Let's face it, the appearance of Alfa Romeo's Milano is an acquired taste. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Verde however, makes up for its looks - and honestly this one's not that bad - with a sweet 3.0. You'll need to decide if this one's price however,makes it worth acquiring.
U.S.A. may at the moment be tied with Putin's Russia for total number of medals won at the Sochi warm day Winter Olympics, but we're way ahead when it comes to a much more important contest. That's right, yesterday's 1968 American Motors AMX went for YOUR gold and came up with a decisive 80% Nice Price winner. I fully expect to see it on a box of Wheaties in the near future.
I don't think they eat Wheaties in Italy. When you consider the amazing food for which that Mediterranean country is known, I think last thing you'd want over there would be a cold bowl of cereal floating in milk. In fact I think that they do a lot of things differently in Italy. Their towers tilt, talking there involves the hands and in the big cities from what I hear you can even pinch girls' on the ass nobody arrests you! Italy is also home to Alfa Romeo, and as evidenced by today's 1988 Milano Verde, they too have a different outlook on life.
The first place you'll notice the Milano being different is in its styling. Now, the Italians have a history of making somewhat dowdy sedans, and saving the sexy time styling for their coupes. The Milano was no exception, and featured a riot of shadow lines and plastic body accents that potentially could send those with an appreciation for traditional aesthetics into paroxysms of pointing and head shaking.
This one eases a good bit of that by being back in black which tames the lines. The ebony hue also extends to the alloy wheels, which along with some dark grey accents and its angularity gives the car an overall look of a stealth fighter. The inside is not so stealthy but is equally up to the task. It's been re-skinned and is now covered in black leather with alcantara inserts in a red that if your little sister came to the dinner table wearing lipstick the same color your dad would make her take it off asserting that no daughter of his was going to look like a harlot. You'd hang your head with the disappointment that he didn't even notice you were wearing it too.
Where were we? Oh yeah, this Milano looks like a party on the inside what with the Momo wheel, fancy pants pedals, old school sissel mats, and big-ass shifter, all of which are of course aftermarket. Fortunately the car still has its Frankenstein switch e-brake and weird window switch placement.
It's under the hood where this Milano really looks good however. This being a Verde that means the typical Milano 2.5-litre V6 with its odd single overhead cam and tiny pushrods has been replaced with a rock 'em-sock 'em 3.0… with single overhead cams and tiny pushrods. According to the ad, pretty much every ancillary on this melodious mill has been renewed or replaced. Along with all that, in the back the rebuilt transaxle also gains a new clutch. If that's not enough, the springs (torsion bars in the front and coils for the de Dion in back - I told these cars were eclectic) are all new along with the shocks, bearings, brakes... Hell, pretty much everything below the equator is new on the car.
That's not what you typically see in a Milano, even a Verde, and props to whomever has kept this Alfa in fighting shape as that's no mean feat. In fact, these Verdes more often suffer the indignity of unrestrained decreptitude as parts fail one after the other until there's nothing left to do but yank the 3.0 - which is a sought after hunk of metal for inserting in the slinkier GTV - and drop the rest off on the junkyard's doorstep.
Not this one however, it's obviously not going down without a fight, and I'd imagine you'll have to pull its 182-horses from its cold dead alcantara-covered grasp. Of course fighting takes money and in this case that means $12,950 to keep this Milano off the mat. What do you think about that much for this seemingly well-cared for Alfa? Is that a pretty good price for perhaps a not so pretty car? Or, does this Verde simply demand too much green?
You decide!
Los Angeles Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your Kinja handle.