I had been watching the 2021 Alfa Romeo Giulia on Cars & Bids all week. The day before the auction was scheduled to end, I drove to Stamford, CT, to test drive the car. The seller was extremely accommodating, suggesting that I drive the car for as long as I wanted that morning. My Alfa club buddy Bill, who owns a Giulia, accompanied me so that I would have a second set of experienced eyes on the car. Except for the color combo of blue over red, which I was still getting used to, everything about the car seemed right: RWD, limited slip diff, the best-looking 19” wheels, the red sport seats, Harmon Kardon sound system, a complete CarFax service history, and a transferrable extended warranty.

I knew all too well how these online auctions worked. Bring a Trailer had laid the foundation: seven-day auctions, plenty of photos, candid commentary from followers, and perhaps most importantly, the removal of any last-moment “sniping” by resetting the clock at each bid within the final few minutes. Unlike BaT which adds two minutes to the clock once any bids are placed within that final two-minute window, Cars & Bids resets the clock to add one minute, which is still plenty of time.

There were two or three bidders who were actively bidding on the Alfa during its final 30 minutes. By clicking on their user names, I was able to see their entire bidding history. Interestingly, these bidders had followed similar paths: they would bid several times, and would drop out well before the cars reached their final sale price. In other words, they were bottom shoppers who were bidding only on the chance that they could “steal” a car (provided the reserve was met). Discovering this about them boosted my confidence.

In the end, my competition was “aptwo” and “AJ2023.” Aptwo had bid on 28 cars, with zero wins, placing five bids on this Alfa, and bowing out at $17,250. AJ2023 had bid on 88 cars (!) with one win, a 1997 Audi A6. After his final bid of $20,000, he was gone. I bid $20,250 and thought the car was mine at that number. But I was wrong.

A new bidder, “RM512,” appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Quickly looking at his history, he didn’t join Cars & Bids until August of 2026, and this Alfa was the very first car he bid on. We were off to the races. Moving in either $250 or $500 increments, he kept pace with me. I bid $21,500 and told myself that was my limit. But when RM515 bid $21,750, I rationalized, “oh, what’s another $250?” But my $22,000 bid was topped again, and so it went.

Instead of being nervous, I was surprisingly calm, as if I were playing a game, convincing myself to hang in there. (This was helped in part by several buddies who were watching along, and sending me text messages saying, “YOU GOT THIS!”) I bid $22,500, he $23,000; I went to $23,250, he $23,500. When I bid $23,750, I allowed myself a new upper limit of $25,000, as once I was over that, I could find Giulias both newer and with lower miles. Watching the countdown clock descend past 30 seconds, then 15, then 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, there was nothing from RM512. The clock hit zero, and the screen read “SOLD for $23,750.” I won the auction. I was stunned; happily stunned, but stunned nevertheless.

It took a few days to sort through the paperwork (payment, bill of sale, title and tags), but about ten days after the auction ended, I picked up the car (with a big thanks to good friend Mike G who drove me to Stamford). The car was flawless on the drive back, and since then, I have had zero regrets.

This is one of the nicest Giulias I’ve ever seen, and in a very rare spec as well. In retrospect, I am so glad that an offer I made several months ago on a used Giulia at an Alfa Romeo dealer fell through. The car in my garage is so much nicer than that one. Patience paid off!

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