This next car comes as a tip from Matt C who puts it eloquently when he writes: I realize saying it's an '80s Italian car with sketchy electronics may be redundant, but this is sketchier than most. Still, could be a good deal for someone who's not afraid of rewiring and has a lot of time on his hands. Find this 1981 Lancia Beta Coupe offered for $1800 somewhere near Atlanta, GA via craigslist.
Find this 1977 Lancia Scorpion here on eBay bidding for $10,100 with auction ending on Sunday at 6:30PM Pacific.
This next car has many names. During development, it was called the Fiat X1/8, but when production moved to Pininfarina (who also did the styling) it was called the Beta Montecarlo (later just Montecarlo), but GM used the Montecarlo name (for the A-body coupe that is pretty much the polar opposite of the Lancia), so for the US market it was called the Scorpion...fitting because it packs a little stinger in the back. Find this 1976 Lancia Scorpion offered for $4,000 (with a parts car) located in Moores Hill, IN via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
This next tip comes from JJ in Ottawa who writes: You seem to feature these about once per year and at $7,200 USD,
this one sets a high water mark for price. With fewer than 9,500 built,
these must be getting scarce in any condition. I recognize this one
from it’s personalized plates, and i’ve seen it around town occasionally
over the last 15 years. At less than 2,500 miles per year, this car
seems to have been well taken care of, so the price does not seem
unreasonable. For some reason I can’t help but sing Ren & Stimpy’s ‘Log’ song in my head….. It's better than bad- it's good! Find this 1982 Lancia Beta Zagato Spyder offered for $9,500 CAD ($7,206 USD -- what is up with the crazy exchange rate these days?) via kijiji.ca.
The Beta Montecarlo was initially conceived as a Pininfarina styled V6 powered sports coupe for Fiat's product lineup, but the Bertone designed X1/9 got the gig instead, and the Montecarlo was handed to Lancia, but with a 4-cylinder engine. In the USA, it was badged as the Scorpion because GM had the rights to use the Monte Carlo name, and today's example has quite a large stinger in its tail. Find this 1976 Lancia Scorpion Spider with Alfa 3.0 V6 power here on eBay
currently bidding for $7,000 with 2 days to go, located in Castaic, CA.
The Lancia Beta Zagato was a quasi-convertible version of the Beta coupe along the lines of the Baur Targa-ized BMWs from the same era. The Zagato (or Spyder) is a very affordable way to get into an Italian car designed by Pininfarina and produced in limited
quantity. Plus it is a Lancia! Find this 1981 Lancia Beta Zagato offered for $4,300 in Tacoma, WA via craigslist. Tip from Gianni. 
Today's next feature comes with a Where's Waldo style picture hunt where we try and identify the hidden gems surrounding the subject car--but first, the car. The Lancia Beta Berlina was the first new car launched by Lancia after it was acquired by Fiat and it used a number of Fiat components, including 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 or 2.0 liter 4-banger engines. Find this 1975 Lancia Beta Berlina for sale in Sun Valley, CA for $4,000 via craigslist.
For an Italian car designed by Pininfarina and produced in limited quantities (less than 10,000) the Lancia Beta Zagato is particularly affordable. The Zagato (or Spyder) was a convertiblized version of the standard Beta coupe but still featured a fixed B pillar and structurally stiffening boxed roof. Probably a good thing for a car well known for rust and quality issues...maybe this explains why the Zagato is so cheap. Find this 1981 Lancia Beta Zagato for sale San Francisco, CA for an asking price of $2450 via craigslist. Tip from Nick B who says: "All the style of a Toyota Celica Sunchaser with the reliability of a Lada Riva. I still want one, though."
The Lancia Beta Berlina dates from the era when Fiat owned Lancia and while it looks like a hatchback, it was technically a sedan because the rear glass is fixed and only a small trunk opens in the back. Almost 200k were built, but you won't find many still on the road today, probably because of the well reported rust issues or because Lancia and Fiat withdrew from the US Market in 1982 leaving the customers with rusting frames and zero dealer support. Many small independent shops stepped up to fill the void and hairy fingered wiseguys named Tony charged Ferrari prices to fix Fiats...again, little reason to escape the crusher. Luckily for seekers of odd treasure, this 1978 Lancia Beta Berlina is for sale in SF Bay Area, CA for $2200 via craigslist. Tip from Kaibeezy.
Last Sunday we took a look at a little "shooting brake" 2-door wagon from the '70s: this 1972 Ford Pinto. We made the comparison to the much higher-class Volvo 1800ES because of the similarities in the basic spec sheets of the two cars - and not to suggest the Pinto is equivalent in presence or substance! While the Pinto wagon may be as close as you're going to get to a stylish, running & driving shooting brake for $3500, there are other alternatives in the higher price bracket of the 1800ES. Have a gander at this Lancia Beta HPE (High Performance Estate) for example. It's sleek, it's classy, it has two doors and a big glass hatch in back. The only potential downsides to the ownership experience: it's wrong-wheel drive, and it's Italian. The upside: it's Italian. Find it here on ebay for $14000 Buy it Now (or make offer) in Seattle, Washington.
Do you dream of driving the Monte Carlo rally whilst sitting on the 405 Freeway. Do you want the thrill of 1980s Italian reliability mixed with open air motoring but find the Alfa Spyder too common? If you've answered yes to some or all of the above questions -please seek immediate psychiatric care or buy this 1984 Lancia Beta Zagato - available via craigslist for $6500 in Sherman Oaks, CA (big thanks to dt reader Jenny for the tip)