Alfa Romeo Giulia GT Coupe: The Essential Buyer's Guide [Paperback]

Keith Booker (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Essential Buyer's Guide | Publication Date: June 20, 2005

A small investment in this book could save you a fortune. With the aid of this book's step-by-step expert guidance, you'll discover all the information you need to know about the Alfa Romeo Giulia GT Coupe you want to buy. Unique point system will help you to place the car's value in relation to condition. This is an important investment-don't buy a car without this book's help.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Review from Australian Classic Car, September 2007 Veloce has now published 13 of these handy pocket size books. Each serves as a useful guide for enthusiasts and assumes that readers will already know a little about older cars. The publications follow a pattern, starting off with the question, "Is this car right for you?" - it's a valid question, since many first-time owners buy with their hearts and not their heads, and live to regret it. Items to watch out for are helpfully divided into a 15-minute evaluation and a more serious investigation examining mechanicals, body, trim and so forth in close detail. The author then compares the various advantages of auctions against private sales before discussing the all important paperwork - after all, you'll want to make sure that the seller actually owns what you are buying. Internet links and tips on where to find spares are helpful as is the list of relevant publications. Put it in your pocket before you start looking. - By Pete Vack at Velocetoday.com Thumbing through this very handy new book from Veloce Publishing (our British friends who are not, however, in any way related to VeloceToday or VelocePress) we were reminded of the virtues of the Giulia coupe (the return of the accent mark over the e in coupe will be henceforth ignored). And conversely the foibles of the same lovely Alfa, from rust to brakes to leaks and poorly made interiors. Dwarfed by a copy of Le Grandi Alfa Romeo, this buyer's guide has more useful informatin packed between its covers than the large book. A very handy book indeed, measuring 7 _ by 5 _ inches and 62 pages long, it can be tucked into a large pocket, for it is designed to be taken along when that special Alfa Giulia Coupe is found. A guide actually meant to be used on site, and as such, offers a long chapter called "Serious evaluation", in which there are boxes to be checked after looking at the condition of the exterior, interior, mechanicals, etc. Booker does not seem to have missed a trick, covering every imaginable aspect of Alfa troubles from A to Z in a comprehensive and understandable manner. Good stuff! While this chapter constitutes the majority of the book, there are also other helpful chapters. "Living with a Giulia Coupe" addresses the pros and cons of owning and driving a 40 year old Alfa - such a life may not be for everyone. There are chapters on restoration, how to buy at auctions, and how to quickly evaluate if a particular Alfa is worthy of further investigation. There is a list of clubs and key Alfa shops, but unfortunately mostly limited to those found in England. Another chapter provides vital statistics for each model, such as numbers built, the range of chassis numbers, and general mechanical specs. One of the problems with such a small book is that the photographs, while clear, sharp and in full color, are nonetheless on the small side and a bit hard for old eyes to easily see. Ditto the paragraph headings and captions, which are printed in a light blue color. In only 60 plus pages, Booker and the editors of Veloce Press have culled the essential information necessary to purchase an Alfa Giulia GT, not too much, not too little, and have left out nothing of great importance. The models covered include: Giulia Sprint GT, GT Veloce, 1750 GTV/GT Veloce , GT 1300 Jr., 2000 GTV, GT 1600 Jr. Note that the Juniors were not imported to the US, but many made it to these shores before the DOT/EPA declared war on illegal cars. - From Classic Car Weekly WITH summer well and truly upon us, all thoughts of rain and miserable weather are probably dim a distant memory. In fact with the current sweltering weather upon us you could even be thinking about buying yourself a classic Italian sports car. Fans of Italian exotica might think there's nothing much wrong in that, but as we all know, our more usual wet weather and Italian tin are not a good combination, so it's best to know what to look out for when viewing a potential purchase. Obviously you should do your research first and that's where this handy buyers guide comes in. Written by Keith Booker, this fascinating read shows you how 60 minutes of serious evaluation can save you an even more serious amount of hard work, heartache and money. Having owned Alfa Romeos for over 25 years, the author has drawn on his considerable experience to help Alfa virgins avoid the pit-falls and dodge the lemons. And lets face it, as a former bank manager he should