Pickup My SUV: 1994 Mazda Proceed Marvie

The Mazda Proceed Marvie isn't something you see everyday.  Or even once a year. Or maybe not in your lifetime.  What it is...is a car with a verb placed squarely in the middle of its name -- not common, but certainly noteworthy. The Proceed was sold in the USA with a B-Series badge and I don't think we ever got the SUV version...which was simply a pickup truck with a camper shell and a 3rd row installed with some bolts.  I think it makes a sensible alternative to whatever Rav4/CRV/Explorer you might find with a 3rd row that is just another piece of automotive blight on the street. Find this 1994 Mazda Proceed Marvie offered for $7750 in Fulton, MD via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Beasty Boat: 2007 Lincoln Navigator L

I don't know how often you guys drive new cars, but I'm always impressed at the way the new large vehicles drive -- they don't have the ponderous heft that 6000 lb trucks had from a few years ago...maybe its modern technology, maybe its some magic, but it is nice...not nice enough to justify the monstrous price tag when new...but wait 10-12 years and suddenly...it might make sense.  Take the third generation Lincoln Navigator, for instance -- it rides on the Ford F-150/Expedition chassis and seats 7 people in supreme comfort.  A basic rugged SOHC 5.4 liter Triton V8 pushes power to an independent rear end (did the Navigator REALLY get IRS before the Mustang...sheesh) and the long wheelbase version is the one to get.  Find this 2007 Lincoln Navigator L here on eBay offered for $11,495 buy-it-now located in Stafford, TX.

Rayton-Fissore Magnum: 1989 LaForza

Consumers are strange folks.  Particularly car buyers.  And major manufacturers are strange folks too...but they know a thing or two about selling junk to people.  Sometimes, it doesn't matter if what you are selling is horrible, as long as you give people the opportunity to accidentally stumble into your store -- just look at how many Chase Banks, CVS/Pharmacys, Burger King, and Starbucks that you've got to drive past to get a quality bank/pharmacy/burger/coffee.  There was a time when auto dealers used that same technique to keep long obsolete brands like Plymouth, Mercury, Oldsmobile, and Saturn alive and churning cash, but the 2007 carpocalypse murdered them and NOW the remaining auto brands are using a similar technique with the dreaded SUV. Fill enough Toyota showrooms with RAV4s and shockingly the little SUV beat the Camry in sales to everyday Joes in America least year, even though the Camry is a more usable/driveable car appliance for the masses, and presto "the SUV kills the car".  But there was a time when to drive an SUV you had to have good reason, like a long dirt road commute, a wealthy summer house in the Hamptons or, in the case of this next car, you were an Italian mobster on the move.  Find this 1989 LaForza here on eBay offered for $6999 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Chicago, IL.

4X4 5-Speed: 2001 Nissan Xterra 4wd

The Nissan Xterra was a plus sized compact SUV that was sold from 1999 through 2015 in the US market.  It wasn't the best off roader on the block, but it combined great road manners with decent mud capabilities, Japanese reliability, and available manual gearbox...can't hate that.  Find this 2001 Nissan Xterra 4wd 4x4 5 speed SUV offered for $1800 in Cincinnati, OH via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Auction Watch: 1986 AMC Eagle

Find this 1986 AMC Eagle here on eBay bidding for $9,850 with 2 days to go, located in Sioux Falls, SD.

The Laforza Zone: 1998 Laforza Prima

There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to the average car guy. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as maintenance on an Italian car. It is in the middle ground between stock MX-5 and Donk'd F-350, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Laforza Zone. Find this 1998 Laforza Prima here on eBay bidding for $6,500 with 3 days to go (and buy-it-now of $8000) located in Scottsdale, AZ.

5-Speeds 4-Bys: 1984 AMC Eagle Sport

The Eagle was AMC's late '70s answer to the OPEC oil embargo and high gas prices that followed. Sales of traditional pickup trucks and SUVs were down. AMC needed a way to pad their bottom line with more sales of profitable 4WD-equipped vehicles -- so they took a chance with a gussied up version of the  Concorde (formerly the Hornet, which started production in 1969) equipped with a full-time 4WD system, creating the first true crossover and "sport utility wagon" before anybody else.  Find this 1984 AMC Eagle Sport offered for $2,000 in Pollock Pines, CA via craigslist.  Tip from RockOn.

Mid Week Match-Up: Real Estate Machine For Laura

Being a Real Estate agent in the Southern California area has its pluses and minuses.  On the plus side, houses cost a small fortune, so your commission on the average 2-bedroom bungalow is on par with selling a dozen mansions in Indiana, but everybody and his mom is an agent...so competition is fierce.  How, then, do you differentiate yourself so that you get the prime clientele and avoid the riff-raff?  Simple, you make sure that you have the baddest mobile office in your area and the buyers will come.  With that in mind, this week's mid week match-up is for Laura who needs something Real Estatey for less than $15k.

