Coffee Brake: DT's 2nd Birthday Next Week

Has it already been 12 months since the 50 Cars in 24 Hrs DT Birthday Celebration? Two years since this site started? That is right, and since it all began we've had over 2.5 million page views, 2350 posts, hundreds of complaints from XYZ car fans who didn't like the way we called their favorite car abhorrent, scores of buyers/sellers who have found/lost their car via this website and dozens of angry drunk calls from our lawyers.  Anyway, next week we are going to do some birthday celebrating, culminating with Daily Turismo's ABCs of cheap used cars.  School is in session. 

DT Birthday Celebration: 50 Cars in 24 Hrs Followup

Beer cans and tinsel litter the floor of DT headquarters.  Rusty car projects have been pushed aside for the time being as we recover from posting 50 cars in one crazy day, but we wanted to take the time to thank our commenters/tippers (especially the regulars). Full list of cars featured after the jump.

50 of 50: Eleanor: 1973 Volvo 1800ES

Whew...our hands are cramping with extreme cases of keyboarditis and this is about my 5th cup of coffee, but we made it through 50 cars in 24 hours! The DT staff legitimately wrote all of these features today, with help from tipper extraordinaire Kaibeezy and after receiving tons of tips from readers, and finding a few ourselves. Of course we've saved the best for last - and this Eleanor is really a reflection of the quintessential Daily Turismo feature vehicle. We've helped find new owners for several of these special cars in the last year, and it's amazing that Volvo only made 8,077 of them in a 2-year span. This is, of course, the 1800ES - one of the most unique RWD 2-door wagons ever made. Find this restored 1973 Volvo 1800ES in West River, MD on ebay with 3 days to go and bidding near $13k, reserve not met. Huge thanks to Lew B. for the tip!

49 of 50: Eileen: 1992 Subaru SVX w/ 5-spd Manual

Why is it that humans always save the worst for last?  Kids will eat every bit of yummy mac 'n' cheese to only stare at the overcooked and now cold broccoli and despair.  It was DT's darkest hour and we just couldn't find a single manual transmission'd Subaru SVX...but a light flickered at the end of the tunnel.  A google search reaveled the common use of WRX transmissions for SVX 5-spd swaps and a new door of opportunity was opened.  Former tipper Kaibeezy, now turned DT un-paid intern found this Eileen with standard gearbox with only minutes to spare.  Take a look at this 1992 Subaru SVX w/5spd manual for sale in Nevada City, CA for $6,500 via craigslist.  Please, take a really good look because it took a LONG LONG time to find...

48 of 50: Greta: 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco

VW introduced the Scirocco in the US in 1975 where it served as the sports coupe variant of the Rabbit, much in the same manner that the earlier Karmann Ghia was the sportier cousin of the original Beetle.  However, the Giorgetto Guigaro penned Scirocco gave VW a presence as a true sports car at a time when front wheel drive was first being introduced to doubtful Americans.  VW lucked out via a couple of oil embargos causing a lot of folks to quickly realize that getting 30+ MPG on regular gas in a car that could tackle snow and was a blast on an autocross course wasn't such a bad thing.  Front air dams and body kits started to arrive in the 1978 Sciroccos as a Champagne/Sidewinder Edition which was only available in white with black accents.  That proved to be so popular that it evolved into a separate S Model.  Find this 1980 Volkswagen Scirocco S, in fresh mars red paint currently available in the Samba classifieds for $3500.  Special thanks to Mark D for the tip.

47 of 50: Kimberly: 1966 Volvo 122 Amazon Wagon

The DT staffs spends a good portion of the day dreaming drinking the wagon flavored kool-aid, so of course we had to include a Volvo wagon on the list.  The Volvo 122 (aka Amazon) is one of those rock-steady-reliable platforms from our Swedish friends and it carried its 50s styling from introduction in 1956 to obsolesce in 1970.  That is an awfully long period of time for a car to look the same, especially in the hyperactive 50s/60s when most cars changed visually year-to-year, but the Volvo 122 didn't care.  Find this 1966 Volvo 122 Amazon wagon for sale in Houston, TX currently bidding on ebay for $8,100 with 3 days to go. Thanks to Lew B. for the tip!

46 of 50: Lisbeth: 1998 Volvo V70 T5 AWD

When we created "the list" we imagined Lisbeth being the sexy P2-chassis Volvo V70R. These could be had with a 6-spd manual, AWD and 300hp from a turbo inline five; what's not to like? Unfortunately these are harder than we expected to find on only 24 hours notice. No tips for the exact model came in, and we couldn't find one ourselves. We could wuss out and feature a 2007 automatic V70R for near $15k but we'd rather stick to the DT ethos of cheap, fun performance. Luckily this previous generation (850 based) V70 was submitted and it's a damn nice car for the price. Find this 1998 Volvo V70 T5 5-spd for sale on craigslist in Boston, MA for $6950. Thanks to Arthur C. for the tip!

