gloom stories from me on this one. Total maintenance costs have been $164.28. $78.78 for the oil and filter and $85.50 for them to reset the oil light. Yes, you read that correctly. They charged 1/2 an hour of labor to reset the oil light. While there have been some, I repeat some, horror stories of Alfa ownership. Most board members seem to have similar experiences to what I've shared. One or two initial growing pains then smooth sailing from there. One of the things that attracted me to this car was the efficiency to power ratio if you will. She's a great performer and will put down power when you need it, while also delivering a 24.1 lifetime mpg average. Considering I have a 50 mile daily commute of suburban stop & go traffic, I truly can't ask for more.

Positives
  • Undeniably beautiful
  • Powerful yet efficient
  • Comfortable seating
  • Unique cabin
  • Smooth and adjustable suspension


Negatives
  • For the love of God give owners access/ability to clear codes and reset maintenance lights
  • Harmon Kardon is simply subpar for the cost
  • No spare tire (an un-patchable nail resulted in an $1,100 bill for a new set, while this isn't really an Alfa issue, it's an annoyance that modern AWD vehicles bring)
Update, OP?
 
At 40k miles presently, due to COVID my mileage in 2020-2021 decreased considerably. Still a joy to drive and certainly don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. Actually just paid it off last week.

The AC condenser and radiator were replaced (warranty of course) due to leaks, aside from that, nothing unusual nor any surprise repairs.
 
At 40k miles presently, due to COVID my mileage in 2020-2021 decreased considerably. Still a joy to drive and certainly don’t plan on getting rid of it anytime soon. Actually just paid it off last week.

The AC condenser and radiator were replaced (warranty of course) due to leaks, aside from that, nothing unusual nor any surprise repairs.

Condenser and radiator? Seems a little odd that both would leak without it being due to a road hazard.
 
What an octopus in the front and on top of the engine. Crazy “engineering “ Set to penalize the owner. Not good. Very short sighted. You want to encourage people to buy your product. Name alone won’t do it.
 
Condenser and radiator? Seems a little odd that both would leak without it being due to a road hazard.
It was at the dealer to have the AC checked and while they did the diagnostic they noticed a pin hole in the radiator. They didn’t even tell me about it until I arrived to pick up the car. Surprised me too.


This is the vehicle’s dealer history for recalls/issues.

9/26/18 - 350; Rattle from passenger side door when music on. Window switch clips were bent/broken. Replaced.

10/29/18 - 1,900; Catalytic Converter recall

4/19/19 - 9,727; Brake System recall

5/10/19 - 10,571; Valve stem on rear tire failed, causing a leak. Replaced.

11/11/19 - 19,113; Passenger side speaker sounded distorted. Replaced. RRT to replace passenger side door switches.

4/3/20 - 25,672; PCM/TCM recall.

6/3/20 - 26,446; Driver side seat mount broke. Replaced.

8/10/20 - 27,870; AC Condenser and Radiator replaced. Small leaks in both.
 
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