DT Upgrades Planned For Later This Week

We've got some big changes planned for your favorite internet watering hole...but let me start at the beginning.  DailyTurismo was launched 8 years ago under the simple statement: This blog is a collection of the internet's best daily drivers on the road for $5-15k.  A few years later we amended our tag line to "the Internet's best fun cars, cheap daily drivers, vintage classics and custom junk, on the road for less than $20k" and did a massive site upgrade with new graphics from reader turned contributor Kaibeezy.  The new graphic elements and a few new tricks (recent comments widget, etc) were deployed but the site was still the same basic blog running on the blogger platform.  Fast forward to the year 2020 and DT hasn't changed much, but the internet has and scammers/spammers have certainly have. The blogger platform, which served us well in the beginning, has shown its age and is getting replaced with Wordpress...so expect a new look to DT, but with the same cool cars, cheap junk, wacky comments, and focused mission statement.

Project Car Blues: 1979 Porsche 924

I've been a fan of the transaxle equipped front-engine Porsches before someone gave me a derelict 928 for free...but that was a long time ago and you shouldn't consider that an example of where values for these cars are headed. The 924 was certainly a cheaper car when new compared to a 928, but today I have to think that a cheap project 924 is a better bet than a cheap project 928...mostly because the 924 will likely have a manual gearbox and it has half as many cylinders to chernobyl into a costly puddle of aluminum alloy in your driveway.  Find this 1979 Porsche 924 offered for $2400 in Westchester, CA via craigslist.

Little Blue Coupe: 1996 Toyota RAV4

You don't see a lot of Toyota RAV4s on the pages of DailyTurismo...but that doesn't mean you shouldn't own one because they offer a level of usability and reliability for a light crossover that is almost unmatched...and the older ones are starting to become cool...in a goofy way.  Today's first generation RAV4 is a 3-door version with electric blue paint and Lexus ES300h wheels. Find this 1996 Toyota RAV4 offered for $4900 in Florida via Dave's blogger site.  Seller submission from Dave.

I Will Survive: 1984 Toyota Corolla LE

At first I was afraid, I was econofied,
Kept thinking I could never live with my engine turned to its side
But my front wheels plowed so many miles thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong
And I learned how to live with bronze
And my plastics black
My seats are tan
I seat as many people as your crummy old van
I should have changed my steering lock, I should have made you leave your key
If I'd known for just one second that you'd try to hot wire me
Go on now, go, slam that mint condition door
Just do some front-wheel peel now
'Cause you're not rear drive anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with a slide
Do you think my interior would crumble
Did you think my clearcoat would lay down and die?

Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to change gears, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my clutch to slip
And I've got all that 4A torque to give and I'll survive
I will survive, hey, hey...Find this 1984 Toyota Corolla LE offered for $4200 in Portland, OR via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Ferrari Testac4ossa: 1984 Chevrolet Corvette Custom

The C4 generation Corvette is the unloved sibling in the Vette family, the red-headed step child that was born in the Malaise era and surprisingly transformed into a sophisticated and remarkably fast car by the end of its production run.  But today's example is something else...something so utterly blasphemous to the Corvette faithful that I have to admit I'm drawing like a moth to a nuclear reactor core.  But...I dunno, the styling isn't for everybody, but it certainly is priced reasonably. Find this 1984 Chevrolet Corvette Custom offered for $4250 in Valencia, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

A 1939 Chevy rebodied with a... 1991 Geo Metro?!?

This next car comes as a tip from Matt C who writes: If I needed to say something nice about it, I'd say that it succeeds much better than attempting to make a 1957 Chevy out of a 2002 Camaro. And it is probably considerably more exciting to drive then when (a small portion of) it rolled off the line in 1991. Find this 19XX hot rod offered for $8000 in Wilmot, WI via craigslist.