45 of 50: Regina: 1973 Triumph TR6

Looking for a way to skin your knuckles fixing things that shouldn't have broken, in between brief periods of motoring terror as you try to dodge Suburbans and semi trucks while getting windburn and sunburn simultaneously? Don't want to look like a hairdresser or secretary while doing so? Then you need a Triumph TR6! Triumph is a brand that doesn't get much press anymore - and for good reason - they have been extinct since the early 1980s. However their last "normal" looking roadster, the TR6, is still relatively common in the US. If you're feeling a bit masochistic but are tired of cutting yourself with safety pins, check out this 1973 Triumph TR6 for sale in Woolwich, ME for $10,000 via craigslist.  Tip from Keenan D.

44 of 50: Lynn: 1998 Toyota Supra TwinTurbo 6spd, 100% Stock

Twin turbo Mk IV Toyota Supra prices took a major jump up after the first Fast & Furious movie hit the big screen with its focus on 10 second cars, wheel standing Chargers and attention deficit...hey, you know what is impossible to find? A totally stock Mk IV Supra TT 6-spd, mostly because the engines and transmissions love additional boost.  The best we could find is this 1998 Toyota Supra TT 6spd for sale in Naperville, IL for gasp $37,800. Tip from Kaibeezy.

43 of 50: Candy: 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray Convertible C2

Even Stevie Wonder will agree that the Chevrolet C2 generation Corvette is one of the better looking convertibles ever made.  Prices of the C2 have been high for years, but you can still pick up a 327 or 350 powered 4-speed as a mid-life crisis or retirement present without digging too deep into your 401k, probably because Chevrolet built over 100,000 Sting Rays during the 5 years of production and few have ever been scrapped.  Find this 1967 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray convertible for sale in San Francisco, CA for $43,000 obo via ebay.  Tip from carcrasher88 via Jalopnik oppositelock forum.

42 of 50: Mary: 1972 Toyota Celica

What's a list of 50 cheap, desirable, entertaining cars without a first-gen Toyota Celica? These little 2-doors were a Japanese take on the early American pony car, and while the late '70s Liftback Celicas look a whole lot like Mustang Fastbacks, the early coupes more closely resemble scaled-down Camaros. It is fairly easy to find a decent running ST with the wheezer 8R-C engine and 4-spd manual, but it takes some patience to locate a nice 5-spd GT or one with an upgraded engine. The Toyota 18R-G engine was made by pairing the venerable R-series iron block with a high flowing alloy twin-cam head designed by Yamaha, and we've found a lovely looking Celica with such a swap for a decent price. Hopefully the ad is real and not from a scammer since it's so light on details. Find this 1972 Toyota Celica with 18RG listed on craigslist in Orange County, CA for $15k.

41 of 50: Sharon: 1966 Pontiac Tempest; GTO Lookalike

The 1st generation Pontiac GTO is an iconic muscle car with prices to match its iconic status.  But it wasn't always a big shot and grew up as the Pontiac Tempest...so thousands of Tempest owners have taken a page from the factory playbook and created their own version. A clone will never be as valuable as the original, but if it looks, smells, and drives as nice as the real deal for 1/10th the price, why not?  Find this 1966 Pontiac Tempest GTO lookalike for sale in Seattle, WA for $12,000.  Tip from Ryan T.

40 of 50: Vanessa: 1986 Shelby GLH-S #321 of 500

The Dodge Omni was a FWD compact car developed by Simca in France, and in the US it was turbocharged from the factory to create the Omni GLH (Goes Like Hell).  At the end of production Carroll Shelby purchased the last 500 cars from the assembly line and took them to his California factory for additional modifications and rebadged them as Shelby GLH-S (Goes Like Hell, S'more).  They are an odd and rare piece of automotive history that can be purchased for next to nothing.  Find this 1986 Shelby GLH-S for sale in Howell, MI for $5000 via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.  Well that was embarrassing...we forgot the link first time around...fixed it!

39 of 50: Barbara: 1989 BMW M3, E30

BMW values are all over the map from model to model; while the later, faster more capable E36 M3 can be had for dirt cheap (~$5k), prices of the original E30 M3 have taken off into the realm of legitimately valuable modern classics (~$30k). The depreciation curve has definitely "inflected" for the E30 M3 but some examples can still be found close to DT money for a running, driving car...for now. The E30 had a screamer of a 4-cylinder engine instead of the quintessential BMW inline six (like the E36 & E46) but that doesn't stop it from being a pure driver's car or a collector's item. Find this 1989 BMW M3 for sale on craigslist near Lake Norman, North Carolina for $22,000 (and don't even think about lowballing or spamming this guy...).

