Alfa Giulietta Clover Leaf

[Shrugging for victory]

Morning, I am looking at getting rid of my Abarth 595 as a) it's not fun on the motorway b) my Mrs hates it c) it's a PITA for the kids in the back (10 & 12)

I don't have a daily commute (lucky me) but use the car locally, and for weekend blasts (has to be petrol) I've been looking and going in circles and I keep coming back to the Giulietta. Why? It's a decent size for our small car parks and I like the look of it.
Am I mad to be considering a 2011/12 Clover leaf? I'm looking to spend up to £10k
Are there key things that I need to look out for and should check? I.e. belt changes, recalls...

Thanks in advance.

Edited by Shrugging for victory on Wednesday 17th November 11:10

[Benjarke]

I currently have a 12 plate cloverleaf and love it, it's currently on 90k and runs perfectly. I think because you don't see many about it makes them a little more special. From my research and owning experience there is nothing major to worry about.

A couple of small issues I've had are:
- Boot wiring loom, the wires often snap in the offside rubber covering going from the car to the boot lid. This causes issues with the rear wiper and rear lights. I have had various wires that have snapped in the loom a couple of times now. Easy & cheap to fix.
- Issue with the a/c diverter, so the drivers side doesn't get hot air.
- Faulty GPS unit for the integrated maps.

For 10k you'd be able to pick up a very nice, low mileage one. However I'd be open to offers if you were interested as I'm looking at getting an estate.

Edited by Benjarke on Wednesday 17th November 11:47

[georgeyboy12345]

The timing belts should be replaced every 4 years or 63000 miles, so that's one to look out for.

There have been some instances of turbo failure with these engines. It seems the cause is due to the oil pickup for the turbo getting blocked due to old/sludgy oil. Therefore it's very important to pick a car with full service history that's had its oil changes completed on schedule, which is every 9000 miles/annually, or ideally even more frequently.


Otherwise, fantastic cars with strong engines. Listed as having 235 bhp stock, but have more like 260 bhp in practice. A stage 1 remap will get you to 290 bhp, if you are that way inclined.

[ZX10R NIN]

They're pretty robust cars, with a few niggly issues but overall a good car. I'd recommend giving it a full fluid flush & then do your oil changes every 10k, this is something I'd recommend on all turbo cars.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110128...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111129...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110158...

[Shrugging for victory]

Cheers for the feedback.
I've read about the rear wiring harness, but apparently you can upgrade it for £70 or something? Is it an easy DIY fix (I am not adverse to doing my own spannering).
I've read that the interior door handles cam fall off (Abarths do it from the outside)
I don't seem to have read anything too scary on my internet travels.
What's the storage doofer on top.of.the dashboard for? As I have.seen some with a Tom Tom type plonk on thing and some where there's a screen underneath.

[Jonny_]

Shrugging for victory said:

Cheers for the feedback.
I've read about the rear wiring harness, but apparently you can upgrade it for £70 or something? Is it an easy DIY fix (I am not adverse to doing my own spannering).
I've read that the interior door handles cam fall off (Abarths do it from the outside)
I don't seem to have read anything too scary on my internet travels.
What's the storage doofer on top.of.the dashboard for? As I have.seen some with a Tom Tom type plonk on thing and some where there's a screen underneath.

Boot wiring harness is indeed about £70, you'll need a crimping tool and some patience but it's straightforward, if fiddly. (Have done this on my own Giulietta).

Interior door handles in earlier cars have a habit of breaking where the door latch release cable connects to the handle. Alfa dealers will apparently only sell you a complete door card for something like £600, but you can buy the handle alone via eBay, they're about £20 or £30 for a non-OEM part. OEM ones are more difficult to find. When this happened to my own car, I found an OEM handle from an Italian eBay seller for about £75. The replacement handle, incidentally, is a lot meatier than the original around the cable fitting. Fitting is absolutely not a fun job, but is DIYable with care.

There was an option for a sort of integrated portable sat nav, which fits in that dash top storage tray. I once looked into a retrofit but dismissed it as more time/trouble/cost than it's worth! If the car's not so equipped, it's just a straightforward storage tray.

Alfa Workshop have some good "how to" guides for servicing and common fixes on the Giulietta (along with most other modern Alfas), and the Alfa Owner forums are also full of useful info.

Can't speak for the QV specifically, but other than the above issues our 1.4 Veloce - at 11 years old and getting on for 125,000 miles - has only needed servicing and wear and tear parts.

[Shrugging for victory]

TBH, a lot of the internet scaremongering doesn't help, when you are trying to find facts. I own a Peugeot 308 and I am on my 2nd Fiat and by rights all of them should have blown up or something. *Touch wood* none have needed anything but consumables and servicing. I had more issues with my Skoda Superb with the 1.4tsi than any other car that I have owned.

[Timoo]

I was looking at getting a Guilietta a while ago, just couldn’t find the right one for me locally. Seem like great cars which I’d definitely consider getting in the future.

I stumbled across this YouTube channel called ‘Vialetto Tony’ which covers DIY fixing just about any of common problems you’re likely to have on one, well worth having a look at. Link for the channel is below.

https://youtube.com/channel/UC0wqyV_dafG97m45vjUk1...

[Shrugging for victory]

Nice one 👍 that is a great find.

[Benjarke]

Shrugging for victory said:

Cheers for the feedback.
What's the storage doofer on top.of.the dashboard for? As I have.seen some with a Tom Tom type plonk on thing and some where there's a screen underneath.

Mine has the screen spec'd on it, the maps are useless and outdated compared to Google Maps and the like, but it does have a selection of screens you can cycle through which I quite like.

[ZX10R NIN]

You can add Android Auto to your Giulietta.

[Skellum]

We just passed the wife's Giulietta Diesel on to our son. Had it 4 years. Suffered two broken interior door handles (replacements from ebay with good how-to-fix on youtube). Had to change one wheel bearing. Otherwise, it didn't put a foot wrong in 50000 miles.
Set my fastest ever Glasgow to Ullapool time in it.
It does suffers slightly tight head-room in the back, but easy to forgive because it's such a good fun drive.
Now replaced with a Volvo V40 which is a drab, characterless pig by comparison.