Thursday 1st June 2023

Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio | PH Private Area

The best Alfa in generations is now i20 N money - what's stopping you?

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That the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio is one of the super-saloon greats is well established by now. So well established, in fact, that you voted it as one of the best ever (well, since 1998) in our recent PH25 poll. Several years after the 2015 launch, the impact of the 510hp Giulia has inevitably waned somewhat, but it shouldn’t be forgotten just what an achievement the Quadrifoglio was. There just hadn’t been an enthusiast-focused Alfa of note for decades - the GTAs were overwhelmed by their engines, the 4C was flawed - and then, from nowhere, four-door Alfa Romeos were great again. As in almost-M3-beating great again. The best 159 was probably the front-wheel drive Ti with the 1.75-litre engine. From that car to the QV was like the leap from biplane to Eurofighter.

The Giulia was sufficiently good from the get-go that updates have been fairly modest in their scope. The interior has been revised and the new differential that comes with the 100th-anniversary car promises some improvement, but the fundamentals have continued unaltered. It’s light, it’s fast, it looks fantastic and drives even better. Even with a newer M3 available, the Giulia can still teach it something about involvement and engagement.

A saving off the £75k asking price always makes used ones appealing, as do the (mostly) contented owners that can be found in the forum. Not only is this the cheapest Giulia we’ve yet seen at £25,950, it’s also been owned by a PHer sufficiently dedicated to create an entire forum thread on it. A nice little bit of its history that it’d be great to see the next owner continue.

It’s the mileage, predictably enough, that makes it more affordable than most, with 115,000 on the odo. That being said, the overwhelming majority of those miles - 111,000 of them - were accrued by the first owner, who was so enamoured with the experience that they traded it in for a brand new Quadrifoglio. Another happy customer then, and one who kept the Giulia’s services up to date as well. There’s plenty to be encouraged by under the current ownership, too, with a major service (including the gearbox), diff oil change and four Michelins over the past few months. The MOT is valid until March, too.

Moreover, there’s all the good stuff we love to see in an advert about a proper cult hero, with loads of detail (including on the less-than-perfect bits), plenty of pics and some tangible enthusiasm for what is undoubtedly a great car. Oh yeah, and a GR Yaris on the drive as well - another PH25 great.

Some will likely always be put off by an Alfa with a six-figure mileage, but let them go buy something much less interesting instead. The Giulia’s popularity has ensured a strong community has built up around them with the knowledge to keep them at their best. And while a later car with the bigger screen is desirable, everything that made the Giulia an Alfa icon will be present and correct with this one. The mileage means there’s going to be a story to tell, and whoever takes it on next will be free to do with it as they please; it’s never going to be a Concours-perfect collectors’ item, so whether it’s more motorway miles or a weekend plaything, the Giulia can hopefully be driven and enjoyed for many years yet. Just forget to keep that thread updated…

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SPECIFICATION | ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO  

Engine: 2,891cc, V6, twin-turbocharged 
Transmission: 8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive 
Power (hp): 510@6,500rpm 
Torque (lb ft): 443@2,500rpm 
MPG: 28.2 
CO2: 227g/km
Recorded mileage: 115,000
Year registered: 2017
Price new: £75,204 (2023)
Yours for: £25,950

See the original advert here

[richinlondon]

Superb condition for the mileage, clearly been looked after.

[Ray_Aber]

I’d absolutely love to buy a QV. There’s one big problem - and it’s a deal breaker for this and every other car thus afflicted. The black interior.

I want tan leather / tan finish. Red is also acceptable. Black is cheap (I associate it with commercial vehicles and cheap cars), depressing and utterly lacking in character. I hate black interiors. Almost as much as I hate black wheels. No; black interiors are worse.

(Edit: a red band across the dash doesn’t cut it. It’s still overwhelmingly black. <shudder>)

Sadly, Alfa do not offer colour options for their top of the line Giulia. Unlike the Veloce. It’s bizarre - and I hate it.

