10k: Good Deal? 1969 Ford Mustang Convertible Restomod

The 1969 Mustang is often classified as part of the first generation of Ford's iconic pony car, but it was actually the 2nd costmetic reboot of the original 1964.5 model.  It was bigger, meaner and badder than previous Mustangs, but also heavier and today is less collectable than the 64-68 models.  This isn't a bad thing if you are a Mustang fan; in fact it is an opportunity to drive a pony car without mortgaging the house.  Find this 1969 Ford Mustange Convertible Restomod currently bidding for$11,300 with a few hours to go on eBay, located in Fayetteville, NC.

5k: Swedish Seige Machine: 1963 Volvo Laplander L3314 C202

 The Volvo Laplander L3314 was a cab-forward light duty vehicle build in Sweden for military use and later sold to civilians as the C202.  The Laplander shares its B18 inline-4 cylinder with all sorts of Volvo passenger vehicles (PV544, P210, 120/122 Amazon, P1800 and 140 sedan).  Find this 1963 Volvo Laplander L3314 offered for $7750 via craigslist. 

3k: 4AGE 20V Powered: 1969 MG Midget

If you saw the reader ride MGB GT-Sport Twin-Cam that was later offered for sale and thought it was something you'd want...but...it was outside your budget...fear not, cheaper stuff always appears.  This next MG is in no way as nice as the MGB GT-Sport, but it does feature Toyota 4AGE twin-cam power at a significantly lower price.  It just needs a boat load of work to get it up to speed.  Find this 1969 MG Midget with Toyota 4AGE power offered for $3,500 in Arlington, VA via craigslist.

DTO: Daily Blimpismo: 1987 Colt AS-56 Thermal Airship

Ever found yourself stuck in miserable gridlocked traffic and looked up at all that empty sky and thought...what a waste!  We are years away from the Fifth Element style hovering/flying taxicabs (the dystopian city on the other hand...that is closer), but what if there was a better way, a way to move around that pre-dates the automobile.  We are talking about the flying machine as first flown by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes in 1782.  They go by all sorts of fancy names-- blimps, zeppelins, dirigibles, thermal airships...but I'd just call them freedom.  Find this 1987 Colt AS-56 Thermal Airship offered for $85,000 buy-it-now on eBay, located in Tuscon, AZ with 17 days to go.

7k: Welcome to America: 1993 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R

The homologation-satisfying GTI-R treatment tarted up Nissan's dopey Pulsar with revealing bodywork that left little to the imagination, ATTESA all-wheel drive, and the famous SR20DET. Weighing 2,690 pounds with 83% of the horsepower of an R32 GT-R, it's as fast as it is flashy on the rally circuit. The U.S. never got one, but a few wash up on our shores to fulfill the American dream of hill jumping and mud spraying. Find this 1993 Nissan Pulsar GTI-R in Washington, D.C. for $7,000 via craigslist.  

10k: Blue Beauty: 1972 Datsun 510 2-Door

The Datsun 510 was part of the Nissan Bluebird lineup sold in the US market from 1968 through 1973.  The sheet metal was penned by Datsun in-house designer Teruo Uchino and the suspension was cribbed from the BMW 1600/2000/2002 -- MacPherson strut in front and semi-trailing arms in the back.  It was the poor man's BMW when new and given the recent run up in BMW 2002 prices, that name rings true today.  Find this 1972 Datsun 510 2-Door offered for $8,500 in Rochester, NY via craigslist.  Tip from Sam.

Mid Week Match-Up: A Runner, Ready For The Hacksaw

It is Wednesday so that means it's time for another edition of Daily Turismo's weekly game of spin the bottle jack, also known as Mid Week Match-Up!  Last week's match-up was a super car for the newly appointed CEO.  Now that the guy's been on the job for a while (and done the super car thing), he wants to get a toy to tinker with on the weekend.  Something inexpensive enough, not to raise his wife's eyebrows, but devious enough to know that he has plans to build it into something quite different.  Arbitrary budget cap of $7k and car must be running/driving to avoid too much CFO scrutiny. 

10k: Orange Blossom Special: 1993 Dodge Ram 3500

In 1981 Chrysler's truck division introduced a replacement for the aging D-Series pickup and B-series van.  The new vehicle was called the Dodge Ram in homage to the Ram's head hood ornament that first appeared on Dodge vehicles in the 1930s.  While the Ford and Chevy guys decorate their rear windows with urinating Calvins, the Dodge folks just smile as their reliable trucks rack up miles and haul junk.  Find this 1993 Dodge Ram 3500 currently bidding for $10,300 on eBay with 2 days to go, located in San Diego, CA.

