Being a new "Alfisti", I thought it would be nice to share my total experience with my Giulia, from the initial dealer visit, to test drive, to service and my impressions of the car. What follows is my story.
A good place to start is with my dealership experience. I live in Suffolk County so my nearest dealer is Brown's in Patchogue, N.Y. My wife and I visited on a Saturday and were greeted by a young female sales associate named Belce Bolvadin. She was extremely pleasant, knowledgeable and polite and after some small talk we got down to business. I had been longing for a 4 C and was dismayed when they didn't have one available in their inventory. She directed me to a car that was sold and asked if I wanted to check it out. After struggling to get in and out of the car, I knew the 4 C wasn't for me. However, there were a few Giulias on the lot and they caught my eye and within minutes I was taking a test drive. I can still feel the grin on my face while driving it! The handling, suspension, brakes and total driving experience was exactly what I was looking for. I was hooked. We proceeded inside and I was lucky to find out that they had a Q 4 Ti Sport in Rosso Competizione just arrive. By Monday at 11am, I was driving my Alfa home. I could not have had a better experience than the experience I had at Brown's. Belce was wonderful and the whole purchasing experience was great.
Furthermore, I've had the car at Brown's for service and have also been very pleased. I purchased an aftermarket exhaust, which they gladly installed and I was supplied a loaner without even asking for one. In addition, I have a had some software updates installed and have also received excellent treatment from Rick at the Service Desk. I highly recommend Brown's and Belce and Rick, if you're interested in a new Alfa Romeo.
With regard to my driving experience with my Giulia, it has been pure joy. The car is really in touch with the driver and is easily the best car I've ever owned. I'm not alone in my opinion of the Giulia as Motor Trend and Car and Driver have honored the Giulia with their "Car of the Year" and "Top Ten Cars" awards, respectively. In the interest of making a great car even better, I've purchased a Centerline Corsa exhaust and a V 2 Intake from Alfa and FIAT aftermarket tuning company "Eurocompulsion". Chris Cannizzaro from Eurocompulsion is a NYAROC member and provided excellent service and guidance. I love the fact that Eurocompulsion thoroughly tests their products and specialize in aftermarket performance products for both Alfa Romeo and FIAT.
Finally, there is always consideration for the car I traded in. Do I miss it ? It was a 2016 Lexus RC 300 AWD Coupe. It was a special edition color combination of Infra Red exterior with a Light Saddle interior. It was a stunning combination and everywhere I went I got compliments. It was a great driving car, better than any of the German cars I test drove. However, it had no soul. It was not a car for a "car guy". I was fortunate that it had very low mileage and the used car manager at Brown's felt it was "eye candy" and offered to pay off the buy out. Where the Giulia feels light and agile, the Lexus felt heavy and lumbering. It lacked road feel. There was no comparison. Once I drove the Giulia, I was hooked.
By now, I'm sure it's obvious how happy I am with my Alfa Romeo Giulia and to be a part of the Alfa Romeo family. The vast history of the marque is enough to hook you without owning one, but now that I've become part of the fraternity, I get it. Whether it's a new Giulia or a Duetto Spider, all Alfas have the same DNA. I look forward to many years of ownership and the camaraderie that owning the Giulia has brought me.
My membership in NYAROC has been an unexpected plus. A wonderful group of people that have made me feel welcome from day one.
Forza Alfa,
Dan De Giovine