It Means The Camino: 1974 Chevrolet El Camino

This next thing is a hunk of old American iron for $3800...which isn't a bad thing at all. It is certainly better than a fancy premium Wordpress theme that crashed an entire installation and required a complete nuke and rebuild of a website.  I should really stick to cars and pay someone to deal with these electrons.  Find this 1974 Chevrolet El Camino offered for $3800 in Rumney, NH via craigslist. Tip from TeleArrow.

No Fire Yet...Lots of Smoke

I hate to be a complainer, but this migration to Wordpress was far more complicated than I expected...but with a big help from Hugh (regular DT tipper and commenter) I was able to install Wordpress on a server twice (the first installation had to get nuked from orbit after a plugin went bad...it was the only way to be safe) and use a nifty blogger to Wordpress conversion tool, which is a pure brute force method and has about as much subtly as a winged midget racer.  This conversion tool is currently importing the almost 10,000 stories and 50,000 comments into the new environment..one piece at a time. Once that is done, we can get to the business of implementing the new look/feel and commenting system.

DT Transition to Wordpress

Just a quick update from the front office...or is this the back office...I dunno...anyway, we're still polishing the paint on the DT migration from Blogger to Wordpress, so please accept my apologies if feature content is low.  We will get back to posting the best collection of custom junk on the internet just as soon as this old paint buffs up to a nice shine.

Fire Sale: 1982 Renault Fuego

The Fuego was built by Renault from 1980 to 1986, sold in the US through AMC dealers and featured such innovations as the world's first keyless remote system...which is funny because this next Fuego is being offered sans keys.  And it's on a trailer....but at least the listed price is low and this appears to be a turbocharged manual transmission equipped Fuego...future classic for sure. Find this 1982 Renault Fuego offered for a 24 Hrs of LeMons friendly $700 CAD ($515 USD) via theFacebook themarketplace. Tip from Erik202.

See Five Season: 2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Ah, the C5 Corvette Z06. The cheapest way to go fast, and the fastest way to lose your license. It is a formidable track machine, tuned by the wizards at Chevy's performance group to take the standard C5 from fast enough to faster. When introduced in 2001, the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 was the fastest production car for less than $100k, and today, a used Z06 is the fastest stock car for less than $15k in just about any competition environment (drag, track, autox, etc). Find this 2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 offered for $12,900 in Glendale, AZ via craigslist.

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.