Alfa Romeo Ownership Reviews

[Sir Larry Wildman]

Gents - I am thinking of getting a new daily driver in the next few months. I've been interested in Alfas for some time, and needless to say when they decided to make their return to the US I was excited. I love the look and appointments on the new Giulia. There's even an Alfa dealer a few miles away.

But since Alfas are new to the US, not many people have them. In fact, I don't know anyone who does. That's actually a selling point for me personally - I like owning things that other people don't have. But that leaves me without any reviews of the ownership experience of Alfa.

Can anyone provide some intel?

[swils8610]

I can't speak to the new Alfa's but I had a 1991 Spider Veloce that I loved. Bright red with tan leather! It wasn't fast but it was a blast to drive! Alfa has been selling cars in the European market for years. They exited the US Market in 1993. Alfa did sell a sedan in the late 80's and early 90's in the US market. I'd go take one for a spin and see what kind of warranty they come with. Good luck!


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[christianj]

I've never owned an Alfa but they are not exactly known for their quality image in Europe so I personally would proceed with caution if it were me. Yes they look nice and have some great styling aspects but so do some Fiats, Renaults and Peugots but they also typically do not rate highly in European car reviews. I would search the net for reviews out of Europe and decide based on that.

[BristolCavendish]

If Alfa Romeo has managed to improve their original factory parts inventory/domestic warehouse this time around, then things should be better than when their cars were previously being marketed in the United States. Back in the 70s-80s there were countless 'war stories' of repairs being delayed due to parts accessibility.

I actually considered buying one at the time (a GT Veloce). The GTV was an attractive car, sporty and fun to drive. It was only after I learned about the potential time delay regarding parts (some basic) that I opted instead for a BMW 2002 tii. No regrets there.

[droptopman]

Following this thread. I really like the Giulia too. While watching the commercials during the super bowl I jumped online to check it out.
Nice mix of performance and luxury and that cool factor that no one else in town will be driving one. At least for a while.

[BlackBay1]

I had a 156 about 15 years ago and kept taking it back to the garage because of silly niggles which where eventually sorted. Having said that, I loved that car and if Alfa made a car that suited my current needs I'd have one in a heartbeat. Once you own one you will love them forever. It's really hard to explain.

[Kingair]

Italian rubbish !

Same as all the other Italian brands 😂

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[The Joker]

preferred the front end of the 159.

Top gear boys like em
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT7dpPQ43ac

[Canook]

Ive had a 156 and later a later model GTV and they were both disasters! selespeed is the worst gearbox ever created... most unreliable and expensive on parts... alfas in general are expensive on parts.......................... now.................... in saying all that i absoloutly LOVED both cars! when working right they are a fantastic car to drive (ive had porsches M3's so im well versed on nice cars)
They are a real "drivers car" when on the road and are spirited and fun, if they could ensure any of the usual "quality" issues were fixed then id buy another in a heartbeat.

Id still buy another BUT as a second car, you would need a backup car just incase lol!

[swils8610]

When I had my Spider pats weren't terribly expensive. I did have a fantastic Alfa tech that really knew his stuff.


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[GB-man]

No clue but the Ferrari derived motor in the quadrifolgio is enough to attract some buyers to the Giulia !

[Laszlo]

It's one damned sexy car. Who cares if it's reliable. It's an Alfa!

[rootbeer7]

I had mid-90s 145 Cloverleaf hot hatch. Terrible gearbox, weird driving position and the air-con only worked in the winter!!! I LOVED IT

[Rock]

Ha! these are absolutely typical comments about Alfas.
Even in the '70s they were great looking and driving cars with quality/reliability problems.
Did the owners care about those problems? Mostly not.
Does a 2 door Coupe get much prettier than this? I think not.



Some pretty ugly cars in recent times however, although I believe the quality has improved.

[josephvman]

I love the car and have been impressed with the reviews. I've seen the lower-trim models in person and it was about what I expected, nice fit and finish, but not what I would consider the match of current Audi or Mercedes quality. I drive a BMW M daily, and don't consider BMW even close to those brands in overall quality, and the last few new BMW's I've owned have been, junk, which as kindly as I can put it. I own a classic Alfa, as well as a Ferrari and have a lot of experience with Italian cars, and desperately hope to see the Giulia succeed. I think, like Maserati, that the car will have a lot of early growing pains and probably be significantly better after the first year of production. Also like Maserati, I would expect gut-wrenching depreciation, so there will be some real bargains in the pre-owned market for these early cars, especially if they prove to be somewhat problematic. To sell in the numbers that Alfa is throwing around, they'll have to come up with an aggressive lease program, as this segment is extremely payment driven, at least in North America. It will be interesting to see what kind of programs Alfa will come up with. I don't lease cars, but if the program is aggressive I would seriously consider it with a Giulia, if only because you know exactly what the costs are and what the the endgame is.

I think a lot of the ownership experience is going to come down to how good your dealer is, probably much more so than any of the existing competitive brands. Selling through a network of largely Chrysler/Jeep dealers doesn't exactly fit the profile of the car or the sexy television commercials, and my experience was exactly what I'd imagine you'd expect from a Chrysler store.

I'm ready for something new, but there's just not much out there that excites me. I'm waiting to see the new Audi TT RS in a few months, and then I'll get serious about what to get next.

Here's a gratuitous pic of my little Spider.

[swils8610]

Nice Spider! I had a 1991 Spider that I really miss.


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[Kingair]

Nevertheless all the problems . . . the Alfa are nice cars!

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[Cru Jones]

Today's Alfas are basically Fiats with red paint and more rounded sheet metal. The glory days are long gone, IMO.

[amg55]

A couple of good friends had a 147 and 156. Both cars spent a lot of time at the workshop with mysterious problems. They have up in the end because it was costing them too much money and down time. I love the looks of them myself but I'm sticky with German engineering.