The Nissan Rasheen was a compact 4WD crossover built by Nissan long before the compact crossover became the most common vehicle in your local new car dealer’s lot. Everything is some kind of crossover that has the ability to off-road at your local golf course…but that wasn’t the case when the Nissan Rasheen hit the […]
The baby blue Volvo we posed earlier today was a bit of a wreck, so I think we need to redeem robin’s egg blue cars with something equally vintage, but in nicer shape. The Ford Courier was a compact pickup truck that was produced from 1952 to 1982, and this 1980 model is a prime […]
The Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Type 14 was launched in 1955 as a 2+2 coupe with Type 1 Beetle mechanical parts and styling by Luigi Segre of Carrozzeria Ghia plus a coach-built bodywork from Karmann. The Type 14 was cheap and affordable for years, but with the recent astronomical price increases on all things aircooled (Porsches…Hippie […]
Sports cars built in the late 70s can be polarizing for the classic car crowd. Some folks will lament lackluster powerplants, rubber bumper styling, and safety related bloat — others are nostalgic for the good times of their formative years. Some enjoy malaise era cars specifically because they are unloved by the masses and affordable, […]
The Subaru SVX (known as the Alcyone in its home market of Japan) was designed by noted Italian Giorgetto Giugiaro of ItalDesign and was the most expensive Subaru built when it was introduced in 1991. Internet rumor claims that Subaru lost money on each SVX sold (which we find hard to believe) but the Japanese […]
The fifth generation S197 Mustang was launched in 2005 with well executed retro-styled platform that added a sprinkle of nostalgia to the late model refined Mustang. Despite newer versions having more power and beef to their designs, I think the S197 is the cleanest looking of the post 2005 Mustangs (and I’m not even going […]
Somebody better put some miles on this car ASAP. If we don’t roll the odo digits, this car risks becoming one of those cars that gets passed around those fancy auction sites between exceedingly wealthy hipsters who store them in their garage and talk about when they first got into Apple stock. This car needs […]
This next car is a Saab Sonett III, so that means the 2-stroke oil burner was no longer an option (shame, that would be the one to get IMHO) and it is powered by a V4 borrowed from the European Ford Taunus. The V4 displaces 1.7 liters and puts out 65 horsepower to a 4-speed manual gearbox mated to the front wheels, not exactly a performance nirvana, but at a sub 2000 lb curb weight, it won’t be a penalty box either. Find this 1974 Saab Sonett III offered for $5000 in Ham Lake, MN via craigslist. Tip from Kester.
Sometimes in the morning when I get up, I feel old. My joints are stiff and my head is pounding for a cup of coffee — which is something that didn’t happen a decade (or so) ago. But that’s okay, because being old has its advantages. You get to say things that you felt as a younger person, but didn’t say. You get to dole out your experience to young whippersnappers and tell them how easy they have it these days. But the best part, is that you get to drive a comfortable car. No more stiff, low, sporty cars, no…we don’t need them to get to church on time on Sunday morning or to get your latest prescription filled at the pharmacy at 10am on a Tuesday…no. But what we do need is a car that drives like a 5000 lb marshmallow and has a seriously sweet throwback radiatoresque grill. Now, get off my lawn. Find this 1989 Lincoln Town Car offered for $5500 in East Windsor, CT via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
I had a few minutes to contemplate my car/life choices the other day. Technically, I was waiting a few moments to try to start the engine on a 94 Buick Roadmaster, which had coughed, belched, and stalled on me. It had happened the previous day on a hot start, and a few minutes of turning the key again, it eventually fired up and settled in a nice idle and got me home. I’m not sure what was wrong with engine, but it gave me time to think if my choice of beaters was from the right decade. The wife is always saying I need newer more reliable modern cars, but I’m thinking that 94 might be too electronified and I need something more carburmafied. Because here is the truth — my oldest carburetor fed cars might have a few issues (well…always something) but you can nurse it home and fix it. An electronically chip controlled key-ignition system won’t work at all if something goes wrong, but an old school mechanical setup…meh…you’ll notice the degradation before total failure. Modern cars have too many single points of failure because of digital electronics– if too much moisture accumulates in the 94 LT1 optispark chamber…well…no spark, no run. On the other hand, you can run a conventional points system at about 2% of its optimal design specification (gap or dwell or whatever) and it’ll run like garbage, but it’ll still run enough to get you home. So maybe, just maybe, a Ford Pinto with a carb fed 302 V8 is an upgrade in reliability from a 94 LTI? Asking price on this next one is optimistic, but the concept is good. Find this 1979 Ford Pinto offered for $15,000 buy-it-now or make-offer in Katy, TX via eBay.