[vantheman5211]

I recently moved to a new country, and have been without a car for the last 4 months (longest, ever since I started driving). Its time to get back on the horse. I zoned in on a sub $50k budget, and would only look to stretch if there are really high gains.

So the contenders thus far that have been driven -

Alfa Romeo Giulia

Pros -

* Drives incredible. I cannot overstate how good this drives, and its control is near perfect. It will telepathically go where you want it to go, and keep you smiling. I almost got emotional driving it.
* Dealership proximity. Approximately 10 kms away which may be useful.
* I felt the sales team here was better than Jaguar, and Audi.

Cons -

* Interior seemed a notch below BMW and Audi. On par with the Jag.
* Wife didn't like the looks, and feels that the brand lacks appeal (blasphemy I know)

Jaguar XE

Pros -

* Its a Jaguar. Very well fitted, but I did not find it fun. I did a very small test drive, so I am hoping to take another one for a spin this weekend.
* Has decent discounts going on. Approximately 10% off right now if I opt for 2017

Cons -

* The interior feels cheap. I just did not like it, but doesn't seem all that bad when I look at reviews, or YouTube videos.


Audi A4

Pros -

* Superb interior. It feels like you are sitting in a spaceship
* This seemed like the "best of everything" package

Cons -

* You know when you are "not feeling it"? I got the same feeling here.
* Dealership experience was substandard.

BMW 320i

Pros -

* Interior on par with the Audi. Feels like you are driving a segment above
* Handles fantastically well. I had a nice test drive of about 10 miles, and the dealer even offered me to keep it for the morning. I had a great experience here.

Cons -

* No discounts

So this is your classic executive sports sedan fight, and I have been spending a lot of time thinking which way to go. Would like to know the opinions of the team.

Admins - I just realized that this thread is following under BHP>India. Please help me move it if this is not the correct folder. Thank you!

[budgam.boonyi]

Personally I would be torn between the go to sports sedan and New kid on the block (but with pedigree). I would have a hard time putting money down on a the Alfa, but the BMW seems a bit too boring now. On the other hand there hasn't been a better time to get a sexy Alfa. If you'r not worried about resale or are leasing it, my vote for the ALFA!

What a lovely predicament to have!

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by vantheman5211

...and keep you smiling. I almost got emotional driving it.

Need any more reasons? Though have to admit, the car is a looker, especially in that smashing red colour.

[vantheman5211]

Originally Posted by budgam.boonyi

Personally I would be torn between the go to sports sedan and New kid on the block (but with pedigree). I would have a hard time putting money down on a the Alfa, but the BMW seems a bit too boring now. On the other hand there hasn't been a better time to get a sexy Alfa. If you'r not worried about resale or are leasing it, my vote for the ALFA!

What a lovely predicament to have!

Yes, it’s a great predicament. Has contributed to a few dark circles over the past three weeks.

I would love to lease the Alfa, but the offers just don’t stack well. Also, they have tenure of around 24 months which is a bit too short for my taste.

I am glad you understand my hesitation in puting the money down for Alfa. Its just too good, but has a few faults like resale value as you mentioned. Another thing is, I haven’t seen a lot of them in Seattle, but a fair few of them in LA. But then again, I went to the LA autoshow, and maybe a bunch of petrol heads all showed up with their Alfas’. Alfaholics!

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Need any more reasons? Though have to admit, the car is a looker, especially in that smashing red colour.
Attachment 1710742

I agree, the car looks awesome in red. Red, and white seem to be the best colors per my glance. Rest have a matte feel to it, but that’s not to my taste.

[howler]

Voted for the Alfa , you’re only going to own an Alfa maybe once in your life, think about resale once you have to own a car in India. Live once buddy , go for the Alfa ! It’s an emotional investment

[The Brutailer]

Well you get one life. Go with what your heart desires. You are in a country with great roads. It’s good to be emotional for once. Get the Alfa Romeo.

