The first time I truly paid attention to one of these was when I saw a red one parked out in front of a used car dealer in Mountain View, CA in the early 90s. At the time, the bright red wedgy design with sporty Recaro interior and that funky u-shaped handbrake seemed pretty wild. Needless to say, the car was too expensive for a high school/college student, so I put up with admiring from a distance. More recently, a friend of mine had a 40K-mile example that was a fantastic drive, but with a mortgage and the state of the economy, they’re still out of reach for mere mortals. But not this one!
You can find it here on eBay in Park City, UT with a Buy-It-Now of $2500 and bidding currently at less than that. This car actually only has 102K miles on it, and looks pretty decent. It has some of the wear issues you’d expect of an older car with that mileage, but seems like a bit of work would put it on par with some pretty tidy examples.
I’ve never understood why you’d only show partial shots of a running car. It’s not that hard to pull it out of the driveway and take front & rear 3/4 shots of opposite sides to capture the entire exterior. That said, it’s pretty remarkable how few stone chips are on this car’s nose – you’d want to check for traces of accident repairs. There’s also a shot of a clean rear quarter on the auction page (showing it on its original, if bend-prone, phone dial wheels), so odds are this car’s in pretty decent cosmetic shape. This car wears a standard US-market grill, from which a Euro grill would be an appealing upgrade. Bag the original for when Verdes are as sought-after as Alfetta Mille Miglias are today. Wait, what?
The engine compartment looks really tidy, while the less-than-shiny appearance of the front cross-member lends credence to the theory that this is just a well-kept older car. Even the ABS accumulator is present, as are the various plastic tanks that tend to crack with age. Seller states the tires, timing belt, transmission center bushing, Ansa exhaust, timing belt covers, and mechanical tensioner all have less than 5k miles. However, there is a whine from the center carrier bushing, and the windshield is chipped, which suggests a repaint. Definitely something to ask about, and I’d want any service records as proof, since a timing belt on an interference engine is always a liability. Power steering also leaks, so there might be a rebuild/reseal in the new owner’s future.
The interior is also really clean. While the driver’s side Recaro is worn through at the base of the seatback, material is available if you know where to look. The door rubbers look really good, and the carpets, seats, and dash are all well kept. However, some maintenance catch-up is needed here too, in that the passenger door does not release from the inside, and the fan only works on high. Lastly, the sunroof also needs “a part”. That said, with some investment you might actually be able to break even on this car, since a solid Verde can still be worth about $4-5K. Good deal for the winner.
Tags: alfa romeo, Feature, italian, milano, verde
Rusty But Trusty 
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