Longbed Shortfuse: 1978 Toyota Pickup

The HiLux is legendary for its rugged chassis and bulletproof R-series engines...that's certainly part of the reason it is the favorite for lawn care workers in the USA and militias around the globe. Toyota released in the first HiLux back in 1968 as a replacement for their Stout pickup, and production of the little machine lasted through 1995 for the US market, but it continues to be built in various other markets and we get the larger Tacoma pickup. Today's Pickup looks in great shape, but it needs a new headgasket -- how hard can that be? Find this 1978 Toyota Pickup offered for $2000 in Gilbert, AZ via craigslist.

Old Enough To Drink: 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 4

This next car is tempting.  Really tempting.  It looks the part of the $100k sports car, but costs less than a used Kia from your local dealer...what gives?  Two things -- first it IS a 996 with 147k miles on the clock and second it is a 996.  However, it has de-fried egg headlights, updated IMS, clear corners, a GT3ish wing, and newer 991 wheels that makes it look newer than a 21 year old car...which makes it almost a classic.  Find this 1999 Porsche 911 Carrera 4 offered for $13,000 in San Diego, CA via craigslist.

Prancing Deer: 1972 Triumph Stag Custom

The Triumph Stag was a 2+2 convertible sports tourer designed by Giovanni Michelotti (known for his work on the Triumph Spitfire, GT6, TR4, Ferrari 250/340/375, Maserati 3500/5000, and BMW 2002...you get the idea) and produced by Triumph. Today's Stag has been de-bumpered and the result is a car that looks more mid 60s Lotus or Ferrari than something from Coventry and with the addition of a Chevy V8 (big upgrade over the small 3 liter Triumph V8...maybe not in terms of cool, but certainly torque and power). Find this 1972 Triumph Stag Custom offered for $5100 in Tampa, FL via Facebash Marketrace. Tip from David S. 

In The Clearing Stands a Boxer: 2016 Factory Five 818

Factory Five is a kit car manufacturer that is known for making those flashy Cobra replicas that are probably a blast to drive but mostly sit in garages when the weather is too cold or too hot.  But Factory Five sells a variety of other kits, some that look like a GT40 and Cobra Daytona Coupe and 33 Ford...but in the past few years they've started their own designs, which I personally prefer to the derivative retro designs and am keen on the Subaru boxer powered model called the 818.  Find this 2016 Factory Five 818 offered for $14000 somewhere in Washington State.

Crappy Summer Runabout Challenge: MG Midget vs VW Super Beetle vs Benz 450SL

This next triple feature comes as tip from Zach Z who writes; Which runt would you pick the of this ~$4k, early '70s ragtop litter?  We've got a 1975 MG Midget, a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle Ragtop, and a 1973 Mercedes-Benz 450SL (that comes with a parts car).

Mint Condition: 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais Indy 500 Pace Car

If you own a car with the words "Official Pace Car 69th Indianapolis 500, May 26, 1985" on the doors you are going to have a few conversations that go like this.  Random dude: Wow, so that car was used as the pace car at Indy...that's wicked. You: Well...it is actually a commemorative version of the pace car, one of 242 built.  Random dude: So the folks at Indy 500 paid to have that on the side as advertisement..?  You: No...actually the buyer had to pay more for this option...  Random dude: Okay, well can you just stop parking it on my lawn, it's killing the grass. If this kind of exchange gets you excited, you can pick up your 1985 Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais Indy 500 Pace Car here on eBay offered for $12,950 in Ozone Park, NY.

Hergestellt in Mexiko: 1998 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 Wolfsburg Ed

I was watching some sort of big box streaming service on the tele the other day (how much longer can we go without live sports or a new season of the Grand Tour...?!?!?) and I stumbled upon a little gem starring the short guy from Top Gear -- a show called Richard Hammond's Big. Many of the episodes are about the little funny man exploring big dams and super turbines, but in one episode he visits the world's largest car factory in the town of Wolfsburg, Germany.  The Volkswagen plant punches out millions of peoples cars each year, but this next car was built in Mexico...wait...I thought the Wolfsburg Edition Jettas were made in Germany? Nope...vin starts with a 3..this is a NAFTA baby, but that doesn't mean you won't get mobbed at the next Cars & Covers(face) event because it has a manual gearbox and low miles for the age. Find this 1998 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 Wolfsburg Ed offered for $5900 in Burbank, CA via craigslist.