So I’ll watch from a distance, saddened by what could have been.

[whp1983]

Awesome thing!

In my mind this mileage can only be a good thing…. Surely anything that would go wrong, has?! (Man maths!)

[s94wht]

Well THAT is mega tempting, now, isn't it?

[moggy1000]

Ray_Aber said:

I’d absolutely love to buy a QV. There’s one big problem - and it’s a deal breaker for this and every other car thus afflicted. The black interior.

I want tan leather / tan finish. Red is also acceptable. Black is cheap (I associate it with commercial vehicles and cheap cars), depressing and utterly lacking in character. I hate black interiors. Almost as much as I hate black wheels. No; black interiors are worse.

(Edit: a red band across the dash doesn’t cut it. It’s still overwhelmingly black. <shudder>)

Sadly, Alfa do not offer colour options for their top of the line Giulia. Unlike the Veloce. It’s bizarre - and I hate it.

So I’ll watch from a distance, saddened by what could have been.

I'd be inclined to agree with you although the Alcantara centre helps. If its within budget though, you could have the interior re-upholstered in tan or ref. Or swap some from a Veloce. Theres always a way .

[Robertb]

Ray_Aber said:

I’d absolutely love to buy a QV. There’s one big problem - and it’s a deal breaker for this and every other car thus afflicted. The black interior.

I want tan leather / tan finish. Red is also acceptable. Black is cheap (I associate it with commercial vehicles and cheap cars), depressing and utterly lacking in character. I hate black interiors. Almost as much as I hate black wheels. No; black interiors are worse.

(Edit: a red band across the dash doesn’t cut it. It’s still overwhelmingly black. <shudder>)

Sadly, Alfa do not offer colour options for their top of the line Giulia. Unlike the Veloce. It’s bizarre - and I hate it.

So I’ll watch from a distance, saddened by what could have been.

A retrim of seats is not wildly expensive, and it can be in much better quality leather than the factory. Don't let that be a deal-breaker!

It looks like this car has nice red leather inserts in the doors... it doesn't take a lot to lift a black interior; my 996 C4S for instance has a few alu bits on the dash and instrument panel which improve it markedly to me over the standard cars.

[Dombilano]

I'm guessing it's direct injected, so at over 100k miles I'd be getting acquainted with some walnuts

[kevinpsw]

Was admiring one of these the other day. I’ve owned two Alfas in the past. Something you buy with your heart. I’d want one if they had a Sportwagon version but I don’t think there is one.

[E90_M3Ross]

Is the serpentine belt a big job?

[theplayingmantis]

Ray_Aber said:

I’d absolutely love to buy a QV. There’s one big problem - and it’s a deal breaker for this and every other car thus afflicted. The black interior.

I want tan leather / tan finish. Red is also acceptable. Black is cheap (I associate it with commercial vehicles and cheap cars), depressing and utterly lacking in character. I hate black interiors. Almost as much as I hate black wheels. No; black interiors are worse.

(Edit: a red band across the dash doesn’t cut it. It’s still overwhelmingly black. <shudder>)

Sadly, Alfa do not offer colour options for their top of the line Giulia. Unlike the Veloce. It’s bizarre - and I hate it.

So I’ll watch from a distance, saddened by what could have been.

How about the white panels? fyi the colour is on the doors as well not just a band across the front.

Mine will be on sale end of summer probably.

[Jamescrs]

Ray_Aber said:

I’d absolutely love to buy a QV. There’s one big problem - and it’s a deal breaker for this and every other car thus afflicted. The black interior.

I want tan leather / tan finish. Red is also acceptable. Black is cheap (I associate it with commercial vehicles and cheap cars), depressing and utterly lacking in character. I hate black interiors. Almost as much as I hate black wheels. No; black interiors are worse.

(Edit: a red band across the dash doesn’t cut it. It’s still overwhelmingly black. <shudder>)

Sadly, Alfa do not offer colour options for their top of the line Giulia. Unlike the Veloce. It’s bizarre - and I hate it.

