Malaising Grace: 1981 Ford Granada

I posted that rust bucket Mazda RX-4 the other day not because it was a good deal, but because every cell in my body wants the oddball cars (like the Mazda RX-4) to survive to when my grandkids are driving...and they won't if we all don't pull it together and keep them running.  In the same vein, I'd like to offer up this next reject from the malaise era, which is in arguably better shape than the RX-4 Wagon, but with a much less desirable drivetrain. Find this 1981 Ford Granada offered for $2,500 in Spokane, WA via hemmings. Tip from BP.

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.

Plus-Sized Malaise Muscle: 1978 Ford Granada 302 / 4-speed

The Ford Granada was one of those Malaise-era downsized cars that still managed to look huge while being marketed as a "compact." Although the first-gen Granada was derived from the Maverick and was the great-great-grandson of the Falcon, it managed to be larger than a late '90s E38 BMW 7 Series (ok - yeah, the short wheelbase E38, not the long one). The Granada isn't anyone's first choice for a muscle or pony car, but with more popular V8 performance machinery steadily appreciating, there might be some value in getting your burnout fix from a 302 & 4-speed equipped Malaisemobile. Find this 1978 Ford Granada for sale in Sun City, AZ for $8,900 via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Where's My Pimp Cane? 1977 Ford Thunderbird

There were no shortage of big domestic coupes to chose from in 1970's.  However, it rare see them on the road these days. The Malaise era land yachts were big on the outside and small on the inside.   Their asthmatic V8 engines got gas mileage in the teens and baroque styling stands out like a sore thumb now.  It makes you wonder who in the world would drive a car like this in 2017.  Today's seller left a little clue in the ad into their persona.  Find this 1977 Ford Thunderbird for sale in Torrington, CT for $4,500 via craigslist.

Red everywhere- 1977 Cadillac Coupe de Ville

How does this sound to you? Red paint, red landau roof, red leather seats, red carpet, red dash, and red steering wheel.  This downsized 1977 coupe is to the color red as golfer Ricky Fowler is to the color orange.  Find this 1977 Cadillac Coupe de Ville for sale for $12,500 via Northwest CT craigslist.

10k: Roadkill: 1976 (or 77) Oldsmobile Cutlass 442

Whenever I find a nice condition, reasonably priced "Roadkill" at a local car show, it always seems to be huge, brown, and Malaisey (see this one as an example). No matter, I will continue to photographically and textually share anything I stumble across in person that seems to be rare, interesting, or exceptional in some way. More like exceptionally awful in most cases. Today's was from a street fair in downtown Torrance, CA and is a very clean and very orangey-brown Oldsmobile (Cutlass) 442. This is either a 1976 or '77 model from the looks of the front fascia and headlights, but if someone knows for sure, please chime in! The seller is asking $8500 and we must assume it is located in or near Torrance CA, but the phone number is shown after the jump. Update: commenter PJ pointed out this must be a '77 based on the Oldsmobile badge being in print vs. script. Thanks!

5k: Parts Donor: 1975 Ford Granada Ghia

Most Ford enthusiasts know the Granada as a parts donor - willingly giving rear disc brakes to Mustangs all across the country (much in the same way the Mustang II is known for its R&P steering system and dual A-arm suspension, used in all manner of hot rods).  Most Granadas have long been stripped of usable parts and recycled into refrigerator magnets by now but at least one has escaped the crusher's jaws. Find this 1975 Ford Granada for sale in Bothell, WA for $3,800 via craiglist.  Tip from ANCMatt.

Reader Roadkill Copper T-Top: 1982 "Datsun by Nissan" 280ZX 2+2

One of our readers recently stumbled across this very nice appearing 2nd-generation Z car and sent it on to us, so we thought we would share it despite the limited info available. He says it was "spotted in Thousand Oaks, California. Clean and well cared for. A family sized 280Z with an automatic." While no asking price is listed on the for sale sign, this may be worth a closer look for anyone in the market for a Malaise Era sporty GT. See the close-up image of sign below for the seller's contact info. Thanks to reader Victor V.T. for the tip and pics.

2k: Cougar Bait: 1981 Mercury Cougar XR7 Coupe

The Mercury Cougar led an interesting life before the Mercury brand name was dissolved in 2010. The Cougar has been variously based on Mustang, Thunderbird and Mondeo platforms, but the non-Mustang versions are tragic. Find this "pony cousin" Fox body 1981 Mercury Cougar XR7 Coupe for sale in Moon Township, PA for $2750 via craigslist.  Big thanks to tip from DT reader Doug!

