6758 Golden Miles: 1980 Datsun 280ZX

This next car might have blended into the random menagerie of overpriced garp that is our old friend craigslist.  The price is higher than you'd expect for an 80 Z and the SELLERS ALL CAPS IS NOT A GOOD SIGN...but upon closer inspection we might have found a real diamond in the rough.  With only 6758 miles on the odometer, a scrumptious shade of bronzy-brown, a manual gearbox, and t-tops that show no sign of rusty trouble this car is a quad-fecta of cool.  Find this 1980 Datsun 280ZX offered for $8900 in Miami Lakes, FL via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Barely Broken In: 1982 Alfa Romeo GTV6

If you were looking for a 1980's euro car that will not cost you an arm and leg (E30, 911, 190E 16V), the Alfa Romeo GTV6 is a solid choice.  In the age of Dodge Demons, it sounds strange to say a 160 hp car is more than enough to have a good time.  Michael Jordan of Automobile Magazine once said, "if you can't go fast with 90 hp, 900 won't help you".  The Alfa Busso V6 has a reputation for having the most glorious note this side of a Ferrari.  The 116 Alfa Romeo has a very unique double wishbone suspension with a De Dion tube in the rear.  Today's GTV6 only shows 31,000 miles on the odometer so it should be free of the typical woes of crunchy synchros and rusty sheet metal.  Find this 1982 Alfa Romeo GTV6 for sale in Newburgh, NY for $5,800 via craigslist.

Sucking in the Seventies: 1975 Datsun B210

We get kind of excited at DT World Headquarters when we run across low mileage J-tin survivors from the malaise era.  Seems like the excitement usually only lasts until the 3rd photo on CL where the interior shot reveals a soul-sucking slush box, guaranteed to rob whatever small amount of imagined joy there might be in a 70's crap-box.  Well, today is a different day.  Find this low mileage 1975 Datsun B210 with a 4 speed manual for sale in Everett, WA for $3,600 via craigslist.

One Owner: 1983 BMW 733i E23

I've always dreamed of opening my own high end car restoration shop, along the lines of what Icon does with FJs, Eagle does with Jaguar, or what Singer does with Porsche...but I would restore nothing but shark-nosed BMWs. All of those inexpensive 6-series, 5-series, and 7-series are begging to have their bumpers tucked, modern conveniences added, and body lines adjusted to perfection.  Unfortunately, this past weekend I spent most of Saturday in the garage hacking up a piece of box steel to replace a broken link in my garage door...so...no DT Restoration Shop yet.  Find this 1983 BMW 733i offered for $8,900 near Albuquerque, NM via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

DT 5.0 Twice as nice: 2000 Honda S2000

The second car posted to good old DT was a 2000 Honda S2000.  That car was a silver S2000 for sale in Denver, CO with 80K miles and needing a new top for a $11,200 ask.  Fast forward 5 years and here is a 28K mile cream puff for your compare and contrast pleasure.  Find this 2000 Honda S2000 for sale in San Diego, CA for $21,500 via craigslist.  This post is part of DT's 5th Birthday Celebration.

Auction Watch: 2004 Mazda RX-8 37k miles

Find this 2004 Mazda RX-7 37k miles here on eBay offered for $4,995 located in Wrightstown, NJ.

Don't Call It Oldsmoboat: 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado

Production of the Oldsmobile Toronado started in 1966 with a revolutionary (for the time) front-wheel-drive architecture that put a massive V8 engine over the front wheels.  The car was comfortable, easy to drive in the snow, and free from the typical driveshaft / transmission hump that was usually present in the full sized cars of the day.  You might not be able to do donuts or get your drift on, but for the typical personal luxury car buyer this wasn't a problem, and so the same basic setup lasted through 1992.  Find this 1992 Oldsmobile Toronado here on eBay bidding for $3,050 reserve-not-met located in Elizabethtown, PA with 1 day to go.

One Owner, Low Miles: 1980 Triumph TR8 Convertible

I know what you are thinking -- this is all the money with a large gratuity for a Triumph TR8. The wedge shaped thing that isn't quite a classic, and should be well depreciated.  However, you might be surprised at the condition of today's wedge salad and rethink your scoffing at the price.  Find this 1980 Triumph TR8 offered for $10,999 in Polson, MT via craigslist.  Tip from Zach. 

Z Best Condition: 1984 Datsun 300ZX

It was with the Z31 generation of Nissan's Z-car that the gloves finally came off in the great Japanese sports car wars.  The previous generation featured a turbocharged model that was released in 1981, but a compact V6 fed via a turbo wasn't introduced until the Z31 hit the showrooms in late 1983 as a 1984 model year...but that doesn't really mean much for this next feature, because it is the homely T-top equipped 2+2 version.  Find this 1984 Datsun 300ZX offered for $2,800 in Sherman Oaks, CA via craigslist.