So I’ll watch from a distance, saddened by what could have been.

Whilst I fully respect the opinion i'm the opposite personally, my current car which is a BMW M240i has the cream/ ivory interior and whilst I loved it when I bouht the car and the contrast against the metallic grey paint work I now really wish I had gone for a black interior car though red would have been acceptable too, its very rare I have any passengers and do my best to keep the interior clean but I can't help but feel it is not as clean as it used to be whatever I do and it does show up every mark.

I won't buy another car with a light interior personally, the colour scheme on the Alfa advertised would be perfect if I was in the market for one.

[nismo48]

richinlondon said:

Superb condition for the mileage, clearly been looked after.

+1 Great car and spec for a fair price

[CarlosSainz100]

I did ask in his thread why he was selling it but he's not answered yet. Perhaps he just got bored...

[TdM-GTV]

Jamescrs said:

Whilst I fully respect the opinion i'm the opposite personally, my current car which is a BMW M240i has the cream/ ivory interior and whilst I loved it when I bouht the car and the contrast against the metallic grey paint work I now really wish I had gone for a black interior car though red would have been acceptable too, its very rare I have any passengers and do my best to keep the interior clean but I can't help but feel it is not as clean as it used to be whatever I do and it does show up every mark.

I won't buy another car with a light interior personally, the colour scheme on the Alfa advertised would be perfect if I was in the market for one.

I've had cream, red and black interiors - black is definitely zero stress, Cream is a bit of a pain to keep clean. Red is pretty much as trouble free as black. But you don't want red on red because that will look bad. Grey and red looks good but then the exterior colour is a bit boring...

[F1GTRUeno]

[QUOTE]The best Alfa in generations is now i20 N money - what's stopping you?[/QUOTE]

Because to quote Clarkson - it'd have to come with a free moon to be more satisfying than my i20N is.

[E90_M3Ross]

CarlosSainz100 said:

I did ask in his thread why he was selling it but he's not answered yet. Perhaps he just got bored...

6 months, a few k miles, has a few bits that need doing kinda suggests that he's bought it to scratch an itch and doesn't want to spend much on it (hence serpentine belt not being done).

Maybe.

[MarkJS]

E90_M3Ross said:

6 months, a few k miles, has a few bits that need doing kinda suggests that he's bought it to scratch an itch and doesn't want to spend much on it (hence serpentine belt not being done).

Maybe.

I’d be inclined to agree with this.

Very nice car, but owning one outside the manufacturers warranty would be a concern for me. Owning a lowly Veloce with their warranty was troublesome enough. You’ll always hear stuff like ‘buy an Alfa with your heart’ etc but your head needs to be in the equation too.

[Water Fairy]

Ray_Aber said:

I’d absolutely love to buy a QV. There’s one big problem - and it’s a deal breaker for this and every other car thus afflicted. The black interior.

I want tan leather / tan finish. Red is also acceptable. Black is cheap (I associate it with commercial vehicles and cheap cars), depressing and utterly lacking in character. I hate black interiors. Almost as much as I hate black wheels. No; black interiors are worse.

(Edit: a red band across the dash doesn’t cut it. It’s still overwhelmingly black. <shudder>)

Sadly, Alfa do not offer colour options for their top of the line Giulia. Unlike the Veloce. It’s bizarre - and I hate it.

So I’ll watch from a distance, saddened by what could have been.

Stop being a mardy bum and just buy one then have the interior retrimmed to your spec.

[CarlosSainz100]

I've had 3 Alfas and they've all been pretty reliable. Certainly no less reliable than anything else I've had. Mind you, none of them had 500bhp

[NGK210]

Lovely.
But it’s a shame the previous owners didn’t sign up for the 7-year fixed-price servicing deal. Then, the aux belt service(s) would’ve been included.
Still, all you need is a driveway, a trolley jack, and some mole grips …
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JNpGeXjpvnw&pp=y...