"WiscoProud" (wiscoproud)
10/09/2018 at 11:44 • Filed to: None
3
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"WiscoProud" (wiscoproud)
10/09/2018 at 11:44 • Filed to: None | 3
| 22 |
One of my favorite hobbies is test driving cars. Since I get bank holidays off and my wife doesn’t, these are usually my opportunity to scratch this itch. I intended to test drive a few yesterday, including a Stinger GT, but started running out of time, so I went to the closest dealership to me.
International Autos Alfa Romeo.
I routinely drive by this dealership and have been ogling their offerings for some time, not to mention I simply think the Guilia is a gorgeous car, so I stopped in. As predicted, there were no other customers, and just a single sales person on duty, who started a month before and knew almost nothing. No matter.
While they did not have any rwd Guilias (AWD is all anyone wants in Wisconsin), they did have a number of them. I ended up test driving a base Guilia, but I’m kicking myself for not taking out a sport or TI sport. I would have loved to have driven a Quadrifoglio, but I figured that may be a long shot. It is gorgeous though.
I ended up test driving the red one in the middle, which came with red interior. I will not that half the reason I test drive cars is to find out whether I’ll fit in them. At 6'5", there are a lot of fun cars that are crossed out. Also, since I’m in my late 30s, I’m less forgiving of uncomfortable spaces. The good news is that I fit in the Guilia well.
Here is the link to the car I drove: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
While not as fast as some of the vehicles I’ve driven in the past, in particular the E63, it was more than adequate. Especially considering how nice it drove and sounded. Considering would be doubling the MPG i get commuting, i could live with it. It just always felt planted.
The added bonus is that it actually had a us able back seat for my daughter. A two seater would be nice, but if I can’t take my kid to school in it, it won’t get much use.
I talked to the manager about pricing and options. The 2019s are coming out, but you can still find 2018s and even 2017s relatively easily. Considering it seems they’ve gotten their electrical gremlins under control, there seems to be deals out there. I would not own it out of warranty yet though. Next year the first ones should be coming off of lease, so I’ll be interested to see what they’re going for certified.
TL;DR - The Guilia is a great car and i want one. Although I would go for a Guilia TI Sport Q2/4 to be determined.
HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> WiscoProud
10/09/2018 at 12:28 |
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how was getting in and out of it. That front door looks so short seems like it would complicate things for taller guys.
Chariotoflove
> WiscoProud
10/09/2018 at 12:33 |
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My neighbor bought a new Guilia about a year ago, a red one. He tells me he’ll take me out if I want, but I never feel comfortable imposing. From the amount of time I see it in his garage, it doesn’t seem to be spending as much time at the dealership as I might have imagined.
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WiscoProud
> HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/09/2018 at 12:57 |
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I actually didn’t have any issues. For me the flat bottomed steering wheel helped give me clearance to get in. I know for most its just aesthetics, but some of us need it.
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WiscoProud
> Chariotoflove
10/09/2018 at 12:59 |
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It seems like they had a lot of ECU related issues in 2017 which have been resolved. However, until the long-term reliability is sorted out, i wouldn’t own one out of warranty, although being so new, they’re all still IN warranty.
The nice thing for me is that I would be keeping my land cruiser and the dealership is close to my house. That way if something does happen, i can drop it off and still get to work.
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Chariotoflove
> WiscoProud
10/09/2018 at 13:03 |
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I think it’s one of those things you just have to be in the frame of mind for. Like my RX-8. Everyone talks about poor mileage, oil consum ption, and eating apex seals. But, if you go in knowing what to expect, you can be happy with it as a daily for years.
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HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
> WiscoProud
10/09/2018 at 13:03 |
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i wouldn’t mind one in the 3. I would actually like to have the wheel a bu t lower, but i have to have it set higher to get my thighs under the wheel.
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WiscoProud
> Chariotoflove
10/09/2018 at 13:06 |
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Exactly. You have to know what to expect. I’m trading some reliability, for a significantly more fun to drive car.
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WiscoProud
> HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
10/09/2018 at 13:07 |
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I have that problem too. The steering wheel in my land cruiser actually moves out of the way when you turn it off, but its a big SUV, so its kinda a wasted feature.
Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz)
> WiscoProud
10/09/2018 at 17:56 |
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I still wish I could’ve convinced Mrs. Humpkins to consider a Gui
lia back in Feb when we got SuzieQ5.
renzy
> WiscoProud
10/09/2018 at 23:33 |
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yeah mine was in at the dealership in kenosha for 2 weeks cause of ETC issues. t57 recall update seems to have helped. have an early 2017 model. love the car though, drive it like crazy lol
TysMagic
> WiscoProud
10/10/2018 at 09:31 |
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Did you try one with the sport seats? My biggest let down with the base Guilia was a combo of very flat seats with no heated seat option (plus no Sat radio unless you go Ti). I read about several owners adding aftermarket heated seats which would be pretty easy considering the seat is quite flat...but that still leaves the flat seat.
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WiscoProud
> renzy
10/10/2018 at 10:08 |
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From what i’ve read, it sounds like most of the electrical issues have been sorted out, but I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t on my mind.
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WiscoProud
> TysMagic
10/10/2018 at 10:12 |
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I believe it has the base seats. I car i drove was the one in the link. I’m kicking myself for not driving a TI Sport
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TysMagic
> WiscoProud
10/10/2018 at 10:13 |
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Yup, base seats. I sat in a sport Ti, much better feel. Funny, the car I test drove was purchased then traded in less than 1k miles later. Says so much without saying anything at all haha.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/748538349/overview/
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WiscoProud
> TysMagic
10/10/2018 at 10:27 |
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I have to wonder what the story was there. I really liked the car. It was a base, and yet it handled beautifully.
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TysMagic
> WiscoProud
10/10/2018 at 10:57 |
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Checking the carfax, it was checked for an electrical issue around 6k miles. I imagine it’s got one heckuva demon in it.
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WiscoProud
> TysMagic
10/10/2018 at 11:18 |
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It wasn’t listed as a buyback? It went another 4k miles past that, so who knows.
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TysMagic
> WiscoProud
10/10/2018 at 11:24 |
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It set on the lot I test drove it at for a very long time I know that much. He wanted a lot for it - whoever traded it to Honda lost money for sure.
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WiscoProud
> TysMagic
10/10/2018 at 11:56 |
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I’m starting to see them pop up used with a 6yr/100k warranty. If the prices start dropping into the mid-30s, I’m on board. I see they’re dropping for the new ones, but I’m a cheapskate and still don’t want to pay that much.
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TysMagic
> WiscoProud
10/10/2018 at 11:58 |
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I’m totally with you there! If they had a slightly better reputation for reliability I might have bought that one, but I was concerned about it’s ability to not fail - the warranty is great, but it’s still a headache.
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WiscoProud
> TysMagic
10/10/2018 at 12:16 |
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Yup. Having a backup is a big part of it for me. I do wish they made one that split the HP between the base and the Quad though. Nothing crazy, like 350hp or so.
Grindintosecond
> WiscoProud
12/20/2018 at 14:01 |
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Late comment, but just a note. Jeremy Clarkson is 6-5...so if he fits, I’m sure you do too.