Happy 2nd Birthday: DT's ABCs

Beer cans, twizzler wrappers and tinsel litter the floor of the Daily Turismo headquarters and bath house.  Yesterday was DT's second birthday and what a party it was -- 26 cars featured from A-to-Z, a veritable alphabet of awesome. 

Z is for Zonked: 1981 (John Z.) DeLorean DMC-12

"Z is for DeLorean? What are you guys high on?" Whatever it is, it isn't as good as the suitcase full of cocaine that Federal agents allegedly used to entrap John Z. with drug trafficking charges. However, with the power of the PRV V6 behind your back and the promise of open roads ahead, the DMC-12 is the only narcotic you'll need to reach the Zenith of automotive zest. Even if where we're going, we don't need...roads. And even if there are...roads, maybe the DeLorean is the ultimate DT winter beater, since it carries massive weight over the rear (traction) wheels and the stainless steel construction will negate the possibility of structural rust. Oh wait; the backbone chassis is mild steel. Find this 1981 DeLorean DMC-12 for sale in Delavan, IL for $21950 via craigslist.

Y is for Yieldless: 1987 Yugo GV

Y is for Yugoslavian, a household term synonymous with high manufacturing standards and reliability. Indeed, following Yugo's lauded introduction to the U.S. Market in 1986, the sales success of Yugoslavian imports put pressure on the Big Three domestic automakers to increase their build quality and fuel efficiency. And now, an all-original example can be yours for under $3,000. Find this 1987 Yugo GV in San Antonio, TX for $2,400 via craigslist.

X is for Xcrement: 1983 Chevrolet Citation X-11

Having plumbed the depths of the K-Car and now nearing the end of the alphabet its only appropriate that we head straight for the nadir of the auto industry.  The 1980's X cars from GM.  X is for xactly what the doctor didn't order, which is what the X-Body cars of the 1980's were from GM.  The steam rising from that pile of xcrement was the Citation X-11.  Find this one-family owned 1983 Chevrolet Citation X-11 waiting for you, staged beside a waterway, owned by some guy who has at least a four car garage and a lift and loves classics, like his X-11, which he's offering to you for what has to be a record setting high price of $6,395.

W is for Wanderlust: 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL W126

The English word wanderlust is combination of borrowed German words wandern (to hike) and lust (desire).  Wanderlust was first used to describe a feeling of the need to travel, explore and see new things in the early 20th century, but is now used frequently to describe the urge to go on a walkabout.  I feel no particularly strong reason to spend all my money on pricey REI hiking gear, but one look at a minty clean long wheelbase W126 Mercedes and suddenly the urge to hit the open highway is strong. Find this 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL W126 offered for $9,950 buy-it-now on ebay, from Auto Park USA located in Stone Park, IL.

V is for Voluptuous: 1999 Dodge Viper RT/10

V is for vicious.  V is for viagra, V10 and vindication -- it is not for Wagner, so why would you pose a ballet dancer in front of your Viper?  These two things are just about as polar opposite as you can get -- the brutish and curvaceous Viper versus the lithe and flexible dancer.  This is just another divergent chapter in the unwritten exposé -- The Girls of eBay Motors.  Find this 1999 Dodge Viper RT/10 offered for $33,999 buy-it-now on ebay.

U is for Ultimate: 1962 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U404 S

What can be said about the Unimog that hasn't already been crushed into the earth under its huge skinny tires? Back when Dr. Ferdinand Unimog had his original idea for a short-wheelbase cabover 4x4 after WWII, it was already unstoppable. After being absorbed by Mercedes-Benz the 'mog proliferated into basically the most ultimate agricultural / military / utility / offroad vehicle on the planet. There have been infinity versions of the Unimog (seriously, scroll down through the Wikipedia article); it can seemingly be made in any configuration, to be used for any imaginable task. That's a lot of superlatives in one paragraph, but the Ultimate Universal-Motor-Gerat deserves them all (and ok, there was no such guy as Dr. Ferdinand Unimog). Find this 1962 Mercedes-Benz Unimog U404 S for sale by MotoExotica in St. Louis on ebay, with bidding near $5k and reserve not met.