Gee Tee SUV: 1989 Laforza Magnum GT

Obscurity exists in many forms, and today I found out it can come in a SUV package.  A military bred, Italian penned, American powered beast hand built in small quantities.  Never heard of it?  Don't worry, hardly anyone else has either.  Find this 1989 Laforza Magnum GT for sale in Washington, DC for $10,900 via craigslist.

Montezuma's Revenge: 2004 Pontiac Aztek

Daydreaming about which American muscle car or European exotic to park in the garage is a great pastime, but inevitably most of us have to fill basic transportation needs first before acting on our dreams.  Filling those needs usually involves some type of multi-purpose family hauler.  Fortunately, no one said it has to be mainstream...or of this world.  Find this 2004 Pontiac Aztek for sale near Phoenix, AZ for $2,999 via craigslist.

Polished Stone: 1991 Daihatsu Rocky SE

Dreary commutes in mundane vehicles got you down?  Tired of coal rollers filling your disrespected Civic with particulate?  Don't mind spending endless time explaining that your SUV isn't named after an immortalized Hollywood prize fighter?  Find this 1991 Daihatsu Rocky SE for sale in Columbia, SC for $6,500 via craigslist.

Tuner SUV: 1999 Honda CRV Turbo

By Cory --  Up next has got to be the least likely candidate in the 1999 Honda line up to be modified. This four door hatchback should get down the road as quick as any civic “bubble”, but it successfully pulls off the sleeper look and wouldn’t be out of place hauling groceries.  Find this 1999 Honda CRV turbo here in Berlin, CT for $3200 via craigslist.

PB & Spaghetti Sandwich: 1989 LaForza

Few things are as American as the luxury SUV -- where else would manufacturers be able to sell a car that looks like it can off-road but really is purchased because it accommodates wide bottoms and gives an authoritative view of the road ahead.  Never mind that they change directions about as well as a hovercraft, or that folks behind you can't tell what kind of car you are tailgating, or that you need to stop every 30 minutes for fuel -- because style and comfort trumps all.  And the only thing better than an expensive luxury SUV is an ITALIAN luxury SUV offered for the price of a rusty Hyundai.  Find this 1989 LaForza offered for $4,000 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

Go The Distance: 1991 Daihatsu Rocky

The Daihatsu Motor Company was originally founded in 1907 as the Hatsudoki Seizo Co., and it is Japan's oldest automaker, but it certainly isn't the most famous or successful here in the United States.  For a few years Daihatsu tried to tap into the North American auto game, but they were unsuccessful, no doubt partly due to the fact that buyers/sellers couldn't spell their name (notice the seller of today's car is a dealer who can't spell Daihatsu).  Find this 1991 Daihatsu Rocky here on eBay offered for $7,890 buy-it-now, located in Canton, GA.

10k: Isentropic Thunder: 1992 GMC Typhoon

 A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that starts in the Northwestern Pacific Basin -- it is really just a geographically specific name for a cyclone or hurricane when it occurs in the Pacific.  To graduate from being classified as a cyclone to typhoon requires wind speeds of at least 64 knots (74 mph) and big ones create massive destruction when they hit land (or the fool on a boat who doesn't get out of the way).  Typhoons destroy roadsigns, uproot things, and generally spread panic -- and I can't think of a better name for GMC's Jimmy SUV based performance machine from the '90s.  Find this 1992 GMC Typhoon offered here on craigslist for $8,000 in Hazel Park, MI.

15k: Future Classic: 1999 Isuzu VehiCROSS

The VehiCROSS was a compact SUV from Isuzu released in 1999 as a futuristic off-roader.  It features a compete chassis, black plastic body cladding and a daring body shape that was like nothing else on the road.  Today the VehiCROSS is well depreciated, but they only made 4200 for sale in the USA - so if you want a museum quality version, you should act soon. Check out this 1999 Isuzu VehiCROSS for $13,900 in Kaneohe, HI via craigslist.  Tip from Gianni.

10k: Yellow Jacket: 1999 LaForza Magnum Especiale Supercharged

The LaForza was a luxury-performance 4X4 with an Italio-American background.  The chassis started out in Italy as an Iveco built military vehicle with a Tom Tjaarda (Ferrari 365, DeTomaso Pantera, etc) designed body and was then shipped to Hayward, CA for fitting of either a Ford 5.0 or GM's 6.0 Vortec V8.  The final vehicle sold for almost $90k in 1999 but received more befuddled looks than front row valet spots, so most buyers opted for a Land Rover or Escalade.  Find this 1999 LaForza Magnum Especiale for sale in Arizona for $10,000 via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.