8k: 1 Dollar Per Mile: 1962 Austin Healey Sprite, 7,613 miles

Of all the reasons to not drive a car, none are very convincing. They usually go like this: fear of damaging the car, fear of the car damaging them, sheer forgetfulness, or a plan to hold it for future value. The thought of a greasy Hooters patron with a ponytail and white gloves pushing a British roadster around a humid stage in Arizona gives me the willies, so someone buy this before a collector does. Find this 1962 Austin Healey Sprite with just 7,613 miles for sale in Sacramento, CA for $7,750 via craigslist.

8k: McDreamy: 1975 Datsun 280z

You know the saying: "A good man S30 is hard to find." You want one that's strong and dependable without issues or a past, and one that can play nicely with the kids - but isn't too much of a snooze. Am I right, ladies?! They're either too uncouth, trashy, or diesel-y, or way out of your league. Except for McDreamy here and his steely blue, uh, paint job. Find this 1975 Datsun 280z in Auburn, CA for $8,000 via craigslist.

8k: A Bitter Pill to Hoon: 1985 Bitter SC Coupe

The Bitter SC was Erich Bitter's second project after the CD, a car not named for Steve Martin's Cyrano-de-Bergerac-inspired character in Roxanne, but for its mechanical underpinnings from the Opel Diplomat (Coupe Diplomat). The SC looks like a Ferrari 412 minus some (or all) of its focal points and absolutely nails the modular design theme of the 1980s. This low-mile, well-maintained coupe is #467 of only 470-ish ever made. The appeal of its low price is offset by the owner's foreboding warning to anyone planning to use this vehicle for hooning, long-distance driving, or daily driving. But woe to the owner who keeps this sturdy coupe constricted to a garage. Find this 1985 Bitter SC Coupe in Longmount, CO for $7,500 reserve-not-met via eBay.

10k: Shabby Chic: 1966 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow James Young Coupe

Ludacris once eloquently stated, "I left the Jag and I took the Rolls." Mr. Christopher Bridges (now that's an English name if ever there was one) is right. $12,000 is a price point shared with an assortment of Jaguar road machines - cars with similar class and arguably similar lurking electrical problems - and, of course, a Nissan Versa. But no Jag can approach the panache of a classic Rolls Royce, let alone one of 35 built by English coach builder James Young. Find this 1966 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow James Young Coupe in Front Royal, VA for $12,000 via craigslist.

D is for Doric: 1965 Dodge Dart 273 convertible

D is for dee little things that make a car awesome.  The chrome, horizontal lines of the second-generation Dart wear like a pinstriped suit, compared to the 1967+ cut-off AC/DC shirt worn by a guy who steals your girlfriend's corn dog at the state fair. This Dart has the benefit of the 273 V8, empowering you to confidently tell Mr. AC/DC Shirt where he can stick that corn dog.  Find 1965 Dodge Dart convertible in Denver, CO for $12,000 via craigslist.

C is for Corinthian Leather: 1992 Corvette Coupe

"Corvettes' crappy chairs cramp your can," cite cynical car columnists. Can cuddly cushions calm curt complaints? Are computer-controlled gear changes criminal? Creamy cow cuts and chrome create a crisis for crotchety, chain-chested Chevy clientele compulsively clicking on Craigslist. Find this 57,000-mile 1992 Corvette Coupe with Z07 package in Liberty, MO for $6,800 via Craigslist.

9k: The Porsche of the '90s is Alive in Portland: 1994 Porsche 968

Porsche's 914, 928, 924, and 944 coincidentally followed a tidy naming convention wherein the last digit corresponded with its cylinder count. Stuttgart then introduced the 968 as if to say We're Porsche and our models don't need numerical significance. We're above significance. The 968 got marks for good handling behavior but was nonetheless expelled from Porsche Academy with its delinquent classmate, the 928. Today, it's a cheap entry into the marque with better civility and more power* than its 924/944 forefathers. Find this 1994 Porsche 968 Coupe in Portland, OR for $8,900 via craigslist or AutoTrader. (*Okay, the 944 Turbo S had with 7 more horsepower, but did it have a 6-speed like this 968? No. And nobody likes a nitpicker.)