[budgam.boonyi]

Originally Posted by howler

Voted for the Alfa , you’re only going to own an Alfa maybe once in your life, think about resale once you have to own a car in India. Live once buddy , go for the Alfa ! It’s an emotional investment

THIS!

The cost of owning a car (Price, Fuel, Insurance) is cheapest in Middle East followed by North America. When I lived in the middle east and I got older I made sure that my parents bought and experienced nice cars before retiring (X5, A4, Cayenne, QX70). Now that they are in Srinagar, the prices are too exorbitant and even if we could afford it, we don't even have VW and SKoda outlets in Kashmir let alone luxury brands. Why even bother buying a nice car with the kind of roads we have in India.

In Short if this is what pulls your heart string and you will not be pinched financially for loosing out on resale or paying more for a lease (recommended even if it is a little more expensive as service and repair is their problem, not to mention the time saved to sell the thing at the end) Just go for it.

As far as not sighting many, its mostly because Alfa is re-entering the market and their first bid into NA was a disaster. Will take time to overcome this, not to mention the Stelvio will get more takers just for being an SUV. Saw on Auto-line after-hours a few weeks ago that the sales were indeed minimal.

Also Have you seen the thing. DAMN SEXY!! Maybe that's why your better half didn't like the looks. She knows you will spend more time with the Sauten-ia.

On a serious note if your wife really doesn't like the looks (brand appeal doesn't matter, as long as the car appeals to you), then i would suggest the BMW (assuming it is your second choice is that.)

Money comes and goes but experiences last a lifetime!

[vb-saan]

Its kind of no-brainer... Go with the Alfa. For once, I would say take the risk and don't listen to your wife

The Red is indeed the color of Alfa, but Giulia looks really good in other shade as well (though somehow I feel white doesn't bring out the character of an Alfa Romeo). This blue shade looked really great.

[vantheman5211]

Originally Posted by howler

Voted for the Alfa , you’re only going to own an Alfa maybe once in your life, think about resale once you have to own a car in India. Live once buddy , go for the Alfa ! It’s an emotional investment

Thanks, Howler. Its ironic, but I never worried about resale value in India. Infact, I only owned Chevrolet products (Beat, and Cruze). Alfa is definitely an emotional attachment. The classic head vs heart story played here.

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

Well you get one life. Go with what your heart desires. You are in a country with great roads. It’s good to be emotional for once. Get the Alfa Romeo.

True that.

Originally Posted by budgam.boonyi

THIS!

The cost of owning a car (Price, Fuel, Insurance) is cheapest in Middle East followed by North America. When I lived in the middle east and I got older I made sure that my parents bought and experienced nice cars before retiring (X5, A4, Cayenne, QX70). Now that they are in Srinagar, the prices are too exorbitant and even if we could afford it, we don't even have VW and SKoda outlets in Kashmir let alone luxury brands. Why even bother buying a nice car with the kind of roads we have in India.

In Short if this is what pulls your heart string and you will not be pinched financially for loosing out on resale or paying more for a lease (recommended even if it is a little more expensive as service and repair is their problem, not to mention the time saved to sell the thing at the end) Just go for it.

As far as not sighting many, its mostly because Alfa is re-entering the market and their first bid into NA was a disaster. Will take time to overcome this, not to mention the Stelvio will get more takers just for being an SUV. Saw on Auto-line after-hours a few weeks ago that the sales were indeed minimal.

Also Have you seen the thing. DAMN SEXY!! Maybe that's why your better half didn't like the looks. She knows you will spend more time with the Sauten-ia.

On a serious note if your wife really doesn't like the looks (brand appeal doesn't matter, as long as the car appeals to you), then i would suggest the BMW (assuming it is your second choice is that.)

Money comes and goes but experiences last a lifetime!

That line about Sauten-ia. I reckon I am over the edge with the Alfa. The only thing I would do now is to test drive a couple of more options which I had shortlisted initially, but left out of the original post since they have not been driven.