know a sound investment when he sees one. Broken down into 17 easy to follow chapters, the book includes sections on many useful topics, such as which model is best, how to check for authenticity, running costs and the implications of restoration. This title sticks to the same format as other works in Veloce's Buyers Guide series and provides a useful point scoring system that can be followed when viewing a potential purchase. Using the book as a guide, each section of the car can be awarded a potential four points, which are then be added-up to decide whether the Alfa is okay, or if it's better to simply walk away and find yourself a better one. There are 100 colour pictures sprinkled about the handy-sized 64 pages and show these beautiful cars in great detail, with particular emphasis on the generational differences, common rot areas and all the little bits and pieces most people forget to look at in the excitement of buying a new car. Having this book in your pocket for just GBP9.99 will pay dividends in the long run and even if you're only contemplating life with a charismatic Italian, it's an interesting and informative read that would go along way to help make your mind up. - Review by Dave Pratt Veloce Publishing has just released a new book aimed squarely at prospective purchasers of that range of beautiful Bertone-designed Alfa Romeo models we know collectively as Giulia GT coupes (including the Sprint GT, GT Junior, and GTV) sold in the US between 1965 and 1974. It's physically a small book (measuring 5.5" x 7.5" and 64 pages), but it brims with useful information. Virtually all aspects of evaluating the condition of GT coupes are covered, as you can see by perusing the Table of Contents reprinted here. While some of the advice presented applies to the evaluation of all old cars, it is nonetheless crucial, and there is also much consideration given to areas in which these cars in particular can develop problems. Needless to say, rust is a prime concern, and a lot of deserved attention is paid to those areas where the coupes are especially vulnerable. The book does have a slightly British slant, but American translations are provided for the English terms [e.g. "bonnet (hood)", "boot (trunk)", and "wing (fender)"]. The "Paperwork" chapter, which discusses topics like insurance and "roadworthiness certificates", is UK-specific and can be safely skipped by American readers. For the most part, however, the information presented by the book knows no borders. The layout is attractive and concise. It's printed in full color throughout, with ample photographs of coupes in nice condition and close-ups of problem areas that they can develop over the years. Fully a third of the book (Chapter 9 - Serious Evaluation) is devoted to a comprehensive step-by-step set of guidelines that can be used to assess the condition and value of a GT coupe. Each of the five sections (exterior, interior, mechanicals, test drive, and ramp check) is divided into several subtopics, and each subtopic can be given a numerical rating from 1 to 4. When the evaluation of a car is complete, the ratings can be totaled to arrive at an overall figure, which can then be used to decide whether to buy the car on the spot, walk away, or make a judicious, informed offer. Other chapters in the book provide advice as to whether the car is right for you, quick initial evaluation strategies, checking a car's authenticity, which models are best, and detailed specifications. The point is driven home that it's virtually always cheaper and far more pleasant to buy an example that's fully restored than to buy one with needs, since it always takes more money and time than you'd expect, a side benefit being that you get to start enjoying it immediately. Many people (the book's author and this reviewer included) believe the Alfa Romeo Bertone coupe to be one of the most attractive, elegant, understated automotive designs ever penned. Whether you're in the market for one now, think you might be in the future, or even if you already own one, you'll find this new book to be a valuable resource, full of information to help you evaluate these wonderful cars. Of course, evaluation is one thing, and passion is quite another.

About the Author

Keith Booker has owned Alfa Romeos for more than 25 years. He has enjoyed his 1972 GT 1600 Junior since 1986 and for 12 years also ran a Giulia Super. He has been an AROC UK member for 23 years and served as a director of the club. A bank manager by profession, Keith recently retired and can now devote more time to his wife and two children and his enduring passion for historic motor racing, especially when Alfa Romeos are participating. He has contributed to publications in the UK, Italy and the USA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Veloce; 1st edition (June 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904788696
• ISBN-13: 978-1904788690
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #353,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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