10k: 1966 Volvo 1800S, Minty Green

From Jan. 1 2013: The Volvo 1800 series of sporty two-doors is one of DT's favorite models to feature, if you haven't noticed by now. We love the classic Italian-ish styling of the coupe and the funky vibe of the ES shooting brake equally in their own different ways. Today we've found a very presentable 1966 coupe, which looks great in its pistachio inspired rare original light green color. Being an 1800S model, build quality was improved from the earlier Jensen-built P1800 cars; by this time production had moved and the 1800 was bolted together by Sven and Stig in Sweden. This one needs a bit of attention but seems like a solid platform to build on and improve. It's advertised here on craigslist in Towson, Maryland for $8400 firm. Fix a few things, put on some comfortable driving shoes and shades, and hit the road!

Update, Sept. 3 2013: This car is back up for sale here on ebay with the same pictures, for $10,900 Buy it Now or Make Offer. Assuming this is the same owner as the previous ad and it did not sell for $8400, we are wondering whether the $2500 bump in asking price is justified by any recent work done to the car, or whether it just reflects the recent up-trend in the 1800 market. This car has been for sale for almost two years by our count; with any luck there's some room for negotiation in that price.

10k: Roadkill: 1976 (or 77) Oldsmobile Cutlass 442

Whenever I find a nice condition, reasonably priced "Roadkill" at a local car show, it always seems to be huge, brown, and Malaisey (see this one as an example). No matter, I will continue to photographically and textually share anything I stumble across in person that seems to be rare, interesting, or exceptional in some way. More like exceptionally awful in most cases. Today's was from a street fair in downtown Torrance, CA and is a very clean and very orangey-brown Oldsmobile (Cutlass) 442. This is either a 1976 or '77 model from the looks of the front fascia and headlights, but if someone knows for sure, please chime in! The seller is asking $8500 and we must assume it is located in or near Torrance CA, but the phone number is shown after the jump. Update: commenter PJ pointed out this must be a '77 based on the Oldsmobile badge being in print vs. script. Thanks!

10k: From Rags To Riches: 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 4.5 W108, Seller Submission

Two seller submissions in one week?  Conspiracy!  Outrage!  Okay, settle down, drop the pitchforks; we don't get seller submissions very often, probably because sellers are afraid we are going to say nasty things about their car and generally be negative.  So we won't say that this car is slow, gets horrible gas mileage and is too expensive, we'll just focus on why it is cool and illuminate some of this car's particularly scintillating history.  Find this 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 4.5 W108 for sale in Severna Park, MD currently bidding on ebay for $10,200 with 4 days to go.

10k: Blue Targa Special: 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa, Market Watch

Editor's note: I want point out that there is a very bad pun in the tag line for this feature.  See if you can 'get it' before you finish reading.  Like most internet pundits, we spend our days surfing the web for good stuff, polishing our rock collections, fixing broken tools from Harbor Freight and generally maligning the over-inflated state of the classic 911 market.  It only seems like yesterday when a good SC could be found for about $10k...and...hang..on, did Hunsbloger perfect his time machine?...Is it 1998 again?  Find this 1978 Porsche 911SC Targa for sale in Boiling Springs, SC currently bidding on ebay for the bargain price of $11,211 with 3 hours to go.

10k: Repeat Offender: 1973 Porsche 914 w/Chevy V8 Swap; Sleeper

We featured a mid-engine swap monster late last year - it was a 500 horsepower Converse Engineering kit swapped 914 and it failed to meet reserve on ebay after bidding stopped at $5k.  Now, find the same 1973 Porsche 914 with Chevy V8 for sale in Santa Monica, CA back up on ebay with bids starting at $8,700 with no reserve.

