More than two years after selling my Mazda Miata in June 2024, and after two years spent pursuing classified ads in search of a “classic car” to replace it, I made a profound decision: I switched gears and bought a late-model Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan. The story behind that switch is for another time, but it still took me four months to find the right car. I test drove four different used cars at various Alfa Romeo dealerships in NJ and PA, then found the right car at the Cars and Bids online auction website (www.carsandbids.com). THAT seven-day auction is also a story for a future blog post. For now, I will start by posting my first photos of the car after driving it back from Stamford, CT, yesterday.

The car is a 2021 model year, in Anodized Blue Metallic with a red leather interior (a color combination popular in Alfa’s home country but rarely seen here). It is well-equipped, with the TI Sport Package (including sport seats and 19” bright wheels), Premium Package (including a Harmon Kardon Audio System), and Carbon Package (featuring interior and exterior carbon fiber trim pieces). Perhaps most unusually for a Northeast car, it is rear wheel drive (RWD), when almost every other Giulia I considered was AWD. It had just under 63,000 miles at my time of purchase, averaging just over 12,000 miles a year. I got it from the second owner, and the entire car is very clean, and came with a CarFax report showing every required service has been performed.

I’m keeping both the 2013 Mazda3 as a daily driver and the ’67 Junior as my AACA-eligible classic. A few years from now, things could change, but this Giulia will be used to attend AROC (Alfa Romeo Owners Club) events which are farther away, and for my own longer leisure drives. I’m so excited to have two Alfa Romeos! Watch this space for more about this car in the coming weeks.

Entire blog post content copyright © 2026 Richard A. Reina. Text and photos may not be copied or reproduced without express written permission.