Fuel of Slowtan: 1983 Nissan Sentra Diesel

I've owned and driven some slow cars in my time...so I don't say this lightly...but this next car is slower than a herd of snails on a plate of peanut butter.  The basic gasoline powered Sentra was slow with its 1.6 liter gasoline 4-banger drooling to 60mph in about 14 seconds, but the 1.7 liter CD17 non-turbo diesel was an absolute boat anchor and would have possibly gotten to 60 in less than 18 seconds with a strong tail wind.  But...if my experience owning an '81 Rabbit Diesel taught me anything...it is that slow can be exhilarating -- just try merging on the freeway and tell me your pulse rate doesn't skyrocket like a snail trying to cross the racing surface during the annual Bonneville salt flat speed week.  Find this 1983 Nissan Sentra Diesel offered for $3500 in Cerritos, CA via craigslist.

1986 Ford F250 Diesel vs 1987 Chevrolet Corvette

This next double feature comes from DT tipper/reader/commenter Art who writes: Thinking about shuffling up the stable a bit in the next few months to shake off the COVID-19 Blues... selling my boat and truck, along with a motorcycle and at least one other car (yes I have issues).  $5k budget for the next fun car.... First up is this 1986 Ford F250 Lariat Diesel offered for $4200 in Preston, CT via craigslist.

Burn It With Fire: 1984 Mercury Lynx

The lynx rufus (commonly known as the North American bobcat) is a medium sized wildcat that hits the scales at somewhere in the sub 40lbs range and can top 30 mph in sprint.  The Mercury Lynx is a small sized econobox that hits the scales at 2200 lbs and can hit about 86 mph...but I'd guess that having a real live bobcat in your garage would be far less dangerous than a Mercury Lynx.  Find this 1984 Mercury Lynx offered for $999 in Placida, FL via craigslist. Tip from Dascpcu.

Tectonic Acceleration: 1978 Mercedes-Benz 240D W123

One of my favorite automotive memories was driving a vintage Mercedes oil burner through the hilly streets of San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. The 2.4 liter inline-4 cylinder non-turbo diesel engine didn't have much punch, but it did have enough torque to lug up seriously steep hills will very minimal throttle (errr...rack) input. Few cars have a similar ability to be started in first gear without the use of a the go-pedal up a hill...but you could just dump the clutch and go. I don't miss the tectonic acceleration...but I do miss a few interesting details on that old Benz.  Find this 1978 Mercedes-Benz 240D offered for $3,200 in Sevastopol, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Cummins Diesel Hot Rod: 1950 Chevrolet Pickup

There are two categories of cool cars in the world. The first is cars that are cool because they are fast/rare/unique and everybody knows it -- think Corvette ZO6, Shelby Mustangs, Dodge Demons, Ferraris and the like...the second group are cars that are cool because nobody knows what the heck they are looking at.  This next car is so far into that second group it is coming out the backside. Find this 1950 Chevrolet Pickup offered for $6500 in Piggott, AR via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Bracq Friday Continues: 1966 Mercedes-Benz 200D W110

This next beast is a continuation of our Bracq Friday spectacular from yesterday -- a festival of the best stuff from French born automotive legend Paul Bracq.  The W110 fintail Mercedes-Benz was an evolution of the older W120 Ponton shape, but added little "fins" on the rear quarters and was more modern in its shape and less bulbous.  Legend has it that one of Paul Bracqs first job as an automobile designer at Mercedes-Benz was to design the rear taillights that you see on this next car. Find this 1966 Mercedes-Benz 200D W110 offered for $10,999 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist.

Genuine High Emissions: 2004 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI

Long before Volkswagen was accused of cheating on emissions tests and giving the finger to the environment, they gave the finger to Sir Isaac Newton's second law of motion and entered into a project with Audi and Porsche to build an off road capable SUV that could accelerate like a sports car.  The result of this ambitious goal was the Volkswagen Group PL71 platform used by the Touareg (pronounced Twooar-egg), Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne -- and the apple fell sideways. Find this 2004 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI offered for $5,500 in Billings, MT via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Custom Sleeper Cab: 2004 Ford E-450

A real semi truck isn't easy to own/drive unless you are a trucker and live outside the city limits.  Most modern urban planners banned parking Class-8 Heavy Duty trucks on the street...not to mention that fact that they are huge and get about 7 mpg...but this next Class-4 beast offers some of the utility of a real truck (5th wheel 16,000 lbs towing capacity) with a sleeper cab and light duty turbocharged Powerstroke V8. You won't be able to haul 33,000 lbs of industrial waste, but you can drive your kids to school and go take a nap in the sleeper near the beach. Find this 2004 Ford E-450 Sleeper Cab here on eBay offered for $5,995 buy-it-now located in Cortland, NY