38 of 50: Paula: 1989 Porsche 928 S4

The Porsche 928 was a technological tour-de-force when it debuted in 1977, but the US didn't get a fast version until 1985 when the twin-cam engine was approved for us in the USA.  Subsequent iterations only improved the breed but later GTS versions  demand serious money.  A good compromise is to find a nicely maintained S4 version and get 9/10ths of the performance of the GTS for 1/2 the cost.  Find this 1989 Porsche 928 S4 5spd for sale in Windemere, FL for sale on ebay for $18,000 buy-it-now.  Tip from Andy L.
 

37 of 50: Clarice: 1965 Jaguar MkII

Driving a classic Jaguar Mk II will remind you of a simpler time when gentlemen drivers wore gloves and opened doors for ladies.  When it fails to start, you won't curse or pull out a handgun, you will simply take a step back and stare at the gorgeous shape and remind yourself to start looking into Chevy V8 conversions.  Find this 1965 Jaguar Mk II for sale in SF Bay Area, CA for $18,000 via craiglist.  Another great Kaibeezy tip.

36 of 50: Ruby: 1966 Chevrolet Corvair, Toronado 455ci V8 Swap

Some of the DT staffers are absolutely nuts about Corvairs because they provide a great platform for modification. You know that old adage, "give an engineer a beer and a pencil and you can pretty much get whatever you want!" Thus there are Corvair V8 Swaps which vary from mid-engined Crown conversions running high revving Chevy small blocks, yielding great balance but rendering a fairly tortured driving position for anyone taller than about 5' 3". Another common solution is to run a Buick/Pontiac/Rover 215/3.5 V8 in reverse rotation allowing it to be mounted as a direct replacement for the original Corvair flat 6. Others look to GM's front drivers. One very well done conversion uses a Cadillac Northstar V8 driving a Porsche 930 transaxle for incredible results, then there are those for whom there is just no replacement for displacement... yielding this Olds Toronado 455 V8, with its original chain driven front wheel drive transaxle mounted far forward of the Corvair's original engine's location. Net result, mass is moved towards the front, not a huge weight gain on the tail and GOBS of 'Merican Torque through a transmission that isn't strained to handle it. Find this 1966 Chevrolet Corvair 455ci V8 powered beast for $14,500 located in Springfield, MO via craigslist. Another great tip from Andy L.

35 of 50: Patricia: 1962 Pontiac Grand Prix

Before there were GTOs, the Pontiac Grand Prix was introduced in 1962 under John Delorean's management during a period of some incredible stock car successes for Pontiac. The Grand Prix was a sportier version of the Catalina and came equipped with a center console, sportier rear trim and a unique grille.  The feature most people identify with the early Grand Prix is their 8-lug turbo-finned wheels (in which the hub is also the brake drum) as seen in the picture below. While some came with the incredibly potent 421 V8, most left the factory with a 389.  Find this well preserved one-family owned 87,000 mile example for sale in Kingsport, TN via craigslist for $12,500. Thanks to Andy L. for another winner!

This feature is part of Daily Turismo's birthday celebration of 50 cars in 24 hours.

34 of 50: Barbie: 1968 Ford Mustang Convertible, Shelby GT350 Clone

Barbie is Eleanor's younger and prettier sister. While she looks great with her top down, she lacks some of the substance and rigidity of her older sibling leaving you with a ride that is great for the weekend, but you won't want to live with every day. Barbie, in this case, is this 1968 Ford Mustang Convertible Shelby GT350 clone for sale in Reno, NV currently bidding on ebay for $18,100 with 2 days to go.

33 of 50: Angelina: 1989 Ford Thunderbird Super Coupe

Ford tried very hard to compete with the likes of the BMW 6-series when they created the MN12 Thunderbird (and Mercury Cougar twin). Today they may seem hopelessly outdated, but consider that the '89 T-Bird featured an independent rear and a double-wishbone front suspension, which tends to be the ideal setup for wheel camber control and ultimate cornering grip. For the top of the line Super Coupe (SC) Ford added a screw type supercharger and intercooler to the 3.8L V6 to get 210 hp and 315 lb-ft, along with a Mazda 5-spd manual trans, 4-wheel disc brakes, adjustable shocks, ABS, a limited slip rear diff and a wider wheel/tire combo. The end result was a capable aero-styled offering that may appreciate someday - but for now they are still dirt cheap! Find this 73k-mile 1989 Ford Thunderbird SC here on craigslist in Central Iowa for $6500. Tip from Andy L.