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.

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!

Don't Restore It: 1970 Chevrolet Nova

If there is one thing that young car buyers must understand, it is this; they are only original once.  If this next car is purchased by a well meaning 21 year old version of myself...it could well end up with a decent new paint job and a fire breathing 350 v8 build connected to a 6-speed manual...which would be fantastic...but it'll lose some of the charm and charisma of a car that could have been an extra on an episode of CHiPs and deserves to be kept in a garage, driven twice a week, and not restored.  Find this 1970 Chevrolet Nova offered for $9500 in Wildomar, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Built The Way It Should Have Been: 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT

The Pontiac Fiero was the runt of the litter in the sports car world when it was new, and was the brunt of many jokes in the decades after...but...if you are going to buy a Fiero, don't fall for the V8 swapped monster or the '84 iron duke powered original and instead get yourself a nice 88 GT that has been restored by a Fiero expert and upgraded with a 3.4 liter Camaro V6. Handling wasn't by Lotus (that was a common, but unfounded, rumor), but the final year of Fiero did have upgraded suspension and is best of the breed. Find this 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT offered for $7950 near Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Cloth & Stick: 2004 Oldsmobile Alero

Oldsmobile was basically a dead brand standing when it launched the Alero just before everyone started hoarding water for Y2K.  I can't understand the mind of the person who went into an Oldsmoboat dealer in 2004 and ordered a new car...but I certainly appreciate that somebody went in and asked for the cheapest Olds he/she could buy and left with two of my favorite "almost extinct" car features...cloth interior and stick shift.  Find this 2004 Oldsmobile Alero offered for $2650 in Phoenix, AZ.

Happy As A Pig In Mud: 2011 Ford Crown Victoria P71

The 2nd generation Crown Victoria  was introduced in 1998 and was available to the public (mostly old dudes) through the 2007 model year.  From 2008 to 2011 the Crown Vic was only sold for fleet/rental use and was the police car of choice for many precincts.  This made spotting smokey and dropping to the legal speed limit an exercise in Crown Vic spotting and its recognizable shape will be missed as it has been replaced with various Malibu, Taurus, Charger, Caprice, and various SUVs/Tanks/Black Helicopters if you read (and/or believe) the news these days.  Regardless, if you are in the market for a used Crown Victoria and want to escape the madness in the big (and small) cities (again...if you read and/or believe the news...), you'll need a Crown Vic that has been converted into an off road escape machine. Find this 2011 Ford Crown Victoria P71 offered for $5800 in Solvang, CA via craigslist. Tip from Mike Jr.

Silly Racing & Tech: 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4

This next car comes as a tip from Matt C who writes: Here's an interesting find - a platform mate to the final generation of Lancer Evolution! But while they shared the same GEMA engine block and some of their underpinnings. the Caliber SRT-4 wasn't a precision all wheel drive rally weapon - more like a Dodge Omni GLH whose punishment for a lifetime of bad karma was to be reincarnated as a cheap front wheel drive crossover SUV. Except it failed to realize it was being punished.  Find this 2008 Dodge Caliber SRT4 offered for $5900 in Atlanta, GA via craigslist.  Whoa, is that a cannon in the background?

Fraud v Fieroarri: 1969 Fiberfab Avenger GT V8

The seller of this next thing starts his advert off with the casual question; Did you see the movie "Ford Vs Ferrari"?  The answer, of course, is yes...but I do have a counter question; Did you see any Pontiac Fiero parts in Ken Miles' GT40?  Mmmmmm. I guess the guys at GM didn't get a shout out in this movie, so you could do it yourself by driving this thing around after some serious price negotiation with the seller. Find this 1969 Fiberfab Avenger GT V8 offered for $15000 in Fresno, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Stick Shift and 6 Cylinders: 1987 Ford Econoline Van

Tipper Eric sent this car in with the following words: Who orders an Econoline with a stick and a 6?  I have to meet this person!  Yup, this is a strange vehicle..and one that I am familiar with..I learned to drive on similar manual transmission equipped van...but if I recall correctly my old man didn't buy this from the factory as much as win it in some strange business deal like Han Solo winning the Millennium Falcon, but in the end a young (probably 12 year old) me learned to drive a stick shift van with velour seats and Yoda's cane as a gear shifter. It was a long time ago. Find this 1987 Ford Econoline Van offered for $1500 in Bakersfield, NC via craigslist.

Five Point Yellow: 1989 Ford Mustang LX

It's hard to believe that the Fox Body Mustang is 41 years old....well not today's example, but it is 31 and not exactly a spring chicken. Let me put that in perspective...imagine you are living in 1989 (that's not that much of a stretch) and you tried to daily drive a Ford from 1958...or even 1948!!  It just wouldn't have been feasible unless you were a real oddball....but I could easily imagine driving an 89 Ford everyday in the year 2020...because I am a real oddball! Find this 1989 Ford Mustang LX here on eBay bidding for $7700 in Scottsdale, AZ with 1 day to go.

