2010 Alfa Giulietta Cloverleaf - needs work! LOL
Discussion
Firstly I’m totally Alfa mad. I’ve driven Alfa’s for the last 17 years and owned 10 in total.
I’ve always seen through the reputation that Alfa has and love them despite their flaws and there are many. As my experience with the brand has got stronger over the years my confidence or stupidity has followed in equal measure,
I spotted this Giulietta for sale locally described as ‘ in very good condition’ . Having contacted the owner I went over and saw it during the middle part of October. What I found was a pretty car that looked very sorry for itself. The owner whilst clearly an Alfa fan was clueless when it came to maintenance but I refused to let this put me off.
This is the top of the range Cloverleaf with the 1750 TBI engine pushing out 235 horses an early version of the engine later used in the 4C. It’s quick akin to a jack Russell puppy that’s just had its balls chopped off in terms of performance.
This car had done 101,000 miles and had a full service history including a cambelt change in December 2019 at 98,000 miles. An inexplicable expense given the car had a cambelt change two years and 15,000 miles before that and there was a receipt for it in the book pack. Perhaps the current owner believed doing the cambelt was the cure for everything?
Not to be perturbed I test drove the car and decided to go away and ponder on it. Needless to say after going back and forth we agreed a price £950 below is asking price and he’d arrange for a spare key through his insurance. I purchased the car for the princely sum of £3800. The cheapest example on AT at the time of writing is £1900 more.
So, what does it need doing I hear you ask?
Well, what doesn’t it need doing would be easier to answer. Here’s what we know so far;
Coolant loss with Mayo in the oil cap
Brakes are square new discs & pads needed all round
Water ingress in the tailgate possibly from seal around the wiper motor
Intermittent seat belt problem - fault with tensioner
Wiring loom fault in tailgate (common fault)
No radio reception (common fault)
Possible wheel bearing needs replacing
Oil feed pipe to be replaced with updated part
Knackered badges front and rear
Steering wheel and trim knackered (already got replacements)
Fuel filler flap sticking (common on early Giulietta)
That’s just the mechanicals. The paintwork has a number of dings including a big one on the tailgate shown in the pictures. In truth possibly 4 panels need paint and the wheels and brembos need a refurb.
On the plus side despite all of this the car drives OK but of course will be significantly better once all of the above is done.
It’s a bit of a project but I’m confident I’ve bought this car in time to turn it round and make it a nice example for me to enjoy.
I will be updating with pictures etc as we go along. The work starts tomorrow and I expecting to have all of the mechanical jobs done before Christmas.
You don’t have to be mad but it helps!
I’ve always seen through the reputation that Alfa has and love them despite their flaws and there are many. As my experience with the brand has got stronger over the years my confidence or stupidity has followed in equal measure,
I spotted this Giulietta for sale locally described as ‘ in very good condition’ . Having contacted the owner I went over and saw it during the middle part of October. What I found was a pretty car that looked very sorry for itself. The owner whilst clearly an Alfa fan was clueless when it came to maintenance but I refused to let this put me off.
This is the top of the range Cloverleaf with the 1750 TBI engine pushing out 235 horses an early version of the engine later used in the 4C. It’s quick akin to a jack Russell puppy that’s just had its balls chopped off in terms of performance.
This car had done 101,000 miles and had a full service history including a cambelt change in December 2019 at 98,000 miles. An inexplicable expense given the car had a cambelt change two years and 15,000 miles before that and there was a receipt for it in the book pack. Perhaps the current owner believed doing the cambelt was the cure for everything?
Not to be perturbed I test drove the car and decided to go away and ponder on it. Needless to say after going back and forth we agreed a price £950 below is asking price and he’d arrange for a spare key through his insurance. I purchased the car for the princely sum of £3800. The cheapest example on AT at the time of writing is £1900 more.
So, what does it need doing I hear you ask?