10k: Prinz Of Darkness: 1965 NSU Sport Prinz 1200cc Swap

NSU Motorenwerke AG was a small company from Germany that started life producing bicycles, later motorcycles and finally automobiles.  NSU was aquired by the Volkswagen Group in 1969, was subsequently merged with Audi and its eclectic collection of 2-stroke and rotary powered vehicles faded into history.  Relight the glory days of NSU's prime by picking up this 1965 NSU Sport Prinz with a 1200cc 4-cyl swap for the prinzly sum of £6850 GPB ($10,491 USD), located in Romsey, Hampshire, UK via carandclassic.co.uk.  

10k: Clean Engine Swap Pormaro: 1974 Porsche 914 w/ LS1 V8 Swap

The GM Generation III small block (known commonly by the name of its alloy block Camaro/Corvette engine version, the LS1) is one of our favorite engines to shove into the front/back/middle/side of just about anything with wheels.  Mount it in the center of a Teutonic two-seater and achieve automotive nirvana. Care to sample this formula? Then check out this 1974 Porsche 914 with GM LS V8 swap for sale in San Luis Obispo, CA for $12,750 via craigslist.

10k: Avocado Mega-Wagon; 1971 Chevy C/20 Suburban

If you're anything like us here at DT, you are always on the lookout for a cheap, cool workhorse to haul your junk, be it the family, the boat, the Lemons car to the next crapcan race, an engine home from the junkyard you were able to pull just before they closed at dusk...whatever! When it comes to haulers, GM's Suburban is hard to beat for its combination of simplicity, large interior volume, strength, and reasonable prices. This 1971 C/20 Suburban is based on one of the best-looking generations of Chevy truck and seems to be in great shape for the price, even though it is minus one door compared to later versions. Find it here on AutoTrader Classics for $9900 in San Diego, CA. Thanks to AbnMike for the tip! He says "I haven't seen it in person, and if I wasn't jonesin' for a 70s Alfa GTV or 2002tii like a neglected housewife in the 50's needed over the counter amphetamines this would already be parked next to my house."

10k: Baur Targaroo; 1982 BMW 323i Baur Targa Convertible

We've all seen what Karosserie Baur did to countless defenseless BMW 2002s, but what we didn't know is that the heinous hack jobs continued into the '80s!  Okay, to be fair, Karosserie Baur has a long résumé of coach building, including manufacture of the Porsche 959 supercar and the Baur Targa design maintains most of the original chassis rigidity by keeping the vehicle's original roof frame intact...but the aesthetics take some getting used to.  Find this 1982 BMW E21 323i Baur Targa located in Australia for the asking price of $10,000 AUD (or $10,316 USD) via carsales.com.au.

10k: Top Down, Hood Up; 1989 Maserati BiTurbo Spyder 5spd; Tipo 116

The Maserati BiTurbo was one of the first twin turbo engines produced for mass consumption and could put out a respectable 150 horsepower/liter - on par with your average VW hot rod dreamer numbers.  Unfortunately the result was a turbocharger writing checks that the bottom end couldn't cash...and a pile of metal chips that will cost the owner a king's ransom at your local hairy chested gold chain wearing Maserati mechanic.  It is cheaper to buy another BiTurbo than attempt even the most basic repairs, so if your current BiTurbo's engine has gone Bi-Bi, we suggest picking up this 1989 Maserati BiTurbo Spyder equipped with 5spd gearbox, located in Sonoma, CA and offered for $9,500 via craigslist. Big thanks to tip from Kaibeezy T!

5k Flash: Automatic Roundie; 1972 BMW 2002

The early BMW 2002 round taillight coupes are sought after classics with a lively enthusiast base but a large population of aging versions that keeps the prices from going 'all 911' on us.  We aren't talking about lunatics crashing planes into buildings, we are talking about the original Porsche 911 (901 version) price insanity that started about 15 years ago and only recently has cooled a bit.  Find this affordable 1972 BMW 2002 automatic available for sale in Pacifica, CA currently bidding on ebay for $4,051 reserve-not-met with 5 days to go.