People Might Notice: 1990 Buick Reatta

This next car comes as a tip from BP who writes: Definitely a unique vehicle but with all the work done to it vs the price makes the idea attractive. Maybe such a ranked driver but unique going into the future. Only one at 'cofffee' no doubt.  Got that lovely 3.8l too.  Find this 1990 Buick Reatta offered for $4995 in Burlington, NC via Hemmings.com.

The Dodge Shadow Knows: 1987 Shelby CSX #27 of 750

Something must have been in the electrons at the May 2020 Barrett-Jackson online auction that closed the other day because somebody paid a scandalous $20,350.00 for an '84 Dodge Daytona Turbo.  It wasn't even a Shelbyfied version and the trunk wasn't full of Breitling watches, so I don't know what to say.  I thought that this coronavirus thing would have caused some of the stupidity in the used/classic car market to calm down just due to general anxiety around what the next year will look like fiscally to most people...but the guy who dropped twenty large for an 84 Daytona probably isn't living paycheck to paycheck or concerned about his job...but maybe paying too much at auction is the latest symptom of COVID19?  It all seems so batty to me....but if I'm gonna drop a whole bunch of money on a used front-drive K-car variant Dodge, it's gonna be a Shelby. Find this 1987 Shelby CSX offered here on eBay for $11,900 or best-offer located in Grand Rapids, MI.

Renegade V-Eight: 1972 Porsche 914

The 914 was meant to slot into Porsche's showrooms below the premium 911 but to also fill the top of VW/Audi's lineup with a Volkswagen badge.  But the suits at Porsche didn't want to risk having the VW nameplate tarnish its image and convinced VW to allow it to sell all 914's exclusively through its USA dealer network with a Porsche badge on the front.  The resulting car was slow but great fun to drive due to its mid-engine layout and 2100 lb curb weight, but today's next example has had the dial turned up to 11 with a 350 cubic inch crate motor. Find this 1972 Porsche 914 V8 offered for $14000 in Long Island, NY. Tip from Rock On!

Red White & Blue Plate Special: 1955 Plymouth Savoy Coupe

This next car is our feature for Memorial Day...because I've got some tri tip in the sous vide pot and nothing to do for the next 4 hours...so time to share something that is red-white-and-blue to the bone.  Find this 1955 Plymouth Savoy Coupe offered for $2500 in Belmont, MA via craigslist. Tip from Bill.

5-Speed Swapped: 1988 Lincoln Mark VII LSC

The Lincoln Mark VII 1986-1992 (originally called the Continental Mark VII from 1984-1985) rode on the Fox platform shared with the Mustang, Thunderbird, and Cougar. It was powered by Ford's legendary 5.0 V8...but saddled with a basic 4-speed slushbox but this next owner has fixed that with a few parts from a used Mustang. Find this 1988 Lincoln Mark VII LSC with 5-speed offered for $3800 in Douglas, PA.

Malaise-o-naise: 1977 Ford Mustang II

This next car comes from tipper Zach who writes: It was <not> the best of times.  I don't know what you'd do with this thing.  A modern ecoboost monster of some sort?  Cram a 302 in and just saunter?  Grab the drivetrain from a Prius and don't amaze your friends?  At least you can feel that 'wind in your hair' with the sunroof.  And probably feel some water when it leaks, too.  Snazzy white vinyl tho! You are correct Zach!!  My favorite part of this car is the fact that the interior looks surprisingly intact with its clock forlornly stuck forever at 10:56.  Find this 1977 Ford Mustang II offered for $1000 in Chickaloon, AK via craigslist.

Like A Heavyweight M100 Elan: 1987 Cadillac Allanté

The Cadillac Allante (Allanté) was another attempt by one of the big three cash in on the allure of the European import; think Chrysler TC by Maserati or AMC Eagle Premier -- but with an accent in the name causing grief for search features and web indexing in the future.  I also can't help but draw comparisons to the '90s Lotus Elan -- also a two-seat front-drive convertible with an engine built in a different continent from the body, but the Allante packed an extra 1600 lbs (approx the mass of a full Regardless, this next version is offered for some spare change...but would it be worth it? Find this 1987 Cadillac Allanté offered for $1995 (or $1595) in Port Charlotte, FL via craigslist. Tip from Dascpcu.

Slice of Americana: 1959 Rambler American

The original Rambler American was launched as a low priced sub-compact under the direction of George Romney.  The junior Rambler was powered by a 195 cubic inch flathead-6 and sold for something in the range of $1800 when new...which adjusted for inflation is $16k in 2020 money.  Today's example looks decent for the asking price and will get you smiles everywhere you go. Find this 1959 Rambler American offered for $8800 in San Francisco, CA via craigslist.