Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

Hi

My Giulietta is top of the line in terms of spec (2.0 jtdm-2 TCT Auto, Exclusive)
It has LOADS of extras fitted, including the highly desirable panoramic glass opening sunroof, Bose Audio, Winter Pack and more. If you configure one to buy today it is £34900

it is on show room condition, and has new tyres all round, the mileage is low (32600), and its still under warranty

Yet I can get NO interest in it at £12,000 which is 34% of the new cost.

Well known sites that offer valuations take no notice of the extras fitted, don't even provide a mechanism to enter them on, and return a far far lower valuation,

Is the depreciation that much? really? has it lost £25,000 in value in less than 3 years?

I really would have hoped to get 1/3rd of its new cost selling now, but it seems unachievable

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - RobJP

Your best bet is to have a look for similar cars for sale on Autotrader or the like - that'll tell you what other people (or garages) are attempting (note that word, it doesn't mean the cars are selling for that price) to sell for, and will thus give you a rough idea on where to price your car.

Do bear in mind that your price will realistically need to be CHEAPER than a garage - a garage has legal liabilities under the Consumer Rights Act, whereas you have no such liabilities or responsibilities.

From looking on AT, there are other similar cars for sale (not got all the options, but they don't add huge value anyway) priced at £10.5- £11k from garages. Bear in mind that garages expect to get 'chipped' down on the price, so realistically they are for sale at £10,000 or so.

Which makes your car worth, as a private sale, £9,000. Roughly.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

That's the thing... a valuation of £9500 ish is what I get for a stock one, those sites don't even provide a mechanism to enter any factory fitted options, seems strange since many cars these days are more or less built to order from a huge options list.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - badbusdriver

Surely you must have realised there was a certain inevitablity to this when you bought it?.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - badbusdriver

Also, expensive optional extra's added when new make virtually no difference to the used value of the car a year or two down the road, so you certainly shouldn't be looking for any extra because of yours.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

Plans changed, when I bought it intended to run it to close to end of lease, and chop it in for something else from the same dealer, as i did with my last one, but plans change

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - Big John

I'm afraid you usually get very little for most optional extras once the car is a few years old, unless it's a key option eg Auto box for a Merc or air conditioning if optional!

You don't tell us the age of your car but you mention less than 3 years so I've guessed at a 65 plate. Looking at parkers for that model it shows just over £10k for a trade in and just over £11k for a private sale (30,000 miles). I've also usually found Parkers to be rather on the optimistic side as well.

Most new cars depreciate a lot in the first few years usually to about a third of their value within three years (varies between different cars) however recently diesels have been hit more than most.

Edited by Big John on 02/04/2018 at 17:51

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - nellyjak

No surprise at all...that sort of "drop" is pretty common for the more expensive vehicles.

I'm sure your Alfa is lovely...but I guess there's a limited market...and buying expensive cars second hand can be, well, expensive, should anything go wrong.

As has been said...extras don't really come into it when assessing value...at best one might hope that they make the car easier to sell/more attractive..but they won't inflate the selling price.

Good luck...and maybe keep the car..lol

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - daveyK_UK
I have learnt the hard way that extras are not worth a penny unless you can put the car in front of a knowledgable buyer/dealer who understands their value and how they are marketable.

I now always buy the higher spec in the range instead of adding any extras that simply aren’t worth a penny when it comes to 99% of the trade.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - daveyK_UK
Worth adding a story my friend who works at a Renault/Nissan dealership told me of a bloke who added £3k of extras to a Qashqai only to find out 4 years later they where not worth any where close to an extra £3k in part exchange value.

Most dealers simply offer whatever the CAP guide or an underwriter offers.

£3k is a lot more painful than the £1.2k I had to swallow in extras

Edited by daveyK_UK on 02/04/2018 at 19:40

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

I have advertised it on Alfa Romeo Owners Club Marketplace to try and reach a knowledgeable buyer...

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

Thanks all, I did research the value on Auto trader, however I never found another 2015, Exclusive , with Panoramic glass opening roof and Bose audio upgrade to compare with. What you guys are saying is that these extras don't add any value, that's my disappointment, not the general depreciation.

