Alfa Romeo has produced some beautifully styled cars during its history. While the Milano may not be considered by some to be one of these, it is nonetheless a striking car with a purposeful look. This Milano Gold Series is listed for sale here on eBay. Located in Moseley, Virginia, it is offered with a clear title. The seller has set a BIN price of $1,200 for this Italian classic.
Since this is an Alfa, I suppose that we should probably address the most common flaw that these cars have suffered over the years. Namely, rust. This Milano looks to be quite free of any obvious rust issues. The supplied photos are limited, but none of them indicate any obvious problems, including the shots of the underside. The styling of the Milano was quite boxy, but it tends to be in keeping with vehicle styling of the time. I really quite like these, and I think that when they are painted in a darker color, they tend to look quite purposeful. There are a few minor issues with plastic exterior trim on this Milano, but none of these look to be particularly bad.
The seats really look comfortable, and the material appears to be in remarkable condition for an Alfa of this vintage. There is some wear on the driver’s seat base, but this is common with sculpted seats like these, especially if they are upholstered in cloth. The rest of the interior looks to be in good condition, with the only obvious deviation from standard being the fitting of an aftermarket CD player.
One of the areas where Alfa has always shone has been with its engines. The Milano is no exception. The Alfa V6 engine has been acknowledged worldwide as one of the great volume production engines. This 2.5l version is not the original. When the owner bought the car the engine didn’t run. It had suffered a failed timing belt, and on these engines, the results can be catastrophic. This one was no exception. The seller sourced a replacement engine (with a new timing belt) and had it fitted. He has also fitted a new aluminum radiator. The car now runs well, although there is a minor exhaust leak that will need to be addressed.
With a BIN price of $1,200, this Milano appears to be a good buy, as those on the market at present are commanding significantly higher prices. The worst issues with these (as with so many Alfas) is rust. The owner claims that it is rust-free, and the photos tend to back this claim. With nearly perfect 50:50 weight distribution, the Milano is a wonderfully poised and balanced car to drive. Personally, I have always wanted one of these, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I’m 10,000 miles away from it, I’d have it in my garage today.
Sold right away
Glad it did, I don’t need a 3rd Milano but this was for sure I steal I don’t think I could resist!
He had a new motor and other parts installed but 1200 will take it away. Gotta be a reason for that.
My fiancée has instituted a permanent ban on Alfas in the household :(
I looked at one of these once, it had a blown head gasket, apparently a very common problem. The car went down hill from there when I got run over by the car, true story!
Shortly after I had sold my kinda ratty Milano and was starting to wish I hadn’t, someone sent a couple of classified ads to the Alfa club newsletter I put out, advertising a GTV-6 project car and a Milano “driver”. That one was priced at $2500. The GTV-6 went into the Classifieds, but the Milano went on my credit card!
They may have their quirks and crochets, and the styling looks either odd or just odd enough. But take a good one down any few miles of snaky two-lane and you will either fall in love or fail your Car Guy exam. So I’m not surprised this one went so quickly, especially given its physical condition; a car this good but needing an engine could be worth that asking price, though the condition of the electronics might need to be considered too. It also helps a lot if you either are a good mechanic or know one; I fall into that latter category, and am old enough to hope I don’t outlive those guys!
Always desired a Alpha…..
Being Italian, it’s Alfa. Even when they’re referring to the Greek letter.
Good cars, generally, and well-designed and built. You DO have to learn stuff about them to take good care of them and enjoy it, but they aren’t really fragile at all. Read one response on another forum where the guy said he test-drove a Milano and it kept overheating – obvious answer is, Did you check to see if the ELECTRIC fan was working? But I had to drive one almost 50 miles with a dead fan, and never blew a gasket.
I had 2 of these, a Gold and a Verde. Sweet machines, never had any problems with them except for the things I did, (like driving down a bumpy dirt road at 50 mph), don’t do that….
They were both perfect condition cars that both met untimely deaths at the hands of inattentive delivery drivers within 1 year and at locations that were only a 1/2 mile apart. I miss those cars.