Re: Auto Milano saga

[Chris Robyn <chris.robyn@domain.elided>]

Thanks to all those who responded to my queries about the possibility of
getting an '88 automatic Milano Gold as a daily driver.  I post this for
our collective edification, and would like to preface it by reinforcing the
old adage that if something looks too good to be true, well, you know...

This particular car was sitting on a dealer's lot and had apparently just
been purchased at auction.  List price was a seemingly whopping $4900, but
I was able to get them to drop it by $1K with a cash offer.  Car was an '88
Milano Gold with 46,000 miles.  Body color was champagne with beige cloth
interior.  Exterior was overall quite decent--a few minor dings but nothing
to cause you to cringe when looking at it.  Driver's side headlight washer
was missing, rear yellow reflector strip across trunk cracked.  All lights
and indicators worked.  New Pirelli P600 tires on 14" original wheels.

Interior was perfect, and I mean perfect.  Seats, carpets, dash, headliner,
all in as new condition.  All instruments worked: interior lights, window
lifts, power front seats, mirrors, A/C, etc.  In short, there was every
indication that this car had lead an extremely pampered life.

Engine compartment had apparently been washed and detailed, and, upon
initial inspection, seemed immaculate.  Prior to road test, dealer had
explained that the steering rack bushings were shot and would be replaced.
Nevertheless, I arranged to have my mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection
the next day.  Most dealers are loth to do this but I must admit these
folks were surprisingly cooperative.  I can only conclude that they didn't
know what we ultimately found...

Only when the car was on the lift the next day and we poked around
underneath did we realize what the real story was.  The car had been
wrecked--heavily--sometime during its life, and underwent an extensive
front-end rebuild, probably paid by an insurance claim when the value of
the car was still in excess of $10,000.  The unibody frame itself was
torn(!), later unbent(!!), and then re-welded.  Spacers were used on the
right front control arm to bring it out to something close to the original
position.  My mechanic basically stopped the inspection when we got to that
point and I returned the car.

Perhaps it should have been obvious from the dealer's remark about the
steering rack bushings, but the reality is that this car can never be
properly aligned and there would always be a sense of paranoia about the
frame weld failing.  I offered $1,000 for the car but they declined.  So
the search continues...

If anyone knows of a clean, well-maintained (and straight) Gold, Platinum,
or Verde(!) for sale I'm still looking.  Thanks!

Chris Robyn
Berkeley, CA
'84 GTV-6
'91 168

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