Auction Watch: 1989 Saleen Mustang SSC

Check out this 1989 Saleen Mustang SSC (6400 miles on the odo) here on eBay bidding for $26,000 reserve-not-met with auction ending on Friday at 1:29PM PST.

6k Mile Ex-Barnfinds: 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata

A few months ago we featured a 6k mile creampuff  NA MX-5 Miata -- a car that Jesse from Barnfinds picked out of a ranch in Sun Valley and then sold on eBay for $8,100 according to the auction result.  However, I don't want to be the guy who says I told you so...but 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.  Yeah...I told you so.  Find this 1990 Mazda MX-5 Miata offered for $15,000 firm via craigslist in Mountain View, CA.  Tip from Matthew. 

One Ogre: 1989 Ford Tempo AWD

By Gianni --  The Ford Tempo / Mercury Topaz was the Jack Telnack designed compact-sized successor to the Ford Fairmont / Mercury Zephyr.   The Tempo / Topaz twins were produced from 1983 to 1994 in both 2 door coupe and 4 door sedan versions.   The twins were mainly wrong wheel drive, however an AWD version was available with selectable AWD and the 2.3 L HSO (High Specific Output) inline 4 producing a magical 100 HP.    With all that going for it, it no wonder that there aren’t more one owner Tempo’s and Topaz’s littering Craigslist or eBay.  Find this formerly one owner 1989 Ford Tempo AWD here on eBay classified ads for $5,990 in Canton, GA by a dealer.

New Old Shlock: 1982 Oldsmobile Omega X-Body, 160 Actual Miles

The Oldsmobile Omega was part of GM's X-body platform, the compact invasion that included the Chevrolet Citation, the Buick Skylark, and the Pontiac Phoenix...the latter of which at least had a cool name going for it.  The X-car in general was terrible, but the Oldsmobile was stuck in this no-man's-zone, slotted below in sportiness to Pontiac, and below in comfort to the Buick, but was somehow need to be better than the Chevrolet without actually costing GM a penny more in production costs.  What could possibly go wrong?  Find this 1982 Oldsmobile Omega with 160 miles on the odometer here on eBay bidding for $4,050 with a few hours to go, located in Livingston, NJ.

20k: Almost New: 2007 Pontiac Solstice

The Skystice (Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky) was Detroit's answer to the super successful Mazda MX-5 Miata.  Typical GM feature bloat meant the Solstice/Sky wasn't as lean a fighting machine as the MX-5, but the podium in SCCA club racing in T2 class for 2007, 2008, & 2009 gives it a certain degree of street cred.  If you want to buy a new Solstice today, you are outta luck because GM stopped production in 2010 when GM axed down both the Pontiac and Saturn brands.  The closest thing to a new Solstice you are gonna find is this 2007 Pontiac Solstice with only 3,857 miles on the odometer offered for $20,000 in Lexington, KY.

10k: 25k Mile: 1989 BMW 525i Auto

This next car comes as a tip from J Jefferson who writes: $7K US for a BMW with 25k miles (40,000 km) seems cheap, but who know what gremlins could be lurking in any car this old.  Funny little mast on the right front bumper too… does it come from an embassy fleet?  This is near Canada’s capital, home to all sorts of foreign nationals, so a plausible theory.  Nothing prosaic on the site to help figure out why this beast has only been driven 1,000 miles per year.  If it weren’t an automatic, this would already be in my driveway….( that’s what we all say, isn’t it). Find this 1989 BMW 525i Auto offered for $8,988 CAD ($7,200 USD) on motorhouse.ca, located in Ontario, Canada.

15k: $1 Per Mile: 1980 Porsche 928

The Porsche 928 is a fantastically complex and cool classic grand tourer from Porsche's era of experimentation in front-engined sports cars.  The pointy headed product planners in Stuttgart envisioned that the Wolfgang Möbius designed 928 would replace the aging rear-engined 911, but the 911 has more lives than a family of cloned zombie cats -- and it watched as the 928 pulled an Elvis over the years (fatter, louder, capes, etc).  Find this 1980 Porsche 928 here on eBay bidding for $9,800 reserve-not-met with a buy-it-now of $15,900 located in Miami, FL.

10k: Ultra Low Miles: 1990 Lincoln Town Car

The Lincoln Town Car was a favorite of octogenarians, cabbies, chauffeurs...and...welll...that is about it.  It wasn't a bad car per se...it had just lived well past the expiration date on Ford's aging design guidelines.  In spite of all that, it sold surprisingly well for a luxury car, with over 100k units during most years during the second generation (1990-1997).  Most for sale today were originally sold as fleet cars that now have 1/2 a million miles on the clock, but this one is almost new.  Find this 1990 Lincoln Town Car with 9500 miles on the odometer for $10,900 in Bozeman, MT.  Tip from Oldsmobuick.