Weird Spec: 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass S 5 Speed

If I mentioned 5 speed manual equipped coupes from the 1970's, brands like Alfa Romeo, Lotus, or BMW would first come to mind.  Imagine my surprise when finding this factory 5 speed Cutlass S.  You could, but not many did option out the small 260 ci Olds V8 with a 5 speed manual on all models except for the Supreme and wagon.  The 260 was a reaction to the 70's fuel crisis and shared the same stroke as the larger Olds 350.  The Borg Warner sourced 5 speed could likely be paired up with the larger 350, but am not sure how robust they were.  These Colonnade models ended in 1977 and gave way to the even smaller G-body coupes.  Find this 1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass S for sale in Lexington, MA for $6,900 via craigslist.

Turbo Grocery Getter: 2006 Subaru Forester XT Turbo 5 speed

The Subaru Forester with a turbo is a seriously quick vehicle and something of a budget STI.  The main difference on the 2.5 engine in the Forester is fitted with a much smaller turbo than the STI, but not to worry as many STI owners ditch their factory turbo so they are easily found second hand.  It is quite challenging to find one these Forester's with both a turbo and a 5 speed manual trans, but that is exactly what we have with today's feature.  Find this 2006 Subaru Forester XT for sale in San Francisco, CA for $7,000 via craigslist.  Tip from fuel truck.

Criminal Shifting: 2004 Ford Crown Victoria 5 Speed

It is safe to say that the Ford Crown Vic could be the easiest car in the country to keep on the road.  Police, taxi, and livery fleets kept these cars running for years.  You could find a mechanic is most any town in the USA to fix one of these cars.  The Ford panther car may not be as reliable as a Civic, but is arguably one of the most durable cars on the road. Today's feature car has had a 5 speed manual swap from a same year Mustang GT along with a Ford racing 3.73 posi rear and a impressive list of maintenance.   Find this 2004 Ford Crown Victoria for sale in Keene, NH for $4,400 via craigslist.

More Kompressor- 1999 Mercedes SLK230 Renntech

Hartmut Feyl is not exactly a household name, but he was largely responsible for creating the iconic tuner 80's icon the AMG Hammer.  In 1989, Feyl founded his own tuner shop Renntech in south Florida. The company is one of the preeminent Mercedes tuning shops and does everything from engine internals, suspension, body kits, and ecu tuning.  Today's car is not a commonly modified vehicle, but has some very extensive and expensive Renntech magic done to it.  The first generation R170 Convertibles suffered from a bit of reputation as a hair dressers car, but this pumped up version may change your opinion.  Find this 1999 Mercedes SLK230 for sale in Mount Kisco, NY for $8,995 via craigslist.

We Love The 80's: 1987 Chevy Camaro Iroc Z

Now is a good time as any to get into a third generation Chevy Camaro or Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am.  In recent years, the Smokey and the Bandit 1970's cars have seen some strong appreciation so bargain third gens are still out there.  The Iroc-Z is a icon of the 1980's and boasted a real racing heritage.  These Camaro's duked it out with the 5.0 Mustangs for king of the streets in the late 1980's when engines awoke from malaise era induced fog.  The 5.0 305 Chevy V8 was and is second fiddle to the 350 5.7.  However, only the 305 was able be paired with a 5 speed manual and in 1987 it only had 10 less hp than the top rung 350  Find this 1987 Chevy Camaro Iroc Z for sale in Newtown, CT for an easy on the budget price of $2,500 via craigslist.

Three Pedal AMG- 1995 Mercedes C36

The Mercedes C36 was the first car produced by AMG after Mercedes purchased them.  The C36 was the successor to 190E 16V as Mercedes compact performance car.  It was a very expensive car when new and competed directly with the BMW E36 M3.  The engine, square edged styling, brakes, and build quality were without fault.  The real achilles heal of the C36 was the dimwitted automatic which was the only transmission option.  C36 resale prices pale in comparison to the M3 largely due to the the lack of third pedal.  Today's seller took matters in their own hands and swapped in a proper manual transmission.  Find this 1995 Mercedes C36 AMG for sale in Santa Barbara, CA for $8,500 via craigslist.  Tip from Sean.

Row Your Own Brick: 1994 940 Turbo Wagon 5 speed

A good number of car enthusiasts would consider a brown turbo Volvo 5 speed wagon to be a dream daily driver.  The 940's were the last of the durable rear wheel drive Volvos.  Their 162 hp B230FT red block four cylinder engines respond like a duck to water to upping up the boost pressure.   The Volvo 940 was an evolution 740 series, but was never offered with a manual transmission in the USA.  Today's seller righted that wrong and fitted this 940 with a proper manual transmission from Europe along with a host of other go fast mods.  Find this 1994 Volvo 940 turbo wagon for sale in Bel Air, MD for $5,000 via craigslist.

Thunder Stick: 1993 Ford Lightning 5 speed

The first generation Ford Lightning pick up truck was marketed as a Mustang GT with a pick up bed.  The good folks from SVT worked their magic on a F150 and created a muscle truck complete with a brawny 5.8 engine and suspension make over.  The 1993-95 Lightning was not particularly quick new (definitely not now), but it was able to haul a real payload unlike the GMC Syclone.  Ford only fitted these trucks with E4OD auto trans, but today's example has been converted to a M5R2 5 speed manual transmission making it a rare bird worthy of DT readership eyes.  Find this 1993 Ford Lightning for sale in Northeast, CT for $9,500 via craigslist.

Row Your Own: 1994 Mercedes E320 Coupe

The facelift (1994-95) Mercedes coupes sold in pretty small numbers so they are a relatively rare find on Craiglist.  Imagine my surprise when cruising the interwebs and this clean example with a proper 5 speed appeared.  I messaged the seller and found out he had in fact done the swap by using a donor 1988 300e 5 speed car.  My buddy is doing a auto to manual swap on a 94 E320 sedan right now and there are a number of small bits that can stop this sort of conversion cold in its tracks.  Find this 1994 Mercedes E320 coupe for sale in Thornton, CO for $4,900 via craigslist.