Happy As A Pig In Mud: 2011 Ford Crown Victoria P71

The 2nd generation Crown Victoria  was introduced in 1998 and was available to the public (mostly old dudes) through the 2007 model year.  From 2008 to 2011 the Crown Vic was only sold for fleet/rental use and was the police car of choice for many precincts.  This made spotting smokey and dropping to the legal speed limit an exercise in Crown Vic spotting and its recognizable shape will be missed as it has been replaced with various Malibu, Taurus, Charger, Caprice, and various SUVs/Tanks/Black Helicopters if you read (and/or believe) the news these days.  Regardless, if you are in the market for a used Crown Victoria and want to escape the madness in the big (and small) cities (again...if you read and/or believe the news...), you'll need a Crown Vic that has been converted into an off road escape machine. Find this 2011 Ford Crown Victoria P71 offered for $5800 in Solvang, CA via craigslist. Tip from Mike Jr.

Stick Shift and 6 Cylinders: 1987 Ford Econoline Van

Tipper Eric sent this car in with the following words: Who orders an Econoline with a stick and a 6?  I have to meet this person!  Yup, this is a strange vehicle..and one that I am familiar with..I learned to drive on similar manual transmission equipped van...but if I recall correctly my old man didn't buy this from the factory as much as win it in some strange business deal like Han Solo winning the Millennium Falcon, but in the end a young (probably 12 year old) me learned to drive a stick shift van with velour seats and Yoda's cane as a gear shifter. It was a long time ago. Find this 1987 Ford Econoline Van offered for $1500 in Bakersfield, NC via craigslist.

Five Point Yellow: 1989 Ford Mustang LX

It's hard to believe that the Fox Body Mustang is 41 years old....well not today's example, but it is 31 and not exactly a spring chicken. Let me put that in perspective...imagine you are living in 1989 (that's not that much of a stretch) and you tried to daily drive a Ford from 1958...or even 1948!!  It just wouldn't have been feasible unless you were a real oddball....but I could easily imagine driving an 89 Ford everyday in the year 2020...because I am a real oddball! Find this 1989 Ford Mustang LX here on eBay bidding for $7700 in Scottsdale, AZ with 1 day to go.

Malaise-o-naise: 1977 Ford Mustang II

This next car comes from tipper Zach who writes: It was <not> the best of times.  I don't know what you'd do with this thing.  A modern ecoboost monster of some sort?  Cram a 302 in and just saunter?  Grab the drivetrain from a Prius and don't amaze your friends?  At least you can feel that 'wind in your hair' with the sunroof.  And probably feel some water when it leaks, too.  Snazzy white vinyl tho! You are correct Zach!!  My favorite part of this car is the fact that the interior looks surprisingly intact with its clock forlornly stuck forever at 10:56.  Find this 1977 Ford Mustang II offered for $1000 in Chickaloon, AK via craigslist.

100 Pony's Per Hole: 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost

The 6th generation of the Ford Mustang was released for the 2015 model year with a new aggressive body style (it looks so much wider than the previous gen, but it was only 1.5 inches wider and 1.4 inches lower) and an independent rear end for the first time for the original pony car.  Ford also re-introduced a turbo 4-cylinder version known as the EcoBoost...but it is about as Eco as a Porsche Taycan is turbo...but the little 2.3 liter 4-cylinder engine in the Mustang was rated at 310 horsepower and can be tuned up to 400 horsepower (such as the car in this example).  Find this 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost offered for $13,900 in Vail, AZ via craigslist.

Call Me Mondeo: 1999 Ford Contour SVT

The biggest complaint I have about this next car is the name.  Say it out loud: I drive a Contour.  An SVT Contour.  Yuck. Contour.  Blech.  SVT Contour sounds like something you'd lookup in a medical encyclopedia and recoil in horror at the associated illustration.  Ford should have kept the global name and called it the Mondeo...but at least we were able to get one in the USA with a 5-speed manual gearbox and some tuning from Ford's Special Vehicle Team. Find this 1999 Ford Contour SVT offered for $3950 in Altadena, 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.

V8 RallyCross Ready: 1993 Ford Ranger

Trucks are popular (I believe the F150 is still the best selling vehicle in the USA) and they have an interesting history.  They started off 100 years ago with the Ford Model T Runabout as a work truck and that was mostly the paradigm for 50 years until the El Camino & Ranchero introduced a "styled" pickup -- something that was as much about image as it was about utilitarianism.  A few years later and GM introduced something even more radical, the performance pickup in form of the Silverado 454SS and GMC Cyclone which were shortly followed by Ford's SVT Lightning.  People had been racing pickups over the years and in 1995 NASCAR introduced its SuperTruck racing series...but today we've got a pickup that is setup to race in SCCA RallyCross, which is basically an AutoCross on some dirt/mud/snow.  Sounds fun! Find this 1993 Ford Ranger offered for $5000 via grassrootsmotorsports.com forums. Tip from ISAUN.

