simple Giulietta QV query

[lombardi]

But it just never made me feel like i was in an anything but an ordinary modern hatchback , Ciao POObah , yep my thoughts when i had mine , she was nice BUT ?   The only Alfa i ever owned that after parting , never really missed her .

[poohbah]

I did my best to love it, just didn't happen.

Probably a bit like why I would choose Selma Hayek over Claudia Schiffer every time (if only....)

[bazzbazz]

But it just never made me feel like i was in an anything but an ordinary modern hatchback. 

Hang on a minute . . . . . you WERE driving it in "D" mode . . . . .weren't you? 

[poohbah]

For a bit, though I was limited in having the salesman in the car too. I had no issue with the way it drove, just everything else was unremarkable.

[Craig_m67]

For a bit, though I was limited in having the salesman in the car too. I had no issue with the way it drove, just everything else was unremarkable.

That’s why you want an early car with all the toys.  It has the panoramic roof, fulll Bose stereo and fancy “canolli” seats.  It is special, even as a daily.  I understand looking back fondly on a 156, believe me... but the GQV trumps it in so many ways it’s not funny.

That said, I want a Stelvio 🙂

[poohbah]

Fundamentally it really just emphasised to me that I'm simply not a hatchback kinda guy.*

Same reason I could never bring myself to buy a 147 (not even in GTA spec). But a 156 GTA? I'd get one in a heartbeat if there was one in reasonable nick, at a reasonable price, here in WA.

I also figured the money I spent on the Giulietta would be taking me a step further away from getting my dream Alfa - a manual 75 V6.

There is currently a Series 2 75 here for sale in mint condition for a similar price - except that it's white, and the S2 has the body-coloured side moulding with no boot spoiler, so not my ideal colour/trim combo (preference is S1, red with black moulding or all black).

And it would need to do daily driver duties (non negotiable with the missus - any addition must be balanced by a subtraction).  So I'd have to ask myself a serious question, in good nick, could a 30yo 75 handle freeway peak hour traffic five days a week without costing an arm and leg in maintenance? (That's another non-negotiable with the war office. She was happy for me to buy the Giulietta on the basis that it was almost new and wouldn't cost me +$2k every time it goes into the workshop like the trend for my 156 these days)


*My 116 GTV doesn't count - its really an old school coupe.

[Beatle]

In the end I knew I'd just end up pining for the quintessentially Italian red leather interior

So, you have a fetish for interiors that resemble a 1930s Bordello? 

 

......for those who can remember the interior of a 1930's Italian bordello.....

[bazzbazz]

How fricken old do you think I am? 

[poohbah]

Just to close out my story re the QV I was briefly considering buying.

I ended up mentioning the car to a colleague who wanted to upgrade to something more interesting than her dull standard Mk5 Golf, and who has always liked the look of the Giulietta. She took it for a test drive and while she liked its road manners/performance, she couldn't see out the back very well (she's pretty short) and couldn't live with its comparatively crude bluetooth/in-car tech. (Both things I couldn't care less about - but no point paying for something you know will drive you crazy).

She has instead now bought the last hurrah version of the VW Scirocco R (a 2017 "Wolfsburg" special with almost no mileage on it). I went with her to check it out. As much as I normally dislike veedubs, I have to be honest and say it is the first one I'd be happy to own. It did cost "a lot" more than the QV but it looks fantastic inside and out (nothing like another anonymous Golf) - with real presence and style. Plus it goes like absolute stink and makes a pretty good noise too.  Really don't understand why VW stopped making it.

Meanwhile, my 156 has had its lacquer-scarred bonnet repainted and it is now near the top of my "most loved" things again. Normally the weekend is reserved for the GTV, but with its shiny new face, I just couldn't get out of the 156.

So I reckon I'll hang on at least until depreciation brings a Giulia Veloce into my price range ...

(side note - my colleague didn't complain about the poor rear visibility in the Scirocco - which is even worse than in the QV...)

[Craig_m67]

$5./ Bluetooth USB dongle in the aux-in port on the Giulietta solves all streaming issues. 
Bose stereo is seriously good at 11


156 Sportwagon retro fitted with a 1750QV would be a nice mix

[poohbah]

yep, no doubt Craig.

Personally I also preferred the interior in the Scirocco too - Recaro seats are pretty swish, and the matching "bucket-style" seats in the rear made me feel like i was sitting in one of those slinky cars driven by the SHADO pilots from UFO ... (the Gerry Anderson TV series).

Bottom pic is most like what I mean. Apparently the girl is Benedict Cumberbatch's mum!