If you are car guy and a speed junkie, you'll usually be looking for your next ride to be a bit
faster. You can look up factory 0-60 mph specs to get an idea of how it scoots off the line, or 1/4 mile trap speeds to see how it'll go at speed and if you want to know how it handles you can look up skid pad g-levels from magazines. Unfortunately OE tire compound (which you are going to change anyway), gear ratios, measurement techniques and surface differences make many of these numbers worthless. What you need is a good idea of how the car will run through a section of road with all external factors being equal. One of the tricks I've used for a quick comparison of overall speediness is the SCCA Solo2 autocross Stock Classification.
I love a car that comes with a story. Or a log book. Or any vintage pictures from when it was in its prime...and this next car comes with an SCCA log book, and pics from when it was Solo2 champion in EP class. Yeah. The conversation with the owner when you pick this beast up will be worth the price of admission. Find this 1972 Volvo 1800ES here on eBay bidding for $560 with 3 days to go, located in Jacksonville, FL.
