-five grand doesn’t get you much in a used car nowadays, particularly given the current level of insanity with late model used cars. You could get some 60k mile used 5-year old economy sedan or a 7 year old SUV…or you could put your man pants on and buy a 13 year old BMW M6 with a V10 and 6-speed manual gearbox. Find this 2009 BMW M6 convertible offered for $25,000 in Fort Worth, TX 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.
The Exocet Missile was a French built anti-ship missile that is known for its first wartime launch by an Argentine Super Étendard strike-fighter that sunk the HMS Sheffield during the 10-week conflict in 1982 known as the Falklands War. The Excoet kit car on the other hand, is a beast sold by the guys at Exomotive that puts a tube frame chassis and composite body panels around a donor Mazda Miata chassis. The Exocet Miata is equally as dangerous as the Exocet missile, but only to its occupants. Find this 1999 Exomotive Exocet Miata Kit Car offered for $20,000 in Harrisburg, PA via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
There is a style of late model customized car where you start with a black car, black out every piece of chrome, black out the lights, black out the blinkers, limo tint the windows and end with a vehicle that absorbs more light than it reflects. Kids on the street call it “murdered out”, but I prefer the term “Vadered out” because I’m a Star Wars geek like that. Plus, this next car has tons of miles on the odometer but looks sprightly enough to throw the emperor down a giant shockingly non-OSHA compliant random ventilation shaft located in the throne room. Find this 2003 Mercedes-Benz CL55 AMG offered for $14,500 in Fresno, CA via craigslist. Tip from Safety Fast.
I have been watching some youtube videos recently showcasing Ken Block’s Hoonicorn racing against random cars in a drag setting. The Hoonicorn is a 1965 Ford Mustang converted to all-wheel-drive and sporting a twin-turbo 1400 horsepower V8. It is far from street legal, but it is not a drag car (it is purpose built for hooning) and to watch it stomp all over million dollar supercars is something special. Nobody (other than Ken Block) can afford the luxury of building his own Hoonicorn, but you can buy this next thing and get somewhere close for a fraction of the cost…maybe. It does have a boosted engine and sticky 315 tires all the way around, it’s only missing all-wheel-drive, a sequential gearbox, and 1000 additional horsepower. Find this 1971 Volkswagen Beetle offered for $5,900 in Antioch, CA via craigslist.
The original BMW M5 was released in 1986 an autobahn cruiser that was only available in black like a Ford Model T, but unlike a Model T, it was monstrously fast. The next generation also featured an upgraded version of the BMW inline-6, but it wasn’t until the 1999 release of the E39 generation M5 that it got an appropriately menacing V8 to tear up the streets. This next car has been modified and the seller claims to have removed 400lbs of worthless weight. Find this 2001 BMW M5 E39 offered for $13,900 in Encino, CA via craigslist.
Legendary motorcycle racer Jorge Orwell said it best; “Four wheels good, two wheels better! All machines are equal. But some machines are more equal than others.” Nobody will argue that bikes are fast(er?)…but tipper Erik202 sent in this next two wheeled speed machine and asked the question; this one goes 186mph and does a 10.4sec 1/4 mile and only costs $2063USD. Is it possible to go faster for less money? Find this 2004 Suzuki GSX-R offered for $2700 CAD ($2063 USD) via the facefarm marketbarn.
Over the years, various people have answered the question; what happens when you shove a big V8 into a small car? But today’s custom answers the question; what happens you put a lot of Chevy into a little bit of Triumph and the answer is something special. I love the wood dash, the minilite wheels, and the small roll hoop, and I just hope the exhaust is subtle enough that most people won’t notice the burbling 6.6 liter menace under the hood. Find this 1973 Triumph TR6 offered for $24,000 in Long Island, NY via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
If somebody would have told me in the year 2004 that in 15 years a Cadillac CTS-V would be worth the same or more than a C5 Z06 from the same year, I would have told them they were insane. But here we are 15 years later, and an ’05 CTS-V sells for about the same as or more than an ’04 Z06…maybe those extra doors are worth the extra money? Personally, I’d need one for a few year test drive to find out. Find this 2005 Cadillac CTS-V offered for $14,500 in Pleasant Hill, CA via craigslist.
There are oodles of new cars for sale in the $25k range at your local Honordoytamotors dealership, and they come stock full of gadgets and gizmos; but this next car has a few things that they won’t come with. They won’t come with a 600 horsepower supercharged V8. Nor a 5 speed manual mated to […]