Thar She Goes: 1988 Mitsubishi Van LS

I love the classic Mitsubishi Van, even if it does have a Kirk Douglas chin.  But Kirk Douglas (God rest his soul) doesn't have a sweet velour interior, reclining/rotating captains chairs OR the ability take you and seven of your co-sheltering family/friends to somewhere you can stand 6-feet apart.  What a strange time we live in.  But there is nothing strange about wanting to own such a sweet van. Find this 1988 Mitsubishi Van LS offered for $3400 in San Mateo, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

High Watermark or Just High? 1985 Mazda RX-7

A few years ago I would have said that ten large is a stupid sum of money to pay for a first generation RX-7...but I don't know these days.  Classic cars are getting gobbled up my well heeled millennials, grubby fingered gen-Xers, and greedy boomers...but the RX-7 has been cheap for years.  Maybe it's time the spinning apex seal clubber gets its time in the sun?  Or you could at least own this low (53k) mile example and drive it till the miles put it in line with the rest of the market. Find this 1985 Mazda RX-7 offered for $9800 in Arcadia, CA via hemmings. Tip from BP.

White & Tan: 1999 Lexus LS400

This next car comes as a tip from Jeff who writes: If it drives as good as it looks, this will dish out many more miles. Only driven about 9,000 a year to date... Yes indeed, this is the case of a seller who has taken some nice photos of a car that is clean. You could probably find better dollars/mile LS sedans all over craigslist...but those ones aren't as sparkly clean. Find this 1999 Lexus LS400 offered for $5999 in Southwest Houston, TX via craigslist.

15k Mile Ragtop: 1992 Chevrolet Corvette C4 Convertible

There is something about an older car that is free from dirt/grime that just makes me happy...and it probably has something to due with the fact that most of my classics have been well used and abused.  This next car is shockingly clean on the underside for a 27 year old car and has about 500 miles per year on the odo...and the price is great?  What's the catch? Oh, its a C4 Corvette...which I'm sorta starting to like these days...am I getting old? Find this  1992 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible offered for $12,950 in Omaha, NE via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

38k Miles, Fridge White: 1990 Toyota Camry LE

The second generation (V20) Toyota Camry was built from 1986 through 1992 is massive quantities and used as a basic transportation device for millions of people.  It wasn't an exciting car by any stretch of the imagination, but it did turn many domestic car purchasers into future Toyota buyers with its quiet commitment to reliability and non-fussiness.  Most have hundreds of thousands of miles or have been recycled into tuna cans, but this next example has a shockingly low 38k miles on the odo and looks amazing for its age. Find this 1990 Toyota Camry LE offered for $6,500 in Long Beach, CA via craigslist.

Don't Call It A Turdcel: 1989 Toyota Tercel

What could be better than driving a high mile version of a classic Japanese coupe with a manual gearbox and some sweet 80s style?  Yeah...getting that same car with low miles and in mint condition for peanuts. Find this 1989 Toyota Tercel offered for $5700 in South San Francisco, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Museum Ready? 1974 Volkswagen Beetle

The Volkswagen Type 1 Beetle didn't change much during its 65 years of production (21 million models built!) but in 1974 it was fitted with huge 5mph impact bumpers for the USA market.  Truth be told, I'm not sure exactly how much a "car show ready" VW Bug is worth on the open market, but this next one looks like a reasonable deal compared to the price of those other aircooled classics. Find this 1974 Volkswagen Beetle offered for $8999 in Lake Forest, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Monsieur Fiero: 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT

Michel Lotito, better known by his stage name Monsieur Mangetout (Mr Eat-Everything) was a French entertainer who was known for eating strange things like a bicycle, a television set, a pair of skis, a shopping cart...and my personal favorite, a Cessna 150 airplane. Eating strange objects isn't the life for everyone, but for a select few, it is probably exhilarating...sorta like owning/driving a mint condition Pontiac Fiero GT.  Find this 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT offered for $12,500 CAD  ($9,604 USD at time of printing) in Vancouver, BC via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

I Told You So...Again: 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Back in 2015 we featured a 6k mile first generation MX-5 that was picked up by Jesse at Barnfinds.com and then sold for about the cost of 10 typical 200k MX-5s and at the time I wrote "Whoever buys this car will have a very nice example of one of the best selling roadsters of all time...but he will be faced with the same conundrum as the current seller -- how do you enjoy a car without racking up the miles?  Likely, this story will be continued."  The car was subsequently sold by the then owner because..well..you know.  A few months later in July 2016 the car showed back up on craigslist (now with 8k miles) with the then current owner trying to milk $11k from the little red cash cow.  Two years later and this car is back on the market, now with several modifications, 11,500 miles and offered for $11,500 -- find this 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata offered for sale in Menlo Park, CA via craigslist. Tip from Matthew.

