There was a time when $1500 got you a fairly drivable car that you could drive around town and restore in your spare time…but the nasty thing called inflation has driven the price of all but the rustiest boat anchors up a few digits and now a $1500 Saab that needs a transmission might be a good deal. Find this 1986 Saab 900 Turbo offered for $1500 in Bay Shore, NY via craigslist.
The Civic comes in three flavors. First up is fast — the Type R or Si version or modified. Then there is the plebian sedans that you see driven around by grandmas and by people who view a car like they view a dishwasher or a pair of pliers. And finally, there is the Civic VX…which V for very, and X for xtreme. Actually, I’m not sure what VX means, but I do know that it came from the factory only in the hatchback and it pushes out 92 horsepower from a 1.5 liter D15Z1 VTEC-E equipped 4-cylinder attached to a manual gearbox. If don’t like to drive a Prius and if you like to get your fuel economy the hard way…this is the car. Find this 1992 Honda Civic VX offered for $5,200 in Prairieville, LA via ebay. Tip from John.
The Cadillac Calais was available as a coupe, sedan, and hardtop, but it was not available as a pickup or El Camino. But it should have been. So the builder of this next vehicle did to the Caddy what should have been done by GM way back in the mid 1970s, and that is to hack off rear of the cab and create an automotive mullet. Find this 1975 Cadillac Calais offered for $8,500ish via GrassrootsMotorsports classifieds. Tip from Cory.
I’ve often wondered why the VW Scirocco doesn’t get much love from the collector car market. Could the fact that the name is un-spellable and un-pronounceable factor in to the low bidding prices on your favorite auction sites — could scores of people be searching for Skirocos and Scriroccos and just miss out on the Giorgetto Giugiaro designed classic? This next verision looks a lot like the 1st generation Scirocco, but is an early 2nd generation. Find this 1982 Volkswagen Scirocco offered for $10,900 in Orwigsburg, PA via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
There was a request from the audience for “Dad” cars for Father’s Day, so here is a classic dad car for y’all. It might be a day late, but this car screams mid-western Dad like a pair for white New Balance sneakers and a healthy distaste for vegetables. Oh, that color…and the fact that it was the seller’s Mom’s car…maybe this should have been a Mother’s Day post. Find this 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser GT offered for $4,550 in Dover, PA via craigslist.
Car enthusiasts love spending money on the hobby. I don’t say this as a bad thing, but it is something that I get reminded when I see things like this next car. The seller has put over $20k of cash in the car, including a stage 4 tune that puts something like 400 horsepower into the front wheels of a simple Saab 9-5 wagon. I’d concede that the seller is asking top dollar for this thing, because you could get a clean 9-5 wagon for a lot less, but then you’ve got to spend the time and money to catch this one. Find this 1999 Saab 9-5 Wagon offered for $12,500 in Westminster, CO via craigslist. Tip from Jeff.
I think I might have inadvertently implied that Tesla (and owners of electric cars in general) were (or are) pompous, self-aggrandizing douchebags and that was…well…unfortunate. Sometimes this keyboard gets ahead of my good sense and I want to apologize by posting this next electric car and saying some nice things about the owners of cars driven by electrons. So I’m sure that the next owner of this BMW i3 will enjoy the extended CPO 100k warranty while driving around in a luxurious electric compact pod thing with a range extending gasoline engine. Looks like a great daily driver to augment your collection of El Camino’d LS1 powered Volkswagens. Find this 2016 BMW i3 offered for $14,995 in Spring Valley, NY via eBay.
This is not a car that the average person will notice. Most people will walk right by and I have no idea of the amount of work that it takes to get a nice looking 4″ chop out of the top of something like a Silverado. And it is almost hard to tell that this has been modified, but the A-pillars, the B-pillars, the windshield, side windows, door frames, and the back window are all custom. And, I’m not a big fan of chopped trucks, and this may be the answer to a question that nobody asked, but it works — it adds just the right amount of special to the otherwise plain Silverado. Find this 2000 Chevrolet Silverado offered for $12,000 in Holliston, MA via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
This next Pontiac Fiero had an optimistic build — the GM L44 2.8 liter V6 had been boosted with a turbocharger of undisclosed size…but if the diameter of the intake tubes were any indicator…it has a huge snail. The little pushrod V6 didn’t have a chance and it is blowing smoke and running rough…but that is an opportunity. An opportunity to rebuild with forged low compression pistons and an fire-ringed headgasket so that this Fiero can be fierce again. Find this 1986 Pontiac Fiero V6 Turbo offered for $2,500 in Naples, MN via craigslist
In the Venn diagram that shows an overlapping circles of 4X4s, exposed hood scoops, and El Caminos…there is a little spot in the middle known as a hillbilly bonanza. It is that magic combination of big tires and big promises that can only be inspired by moonshine distilled in a swamp. It is magical. Find this 1959 Chevrolet El Camino offered for $8001 (reserve-not-met) located in Bohemia, NY via ebay.