Government Surplus: 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano
So you want an Italian thoroughbread, but you don’t want to break the bank? That’s a hard car to find these days, but Alfa Romeo may have the answer you’re looking for. Of course, you’re not going to find one of the high-end Alfas for short money, which means you’re likely going to settle for a fairly tired car with numerous untold needs. Heck, you may even need to go to a government surplus auction to find such a vehicle, as in the case of this sad looking 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano sedan, listed here on GovPlanet with no reserve and an opening bid of $300.
Now, the thing is, you can find one of these for reasonable money in fair shape. It will have needs, like even the best cars do, but it will be a runner. It doesn’t make much sense to buy one like this that has clearly been ignored for some time, even if it comes with the preferred manual gearbox and sonorous 3.0L V6 engine. The Milano is located in Washington State, which should suggest rust-free condition – but that’s not entirely accurate, as this example does show signs of rot-through in the lower fenders and a few other spots. The Alfa has clearly been sitting outside, as the clearcoat is baked right off.
Holy moly – that’s a nest. That’s either a lot of mice, or a far bigger creature I don’t want to meet. How did all those pine cones get in there? It’s a shame to say it, but this Milano has been stood up for some time and without any effort made to protect it from the elements or the environment. The bigger question, though, is how did it end up being auctioned off by the government? That has to be a good story, as websites like these are typically full of listings for heavy equipment, machinery, and military vehicles, not old Italian sports sedans. What do you think the story is here with how the Alfa ended up on GovPlanet?
The interior is factory correct, with the nicely bolstered sport seats, three-spoke steering wheel, and the must-have manual transmission. A fair number of these were equipped with automatics, so finding one with a stick and the V6 is the hot-ticket combo. But given the condition on display here, I can’t help but feel this will end up as a parts donor for an enthusiast trying valiantly to keep an old Milano on the road and finding that parts supply is extremely limited. The bidding may be cheap, but it’s hard to ignore the fact that $4,000 will buy you a very decent driver-quality Milano.
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Comments
Run away screaming! This is not a car known for its robust engine, rustproofing, or really, anything other than its ability to suck money like a calf on a teat. At best guess, the only parts worth having are the badges.
The engine us far more robust than any American made v6 in history. I find Milanos with 250,000 miles on them, no rebuild. And these cars drive like E36 M3. I know: I own both.
The model shown is a Platinum edition. 2.5l engine with leather and ABS brakes. Most likely one of 3 possible things happened to take this car off the road. 1) the timing belt failed causing major engine damage.2) the transaxle or clutch developed issues. 3) the Teves ABS pump or hydraulic assembly failed basically giving only rear brakes. Yea, unfortunately this looks to be a parts car. In running condition these are wonderful cars and are given a lot of bad rap but if kept up they are no worse than any 80’s euro car. I had a couple and I was a trained Alfa tech back in the day.
The ones to own are of course the Verde with the 3 liter engine and the Recaro seats or the gold models with the 2.5 liter engine but without the ABS mess. As far as the automatics they are no worse than the 5-speed in fact more robust but the 3-speed auto sucks the power and lacks refinement. Of all the Milanos I worked on only 2 were autos so not many were sold.
Well packed engine.
The family pakster.
My engines are worth more than this whole car.
Two words: Guaranteed Headaches. And that’s if it runs and drives!
Sold on 4/7/21 for $525.
Steve R
“Well, it looks like a fairly nice Alfa in restorable condition. Can I look under the hood?”
“I’d rather you didn’t.”
Ugggh…sometimes times I have nightmares that I buy something like this and, then I wake up. It’s horrifying.
Having owned a driven quite a few of these over the years I can say with real world experience they are an absolute pleasure to drive! Fast, 50/50 balance and fun, albeit a tad funky in styling. HOWEVER, trying to wake one up from a deep slumber like this, go spend the $4k and buy a nice running example!!! Way too much headache for me…..
The Trouble with (Front Engine) Tribbles. Worse than chipmunks.
Well worth the selling price in parts. I doubt you can find a good Milano for $4000 these days. I have always liked the look of these cars, but most don’t agree.
I had a late 3.0 version and it was great. Not too bad for reliability but it was always at the back of my mind!
Shame about the failed paint; this metallic blued-steel shade is probably my favorite stock Milano color and looks even better in person than in photos.
I can vouch for the fun to drive factor, as my dad had an ’87 Verde with the 3.0L V6. These lesser-trim models don’t have as much power, but I gather the smaller displacement makes them sweeter-running and more rev-happy, and of course they’ve still got all the aural charm of that Busso V6 singing its aria.