Edited by guygamps on 02/04/2018 at 19:39

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

I have dropped the price a little, thanks for the input

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

For what its worth, there are only two 2.0 jtdm-2 ""Exclusive" on Autotrader of even approx the same age, both are 2014 model,

Neither have the full leather interior with heated memory seats
Neither have the Bose Audio upgrade
Neither have the panoramic glass opening sunroof
Neither have the winter pack (auto tint rear mirror, auto wipers, headlamp washers)

I hear everything you say about optional extras but even though these are "Exclusive" they seem pretty basic by comparison, some of these extras are "big ticket items".

One is on at £10,695 and the other at £10,995, even if my extras got me £750 on top of that I would be walk away happy.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - gordonbennet

Are you able to draw in a different type of buyer i wonder, ie did you have interim engine oil changes, or a gearbox oil change carried out early, or has the car seen any rustproofing carried out, some things the long term buyer might be tempted by.

The most interesting adverts, to me at least, are those with service histories above and beyond the makers requirements wher the car has been given the very best chance of a long life.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

Yes I have the oil changed every 10k miles even though the service interval is 21k miles, and its on new rubber all round.
I have just listed it on Autotrader too, not cheap mind you £50 to list.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - RobJP

For what its worth, there are only two 2.0 jtdm-2 ""Exclusive" on Autotrader of even approx the same age, both are 2014 model,

Neither have the full leather interior with heated memory seats
Neither have the Bose Audio upgrade
Neither have the panoramic glass opening sunroof
Neither have the winter pack (auto tint rear mirror, auto wipers, headlamp washers)

I hear everything you say about optional extras but even though these are "Exclusive" they seem pretty basic by comparison, some of these extras are "big ticket items".

One is on at £10,695 and the other at £10,995, even if my extras got me £750 on top of that I would be walk away happy.

Yes. But those are for sale at dealers. Who operate under CRA rules and Trading Standards can go in there and give them a good kicking if they break those rules - or a disgruntled buyer can take it to Motor Codes, or even to the courts.

Whereas if someone buys off a private seller, they get precisely zero comeback unless they can PROVE that the car was misrepresented or fraudulently sold.

In addition, a garage offers part-ex, finance, all those things that the modern buyer of a £10k piece of metal.

Hence why I said that, as a private seller, you need to price AT LEAST 10% below what 'retail' is selling for, to allow for that.

In addition to which, that is the price they are advertising the cars for. Not what they are SELLING the cars for.

But I've already explained this lot to you. However, you don't want to hear it. You've convinced yourself that your car is worth X, and that's it.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - Falkirk Bairn

Let's say you see a car on PCP for £400/mthn for 36 months

You decide it's a good deal & order £3,600 of extras to make the car "your spec"

PCP cost will be along the lines of £400 + (3600/30 or maybe 36) so cost

will be in the £500 / £520 per month

The whole value of the extras will be spread over the 36 months i.e. 100% depreciation on extras.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - Avant

You have to think of who the likely buyer is going to be. It'll have to be someone who really wants a used diesel Alfa: I think that counts as a niche market.

Yours may have been fine, but Alfas' reputation for fragility and unreliability will take a long time to go away, and of course diesels aren't exactly flavour of the month either.

The What Car tables suggest that a 3-year-old Giulietta is worth about 27% of cost when new. I'm not sure how old yours is, Guy, but if 32,600 miles is 'low mileage' it must be at least 3.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - SLO76
You’ll just have to put this one down to experience and accept reality I’m afraid. The list price on your car bears no resemblance to its actual value even when new. It was never a class leader and you’d be mad to pay the guts of £35k for for one when a vastly superior Ford Focus ST could be had pre reg for half that.

Buyers and the trade alike regard high spec Fiat and Alfa models with caution in mind. They’ve a poor reputation for longevity and a high spec turbo diesel auto is probably the most likely to go wrong big time so they value them accordingly.

Even if it was a desirable make you’d still have trouble selling at £10k plus in a private sale. Few buyers have that sort of money on hand, 99% rely on finance of some sort and for some reason few think to get a much cheaper personal loan then buy privately. There’s also the risk factor with zero comeback if anything fails.

Best bet here is to sell/part ex it to the trade and accept its true value and learn from your mistakes or keep it and take the chance it won’t bite you. I can tell you now though that it almost certainly will and I say that as an Alfa fan.

