It’s always a little surreal when you see a car you used to own appear for sale. I bought this 1988 Alfa Romeo Milano Verde as a project back around 2023, and I admittedly got in a little over my head. The Verde trim is the hot ticket when it comes to the sporty Milano sedan, and it came with fender flares and a slick Recaro interior. My car didn’t run in my time with it, and I sold it as a non-runner. It apparently now runs and drives but still looks more or less the same. Find it here on Facebook Marketplace with some needs listed for $11,995.
The greatest sense of relief I have is that my opinion has not wavered that this is a car worthy of passing on. I was disappointed that the project didn’t have more success in my hands, but with no easily accessible Italian car mechanics in the area, it seemed no one knew quite what to do with it. It ended up at a shop that more or less didn’t touch the car for several months before sending me a bill for $1,000, letting me know it didn’t run and the gas tank needed to be flushed. This was all plainly evident when I dropped the car off via flatbed, so to say I felt slightly taken advantage of was an understatement. You can see how my affinity for the car quickly diminished.
I purchased it from a car friend, meaning someone I knew through enthusiast circles but didn’t have a meaningful relationship with. Ironically, he sold another buddy of mine a Milano in similar condition, which also ended up being sold as a project. It seems both examples had sat far longer than the seller disclosed, or remembered. Given how clean the desirable Recaro interior still was, I felt assured by the seller’s words that it had only been sitting for 3 years or so; little did I realize how foggy his memory actually was. Still, when shopping for a Milano Verde, beggars can’t be choosers as they are somewhat hard to come by.
The Verde is powered by Alfa’s lusty 3.0L Busso V6, which produced a fair amount more power and torque than the standard Milano’s 2.5. With 183 b.h.p. and 184 lb.-ft. of torque, it was a powerful competitor in the sports sedan market back in the 80s. The individual who bought my car had big plans for it, and while I can’t confirm the seller is the same person, it is located in downstate NY, which matches the general region where my buyer was from. He has gotten it running and changed the must-do timing belt, along with the serpentine belt, plugs, fluids, filters, fuel pump, fuel filter, and likely more. Cosmetically, it’s still somewhat needy, but I do hope this rare Verde sedan gets a forever home soon.
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