Supra vs. Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

[spamthechan]

As buying a Supra has proven to be more and more of a hassle, my attention has started to wander to another car that had my attention a few years ago but I never got the chance to experience: The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. 4 door, 5 seats, Ferrari-derived 505hp turbocharged V6 engine, 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, time-and-time again proven to be the best handling car in its class and beyond its class. Has a split personality (like the Supra): a luxurious, supple ride, and at the flick of a switch, an Italian handling monster. First (and second) year bugs are out of the way (of which there were many).

I know what you guys are thinking- this car is not in the same league as the Supra. But given how quickly these cars depreciate, a 2017 Quad is around low $50k. You can find new 2018s sitting on dealer lots that are going for $20k off sticker. That puts it in the same price category as the Supra.

And looks are subjective but I think the interior of the Giulia is really quite something, especially with the carbon buckets:

Some would argue the Giulia is the better looking car outside as well.

Make no mistake, the Supra will be the more reliable car, but something about this Alfa keeps bringing me back, especially now at its discounted price. What do you all think?

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[kona61]

As buying a Supra has proven to be more and more of a hassle, my attention has started to wander to another car that had my attention a few years ago but I never got the chance to experience: The Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. 4 door, 5 seats, Ferrari-derived 505hp turbocharged V6 engine, 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, time-and-time again proven to be the best handling car in its class and beyond its class. Has a split personality (like the Supra): a luxurious, supple ride, and at the flick of a switch, an Italian handling monster. First (and second) year bugs are out of the way (of which there were many).

I know what you guys are thinking- this car is not in the same league as the Supra. But given how quickly these cars depreciate, a 2017 Quad is around low $50k. You can find new 2018s sitting on dealer lots that are going for $20k off sticker. That puts it in the same price category as the Supra.

And looks are subjective but I think the interior of the Giulia is really quite something, especially with the carbon buckets:

Some would argue the Giulia is the better looking car outside as well.

Make no mistake, the Supra will be the more reliable car, but something about this Alfa keeps bringing me back, especially now at its discounted price. What do you all think?

It looks good on paper, but it is quite lacking imo when brought to the real world. It has a lot of small things that I find annoying. The interior switches feel VERY cheap on some parts and I would imagine it would begin rattling and creaking like a typical FCA product.

The biggest gripe for me is the reliability, it simply is not there. Just read some of the long-term tests from magazines and news outlets. They all begin like a cheery honeymoon where everything was wonderful and eventually progressed to divorce and a LOT of child support.

Forgot to mention depreciation, I can’t imagine the next few years will be kind to them. They already lose value like a sieve and I doubt that will change anytime soon.

 

[BrettS]

Don’t you own one @Guff

 

[spamthechan]

It looks good on paper, but it is quite lacking imo when brought to the real world. It has a lot of small things that I find annoying. The interior switches feel VERY cheap on some parts and I would imagine it would begin rattling and creaking like a typical FCA product.

The biggest gripe for me is the reliability, it simply is not there. Just read some of the long-term tests from magazines and news outlets. They all begin like a cheery honeymoon where everything was wonderful and eventually progressed to divorce and a LOT of child support.

Forgot to mention depreciation, I can’t imagine the next few years will be kind to them. They already lose value like a sieve and I doubt that will change anytime soon.

The depreciation is real and the only reason I would consider one now, as a second hand. As far as the reliability, also a real concern. I've been lurking on the Giulia forums and it seems like the disaster models are the exception, not the rule, and they have been getting better and better with recent updates. Still definitely a concern though.

Definitely a car I'd lease vs buy.

 

[Coldskeet]

The $20k discounts on 2018's had me looking at them too. I think that's a fantastic car for that price.

 

[tisdrew]

Definitely a car I'd lease vs buy.

This. I would love one if reliability was there.

 

[ManiM1191]

Don’t you own one @Guff

He does. Its amazing. Besides reliability.

 

[JC24]

While probably irrelevant at this point, I figured I would add to this thread... I was also looking at a MKV supra to upgrade from my 2017 alfa giulia Ti early in 2020. I was also looking at the quad. I gotta say though... how many of you that toot the horn of the giulia “not being reliable” have actually driven or owned one? I had my Giulia Ti for a year before I sold it and never had any issues whatsoever and it was a ‘17 with software fixes. Instead of the supra, I ended up sticking to my guns and going with the 2017 Quad and have had that close to a year with NO PROBLEMS!! I have quite a few buddies as well that have had great experiences. Sure there are some bad eggs, but I feel the need to defend this car here! I will admit the interior falls short in some places and still feels like an FCA car? But who cares? When you are rocketing down the highway hearing that beautiful Italian engine. That will be all that matters. )

 

[legacy_etu]

Beautiful car. I was looking at these too but the dealer network, or lack thereof, scared me off. There’s only one within 30 miles of me and they look like they could fold up at any time. The next closest is like 60 miles away. The depreciation aspect was a no go too, as least for new. At the price point your looking at it gets a bit more doable......but I feel like it’s still got lots of room to depreciate ......more so if Alfa dealers continue to be so few and far between.

 

[Rocksandblues]

I was interested for a minute 2 years ago when car shopping...

Why Consumer Reports Thinks the 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia Is Terrible (motorbiscuit.com)

also there is a car and driver article where they loved the performance but got frustrated and actually turned it back in before their long term test was complete.

 

[SupraGR21]

I recently traded in my 2019 AR Giulia Ti Sport. I have to say the reliability is ok. Not excellent but not poor. the car its self has a lot or "quirks" that you really start to hate after a while. Power was really nice and over all the car was great. Reason I left them was because of dealer support. They are garbage. They never have loaners and always push you out for an appt minimum one month to fix something if anything is needed to get done(I'm talking even for new tires, alignment, ect..). I personally would never go back to AR when there are so many great other options.

 

[Escapist]

Funny enough I saw one of these today at the grocery store parked in the aisle right behind my A90, also in red. They're definitely beautiful vehicles but I have no use for four doors.

 

[autopc25]

A friend owned one. The Quadrifoglio is a REALLY fun car. Way more fun than a M5. The heavy depreciation makes them pretty good value. You can eliminate some of the repair anxiety. You can buy heavily discounted FCA backed extended warranty for them. Dealer customer service and support is up to each individual dealer. Like other brands there will be good and bad ones. The dealer network will be thin for sure.

 

[autopc25]

The depreciation is real and the only reason I would consider one now, as a second hand. As far as the reliability, also a real concern. I've been lurking on the Giulia forums and it seems like the disaster models are the exception, not the rule, and they have been getting better and better with recent updates. Still definitely a concern though.

Definitely a car I'd lease vs buy.

Usually leasing a car with heavy depreciation is not a good idea. Your lease payments are based on the projected depreciation. You want to lease cars that have very low depreciation so your monthly lease payments are lower.

 

[SupraBC]

I owned an AR 147 years ago. Second owner and got it with only 24k kms.
Beautiful car but Alfa's reliability is no joke, spent more time in the shop than in my garage.
They are beautiful cars but I don't think I'll ever go back to AR.

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