Slow: 1981 Isuzu I-Mark Diesel

If you enjoy driving fast, you'll probably want to skip this next feature. Yeah.  You.  Just fly right by and head to the next thing that has an LS6 swapped into a dune buggy chassis.  Ok.  Its now just you, me, and CFlo reading -- he loves the slow stuff too.  The Isuzu Gemini was originally sold in the US market as the Opel by Isuzu, changed to the Buick Opel and finally in 1981 became the Isuzu I-Mark.  It was a rear drive Japanese classic holdover from another era and used a rear-drive setup, but could be powered by a  1.8 liter 4-cylinder naturally aspirated diesel engine that puts out 51 horsepower.  You might struggled to keep up with traffic on a mild grade, but the smiles and questions from strangers when you fill up at the green pump will be worth it. Find this 1981 Isuzu I-Mark Diesel offered for $5,800 in Bellflower, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

These Words Confuse Me: 1994 Nissan Caravan Homy Autech 4X4 Diesel

It's Loony Labor Day! Sometimes a car has a strange suffix tacked onto the end its name that I haven't heard about before...some kinda special edition or unique designation. But today we've got something really special. We've got a car that has is named in a bizarre cornucopia of gobbledygook...words seemingly smashed together when some automakers played a game of mad libs in the product planning department. Whatever...it is rad.  Find this 1994 Nissan Caravan Homy Autech 4X4 Diesel offered for $12,500 in Hudson, MA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Green In Name Only: 1980 Austin Mini Diesel

The original Austin Mini had a long life (from 1959 through 2000) will mostly engineered changes to the chassis/powertrain/suspension with little to notice on the outside.  The configurations of the Mini were varied and interesting, but it seems they never fitted one with a compression ignited diesel engine from the factory, which is odd given the Europeans thirst for the stuff in recent years, but somebody decided to fix this issue and make a green, but not so green, Mini. Find this 1980 Austin Mini Diesel offered for $14500 in Portland, OR via craigslist. Tip from JB1025.

Ultimate Survivor: 1998 Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Diesel Manual

This next car is less about what it is and more about what is ISN'T.  It isn't another late 90s Volkswagen with faded paint and oxidized plastic.  It isn't another diesel VW that doesn't run because the cost to repair is greater than its worth.  And it isn't another super slow diesel equipped with a slow shifting slushbox.  This car isn't a unicorn because of its original production volume or crazy option configuration, it is a unicorn because it survived the ravages of time with nary or door ding or hint of bumper rash.  The salvage title is the only thing holding this car back from being a $10k trailer queen.  Find this 1998 Volkswagen Jetta Turbo Diesel Manual offered for $4200 in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

Foxy Diesel Wagon: 1980 Volkswagen Dasher

This next Giorgetto Giugiaro designed classic was sold as the Dasher in the U.S. for a few years until it was dubbed Passat like in the rest of the world.  This particular model is powered by a wheezy non-turbo diesel that makes it about as slow as a tectonic plate. At least it has the manual noise control...errr...gearbox.  Find this 1980 Volkswagen Dasher offered for $4995 in Lilburn, GA via craigslist. Tip from Matt C.

Oil Burner: 1985 BMW 524TD

The E28 generation BMW 5-series market lives somewhere in that sweet no-mans-land between discarded junk and desirable classic, and the low mile, clean examples are starting to fetch decent money.  The 524TD is a turbo diesel version was only imported into the US for two years.  The USDM 524TD was sold with a low power diesel engine and an automatic transmission, making it just about the slowest, cheapest and least loved E28 available.  Find this 1985 BMW 524TD offered for $6000 near Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

6-speed manual: 2005 Ford F-350 6.0L PowerStroke diesel

The 6.0 liter Powerstroke V8 was introduced to the Ford SuperDuty pickup in 2003 and it packed quite a turbodiesel punch.  In 2005, it was further upgraded to 325 horsepower and 570 ft-lbs of stump pulling torques -- which is very nice when matched to a 6-speed manual box. Find this 2005 Ford F-350 6.0L PowerStroke diesel offered for $12000 in Elkton, MD via craigslist. Tip from Jeff S.

Pug Life: 1981 Peugeot 505 Turbo Diesel

How...why...wait!  This next car is one of those head-scratching oddballs that begs the questions -- how did it survive in this condition; why would it be in this nice shape compared to its siblings and cousins; wait, I want it but it might take 10 years to drive home! Find this 1981 Peugeot 505 Turbo Diesel offered for $12,000 outside of Boston, MA. Tip from Rock On!

Silver Surfer: 1984 Volvo 245 Diesel Wagon

The last car we featured was a classic Volvo wagon with all of the magic unicorn attributes that classic Volvo wagon lovers tend to enjoy, but for people who thought that previous wagon was too brown and too fast, we've got this next thing...which is powered by that nasty diesel stuff and is covered in a basic shade of silver/grey.  The best part about the ad, however, is the disclaimer from the seller in ALL CAPS "THIS CAR IS NOT FOR THE CASUAL CAR BUYER. SUGGEST YOU BE FAMILIAR WITH THE MID 80S VOLVO DIESEL CARS BEFORE CONTACTING ME."  Oh yeah.  Find this 1984 Volvo 245 Diesel Wagon offered for $2,500 in Tacoma, WA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.