The Lotus Europa has always been a favorite car over around these here parts -- we DT writers love its lightweight composite chassis, mid engine high revving powerplant and cheap entry price. Time has driven the nicer examples to higher prices, but you can still get nice cheap Europa for the price of a 911 rear bumper mounting flange and we think the Europa is sweet. Find this 1970 Lotus Europa S2 offered for $7450 in Long Beach, CA via craigslist. Tip from Hugh.
Most of the automobiles features on these pages are inexpensive classics or late model maniac machines...with an emphasis on cars you can drive and enjoy on the cheap for years on end. However...there are sometimes cars that cross our path that offer a combination of exclusivity and cool factor at an economy car entry price...BUT you might need to put thousands of dollars and hours into a restoration. Ehh...what else are you gonna do with your weekends? Find this 1966 Lotus Elan S2 offered for $18,500 in Worcester, MA via craigslist.
Take a look at this 1963 Lotus Super Seven Series 2 here on eBay bidding for $14,100 with auction ending Wednesday at 12PM Pacific. 
The Lotus Europa was an oddly shaped sports car from Lotus, that combined mid-engined driving pleasure with an oddly high rear end that looks almost like a pickup bed or maybe a boat deck made from fiberglass. The reason for the odd shape is because the driver sits so low that the inline mounted engine/transaxle is above and behind the seated driver's shoulders. The resulting car, although oddly proportioned in the rear, is a absolute pleasure to drive. Find this 1972 Lotus Europa S2 here on craigslist, offered for $16,000 in Bronxville, NY. Tip from FuelTruck.
If you are an animal lover, and are saddened by the thought of someone gassing unwanted puppies/kittens (as tragically happens by the boatload each year) you can go pickup a few unwanted greyhounds, donate to the ASPCA or volunteer at a pet adoption service. But what about abandoned/neglected cars? If an old Alfa Romeo has one tire on a banana peel and another in the crusher, what can you do to help? There is no centralized agency to prevent cruelty to cars, so the next best thing is to buy it and fix it right. Find this 1973 Alfa Romeo Spider Series 2
offered for $5,500 buy-it-now on eBay, located in McKinney, TX with 2 days to go.