10k: 1989 Chevy Corvette C4 6spd

The C4 generation Corvette is the unloved sibling in the Vette family, the red-headed step child that was born in the Malaise era and surprisingly transformed into a sophisticated and remarkably fast car by the end of its production run.  This 1989 Chevy Corvette convertible with hardtop and 6-spd manual is offered for sale in Miami, FL, bidding at $11,600 reserve-not-met with 1 day to go.

5k: 1975 Ford Torino Brougham Wagon, Unmolested Original

Sharp readers may have noticed that DT has been on a bit of a Brougham binge lately - an automotive genre defined by those stately quasi-luxury barges that were somehow meant to evoke the elegance of a bygone era filled with carriages, soft candlelight, and operas. Just like a GT, Deluxe, or Touring trim designation, a Brougham was usually a tarted-up version of any given lesser car model, and most of the major auto manufacturers chose to release some sort of Broughammery into the world with a zenith cresting sometime in the '70s. Ford was no exception, in fact they may have been the worst offender main peddler of Broughams in the US during that era. Most Ford, Mercury and Lincoln Broughams had decorative vinyl tops and exterior opera lights, and were based on 4-door sedans or 2-door coupes. Today we've found the odd exception - a wagon based Brougham without any of that gaudy exterior frippery. This 1975 Ford Torino Brougham wagon looks sharp in white and is available on craigslist for $4900 in Gardena, CA.

5k: 1977 Ford Thunderbird - One Owner, 60k miles - Road Kill!

This is the first in a new type of feature from Daily Turismo, called "Road Kill." These are cars that we (and our readers) have found for sale out on the road, or highway, or local Kwik-E-Mart parking lot - without necessarily having an ad listed online. If you'd like to submit an interesting find from your daily travels, email us at tips@dailyturismo.com with "Road Kill" in the subject line and include at least 4 pics snapped from your SLR or camera phone! We bagged today's find last week in Redondo Beach, CA at the Cruise at the Beach in the Ruby's Diner parking lot. It is a claimed one-owner, 60k mile, (mostly) original 1977 Ford Thunderbird in Malaise-era appropriate metallic medium brown, with a dark brown vinyl top and interior, for $4500 OBO.

5k: 1973 Mercury Comet - Survivor

The Mercury Comet in its early years was a rebadged Ford Falcon - but by the 70s the Falcon had its wings clipped, so Mercury switched the Comet to the new Maverick platform - still just a rebadge.  This 1973 Mercury Comet is in original condition with a claimed 41k miles on the odo and is for sale in Warrenton, MO for $6200 via craigslist.  Thanks to tip from DT reader/commenter Scot!

5k: 1976 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback - 35k mile Survivor

Chevrolet introduced the Vega in 1970 as a cheap coupe, hatchback, wagon and panel van.  Like a Quentin Tarantino film, the Vega started out with a happy face and to many accolades, but ended with broken dreams, bullet ridden corpses and general mayhem.   Ralph Nader once wrote that the Vega was "sloppily crafted, unreliable and unsafe automobile" - which makes us want one a little bit more.  This 1976 Chevy Vega GT Hatchback with 35k original miles is for sale in San Francisco, CA, on ebay bidding at $3050 reserve-not-met.

5k: 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado

The Oldsmobile Toronado was originally conceived as a front wheel drive sedan back in 1963 to compete with Ford since they already had a patent on front wheel drive designs - not from today's hyper focus on cost that leads to driving the wrong wheels. This 1977 Oldsmobile Toronado Brougham is for sale in Lakeland, FL - currently bidding at $6200 reserve not met on ebay.

5k: 1974 Ford Maverick

The Ford Maverick was first built in 1970 as a successor to the soon to be extinct Falcon and a cheaper option to the now heavy and bloated Mustang.  It sold extremely well in its first few years of production (619,000 Mavericks were built in 1970 alone) and lasted until Ford's "Fox" platform was ready for the big time.  This 1974 Maverick is for sale in Lakeland, FL for $3000 no reserve on ebay with less than 12 hours to go.

5k: 1974 Toyota Celica, 5-spd, One Owner

The Toyota Celica is one of those great long-lived names in the automotive world that was unceremoniously dropped by its parent company and is now an orphan. We think that's a shame, not because we are big fans of the later FWD hairdressers' Celicas, but because we are old enough to remember when they were rear wheel drive, durable, and quirky. Amazingly there are still pristine early Celicas for sale today - we wouldn't believe it either - but we just found this 108k-mile, one-owner 1974 Toyota Celica GT 5-speed in Berthoud, CO and it is about as clean as they get! It is offered on ebay with bidding currently in the mid-$3k range and 5 days left on the clock.