Jaaaaaaaaaaaag: 2003 Jaguar XK8 Coupe

Jaguar coupes have been gorgeous cars since Ernesto Jaguar was a little boy sketching his designs on Big Chief Tablets, and the X100 generation XK was no exception.  Assembled in Coventry from 1997 through 2006, the XK added some soft lines to the angular XJ coupe and evokes the legacy of the E-Type.  Mechanical & electric parts aren't as troublesome and "release the smoke" prone as stuff from the 80s, but it isn't going to be as reliable as a Toyota or Ford or SsangYong...and the interior is only one frilly lamp shade short of being an actual brothel parlor (thanks doctordel!)...but it's a Jaaaaaaaag.  Find this 2003 Jaguar XK8 Coupe here on eBay offered for $11,900 or best offer in Pompano Beach, FL.

How'd You Lose That? 2000 Porsche Boxster 986 "S"

You don't have to be an expert in the automotive market to see how cheap used Boxsters have become -- it probably has something to do with Porsche stamped them out like boxes of number 2 pencils headed to your local dollar mart.  Various interweb sources claim something like 160,000 of the 986 designated convertibles left the factory, but you'll have to search harder and pay more for the 3.2 liter S version...or you could buy this next basic Boxster that has had an undocumented upgrade to the 3.2 liter flat-6 if you don't mind buying a Porsche that was built in Finland. Find this 2000 Porsche Boxster offered for $5250 in Mountain View, CA via craigslist.

Introducing DailyTurismo Anti-Coronavirus Masks

You asked and we delivered.  It's in our DNA. Okay, I lied.  Nobody asked for this next thing, but it IS something we all need.  Maybe not for the reasons you might expect, but because just about everywhere in the world has some kind of requirement to wear a face mask and you all have a requirement to spread the gospel about this strange website you frequent that looks like BringATrailer from 1999...yes, this website. So, stop wearing pieces of Wonder Bread pasted to your face with peanut butter and buy a facemask from DailyTurismo -- they cost about $16.99 (currently on sale for $13.59) plus shipping via our Society6 store.

Black & Red: 2011 BMW 135i E82

The E82 generation BMW 1-series coupe was released in the 2007 model year a few years after the E46 3-series was plus sized to the E90 platform...so to some folks, the 135i is the spiritual successor to the E46 -- with the 1M and 135i being very close in capability and the natural successor to the E46 M3 -- two doors, light weight, inline-6, 330ish horsepower, a penchant for tail happy on-throttle oversteer...you know the drill.  Find this 2011 BMW 135i E87 offered for $12,900 in San Jose, CA via craigslist.

Manual Wagon: 2004 Volkswagen Passat

This next car comes as a tip from SecondMouse who writes: For some automobile enthusiasts, there is a special interest in sporting wagons. That interest often grows if we are talking about German cars, and it goes up a bunch if the vehicle in question is a honest-to-goodness manual transmission. Here is one that might tick all the boxes for those so inclined - a 2004 v6 Passat wagon with low mileage and manual transmission, available at the modest price of $2500 in Houston. Find this 2004 Volkswagen Passat offered for $2500 in Houston, TX via craigslist.

Father's Day: 1980 Mercedes-Benz 240D

Happy Father's Day (a bit late maybe...but whatever) to all you fathers out in cyberspace -- this next car is something that looks like a car my dad drove back in the day and brings back a strong sense of nostagia for me.  My old man would get them with about 200k miles on the odo, drive them till 300k and then hand them down to one of the kids.  Yes, if something breaks it was expensive...but most everything could be mended with duct tape or ignored.  The seller says it has manual windows, which is good, but manual locks, which is bad...because it means the vacuum system for the locks is broken...but you can still manually lock and unlock 'em. Find this 1980 Mercedes-Benz 240D offered for $4700 in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.