Buying An Alfa : Am I Mad?

Peerzy

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We've owned a Giulietta for about 5 years now and it's been perfectly fine for reliability. It's never once broken down and has been considerably cheaper to run than my parents-in-law Ford Focus which was purchased at the same time with roughly the same miles and age.

I'd expect parts to be slightly more than your usual Ford or Skoda but that aside we've not had any big bills or faced any issues I wouldn't expect with a small family hatch.

The only thing I would say is the interior design is from 2011 and does show when compared with brand new cars (although it's not horrible or dated). £12k seems a lot to spend on a car that's now 8 years old in design - especially as we paid less than half that for a 3 year old model 5 years ago.

I'm not sure what the answer is though as I'd expect anything that looks or feels noticeably better to be more than £12k and a large chunk of your purchase price is going on the (relatively rare) engine. We have the 180bhp 1.4L which feels perfectly suited to the car in my opinion.
 

jpaul

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AiiR said:
knowing the newer model looks 100x
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what newer model https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/alfa-romeo/giulietta-2010/ ?
Cars from April 2016 benefitted from a light facelift to bring the styling into line with the larger Giulia saloon and every car now gets Alfa Romeo's Uconnect system. It's a five-inch touchscreen display that takes care of on-board entertainment and Bluetooth connectivity.
Click to expand...

... they have no kind of front diff do they for higher powered engines ?
 

Martynt74

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I've had the same experience as @Peerzy. I bought my 2011 Giulietta (albeit the diesel version) in 2012 when it was around 6 months old. It's 8yrs old now and mechanically, the only thing i've had to have done is a wheel bearing which probably got destroyed from putting 700kg of paving slabs in the boot. Other than that it's just been usual service items, cambelt at 70k, brakes and tyres.

From an electrical side, my heated seat doesn't work and i think it's the element that's gone. Also the steering wheel controls don't always respond fully!

As mentioned, the interior is a little dated, although at least the one you've linked has the built in Nav.

To be honest i've had it so long now that i'd almost like it to start causing issues to give me an excuse to change car, but given mine is worth very little (it's covered in scratches/dents/marks from being used like a van) it makes no sense to switch.

Also, given it's not a 9yr old design, i still think it's one of the best looking hatchbacks on the road. Love mine when it's clean (which is a very rare occurrence)
 

Skilid

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I couldn't stand the Giulietta that I drove. Soggy steering with no feel, uncomfortable driving position, poor quality materials, switchgear from a Punto, relatively harsh ride and the gearbox was so light it felt like it was made of plastic. The DNA switch was plastic and completely naff, too. I'd look elsewhere personally, especially for that money.
 

Mason-

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Had a 59 plate Mito since 2015. Only thing that has gone wrong with it. Wheel bearing from when I used to only use it for short journeys: and the battery (which I suspect was original) went last month. Everything else is just service items. It's been solid as a rock otherwise. Only issue I have with it is, I do 20k miles a year in a 1.4 petrol hatchback, it's not particularly comfy or quiet, although you could argue I'm not using the car for what it's intended.
 

Chris1712

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I think they have a terrible reputation, but the friendly indie next to my work swears by them. He's always had Alfa's and reckons the Giuletta & Mito are great for the money and don't deserve the reputation from previous models.
 

tom_nieto

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"Buying a hatchback that's pretty much the same as all the other modern hatchbacks: am I mad?"

If you were after a 155 or an Alfa Spider from the 70's then you might want to go in with your eyes open. A Guilietta from 2015 will be fine. I'd probably not want to spend £12k on one though!
 

And

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Series 1 and 2 Spiders are a thing of beauty though.

tom_nieto said:
"Buying a hatchback that's pretty much the same as all the other modern hatchbacks: am I mad?"

If you were after a 155 or an Alfa Spider from the 70's then you might want to go in with your eyes open. A Guilietta from 2015 will be fine. I'd probably not want to spend £12k on one though!
Click to expand...
 

Ninco!

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Nasher said:
Old Alfas were liability on wheels. They got a lot better recently.
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I had an 08' 147 Sport for a time. When compared to cars in the same price bracket, the uniqueness appealed. It was expensive to run and maintain, lots of faults, clutch, brakes, niggling issues with the interior and brake lights packing up.

To be fair, the one time it let me down was just at the right time, died on the slip road coming off the M3 near home. Turned out to be an issue with the clutch cylinder (a known gremlin) with 147's.

Anyway I recently sold. It was immaculate. My conscience is clear, I know the buyer (despite what I have said) got a cared for car with all major repairs sorted. Sold for peanuts.

Nonetheless, its heartening to hear the positive feedback for the newer models.
 

dvinell

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The guys at work that run Alfas love their cars. However, they have had more than the average rate of gremlins, including a semi auto box that catapulted it’s insides outside, and they are on first name terms with the dealers.

Strangely enough, this does not put them off, so there must be something a bit special about the cars. I quite like the latest Guilia - I think once you are in love with the brand, you might forgive the occasional failings.

Dealers a a mixed bunch ... if you can find a good one nearby, this would definitely help.
 

Basher

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Had a Mito a while back. The suspension literally fell off it whilst going around a corner on an A road. Pretty scary. It had only done 14k miles, too.

Wouldn't be getting another in a hurry.
 

PardonTheWait

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I've got an 09 plate Mito which I really like. It hasn't given me any trouble but I've only had it about six months. It's just a Fiat/Vauxhall platform car anyway realistically.

I went for an older one in the end as they didn't get much in the way of updates for a long time after they were introduced and mine was the cleanest one I found. I was looking at Giuliettas too and it was a similar story, they didn't change loads in the time they were made.
 
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