Newbie's First Drive - pure love

[mi87lano]

It was one of those accidental findings if I may say, as I was on the internet searching for Milanos I can potentialy buy and came accross a 1987 Milano Platinum for sale in the Chicago Area. In about 45 minutes I was in front a shop called "Besic Motorsports" in Glen Ellyn, IL. In the garage there was a shiny red GTV, with an Alfa mechanic name Mike working on it. As I pulled in There were two GTV6s out front and 1 Blue Milano (2.5) with very nice black rims. On the ad that I saw on the internet it said the car was silver, with 58000 miles for $3300 so I knew that it was not the blue one since it turned out that was Mike's car. Mike introduced me to Richard, an old man who said he was selling the silver Milano and that it was behind the shop. We started walking and along the way (on the side of the shop) there were multiple Alfas, ncluding a crashed Milano, a very old Alfa Romeo Giulia, and a couple of Spiders. We finally fot to the back....the first car we came accross was a red, very nice looking 1985 Maserati BiTurbo which was Richard's car. Then I saw the silver Milano, parked against the fence. The site was a pretty bad one, the car had a lot of structural rust, a badly cracked windshield, the odo said 89993 instead 58000 miles, the engine bay had paint that did not match the car and the engine was covered with burned oil. The car seemed like it was not driven in years, but I said what the hell, I want to at least drive it. I was still very excited because this was going to be my first time driving an Alfa (I am only about to turn 19) so I got in, (the interior was very drity and the headliner was in a bad condition) fired her up, while Richard put some air in the right front tire. The engine sounded like I was in heaven even though it looked pretty bad. The control Panel in the console in the middle kept blinking red continously....Anyways I put her in reverse the clutch engaged almost at the top, don't know if thats how Alfa's ussually are....Well soon I was out of the parking lot and onto a main road. First, up to 4200rpm, second....she is screaming... shift at 4500rpm, third up to 3000 rpm and I am in LOVE!!!!! After that it was a gentle drive back to the shop, where I told Richard that I would take the car if he goes under $2000, I mean considering the condition I would have to spend at least $2500 more to get it ok looking and running at her best....well he did not go for it, and I sadly left the shop.......
Now I am definitely in the market for a Milano whether it is a 2.5 or 3.0, but my budget is about $4000 and I need to find one with a bit better condition that the one I explained...at least the engine, trans, and no rust. Well sorry about the long post, but I thought I would share my experience as a newbie to the forum. My dad had a 75 when we used to live in Bulgaria, but I was still a little boy, then we moved to Chicago and now I am obsessed with Alfas especially the Milanos.

By the way, the car I talked about is still for sale $3300 or $3900 with a fixed windshield, someone should probably save it...the shop also had a black GTV6 for sale, that looked a whole lot better.

[Grant]

Wow... You should be able to get a 2.5 milano in that kind of shape for under 1000 dollars. The 2.5 liter engines arguably soudn better than the 3.0's but the power increase the 3.0 has is real.

Just make sure you take the car you are looking at to a reputable alfa mechanic befor ebuying one. There are a lot of things on Milanos that can cost an arm if they need to be replaced/fixed.

[Grant]

I wonder why we don't just compile a milano buyer's guide and just sticky it to this forum?

[Scott in MN]

[quote=mi87lano]... while Richard put some air in the right front tire.

In other words, probably a bent rim. Once they get banged up a bit the beads don't hold air.

[HeavyMetalAlfa]

I have friend in Maine here with a Milano Verde [3.0] for sale. He would probably take$4,000 for it. Not perfect body wise but very good, engine and drivetrain excellant.
Glennco

[La Voce]

Yes, at $2,000 you offered him (over the) top dollar for that car. Consider yourself fortunate he did not accept.

[Del]

While it is not a good idea generally to buy a car that is not close to where you live, think hard about buying a West Coast car and driving it back. There are some nice Milanos, etc, out here, and the best part is, they have NO rust, even in the supposedly rainy NW (yes, it does rain a lot here, don't think about staying). My wife's Milano with 89k miles on it is still almost showroom clean with NO rust, only a little wear on the driver's seat. My 91S at 140k miles has NO rust. There are quite a few Alfas out here for the taking (uh, buying) which could be driven back with no problems, and you wouldn't have to ever worry about any rust problems.

[Meimaridis]

Mi87lano, you really remind me when i was looking for a Milano and seen a few like the one you described. And finally took one in no better condition :P but with a lot of work and money spent she got better. I agree that the specific milano you saw was a disaster and it's a lot better you didn't took her. When i bought mine, had a burnt head gasket and i can't forget the nightmare of opening the coolant tank. The car spilled about a kilo of thick black oil and mud

Anyways, try looking for a truly decent Milano from someone who cares and knows... Good luck

[La Voce]

Totally agree with the above advice. I know it's hard, but BE PATIENT. Don't jump at the first one you see, overlooking some serious flaws, because you think it will be too long, if ever, before you find another one. I looked at many and was tempted to jump several times, but waited.. two years later I found arguably one of the best in the world, in my humble opinion.... er- wait-are we talking about women or cars here?