5k: Might Be An Easy Fix: 1976 Honda Civic CVCC

This is the first generation Honda Civic, below, resplendent in root beer brown. This is the 9th generation, for sale now at your local friendly Honda dealer. See the resemblance? No. Neither do I. The truth is that the original Civic has more in common with the original Issigonis Mini and the eensy-weensy Honda 600 predecessor than it does with the current car that weighs 75% more (best case scenario) and is a whole 3 feet longer (coupe vs. hatchback). Not to say the current Civic is bad, but if you want to experience the nimble little hatch that made the name famous, look closer towards the 1st gen. Find this 1976 Honda Civic CVCC for sale in Cincinnati, OH for $3400 via craigslist. Tip from Fueltruck.

Reader Ride: Foxy Lady In White

Time for another edition of DT's Reader Ride feature, which keeps coming back and won't go away, like a fishhook boomerang.  This next feature comes from reader Zach H. who found this Fox Body Mustang after narrowing his potential rides list down to a Miata, E30 or Fox Mustang.  I think he made the right choice with this bodacious Fox body.

2k: Going Postal: 1966 Westcoaster Mailster

The US Postal Service has no official creed or motto, but inscribed on the  James A. Farley Post Office Building in Midtown Manhattan is the following excerpt from Herodotus' Histories in reference to the Persian mounted postal deliverymen: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.  Unfortunately the unofficial motto makes no mention of death and dismemberment from the notoriously hazardous 3-wheeled Mailster that USPS employees had to drive in the 50's/60's across this great nation.  Experience it for yourself by buying this 1966 Westcoaster Mailster offered for $1,900 in Baldwin Park, CA via craigslist.

5k: Mialfa Romazda: 2000 Mazda MX-5 Custom 60s Alfa Look

This is why I keep telling people that drugs are bad.  The Mazda MX-5 is a fantastic automobile that brings endless smiles and a relentlessly reliable driving experience; the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider is a hauntingly beautiful car with classic street cred, unmatched in its price range.  Unfortunately, if you try to combine them into one vehicle...well...let's just say it isn't as good as it looked on the paper you just rolled up for snorting purposes.  The Spider front end goes with the MX-5 body about as well as peanut butter goes with ebola between two pieces of white bread.  Find this 2000 Mazda MX-5 Custom 60s Alfa look offered for $8,000 in Laguna Beach, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Gianni...although he did ask us to say it was someone else...

5k: This Van is Faster Than Yours: 1989 Plymouth Voyager SRT-4

Everybody loves a sleeper - that dowdy-looking car that attracts no attention until it lays down two perfect patches or blows the doors off of your buddy's Vette at a stoplight. A station wagon is a good choice as a build platform, because it makes the end product that much more entertaining, but what if the sleeper wagon is not sleepy enough? And and say the plain-jane 4 door sedan is just too sporty? What do you build then? You take a base model, short wheelbase early Chrysler minivan - a Plymouth Voyager to be exact - and shove the heart of a Dodge SRT-4 in place of the wheezy lump it was born with. Find this 1989 Plymouth Voyager w/ SRT-4 swap for sale in Hamilton, OH for $5000 via craigslist. Tip from Fueltruck.

10k: Luxury eXpress: 2000 Lexus LX470

In 1995 Toyota introduced their first Luxury SUV model with the Lexus emblem on the front.  The LX was the mother of all Lexus family hauling machines, but behind the badge and cladding was the legendary Land Cruiser. The LX sold well enough to soccer moms all over the USA that Lexus subsequently launched a range of luxury SUVs with names like RX and GX that have been terrorizing freeways with random child swatting lane changes ever since.  Anyway, if you own a gas station and enjoy don't mind deforesting the earth, the LX is the one to get and prices on the second generation example are reasonable.  Find this 2000 Lexus LX470 offered for $13,900 buy-it-now or best offer via ebay, located in Miami, FL.

2k: Porvaro: 1983 Porsche 944 V8 Swap

The Porsche 944 was another chapter in the watercooled front engine Porsche sport coupe saga that started in the late 1970s  It was essentially a beefed up replacement for the 924, and is actually one of the better cars of the 924/944/968 extended family to pick up from a cost/drivability/fun perspective.  Does that cost/drivability/fun ratio get any better when you replace the original Porsche inline-4 with a Chevy V8?  Find this 1983 Porsche 944 V8 Power offered for $2,200 in Sherman Oaks, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Alex V.

2k: Classy 6-Banger: 1973 Volvo 164E

In 1968 Volvo introduced the 164 as a 1969 model for the upper tier luxury market.  The 164 was aimed squarely at the likes of Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and BMW -- and it even looks a bit like a W115 in the front if you squint. It shared most of the body shell (from the firewall back) with the 140 series, which eventually morphed into the 240 that lived on through 1993.  Today they are largely overlooked by enthusiasts/collectors/everybody and can be picked up for a song.  Find this 1973 Volvo 164E offered for $2200 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

10k: Future Classic: 1992 BMW 850i 6-speed

In 1989 BMW released the E31 generation 8-series luxury coupe.  From a casual glance, it may look like a successor to the E24 generation 6-series, but it was an entirely different breed of automobile --not simply sharing a chassis with something as pedestrian as the executive class 5-series, but a purpose built luxury machine designed and engineered with the aid of CAD (Computer Aided Drafting) and FEA (Finite Element Analysis).  Klaus Kapitza's (famous for his work on the Ford Capri, Escort, Sierra & BMW Z-13 prototype) slippery design has withstood the test of time and looks as dynamic today as it did when it was new in the showroom.  Find this 1992 BMW 850i 6-speed offered on ebay for $11,995 or best offer in Madison, WI with 7 days to go.

