£35k Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio | Spotted
The best Alfa in a generation, now available for hot hatch money
While no longer news, the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio was nothing short of magnificent when it arrived back in 2016. If a sports saloon as good as the Giulia had come from one of the established brands, it would have been fantastic; to be from Alfa Romeo, a manufacturer that hadn't made a good car - let alone a good fast car - in years made it borderline revelatory.
By combining a fizzy, exciting twin-turbo V6 with engaging and assured handling and handsome good looks, the Giulia nailed the supersaloon template with unerring accuracy. The sector was shook up in a way that it hadn't been for yonks, from a manufacturer that hadn't made a rear-drive four-door for the best part of 30 years. Sure, the interior quality may not have surpassed the German alternatives, but precious few cared - here, finally, was a good Alfa again.
Furthermore, with the incredible Nurburgring lap record and Stelvio equivalent that followed, Alfa has re-established its reputation as a builder of genuinely great cars. There's a sense of expectation about future Alfas now, thanks to the impact the Quadrifoglio had.
The Giulia is a hugely significant car, then, one that ushered in a new era that left behind the stodge and will - hopefully, at least - be remembered as the first of many great new Alfa Romeos. Let's see how the next ones are received...
Until then, we have the prospect of used Giulias to consider. We're nearly four years from the first drives of the Quadrifoglio, and the range has just been facelifted as well, meaning there are now plentiful secondhand options to consider for those willing to take a punt on used Giulia - especially as the facelift changes little mechanical.
Just like this one, in fact. It's the cheapest currently on offer, at £35k - or less than a new diesel Speciale - thanks to the fact it has 44,000 miles recorded. Unsurprisingly it's a pretty rare proposition, with only one similar car at less than £40k, making it quite the opportunity. That mileage since 2017 would imply someone has certainly enjoyed it, but why wouldn't you drive it as much as possible, given the chance? And for the next buyer, it means a 510hp Giulia at the best part of £30,000 less than a new one.
Mighty tempting, certainly, especially given C63s at the same money are non-S versions with less power, and equivalent BMW M3s are older, and while there have been concerns about reliability, there's also this PH thread of numerous owners reporting blissful ownership.And it's hardly like no other cars go wrong now, is it?
Get the advertised warranty with this one, keep it topped up the expensive fuel and enjoy everything that's been raved about these past few years. Because there really is little else like it. You never know, this Giulia might end up being an important one: the first through 50,000 miles, 75,000 and so on. One way or another, it certainly promises to be memorable - so who's keen?
SPECIFICATION - ALFA ROMEO GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO
Engine: 2,891cc, twin-turbo V6
Transmission: 8-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 510@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 443@2,500rpm
MPG: 33.2
CO2: 198g/km
First registered: 2017
Recorded mileage: 44,697
Price new: £61,300 (2017)
Yours for: £35,000
Its was perfect apart from the fact that I couldn't see anything when I looked right or left. I dunno whether I was the wrong size for the car or what but every time I looked either way, instead of a window I just saw a dirty great big door pillar. Lifesavers were non-existent for the whole trip and pulling out into traffic meant I had to lean right forward to peer around it.
Bizzare problem especially as no one else seems to have had this problem with the car.
Nice car to drive but I couldn't live with that. Obviously I'm an odd shape
Its was perfect apart from the fact that I couldn't see anything when I looked right or left. I dunno whether I was the wrong size for the car or what but every time I looked either way, instead of a window I just saw a dirty great big door pillar. Lifesavers were non-existent for the whole trip and pulling out into traffic meant I had to lean right forward to peer around it.
Bizzare problem especially as no one else seems to have had this problem with the car.
Nice car to drive but I couldn't live with that. Obviously I'm an odd shape
Its was perfect apart from the fact that I couldn't see anything when I looked right or left. I dunno whether I was the wrong size for the car or what but every time I looked either way, instead of a window I just saw a dirty great big door pillar. Lifesavers were non-existent for the whole trip and pulling out into traffic meant I had to lean right forward to peer around it.
Bizzare problem especially as no one else seems to have had this problem with the car.
Nice car to drive but I couldn't live with that. Obviously I'm an odd shape
The only issues people seem to have with them is that the heated rear doesn't work when the battery is low, and a few people have had trim rattles. Obviously the very first cars had a couple of issues, but that's the same with any model.
I'd rather wait a couple of years though. As well as saving a few quid, I've heard some horrific stories about the Alfa dealer network and the lack of support from Alfa UK both for the dealers (spare parts availability and lack of technical training), and for the customer in terms of a complete absence of anything approaching customer care. There also seems to be an alarming lack of stability in the dealer network itself, with franchises opening and closing all over the place.
I think these will make a lot more sense in a couple of years and out of warranty once you can get them looked after by one of the many decent Alfa independents out there, the foibles and common faults are better understood, and the aftermarket is providing a choice of decent quality (and obtainable) spare parts. It'll never be a cheap or entirely painless car to run, but if you know you have a route to getting it fixed and looked after by someone who knows what they are doing, it will be a whole lot less stressful.
On a car in warranty, even if you exercise your rights to get it serviced independently, the chances are you are still going to have to engage in a crapshoot with the dealer network and Alfa Romeo if anything goes wrong, or else fork out of your own pocket and not use the warranty, in which case why not wait a few years and pay less for the car?
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