Well, what doesn’t it need doing would be easier to answer. Here’s what we know so far;
Coolant loss with Mayo in the oil cap
Brakes are square new discs & pads needed all round
Water ingress in the tailgate possibly from seal around the wiper motor
Intermittent seat belt problem - fault with tensioner
Wiring loom fault in tailgate (common fault)
No radio reception (common fault)
Possible wheel bearing needs replacing
Oil feed pipe to be replaced with updated part
Knackered badges front and rear
Steering wheel and trim knackered (already got replacements)
Fuel filler flap sticking (common on early Giulietta)
That’s just the mechanicals. The paintwork has a number of dings including a big one on the tailgate shown in the pictures. In truth possibly 4 panels need paint and the wheels and brembos need a refurb.
On the plus side despite all of this the car drives OK but of course will be significantly better once all of the above is done.
It’s a bit of a project but I’m confident I’ve bought this car in time to turn it round and make it a nice example for me to enjoy.
I will be updating with pictures etc as we go along. The work starts tomorrow and I expecting to have all of the mechanical jobs done before Christmas.
You don’t have to be mad but it helps!
Here’s another pic with a bit more of my Brera 1750 in the shot.
Same unit as the G. However, the Brera is 200 horses. The Brera is brisk but not nowhere near as quick as the G. Partly due to the revisions made for the G and partly because the Brera is only marginally lighter than the shard!
Same unit as the G. However, the Brera is 200 horses. The Brera is brisk but not nowhere near as quick as the G. Partly due to the revisions made for the G and partly because the Brera is only marginally lighter than the shard!
Mr Tidy said:
Sounds like fun - good luck getting the details sorted out. 
I have idly wondered about a 159 with that engine but I don't think there are many about, and I haven't felt brave enough yet!
Zombie has one with 225,000 on the clock, my Brera has 136,000 on the clock. As far as I’m aware both cars are proving reliable. At least, I know mine is. I have idly wondered about a 159 with that engine but I don't think there are many about, and I haven't felt brave enough yet!
When I got the Brera I had to spend some money getting various issues fixed. That cost me about £1400 pounds yet in the last 12 months my costs on the Brera have been just £400.
Like any make of car. Look after your car and you’ll have fewer if any issues.
I expect I’ll spend £1000 getting the Giulietta right but on the flip side I expect to then have a reliable car.
Fancied one of these as a next car. Had a 147 jTDM and now a 1.4T Mito. Preferred the 147 although with the diesel engine it felt heavy. Nice ride though.
What's the mayo likely to be? After owning a K Series Elise it meant HGF, but could it just be condensation? Surely HGF isnt likely on a modern car.
What's the mayo likely to be? After owning a K Series Elise it meant HGF, but could it just be condensation? Surely HGF isnt likely on a modern car.
WonkeyDonkey said:
Fancied one of these as a next car. Had a 147 jTDM and now a 1.4T Mito. Preferred the 147 although with the diesel engine it felt heavy. Nice ride though.
What's the mayo likely to be? After owning a K Series Elise it meant HGF, but could it just be condensation? Surely HGF isnt likely on a modern car.
Yes it could be a build of condensation related as the car has been sat most of the and then only done short runs when it has been used, we’ll know more tomorrow. What's the mayo likely to be? After owning a K Series Elise it meant HGF, but could it just be condensation? Surely HGF isnt likely on a modern car.
Even if it is HG I’m relaxed about it. The car was very cheap and all the other costs had been factored in anyway,
Nice purchase! Bit of a bargain too. Crazy you can still buy these new.
I used to work for Alfa UK (forgive me for my sins) and had use of a Giulietta Veloce for a bit (the later auto-only version). Was a brilliant car, made a nice noise and very stylish. Always wondered what one with a few tweaks would go like!
With that plate it looks like it could originally be an Alfa UK car (hopefully not an Enterprise rental jobby!)
I used to work for Alfa UK (forgive me for my sins) and had use of a Giulietta Veloce for a bit (the later auto-only version). Was a brilliant car, made a nice noise and very stylish. Always wondered what one with a few tweaks would go like!
With that plate it looks like it could originally be an Alfa UK car (hopefully not an Enterprise rental jobby!)
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