These are cars to buy cheaply for a bit of fun. Stick to the roarty petrol engines and manual gearboxes. If you want a diesel auto forget it.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - veloceman
Giuliettas have held their values pretty well up to now.
But the negative diesel publicity as well as being a model well overdue for replacement
(New model expected in 2019) have sent prices tumbling.
EVans Halshaw have several 17 plate Speciale 2.0 TCT starting from £13.5k with under 10,000 miles on the clock on Autotrader.
- Almost tempted myself at that! I’ve had a couple, both 1.6 and 2.0 diesels which we’re both trouble free and a 1.4 petrol TCT but it didn’t have enough torque to suit the gearbox, it was never in the right gear for what you needed. Always thought it would suite the diesel better.
Looking on CarbyCar the Giulietta appears to give less trouble than the Leon which is my current drive.
Good luck with your sale.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - veloceman
One point.
I am assuming yours is the Silver 15 plate.
Looks a nice car. I notice you have no pics of the leather interior.
They are a particularly attractive design.

Personally I love Alfa’s. I would be reluctant to buy any car new but particularly and Alfa.
As I said the Giulietta has depreciated better than most.

I am tempted by the new Giulia but a list price of £35k+ is just mad.
Year old ones are dropping to around £23k now.
I shall probably wait till next spring when hopefully most niggles have been ironed out.

For the moment I have my trusty 3.0 GTV to fuel my fire.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - skidpan

Looking on CarbyCar the Giulietta appears to give less trouble than the Leon which is my current drive

Considering that my Leon had no issues whatsoever in almost 4 years its difficult to see how a Giulietta could be less troublesome.

My Leon 1.4 TSi 140 PS cost about £15000 after discounts, got £7000 4 years later, a retained value of 47%. Way better than the Alfas 27% after 3 years.

But that pales into insignificance when compared to my BMW 118d. Cost £18500 after discounts and when it was 5 1/2 years old I got £7800, a retained value of 42%. Again no probelms other than a broken spring just before I swapped it.

Neither had extras other than paint colour.

Why would anyone buy an Alfa?

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - veloceman
Can’t argue with those figures Mr Pan.
You have indeed done well.
I’m on my 3rd Leon and whilst an excellent car neither have been trouble free.
Needed two headlights due to faulty seals numerous sqeaks and rattles.
My current one which is a year old, something has come adrift from behind the door card and the electric window works when it feels like it.
Only problem I had with my Giuliettas was a leaky boot.

The problem with the Seat is it just doesn’t feel special to be it.

I did dabbled with a 118d myself and in my opinion the worse car I’ve ever bought.
I’m a car buff and was looking forward to the supposed sporty driving experience.
Sat too low down, ridiculously massive steering wheel, certainly not quick and the I-drive system over complicated compared to my Leon touch screen.

To be fair when I swapped it back for a 4mth old 1.4Tsi Leon with Elastic band tyres I think I lost around £700 - could have been a lot worse.
The Seat dealer sold it straight away so I guess the BM and I just weren’t suited.

However New Giulietta our next year - can’t wait!

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - badbusdriver

In the case of the Giulietta, Mito and 4C, i think i'd have to agree with skidpan. I do get the appeal of Alfa, and i do like the new Giulia. But in the case of the above, well they just are not good enough. The Giulietta and Mito were nowhere near the best in class when new, and while the competition has moved on a generation or even two, the Alfa's, sadly, having remained stationary, have fallen further and further behind. And i don't buy into this 'true petrolheads must own an Alfa at some point in their lives', at least not regarding Alfa's which are just re-bodied Fiat's. As for the 4C, hampered by it's gearbox and girth, it is hopelessly outclassed by the Lotus Elise.

The Giulia does seem to be a step in the right direction, but of course how it works long term remains to be seen, and of course, how the dealers perform. And yes, the Stelvio is set to give Alfa a much needed sales boost, but as i don't like SUV's in general, i am indifferent to it.

Some of my all time favourite cars are Alfa's (though admittedly most were pre-1970's), and the breathtaking type 33 Stradale remains one of, if not the, sexiest looking car ever to be made!.

But i guess i should be happy that Alfa does at least have some sort of identity of it's own and a presence in the UK. Unlike poor old Lancia, who went from being one of the most innovative, advanced, high quality and engineering led car companies, to selling fugly, ill-proportioned, re-bodied Fiat's. A sad ignominy for such a company.

