This next car comes as a tip from Matt C who writes: If I needed to say something nice about it, I'd say that it succeeds much better than attempting to make a 1957 Chevy out of a 2002 Camaro. And it is probably considerably more exciting to drive then when (a small portion of) it rolled off the line in 1991. Find this 19XX hot rod offered for $8000 in Wilmot, WI via craigslist.
I've always lamented the lack of belt-drive automobiles from major manufacturers, but the bigger crime is the lack of V-twin power. You can get cars with miserable 3-cylinders or all manner of 4-bangers, but V-twins are only available in motorcycles...until now. Find this 1991 Geo Metro with Harley Power offered for $3,200 here on eBay buy-it-now or make-offer in Watertown, WI with 2 days to go.
The Geo Metro was the product of a joint venture between GM and Suzuki from back in the 1990s. It wasn't the worst car ever built (cough cough L31 Nissan Altima...) but driving one isn't a good experience unless you are an automotive masochist (ahem...cough Kaibeezy...cough) so this next one has been modified to make it worth a second glance. Find this 1989 Geo Metro Van offered for $5,500 in San Lorenzo, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
The Suzuki Swift/Geo Metro/Chevy Metro/Pontiac Firefly (sold from 1988-1999) was a subcompact hatchbox from General Motors with powertrain developed by Suzuki and the build quality of toy from the 99 cent store. The Swift wasn't swift in the least bit, but it was available with a 5 speed manual transmission, fully independent suspension and a super light 1600 lb curb weight...so it makes a great rally car. Find this 1989 Suzuki Swift GT MK2 Rally Car offered for $6,000 in Norwalk, CT via hemmings. Tip from BP.
In high school, the Geo Metro was voted least likely car to be modified. Today's Canadian spec Chevy Sprint convertible wears a 1990's shade of teal that has long since disappeared from automakers color charts. The graphics on the rear quarter panel and door are reminiscent of the "Jazz" design on the Dixie cup from the same period. These 55 hp three cylinders were known more for economy than any sort of speed especially when fitted with the three speed automatic. Fed up with the glacial acceleration, today's seller took things into their own hands by adding a turbo set up using Home Depot and junkyard parts. Find this 1991 Chevy Sprint Convertible for sale in Colebrook, CT for $2,500 via craigslist. 
The Geo Metro isn't the skinny kid who got beat up in school -- it is the even smaller kid that was left alone because even the bullies felt sorry for him. But not today. Today, the Geo has been given an adamantium skeleton and a bazooka to settle a few old scores. Find this 1996 Geo Metro offered for $6,000 in Sierra Vista, AZ via craigslist.
The 3rd generation of Geo Metro was introduced in 1995 on the third generation of the Suzuki Cultus platform...but today's custom Metro looks more like a 1994 (or earlier) second generation Cultus, or at least what is left of it. Find this 1995 Geo Metro offered for $1500 in Orlando, FL via craigslist.
Take a look at this 1988 Chevrolet Sprint here on eBay offered for $44,995 in Concord, NC. Tip from JB.
Nothing beats a good craigslist ad that ends with: Yeah you'll prolly wanna fix some stuff, but for $999.99 it can be yours!!! LOL. LOL? Really? Some people will be LOLing when you roll up in vintage Suzuki Swift GTi, but they aren't gonna scoff when you tell them what you paid for one of the cooler forgotten hatchbacks from the 90s. Find this 1991 Suzuki Swift GTi offered for $999 in San Juan Batista, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
In April, we took the Maple-leaf wraps off of the Canadian-only Pontiac Firefly, basically a turbocharged Geo Metro. Starting with the 1.0-liter G10 three-cylinder engine, Chevy added an intercooler (the size of a postage-stamp) and a snail (the size of... a snail) for a grand total of 70 horsepower. Today, someone has lifted the Firefly drive train, ECU, and dashboard from the Firefly and stuffed it in a Yankee Geo where it belongs. And it looks so right. Find this 1991 Geo Metro with Firefly Turbo powertrain in Renton, WA for $3,500 via craigslist.
Owning a 3-cylinder Geo is an exercise in frugality. Something this minimally appointed resets your viewpoint of what a car should be, and yet living with less can be freeing in a Tibetan monk sort of way. That sentiment only lasts as long as the first long trip or attempt at rapid acceleration, where the droning three-banger reveals its inefficiency for American driving. Does chopping off the roof and making it a truck make it more American? You can ask that black GMC Sierra in the background, trying to avoid eye contact. Find this El Camino-ized 1996 Geo Metro in Sumter, SC for $1,450 reserve-not-met here on eBay
with 3 days to go.
Today's luxury hybrids are bought to make more of a statement than an impact. The convertible version of Geo's three-cylinder Metro makes the same statement, but this untouched example takes it to the next level. If your car needs to tell people you're rich, unsupportive of funding foreign oil, and 
Lampyridae Photuris, or the North American Firefly, is a common winged beetle noted for its bio-luminescence used to attract mates. Female variants of a certain subspecies are known to mimic flash patterns of other fireflies, only to kill and eat the unsuspecting males. Male fireflies expecting "reproductive activity" are instead met with instant death (like a typical woman). This 1991 Pontiac Firefly is far from common in the U.S. and its 1600-lb weight and punchy turbo engine might be luring you in. But with 1980s safety standards wherein the driver is part of the crumple zone, you could easily be squished... like a bug. Find this 1991 Pontiac Firefly
for $3,999 in Woodbridge, New Jersey via eBay.
The Austin Metro was produced by British Leyland and the Rover Group from 1980-1990 as a replacement for the ancient Mini. Not surprisingly the original Mini outlasted the Metro by a few years, probably because the Metro was poorly built penalty box, but in the 10 years of production over 1,000,000 were sold in the UK market. Luckily for American buyers the car was never available in US showrooms, but at least one has somehow found its way over on a boat. Find this 1981 MG Metro Turbo for sale in Beltsville, MD for $3,500 via craigslist. As seen on Jalopnik opposite lock forum from Reverberocket.
The proliferation of automotive themed car entertainment has spawned all sorts of horrible Pimp-My-Ride style TV shows and we have envisioned a show that combines the practical joking elements of Punked with the car-modification skills of a show like Counting Cars. Xzibit Kutcher would appear at the end of each episode of Punk My Ride and reveal the downgraded car to the owner's shock and horror...it would be the best show to watch, the worst to be on. Today's riddler would certainly be a common swap on the show; it is a 1990 Mazda Miata with a 3-cylinder Suzuki engine from a Geo Metro planted in the front, currently selling for $1500 in Jackson, MI via craigslist.