The options are - Ford Mustang GT premium, and the Lexus IS 250. I also plan to take the Jag for a drive. It seems, my experience with the dealership played some part in not considering that car at all. I will take a proper test drive.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Its kind of no-brainer... Go with the Alfa. For once, I would say take the risk and don't listen to your wife

The Red is indeed the color of Alfa, but Giulia looks really good in other shade as well (though somehow I feel white doesn't bring out the character of an Alfa Romeo). This blue shade looked really great.

Attachment 1710783
Attachment 1710782

I agree, red brings the best out of the Guilia. One thing though I want to mention is that the white of the Alfa seems very different in person. Its a shade that I am not used to seeing at all. I have never owned a white car, because I don't prefer them. When I saw the Stelvio, and Guilia in white, they seemed incredible. I am not sure I recall accurately, but I think The Grand Tour also had a white Guilia Quadra... which was featured.


Finally, thank you all for taking the time to post, and add your advice. I appreciate it!

[RajeevMD]

There seems to be a lot of opinions on the Alfa. AFAIK Alfa isn’t well known for its reliability and re-sale values in the US (but that’s the same with most European cars in North America when it comes to re-sale values). Of the cars you stated, BMW has the best re-sale value and reliability when it comes to USA. I would suggest if you could go a bit further and opt for a 328i/330i rather than a 320i for those wide American roads to tread on. The current 328/330i comes with the same 2.0 engine but I’m not sure if they changed the name from 328i to 330i in the last facelift in the US.

[Soumyajit9]

While the Giulia and XE are too lucrative and appealing, lets not forget both their reliability. Jag and AR service accessibility is always questionable, when you are not in England or Italy.

If I am putting down about $35k-50k, I would rather invest in a brand which has a strong service network, strong warranty package and strong resale value.
Unless you are a true petrol-head and care less about the money spent.

I would recommend 330i or A4. You can check Acura TLX also.
Or if you are a family man, X1 or Q3.

I recently bought a X1. My search was between X1, Q3, GLA and XE. I was too tempted for the XE.
But then I had a hard time finding Jag dealerships nearby. The one I found was not very excited about offering discounts or calling me or pushing to buy.
BMW, Audi and Merc were at my feet to buy their cars. That is because there is a whole lot of dealerships and service for these brands. They are literally every 10-15 miles apart.

Good luck with your shopping

[AnInternetUser]

I voted for the A4. On paper, I would probably pick the others over it, but for everyday driving, I feel the A4 is a really nice package. I haven't driven any of these (except for the old 320i) or sat in any of them but the A4 seems like the more comfort-oriented car, something I would look for in a daily driver. Plus, as you said the A4 appears to be a better "complete package".

Curious question: why aren't you considering used cars? You can get some great deals on used cars in the US and you might be able to get a car that will be superior to the ones you are currently considering. A used 530i or E350 or maybe even an S6? I understand that reliability and after sales are questionable but you can always get one with low miles and a warranty.

Also, I've seen on Salomondrin's videos that lease rates for Ghiblis are pretty low. It might not be as reliable as the others but hey, it's a Maserati!

Edit: any particular reason why you aren't considering Mercs or is it just personal preference?

[vantheman5211]

Originally Posted by RajeevMD

There seems to be a lot of opinions on the Alfa. AFAIK Alfa isn’t well known for its reliability and re-sale values in the US (but that’s the same with most European cars in North America when it comes to re-sale values). Of the cars you stated, BMW has the best re-sale value and reliability when it comes to USA. I would suggest if you could go a bit further and opt for a 328i/330i rather than a 320i for those wide American roads to tread on. The current 328/330i comes with the same 2.0 engine but I’m not sure if they changed the name from 328i to 330i in the last facelift in the US.

Point taken. I have asked the BMW dealership to check a test drive of the 330i. I will post my experience once I take that for a spin.