Someone earlier mentioned them (Giulietta's) holding their value well, but a quick look on autotrader comparing the prices of the Giulietta with equivalent Golf's does not seem to support this. One example being a 2015 Giulietta 1.7 TBi Quadrifoglio Verde 240BHP (16k miles) priced at £16990, versus a Golf GTI 230PS DSG (20k miles) priced at £21500. Given they probably cost a similar amount new, the Alfa has lost 25% more of it's value.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - veloceman
That was I.
I did say until fairly recently!
The giulietta is certainly not a classic Alfa of old. But when launched 8 years ago it was a viable alternative. It is certainly getting long in the tooth now and all is competitors have been replaced at least twice by now!
But I for one would choose a 1.7 Veloce over a dull golf.
But that’s just me. I have never bought a car because it was best in its class, but because I like it.
As Clarkdon says. Alfa’s are driven by nice people who aren’t pretentious. ;-)
We are all different!

I drove a Mito once and the ride was terrible even on modest 15inch wheels.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - skidpan

I have never bought a car because it was best in its class, but because I like it.

I tried a Alfasud back in early 1980. All the magazines said they were way better than anything else on the road at the time thus as a keen motorist I had to find out before I bought a new motor. It had a great engine but the remainder was total s***e. The car was brand new and drove like it had been hammered for at least 3 years. The driving position was totally unsuited to a human being. It was very noisy but according to the press that was character. Visible screwheads were already rusting. Bought a new Mk2 Escort Harrier which was excellent, ran it for 4 years. Replaced with a Mk3 Escort XR3i for which Ford appeared to have used the Sud as a template, not good at all. Then I bought a Golf GTi, definitely a car worthy of the "best car in its class" press coverage Had 2 over the next 11 1/2 years and did 160,000 trouble free miles in them.

As Clarkdon says. Alfa’s are driven by nice people who aren’t pretentious. ;-)

As far as I am concerned Clarkson is an idiot thus his recomendation is irrelevant. He is an entertainer not a motoring journalist.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - corax
I tried a Alfasud back in early 1980. All the magazines said they were way better than anything else on the road at the time thus as a keen motorist I had to find out before I bought a new motor. It had a great engine but the remainder was total s***e. The car was brand new and drove like it had been hammered for at least 3 years. The driving position was totally unsuited to a human being.

That's why it was described as an 'ape like driving position'. Alright if you're shaped like an ape.

Having owned an Alfasud, I would agree with you on most counts, but the chassis was light years ahead of the Mk2 Escort in terms of handling, though the crudeness of the Escort suspension is what made it fun.

The Alfa had horrendous torque steer too, I much preferred rear wheel drive after that experience.

Edited by corax on 03/04/2018 at 14:41

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - veloceman
I am not daft.
If Alfa’s were that good then all would be driving them.
Driving position is certainly not as bad as it was. My father had a couple of fiat dealerships in the 70/80s and that’s what I grew up with.
Loved them ever since. I have been used to the long arms short legs position!

I agree about clarkson, was only a tongue in cheek comment.

If we were all sensible we would drive Kia’s, Hyundai’s, Toyotas and Hondas.
But then to me life wouldn’t be wouldn’t be worth living.
Also there would be nothing of interest to talk about on this forum.
Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - skidpan
If we were all sensible we would drive Kia’s, Hyundai’s, Toyotas and Hondas. But then to me life wouldn’t be wouldn’t be worth living. Also there would be nothing of interest to talk about on this forum.

I totally agree. Why would anyone want to drive a reliable, comfortable and cheap to run car when there are alternatives available that make every trip an adventure. Even if these alternatives get you to your destination the noise and ride will have made you irritable and the thought of high depreciation will have made you suicidal.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - Andrew-T

<< As far as I am concerned Clarkson is an idiot thus his recomendation is irrelevant. He is an entertainer not a motoring journalist. >>

If JC were an entertainer, he would entertain. AFAIAC he doesn't do that either.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - guygamps

I;ve advertised it in a few places, i've made sure there are photos of the interior. Today I dropped the price to £10,795

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - barney100

My first experience of selling back was a Suzuki 50cc motor bike fifty odd years ago, i remember the blokes exact words..i'm going to shock you...and he did, offered next to nothing. Changing cars I love but I've lost a lot of money over the years so now I try to buy a car I like and keep it much longer. Hope you get a breakthrough.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta - Selling my car, how to value it? - Harry TT

How did you get on with selling the alfa?