T for Tea: 1974 Triumph TR6

T isn't for tuetonic tank, no...T is for a tea sipping topless tourer for two.  Triumph introduced the TR6 in 1969 to replace the TR5/TR250 which was really just a slight change to the TR4...you could probably trace the roots of most British sports cars back to Roman chariots, but that is a diatribe for another time.  The TR6 is a good looking car and it lasted thru 1976 when it was replaced with the wedge shaped and unloved TR7.  Find this 1974 Triumph TR6 currently bidding for $6,831 on ebay reserve-not-met in Maple Shade, NJ.

S is for Scirocco: 1984 Volkswagen Scirocco

The year is 1984. A cyborg materializes from the future to terminate the Scirocco because its light, lithe road behavior and durability would one day serve as the blueprint for a new breed of resistance warriors against the crossover overlords: the hot hatch. The Terminator was subdued so the John Connor of cars (Corrado, GTI) could continue development. Find this one-owner 1984 Volkswagen Scirocco in Charleston, SC for $3,800 via Craigslist.

R is for Ridonkulous: 1993 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon

Baby Got Back. That's all I can think of whenever I see the last big Buick wagon, the final version built from 1992 to 1996 (and its Chevy Caprice cousin). Is it a coincidence that Sir Mix-a-Lot released his immortal hit the same year the GM dropped this big-booty bomb on the world? It would seem unlikely. If you want the automotive equivalent of the most evolved Brachiosaur, the final rear-drive GM wagon, look no further than the RM itself. Our own graphic design savant Kaibeezy has great stories to tell about his own, and there's room enough for the whole crew inside to listen up. Find this 1993 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon for sale in Addison, IL being offerd for $8995 by Midwest Auto Collection on their own website.

Q is for Quintessential: 2001 Audi A4 1.8T quattro

Q is most definitely for quattro - that's right, with a lowercase q since we are referring to the all wheel drive system and not the vehicle of the same name in which it debuted. That car would be the Quattro, colloquially known as the Ur-Quattro or UrQ for short. The car below is a few generations removed, but still uses largely the same mechanical system for transmitting torque to all four quorners. In essence, torque is split 50:50 between front and rear axles until there is slippage at either end, at which time...bam!...the axle with more grip (less slip) gets more torque and keeps you moving in a forwardly direction. Even though the car it's attached to has a less than stellar reliability history, quattro is a classic system and we are all about an appreciation for depreciation here at DT. Find this 2001 Audi A4 1.8T quattro for sale in Tampa, FL for $4800 via craigslist.

P is for Poseur: 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser

P is for poseurs, pansies and petrified pedants.  P isn't for powerful and it certainly isn't for pants-dropping, unless you are referring to a prostate exam...because PT cruisers are predominantly driven by aging Costco Hawaiian shirt shoppers who picked it out of the lineup of econoboxes at their nearest mile-o-cars because it looked retro but still had the same useability and driving characteristics of a Prius.  The two questions most often asked at the dealership are can I drive it in sandals and do the rainbow grateful dead stickers come from the factory?  FULL STOP -- today we are going to break down that stereotype.  It's time to put the PT Barnum back in the PT Cruiser.  Find this 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser with SRT-4 drivetrain offered for $7,500 in Chardon, OH via craigslist.

O is for Overruled: 1986 Dodge Omni GLH-S

"Honey, I can explain. The car that's about to do a piledriver on our checking account could really be worth a lot someday. I know it looks like a worthless 30-year-old Dodge crapbox but trust me, because it has compressed air shoved through it and a bunch of SHELBY badges slapped on it, it's a legend. Please don't tell your mother. Thanks, I love you too." Find this 1986 Dodge Omni GLH-S in Omaha, NE for $12,000 via Autotrader.

N is for Naughty: 1991 Acura NSX

The NSX wasn't just one of many supercars in a scuderia full of exotica, a la Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, et al...it was the supercar in Honda's stable full of practical people movers and a few small sporty machines (Integra, Prelude, S2000). Despite being a mid-engined, rear drive world beater it was decidedly svelte and efficient in that oh-so-Honda way, packing a small V6 and weighing only 3,000 lb. It is a fantastic and reliable driver's car, but unfortunately the NSX is significantly out of the DT price range in most cases. For the 2nd Birthday Bash, however, we can make a few exceptions. Find this 1991 Acura NSX for sale by a dealer in Bloomington, Indiana for $28,500 Buy it Now via ebay.

