Italian week is wrapping up over here on DT and I can't believe we haven't posted any cars that were held in place by old pieces of firewood...because nothing says "Italian" like scrap wood wheel chocks. And nothing says awesome like a rare Fiat 850 based thing that has styling by Giuseppe Rinaldi and something around 100 produced. Find this 1969 Lombardi Grand Prix offered for $5000 in Yuicaipa, CA via craigslist. Tip from Zach. 
The cost of entry into the "cool" car club is getting ridiculous these days, and I'm not just talking about Ferraris, Porsches, Supras, but even simple 1st gen Mustangs in great shape are pricy, BUT, you can still find interesting cars in good shape that just aren't that "desirable" for whatever reason. You've just got to be creative. Find this 1969 Fiat 850 Sport Coupe offered for $14,500 near Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
How bad can it be? Where is the nearest BMW dealer? What is an electric throttle? What is an electron? No these are not the answers to the latest Jeopardy quiz -- they are, unfortunately, the things you NEVER want to say after buying a V12 BMW that has sat for at least the last 10 years and costs less than a trip to the nearest dealer. Find this 1993 BMW 850 CI offered for $6,500 in Champaign, IL via craigslist.
I never like buying cars that don't run -- it ends up being WAYYYY more of a project than expected, that busted engine turns out to be connected to a busted transmission which puts power to a busted rear-end which is equipped with busted brakes-- I much prefer to get a car that looks terrible but runs/drives because you find out so much more about the car...but there are times when the asking price is low enough to be worth the risk. Find this 1972 Fiat Spider 850 Sport offered for $2500 in Grants Pass, OR via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
The Italian tuner and small time auto manufacturer Siata (Societa Italiana Auto Trasformazioni Accessori) built a handful of cars using Fiat mechanical parts and retro styling. The early cars were sweet looking mini Ferrari clones such as the S-208 that Steve McQueen owned and drove, but the later Spring (1967-1975) was a wacky looking 2-seater that is still affordable. Find this 1970 Siata Spring offered for $5000 in Shirley, MA via craigslist. Tip from The Hack Mechanic.
The Fiat 850 Spider was a small 2-sear roadster with a body designed and built by Bertone and mechanical bits from the Fiat 850 sedan. The 850 is pretty slow, even by X1/9 standards, so having a number 11 followed by "HP" is funny. Very funny. Find this 1971 Fiat 850 Spider offered for $2,950 in Fairfield, NY via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
The seller of this next car states in a simple sentence: O2 sensors have been cut by previous owner so the car could use a tune up it's running rich. Umm...BMW V12s never need a simple tune up, they need a few thousand dollars of tune up time at a BMW specialist and they run exactly when they intend to run. Find this 1991 BMW 850CI offered for $5,400 in Richmond, VA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
My wife likes to watch the HGTV channel. To me they seem like the same show over and over, Tiny House Hunter Fixer Upper Make Over Flipper or some such. There's not a lot of stuff for a petrolhead other than watch the backgounds for interesting cars. But what if you added a little extra for the gearhead? You'd probably come up with something like this. Find this 1997 Volvo 850 Wagon with a Tiny House on top for sale in Oceanside, CA for $14,000 via craigslist. 
We all know Thorsday is the best day of the week. How can you have Thorsday without awesome Swedish steel? You can’t, so for your consideration is this example of a car with an engine that sounds like a nest of angry bees, needs oil, and may possibly smoke more than a middle school student behind the teacher’s lounge. With emission standards tightening it is hard to find two stroke marine engines and weed eaters let alone automobile engines. The rules are making it harder, and I submit conspiring, to prevent us from unleashing our inner Erik Carlsson and beating the likes of Porsche, MG, and fellow Swede Volvo in a rally stage with an underpowered car. But wait! Here is your opportunity as some hero has listed this 1966 SAAB 96 Special on Craigslist in Upton Massachusetts for a mere $6,000.00. That price is of course U.S. Dollars and not Swedish Krona.
Find this 1969 Fiat 850 Coupe here on eBay bidding for $7,100 reserve-not-met with a few hours to go, located in New Egypt, NJ.
Twenty-five hundred bones doesn't get you much in a used car these days, particularly if you want something with an automatic transmission that offers more than the experience you get from a 15 year old Toyota Camry. However, if you play your cards right, you might end up in something interesting & fast. Find this 1995 Volvo 850 T-5R offered for $2400 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist.
Collecting orphan oddball cars usually starts with honest intentions. Perhaps someone gives you a neglected classic and you mean to restore it and sell...but then you get 2 or 3 more...and the next thing you know is that you are the neighborhood cat lady for neglected French cars. Find this Collection of French cars offered whole or parts located in Denver, CO via craigslist. Tip from Zach Z.
The Volvo 850 was released in 1992 as the modernized reboot of the boxy, but obsolete, 240 sedan. Even though power went to the front wheels (a first for a Volvo in the USA), it was every bit as capable a car as its predecessor, if not as boxy. The R version is the hot one to get, but prices reflect its exclusivity, and picking up a modified basic 850 might make sense for the penny pincher. Find this 1996 Volvo 850 here on eBay
currently bidding for $1,025 with a few hours to go.
currently bidding for $5,100 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go, located in Altanta, GA.
There isn't much in common between an R107 SL Benz, Honda S2000 and Fiat 850 Spider, except that they all actually look cooler with a hardtop in place of the folding top. That and they all have 4 wheels. On this Fiat, the hardtop isn't an aftermarket piece that you'll find on something like an S2000, but it was designed by Bertone so it looks sharp. The rest of the 850 Spider was also designed and
built by Bertone from 1964 to 1973, and is known for its razor sharp handling and riding lawnmower rivaling straight line performance. Find this 1973 Fiat 850 Spider with hardtop offered for $2,000 in Colorado Springs, CO via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
Imagine that you are a well-to-do Seattle-ite with a decent haul of cash in your pocket and you want a car. Of course you aren't going to buy something 'Merican because they are uncouth, Japanese are just too common, and German cars are overpriced, so you head to your nearest Volvo dealer and start to see what $30k will get you. You tell the dealer that you want something with the spaciousness of a wagon, 5-speed manual trans with an automatic mode for traffic/drag strips, a V8 grumble, at least one turbocharger, fuel economy of a 4-banger, convenience of a 4-door, style of a 2-door, classic looks, and it should double as a track day car when needed. Without missing a beat, the dealer walks you over to some behemoth with Xs or Cs in its name followed by a few numbers and promises this will do the trick. They tested this thing on the Thorsburgring in Sweden, its faster than a Ferrari. He even manages to get you seated in finance office negotiating dollars before your phone rings. Drat, its those guys from the Daily Turismo. They always call at the most inopportune times. What, did you get locked out of your mobile home again? A man speaking through Dorito crumbs on the other end of the line tells you I've found the car you need...well...actually its five cars. The financier's guest chair is still spinning as you hit the road. All Volvos are tips from FuelTruck.
The Fiat 850 Spider is a small rear-engine rear-drive two seater from
Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino, built from 1964-1973. An
850 Spider is a great inexpensive option for a low-budget classic, and this example is a low mile original owner survivor currently bidding for cheap! Find this 1972 Fiat 850 Sport Spider Convertible
currently bidding for $3,500 located in Orange, CA via ebay with 3 days to go.