Jinba ittai 35k Miles: 1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata

A used MX-5 Miata is great little inexpensive sports car for anybody who enjoys driving and prices are very cheap these days.  It might be because Mazda built a million of the little machines...no seriously, in 2016 Mazda produced the MILLIONTH MX-5.  But, finding one from the first generation with 35k miles in immaculate condition isn't an everyday occurance. Find this 1994 Mazda Miata offered for $8800 in Ojai, CA via craigslist. Tip from Sean S.

Simple Driver: 1990 Acura Legend

This next car is a hot one -- a clean, good running, rust free, medium mile example of an early 90s classic with a smooth Honda V6 that didn't push the boundaries of technology, but eased next to the boundary with a whimsical smile on its face.  And the price on this one is great...naturally it comes with the slushbox auto (a manual gearbox version would probably have been driven more!)...but this seems like a perfect first car for a kid or cheap daily driver.  Find this 1990 Acura Legend V6 offered for $3750 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Low Mile Survivor: 1996 Lexus LS400

The 2nd generation XF20 (1994-1997) Lexus LS was everything you'd want in a German executive cruiser, but with Japanese sensibility and reliability.  There was no option for a 5-speed manual gearbox, but it wouldn't ravage your savings in expensive parts repairs or lull you into thinking your car was sporty.  Find this 1996 Lexus LS400 offered for $7,200 near Raleigh, NC via craigslist. Tip from August.

CreamPuff: 1981 BMW 320i E21

Global sales of BMW's first 3-series started in 1975 and by the time they switched body stamping operations to build the E30 version in 1983, over a million examples of the E21 had left the factory. The significance of those production numbers were not lost on BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lincoln, Pontiac, Cadillac, or anybody else who wanted to sell premium luxury sport sedans in the early 80s. But today, the E21 is a forgotten classic and prices for nice examples aren't that bad.  Find this 1981 BMW 320i offered for $8,000 near Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

Windbeutel: 1992 Volkswagen Golf

The Mk II (2nd generation) Volkswagen Golf was introduced in 1983 as a 3-door and 5-door hatchback and was produced through the 1992 model year.  It featured basic front drive economy and was a slightly more refined (albeit heavier) version of the original Mk I Golf.  Find this 1992 Volkswagen Golf offered for $6,400 in Middlebury, VT via craigslist. Tip from Carter.

GRANDMA'S CAR, FOR REAL: 1993 TOYOTA CAMRY

The recipe for a the ultimate good times with a craigslist advertisement goes a little something like this: First, find a inexpensive car in extraordinary condition. Then, make unsubstantiated (and unverifiable) claims like owned by a former duke of Albania or used in the independent film " Marco Polo's day off". Finally, write your test in ALLCAPS.  That, my friend, is how you do it.  Like this 1993 TOYOTA CAMRY, 94,250 MILES, GRANDMA'S CAR (FOR REAL) - $3200 (TRUMBULL, CT.) via craigslist.

Notta Chebby: 1986 Jaguar XJ6

We've been posting a few (toom many?) Chevy small block powered Jags 'round these parts, so I reckon we should post a few stock examples as atonement for our swapping sins.  Find this 1986 Jaguar XJ6 offered for $2900 outside of Boston, MA. Tip from Art C.

White Rabbit: 1989 Acura Integra RS

This next car has me wondering just how many cars built in 1989 still have less than 65,000 miles on the their odometers?  With an average of just over 2300 miles per year, you've got to admit that this car has had a pampered life, but not so pampered that you wouldn't want to drive it (like that silly 6,000 mile MX-5 that will bounce around the internet via car carriers till the end of the gasoline era). Find this 1989 Acura Integra RS offered for $6,000 in Hudsonville, MI via craigslist.  Tip from Michael.