Mach 1 Tribute: 1969 Ford Mustang

Sun Tzu is probably first famous writer to be quoted as saying; In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity -- but this concept is not new or un-repeated by other folks.  It is certainly true in the age of the coronavirus..and while I hate to be a vulture...there is a good reason to buy a car today... primarily is that most people are more concerned with paying their mortgage and avoiding the plague...so it is currently a buyer's market.  Avoid places where the prices are fixed and the reserves are not-met -- instead find yourself a no-reserve auction and see what kind of car you can get for half the going rate from a month ago. It stands to reason that if your 401k is worth 50% of its value in January, then the same goes for a classic Mustang. Find this 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Tribute here on eBay bidding for $20,600 reserve-not-met located in Scottsdale, AZ with 5 days to go.

Luxo F-150: 2006 Lincoln Mark LT Pickup

Lincoln first released their attempt at the luxury pickup in 2002 with the Blackwood...which didn't sell many (3300 according to interweb sources) and was canceled within 15 months of launch.  The product planners at Lincoln were still convinced they could sell a gussied up F-150..and in 2005 they released the Mark LT...which then lasted till 2008 with something like 10,000 sold per year...which wasn't bad, but not good enough to survive the carpocalypse.  Anyway, find this 2006 Lincoln Mark LT Pickup offered for $3950 in Cape Coral, FL via craigslist.  Tip from Dascpcu.

Born in the USA: 1986 Ford Escort GT

The Ford Escort was a small family car that was legendary for its durability, performance (relatively speaking) and general awesomeness...but that was in Europe and around the world in places that Ford deemed worthy like Australia and New Zealand...but in the US of A, we had to wait until 1981 when a "for us, by us" version was released into the American market and it was a front-wheel-drive pile of plastic garbage.  It was a fake, an improperly labeled pile of disappointment, a con, a $1000 check from the US treasury that  bounces, an N95 mask pre-worn by an active coronavirus patient, a Kardashian sex tape starring Rob Kardashian. Nobody, and I mean, NOBODY wants a first generation US Escort.  Despite that introduction, I sorta think this could be a fun car to thrash for a few weeks before rolling off a cliff. Find this 1986 Ford Escort GT offered for $700 Marina, CA via craigslist. Tip from Matt V.

Don't Mention It: 1973 Ford Maverick

I am going to try and write a feature without mentioning the coronavirus...arggg...I already broke that promise by even mentioning the thing.  Okay, rewind...let's try again.  The Ford Maverick was sold starting in 1970 as a replacement for the oldschool Falcon and it sold in decent numbers through 1977 when it was replaced with Ford Granadas/Fairmonts using the Fox-body platform.  I have a soft spot in my heart for these things because they were cheap drivers for years and still are!! Find this 1973 Ford Maverick offered for $4200 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

No Power Brakes, No Problem: 1970 Ford Galaxie 500 Country Sedan Wagon

I've got to assume that prices of used cars (classics, late models, you name it) are gonna take a hit due to this COVID-19 thing...firstly because the economy is playing rope-a-dope and second because people are supposed to be sheltering in place instead of going around and buying/selling cars. Regardless if you surf over to the craigslists in the places hit by this nasty virus, you'll still see people selling cars...and while nobody loves a vulture...everybody loves a deal?  Is it wrong to look at Seattle or the Bay Area Craigslist and see what you can get with a face mask and a pair of rubber boots? Find this 1970 Ford Galaxie 500 Country Sedan Wagon offered for $5000 near Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

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.

Diamond in the Rough: 1967 Ford Galaxie 500

This next car comes as a tip from SecondMouse who writes: This is about as cheap as it gets for a sixties era two door big block muscle car. This 1967 Ford Galaxie 390 runs and drives, and may just be the rat rod starting point you are looking for, with seller asking $4000. Find this 1967 Ford Galaxie offered for $4000 in Livingston TX via craigslist.

Another Day, Another Stroker: 1976 Ford Maverick V8

This next car comes as a tip from JB1025 who writes: Younger Sister car to the Comet on 3/2/20; The other Phony Pony car from the Blue Oval.. Yes, this is indeed the other white meat from Ford...but it looks oddly appealing for the price. Find this 1976 Ford Maverick V8 offered for $6,300 in Portland, OR via craiglist.

German Ford: 1974 Mercury Capri

Prices for the Mercury/Ford Capri have been historically low for a number of reasons. First was Fords inexplicable placement of the Capri at Mercury dealers when it was a Ford in Europe and sold well as a Ford over there...but in 1974 it was objectively a wayyyy better Mustang than the Mustang II and somebody in the Ford product planning group managed to get the Capri marooned with a Mercury badge...uggg.  The years since haven't been any nicer, because car guys have prefered to drive Opel Mantas and Nissan Z cars...but if you open your heart (and eyes) you might find that the little Capri has something unique to offer. Find this 1974 Mercury Capri offered for $5800 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.