M is for Macho: 1969 Ford Mustang Convertible

M is for manly.  M is for Mustang, the ultimate ride for the meat eating man who needs to show the world that he is macho and means business at the same time.  The early 65-66 cars look somewhat feminine while  the 67-68 generation is slightly meaner, but the 69-70 cars are considerably more menacing in appearance. So if you are going to pick up a pre-73 classic Mustang with a soft top, you probably want to consider a 69 -70 example, like this 1969 Ford Mustang Convertible offered for $22,900 buy-it-now or best offer on ebay, located in Grosse Point, MI.

L is for Lump: 1994 Jaguar XJS LS1 V8

L is for lunacy, tempered with love and a loping idle of GM's LS1 V8.  L is for universaL, because you can't surf craigslist without tripping all over cars powered by GM's LS-series Gen-III V8.  You will find LS1s snug in their natural Camaro, Firebird, Corvette, and GTO environments, but the number who have migrated to greener pastures is remarkable. Find this 1994 Jaguar XJS with LS1 V8 offered for $6,500 in the Dallas, TX via craigslist.

K is for Krap: 1985 Dodge Aries K-Car

K is, regrettably, for K-car.  The K-word.  Konstantly konfounding kar kooks with krappy kuality and kausing konsiderable kursing from knormally kind Kentuckians.  The K-car is an easy target for journalists and pundits alike - but beware! The little K has a rabid fan base and if you compare driving the K to the limitless horrors of purgatory, someone identifying himself as the president of the Chrysler K-Car Club (say that three times fast) might chime in the comments.  Of course, DT fielded a thoroughly transcendent rebuttal by none other than DT's own logo guru Kaibeezy...but that is ancient history, let's get on to today's K-car.  Find this 1985 Dodge Aries K-Car currently bidding for $1,500 reserve-not-met in Los Angeles, CA via ebay.

J is for Jaunty: 1970 AMC Javelin SST (Mark Donohue?)

Another AMC so soon in the ABC's? You bet - and this time it's not an economy car, but the boss hoss Javelin pony car. As it turns out there were infinity versions of the semi-forgotten Javelin; AMC managed an almost Porsche-like achievement in providing every flavor imaginable bar a topless version. In addition to the short-wheelbase AMX spinoff, there were something like 7 trim levels with 10 choices of engines and 4 transmissions, all spanning two generations from 1968-1974. One of the specials was the Mark Donohue Signature Edition - named for my favorite Trans-Am driver and borne out of necessity for homologation. The car below may or may not be one of them, but it seems like a good deal on a solid machine regardless. Find this 1970 AMC Javelin SST - maybe a Mark Donohue edition - for sale in Caledonia, Michigan for $12000 via craigslist.

I is for Illusory: 1990 Isuzu Impulse

Your power:weight and horsepower:dollar ratios are now obsolete. Price:mileage is the in-vogue automotive benchmark. Any one of the 300k-mile Jetta TDIs littering Craigslist would essentially cost you $0.66 per mile it's covered, while new cars would charge very dearly for their shrink-wrapped odometers (A shrink-wrapped odometer is a dealer-installed option and will cost you $495). Our disillusioned seller of this 1990 Isuzu Impulse XS is charging $1.16 for each of his car's scant 8,400 miles. Forget Lotus-tuned suspension - that kind of cash could almost put you in an actual Lotus (cue snickering from Colin Chapman disciples and RWD fanboys). Find this 1990 Isuzu Impulse XS for $9,800 in Buffalo, NY via Autotrader.

H is for Hardy: 1976 AMC Hornet Sportabout

Ok, time for H. We could've chosen the "fabulous" Hudson Hornet for this one, but those early post-war cars aren't likely to be a Daily Turismo for many of our readers due to anachronism and value. Hence, feast your eyes on its namesake, the AMC Hornet. American Motors Corporation was formed when Hudson and Nash-Kelvinator merged in 1954, and the new parent company wisely kept visitation rights to one of its more successful offspring (albeit in name only). AMC was swallowed by Chrysler in 1987 and what remains today (Jeep) is now owned by Netherlands-based Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, NV...what does all this mean? Just look out for the Alfa Romeo Hornet to make a comeback any day now. Find this 1976 AMC Hornet Sportabout for sale in Joliet, IL for $4500 via craigslist.