Final check before pulling trigger

Final check before pulling trigger

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Univold

Original Poster:

17 posts

22 months

Monday 1st May 2023
quotequote all
After lots and lots of searching I'm finally thinking of pulling the trigger on this car: http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/2023042566...

1.4L 2013 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Multiair Lusso. I'm well aware of the stigma around these cars but I love the look of them and it fits my budget. I've gone to check it out already and it has 7 stamps in service history and lots of invoices on work done (including cambelt change). It's clean, drives well and got good vibes from the dealer (they have good reviews too)

Only con I can think of are that it has a few cosmetic dings but struggling to see any other reason not to buy.

Any final words of advice? 😅

Univold

Original Poster:

17 posts

22 months

Monday 1st May 2023
quotequote all
Thanks for the advice all - just gonna ring the dealer up today and try and negotiate the price down a bit - even if he doesn't budge I'm probably just gonna go for it haha.


georgeyboy12345 said:
I like these cars and often recommend them to people on here. MOT history looks good enough.

When was the cambelt changed? If it was 2018 or earlier, then it’ll need a new one. Budget around £400 at an independent Alfa specialist - it’ll also be worth finding an Alfa specialist near you - where do you live? I can maybe recommend one.

The major concern for me with this is you mention 7 service stamps - well that means it has had three missed services, so that’s potentially a red flag for me.
I think it was in 2019 it got changed. I live in Birmingham and I think there's an Alfa specialist in Digbeth - if you have any recommendations though then that would be great.

Yeah, the missing stamps are a bit of a concern but I guess missing 2 over the pandemic is probably reasonable. It was serviced fairly recently too iirc and it has lots of invoices in the paperwork indicating its been well looked after so not as much of a red flag for me I guess?

Killer2005 said:
911Spanker said:
What stigma? Thought these were pretty reliable and decent? Far better than a Golf!
This. Mines a 2014 QV Line and the only thing it's needed other than standard consumables was a door handle.

My sister has a 2011 diesel Giulietta on around 190,000 miles and still running fine.
Haha, just that the MultiAir version of the Giuliettas, in particular, can be a bit temperamental if the engine oil is not done regularly and can have a few electronic hiccups.


manracer said:
The whack it has taken on the N/S sill would concern me a bit.

Also the fact the dealer has a close up of the more forward dent, but not the massive one at the back.

Finally, the O/S rear passenger door - is that gap right for when the door is shut?
Yeah It's got a few dings but for a 10 year old car, its kinda expected I think so I don't mind too much. I might be blind but I don't see the massive dent at th back or the gap where the door is shut!

Univold

Original Poster:

17 posts

22 months

Monday 1st May 2023
quotequote all
Done a vCheck and it seems to check out: https://www.vcheck.uk/report/PX13VYA-11CU416

Venisonpie said:
I know it comes across as negative but when buying a car I always imagine myself selling it and what I would get challenged on. For this car the areas might be:

Perceived high miles (likely to rock over 100k in your care)
More than one area of damage, the two to the sill whilst unlikely structural are very unsightly and looks like it gone over a big rock (what else is lurking underneath?)
The missing services are likely to be covid related and not really increase the ownership risk but can be seen as a negative

If all of the above is reflected in the price and you've done a V check then you're at least in a position of understanding the deal. Personally I'd move on to the next one.
Appreciate the advice. I have considered that but the cosmetic damages aren't a huge factor for me and they're not THAT noticeable imo. I think the price is already low in light of what you've said but I am going to phone and try and negotiate for lower. I've been looking for a car for quite a while at this point and this is one of the few good ones I've seen in a while which is why I'm so tempted I guess.

dudleybloke said:
How does the price compare to a similar one without the dings?
It's a bit lower than other similar ones as it has higher mileage and a few dings. These usually go for around 5.5k to 6k ish from what I've seen.

Univold

Original Poster:

17 posts

22 months

Monday 1st May 2023
quotequote all
Just an update. He went down to 4.6k without the warranty (only includes engine and gearbox for 3 months) or he said ~4.7k if I still want the warranty. Reckon I'll probably go for the 4.6k one.