Hi Anita,

Many thanks for all your questions. Let's deal with them one by one. 

The Giulietta actually seems to be a really reliable car. Alfa has long lived with a poor reputation for quality and reliability, but that seems genuinely behind it now and the Giulietta by all accounts seems to be at least as reliable as mainstream rivals. Check all the electrical systems carefully to make sure they're all working and make sure it comes with a full and complete service history and you should be fine. 

Your MX-5 probably isn't going to be worth much though - €2,000 at best, and less as a trade-in, assuming it's in excellent condition. If you could hang on to it until the summer you might make a little more on it as convertible buying and selling is hugely seasonal, but even so, you're not going to make a fortune on it. 

As for the warranty? No, a three-month warranty on a four-year-old car is nowhere near enough. You should be getting at least a year, especially as Alfa offers a five-year warranty on new models. If the garage isn't prepared to stand over the car it could be that they're concerned about a fault you're not being told about. Perhaps it might be better to shop around.