DTM5: It Needed Tires. It Got Tires.

Tires! They are the most important car parts. The only connection between the metal bits and the road. Without good tires, it doesn't matter what the chassis and powertrain can do because we don't all drive SoroSuub X-34 Landspeeders...or Light Cycles...yet. The DTM5 came to me with "temporary" tires that were old, hard, crusty, and bumpy. Fun fact: the Chinese "SUNNY" brand front rubbers were on DT Editor-in-Chief Vince's Subaru STi when he nabbed it a few years ago and immediately replaced them with something from Falken. Aside from the great attributes of being free and holding air, the old tires had no value whatsoever.

Instant Car Collection, Just Add Water

If your neighbors love you now, (with a half dozen Spitfires under tarps on your lawn) just imagine what they will think when the car carriers start to unload these fresh additions to the oxidization challenge you've got brewing.  Find this pile of 200+ 1941 to 1979 cars & trucks offered for an undisclosed sum of money near Auburn, CA via craigslist.  Tip from the Beez.

10k: 455-V8 4-Spd: 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Convertible

The Oldsmobile 88 was a full sized car sold by General Motors in a stunning 50 year production history that started in in the wake of World War II and ended just before Y2K.  The fifth generation Olds 88 was built on GM's B-body platform that included big sedans like the Chevrolet Bel Air\Impala, Buick LeSabre\Invicta\Wildcat, and Pontiac Parisienne\Catalina\Laurentian\Bonneville.  Today, the Olds 88 makes a great classic cruiser without breaking the bank, even in big-block convertible form. Find this 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 Convertible offered for $10,500 near Seattle, WA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

5k: Cheap Type 181: 1974 Volkswagen Thing

The Volkswagen Type 181 was originally developed for West German Army use in the late 1960s, but a civilian version was sold in the USA from 1972 to 1980 1973 to '74 as the Volkswagen Thing (Kurierwagen in Germany, Trekker in the UK and Safari in Mexico.)  Find this 1974 Volkswagen Type 181 Thing offered for $4475 in Tempe, AZ via craigslist.

15k: What Were They Thinking? 1989 Merkur XR4Ti

Ford's decision to import the European Sierra XR4i is often attributed to the Swiss born automotive executive known as Bob Lutz.  Lost in history is the nincompoop behind the decision to brand the vehicle as the Merkur XR4Ti and sell it at Lincoln-Mercury dealers.  Just what the hell is a Merkur anyway?  The German spelling of Mercury, you say...so what...the bottom line is that buyers had no idea what it was or why they would want one and it was a bust.  Of course, Bob went on to work at Chrysler before the bean counters at Ford realized this European import thing was a financial disaster, but it would have at least made a bit more sense to sell it at a Ford dealer.  Find this 1989 Merkur XR4Ti offered for $15,000 in the LeHigh Valley, PA via craigslist.  Tip from David.

5k: Loony Labor Day El Camino 2-Fer-1: 1984 Ford Mustang Truck & 1983 BMW Truck

A cold breeze rustles falling leaves and garages all across the snow belt are prepared for the winter hibernation.  Who knows what sort of thing will emerge from the chrysalis when spring thaw arrives. Don't have a project ready for your empty garage space?  Don't fret, because DT has a double feature ready for your needs as our final Loony Labor Day segment. Find this 1984 Ford Mustang Truck & 1983 BMW Truck offered for an undisclosed price from a seller in Hamilton, OH via craigslist.  Tip from Derrick.

5k: Loony Laborbaker: 1949 Studebaker Built On S-10 Chassis

The first Labor Day was celebrated on a grey Tuesday in 1882.  It was the work of a New York City Labor Union flexing its muscles and sticking it to the man.  Similar celebrations occur all over the world but in the form of pre-summer May Day celebrations, but here in the US of A, the Man was anxious to not allow this sort of nonsense to blossom into full scale riots, so he usurped the holiday and created a national Labor Day holiday.  You can read a dry rendition written by the Man himself on the Department of Labor (thanks to Hank for the new link!!) website, but what you should really check out is this next Loony Labor Day feature, a 1949 Studebaker built on S10 chassis currently bidding for $8,078 reserve-not-met on eBay, located in Upton, MA with a few hours to go.

5k: Loony Labor Day: 1980 Triumph TR7

Welcome back to DT's annual end of summer tradition of featuring the craziest cars for sale on the web, a segment we like to call Loony Labor Day. To qualify as a Loony Labor day entry, the cars will be insane, or the seller will be nuts...or maybe even the buyers.  For 2014, our first feature is this 1980 Triumph TR7 custom currently bidding for $6,000 reserve-not-met with about a day to go on eBay, located in Sprague, WA.