Originally Posted by Soumyajit9

While the Giulia and XE are too lucrative and appealing, lets not forget both their reliability. Jag and AR service accessibility is always questionable, when you are not in England or Italy.

If I am putting down about $35k-50k, I would rather invest in a brand which has a strong service network, strong warranty package and strong resale value.
Unless you are a true petrol-head and care less about the money spent.

I would recommend 330i or A4. You can check Acura TLX also.
Or if you are a family man, X1 or Q3.

I recently bought a X1. My search was between X1, Q3, GLA and XE. I was too tempted for the XE.
But then I had a hard time finding Jag dealerships nearby. The one I found was not very excited about offering discounts or calling me or pushing to buy.
BMW, Audi and Merc were at my feet to buy their cars. That is because there is a whole lot of dealerships and service for these brands. They are literally every 10-15 miles apart.

Good luck with your shopping

Congratulations on the X1. The new X1 looks intimidating. In fact, I actually thought it was an X3, until I saw the badge. Its definitely a looker. I had a really bad taste in my mouth with the Jaguar experience. I almost felt no one took me seriously. Their demeanor was almost like "Look this is a tough time for us to take questions with our end of month discounts". The only discounts they had were on the F-type. I understand that I was there for the bottom of the line product, but that doesn't mean I should be hurried along despite taking the time to fix an appointment.

Originally Posted by AnInternetUser

I voted for the A4. On paper, I would probably pick the others over it, but for everyday driving, I feel the A4 is a really nice package. I haven't driven any of these (except for the old 320i) or sat in any of them but the A4 seems like the more comfort-oriented car, something I would look for in a daily driver. Plus, as you said the A4 appears to be a better "complete package".

Curious question: why aren't you considering used cars? You can get some great deals on used cars in the US and you might be able to get a car that will be superior to the ones you are currently considering. A used 530i or E350 or maybe even an S6? I understand that reliability and after sales are questionable but you can always get one with low miles and a warranty.

Also, I've seen on Salomondrin's videos that lease rates for Ghiblis are pretty low. It might not be as reliable as the others but hey, it's a Maserati!

Edit: any particular reason why you aren't considering Mercs or is it just personal preference?

The A4 makes so much sense. I liked the overall package, and it looks menacing as well. I haven't thought about used cars, but I will definitely look into them. The Ghiblis leases are usually on a single inventory that come up, and go in a matter of minutes.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by vantheman5211

Finally, thank you all for taking the time to post, and add your advice. I appreciate it!

You basically just want all of us to agree with you on the Alfa so you can take the emotional reason to be a logical one
Def go with the Alfa, at this point if you buy any of the others, you will burn everytime an Alfa passes by

[GTO]

As sexy as the Giulia is, it would be a nightmare to own. Among the most unreliable cars on sale in America today.

Consumer Reports’ Alfa has been to the dealer service bay three times since they bought it. The UK’s Sunday Times had three Giulias crap out on them. Forums abound with reliability issues. Pistonheads had an Alfa Giulia break down in the middle of a test against a Mercedes and a BMW. Motor Trend’s Alfa was completely defeated by a normal driveway. Car and Driver said that their Giulia suffered “foibles.”

And perhaps most damning of all, Road & Track’s Sam Smith said sister mag Car and Driver actually has “an in-house code reader all but earmarked for Alfas, and every test Giulia they’ve seen has had problems.” And then Sam just this morning posted about a Giulia that had broken down on him

Read this & this.

I understand that one has to make a certain compromise in reliability (vs Japanese cars) with a European model, but this is just too much. I've only read horror stories on the Alfa.

The 3-Series is my pick from the list. You could also wait for the all-new generation 3-Series coming in 2018. Buy a cheap car for your needs till then.

If you are open to pre-owned, you are in a country which has a dream market. For 50k, you could get a pre-owned V8 sedan or sports car that's certified, with warranty & all.