The Chevy Malibu was a forgettable midsized sedan from the 80s and not worth a second glance…unless someone has shoved a giant 454 cubic inch V8 under the hood, painted the bumpers, and do some massive burnout in the advertisement photos. Today’s feature has been transformed from Maliboring to Malibadass. Find this 1983 Chevrolet Malibu Wagon offered for $9,500 in Boston, MA via craigslist.
The first generation Chevrolet Corvair (1960-1964) was much maligned for it’s swing axle suspension that would pogo-stick you into a spin at the first chance it could get…but the 2nd generation (1965-1969) fixed that with a fully independent rear suspension with coil springs at all four corners that would keep you right-side-up right-side-forward and alive. But this next example has a Corvette LT1 V8 sitting where an arm rest would normally go…and if that won’t kill you in a crash, the roll cage will certainly finish you off. Might as well mount a Viking helmet as an airbag in this thing…but oh man it looks like fun. Find this 1966 Chevrolet Corvair V8 offered for $8000 in Hamilton, OH via craigslist.
The Jaguar S-Type was a Geoff Lawsom (known for Vauxhall in the 70s/80s, and then Jaguar XJ220, XJ, XK, X-type, S-Type in the 90s) introduced in 1999 as a mid level executive offering in the Ford owned era of Jaguar’s non-independent epoch. The S-Type rode on the Ford DEW98 platform that was shared with the Lincoln LS and it wasn’t a bad car…but it wasn’t a great car either, hence the fact that in 15 years this next one has lost about $60k in value due to depreciation. But with a 400 horsepower supercharged V8, this could be fun for $3500 until something expensive breaks. Find this 2004 Jaguar S-Type R offered for $3,500 in Lockhart, TX 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.
This next feature comes as a seller submission from Bill who told us that it is time to sell his “beloved Frankenstein.” He also describes it as a “1972 Porsche 914 with a small block Chevy wedged behind the seats…embarrassingly wide Carol Shelby Anaconda wheels, polarizing hand-laid fiberglass flares, Singer-esq interior.” The exterior is a bit rough, but the interior is better executed than expected and the wheels (Carrol Shelby Anaconda) have a nice vintage racer Minilite look to them. Find this 1972 Porsche 914 V8 offered for $7,200 buy-it-now or make-offer in Los Angeles, CA via eBay.
It might not seem believable, but driving a cheap used BMW M3 is not actually that expensive. Trust me, I’ve owned a few over the years and I still have both of my kidneys and all of my livers. The most expensive part of M3 ownership is depreciation and if you avoid that…then you’ll find that the regular 3-series bits (door handles, light bulbs, coolant caps) are cheap and the ///M specific stuff (hefty limited slip diffs, 8000+rpm V8s) are over-engineered. Yes, wear items are expensive (brakes, tires, bumper lips, con rod bushings), but not Ferrari expensive and you can do most of the maintenance yourself with a basic set of tools and a set of plastic ramps. But don’t believe me, buy one yourself and then report back here in a few months. Find this 2008 BMW M3 offered for $24,000 CAD ($18,320 USD) in Hinton, Alberta, Canada via Kijiji.net. Tip from Erik202.
This next feature is a massive shout out to all the people who didn’t fit into the mainstream narrative. Yes. All the oddballs, all the weirdos, the innovators, because life is too short to NOT drive a Buick that looks like a Kia. But the LaCross Super is more than just another front-wheel-drive luxury machine from Buick whose buyers were migrating toToyota Avalons…because the Super means something. The Super on the back means this is the second fastest Buick ever built (the fastest is still the turbocharged GNX)…just let that sink in for a second…this is faster than the rear-drive Buicks with big engines from the 60s or the 90s or the modern all-wheel-drive junk that passes for a Buick in 2020…and this screwy LS4 equipped corporate cousin to the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP is equally at home at the drag strip or parked in a handicap space at HomeTown Buffet (they may have declared bankruptcy in the year of Covid…ugg). So drive this thing for a few hundred thousand stress free miles before someone scraps it to put the V8 into a Fiero. Find this 2008 Buick LaCross Super offered for $6990 in Milwaukee, WI via craigslist.
Sometimes you find a car that must be a good deal because it is offered at a fraction of the cost of the parts to build it, nevermind the builder/seller’s time involved. This next truck is one of the millions of the third generation C/K trucks built by Chevy over a 19 year production lifespan (1972-1991)…but it has a diesel title and a built 402 ci big block under the hood — not a bad combo for California if I say so myself. Find this 1982 Chevrolet C20 Scottsdale offered for $8999 in West Hills of the SF Valley, CA via craigslist.
The guys over at Hagerty have it correct when they say that the Chevy Monza was born at just the wrong time. The Monza was released in 1975 as a rear-drive renaissance for compact American compact sports coupes, and while it sold in decent numbers (over 800k from 1975-1980) it was released at the height […]
This next car is something else. It has that sweet 64 Buick Skylark hardtop shape that is undeniably sexy, and a built 327 V8 with a huge gas spewing carburetor, built powerglide 2-speed tranny, and the worlds smallest gas tank. I challenge you to find a car that would require more trips to the gas station than this car on a trip from LA to Vegas. But my kids need to go pee every 35 seconds whenever we are on a road trip, so perhaps this would work okay. I wonder if you could zip-tie a car seat to a roll cage… Find this 1964 Buick Skylark offered for $9,500 in Santa Rosa, CA via craigslist.