10k: Stealth Schlepper: 2005 Volvo V70R, 6-spd Manual

Lots of ~300hp AWD cars have flashy names, flashy looks, and sporting pretenses. I'm looking at you, Subaru STi, Mitsubishi Evo, and Golf R. But those pocket rockets are all based on economy cars - decent as they are in standard form, the driving experience will always be a bit downmarket and the cut-cost platform will show itself in places like the interior, ride, and NVH. But what about a 300hp, turbocharged family mobile? This wasn't a common idea back when the Volvo 850 T-5R was introduced in 1996. By the second generation it had morphed into the S70R / V70R and gained AWD, but the 3rd-gen P2 car is when the formula really started to shine. Find this 2005 Volvo V70R for sale in Denver, CO for $8750 via craigslist. Tip from Oldsmobuick.

6k: Yesterday's Future of Tomorrow's Design: 1988 Nissan Pao

Everyone loves a car with quirks, until the quirks distract from the point of the vehicle. Like how the modern MINI's toggle switches can be frustrating to use, or some Wes Anderson films just become hard to watch. The Pao's very reason for existence is its quirk, and it manages to pull it off. Its dominant speedometer, odd stereo design, and heavily ridged body were a hit in Japan. This one has managed to bring its essence here to America, along with its rare 5-speed manual transmission and non-folding tin top. Find this JDM 1988 Nissan Pao in Portland, OR for $6,499 via craigslist.

Reader Ride: Rally Bred Austin Mini Cooper

Time for another edition of DT's Reader Ride feature, also known as a festival of fuel, fire and Fieros!  It might be my imagination, but these cars keep getting nicer!  This next feature comes from reader Todd who not only provided us with photos and formatted text, but also put it on his own website to make it easy.  Whatta fellow!  Oh, did I mention the car is everything you'd ever want in a classic Mini?

10k: Toyota Pickup Based: 1990 Radio Flyer Wagon

I've always said that nothing good has ever come from LA's Inland Empire.  The place is a cultural wasteland, filled with strip mall infested cities named Temecula, Fontana and Rancho Cucamonga (thanks to Jack Benny I will always say that in Mel Brooks' voice) that are cloaked in a caustic layer of sticky smog.  The air is so bad that folks who live the area have reported surprise when they notice the San Gabriel mountains a few miles away after a rare downpour of acid rain clears the sky momentarily.  Within minutes the Mercedes, BMWs and Lexii from Malibu to Monterey Park will once again fill the air with combustion byproducts that will eventually find their way to LA's liver.  Naturally, it is with some shock that I found, in this most detestable of places, what can only be described as the most awesome vehicle ever built. A Radio Flyer Wagon built on a 1990 Toyota Pickup chassis offered for $10,100 in Lake Elsinore, CA via craigslist.

20k: Turbo Pace Car: 1989 Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition

If you own a car with the words "Official Pace Car of the Indianapolis 500" on the doors you are going to have a few conversations that go like this.  Random dude: Wow, so that car was used as the pace car at Indy...which year? You: Well...it is actually a commemorative version of the pace car.  Random dude: So the folks at Indy paid to have that on the side as advertisement..?  You: No...actually the buyer had to pay more for this option...  Random dude: Oh. If this kind of exchange gets you excited, you can pick up your own 1989 Pontiac Trans Am Special Edition for $19,495 Buy It Now on ebay in West Jordan, UT with 2 days to go.

Coffee Brake: Photonalysis Of A 1973 Volvo 1800ES

EIC Vince: The following post by CFlo started out as a simple feature for a Volvo 1800 but grew like rust in a 240Z hatch into an entire novel about photography and is now this week's Coffee Brake feature.  In addition to having automotive ADD, a racing addiction, and an affliction for finding and writing about all sorts of cheap and cool cars for sale, we here at DT like to occasionally analyze the cheap car market itself and some of the techniques used by the more savvy sellers. When selling a car online to prospective remote buyers, several ingredients are needed to seal the deal: a wealth of information, honesty, candor, a sense of customer service, and great pictures of the car. Today we'll talk about that last one for a bit. Find this 1973 Volvo 1800ES for sale in Portland, OR with bidding near $9k on ebay with reserve not met and 4 days to go.

??k: White 'N' Wild: 1988 Nissan 300ZX Shiro Special Edition Turbo

The Shiro Special Edition of the Z31 300ZX was a limited run of two-seat Z cars in 1988 only, with thicker sway bars, non-adjustable suspension with stiffer spring rates, 16" wheels, a 5-speed manual transmission, a unique front air dam, and white accents. Only 1002 were sold in the U.S., with even fewer going to Canada. Although it's listed without a price, other Shiros in worse condition give an estimate of what this could be sold for: $6,000-$7,500. Find this 1988 Nissan 300ZX Shiro Special Edition in Knoxville, KY TN for $IAMOPENTOALLOFFERSANDCASHASWELL via craigslist.

20k: C4 Corvette Cage Fight: 1991 ZR-1 vs 1996 Grand Sport

You've got $20k budget for something sporty, what do you buy...a new V6 Mustang?  Heck no!!  You don't want people to think you are driving around in a rental, do ya?  What you need is something that'll show the boys back at your 30th high school reunion that you made it.  What you need is a Corvette.  But not just any Corvette.  You need a C4.  A rare one....but...do you pick the 32-valve ZR-1 or the limited edition Grand Sport? That is the question...