20k: Ugly Goosling: 1980 Mercedes-Benz 300CD W123

The story of the Ugly Duckling (as originally told by Hans Christian Andersen) involves a young goose who is mistakenly absorbed into a family of ducks.  However, what if that ugly duckling had really just been an ugly duck and when it grew up it was still sort of ugly and bitter about being ugly. Would it be this W123 Mercedes-Benz coupe, all grown up but demanding a serious price for his unloved upbringing?  Find this 1980 Mercedes-Benz 300CD W123 offered for $18,900 or best offer on eBay, located in Brooklyn, NY with 18 days to go.

5k: Rarely Seen: 1985 Toyota Celica GTS Convertible

The 3rd generation (internally called A60) Celica was the final rear-drive chassis to use Toyota's Celica name.  The next generation used a transverse front-drive setup that has become a de facto standard for economy cars, but up through 1985 you could get a Celica from the factory with a longintudinal engine and right wheel drive.  The A60 generation also added rack-and-pinion steering for the first time and ASC (American Specialty Cars) were nice enough to modify about 5,000 of the coupe versions into a decent looking drop top.   Find this 1985 Toyota Celica GTS Convertible offered for $5,700 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

2k: Some Importation Required: 1975 Fiat 1300

The Republic of Macedonia of is one of the pieces left over after the dissolution of the country formerly known as Yugoslavia, and is situated between Kosovo, Albania, Serbia and Greece.  Ignoring the potential unpleasantness associated with the hundreds of years old Balkan conflicts, it sounds like a great place for a summer trip to pickup a classic car and drive it to a port city for shipment home.  Find this 1975 Fiat 1300 offered for $2,000 buy-it-now or best offer, located in Macedonia via eBay.  Tip from Christopher M.

10k: Micro-Van: 1998 Daihatsu HiJet

The Daihatsu HiJet is Japanese built micro van that has been a solid entry to the Kei-truck scene since 1960.  The little vans might not be able to reach highway speeds, but they are known for being great city transportation and are almost cool enough to be collectible.  Find this 1998 Daihatsu HiJet Van offered for $11,500 in Eastern Montana via craigslist.

1k: Big Bird: 1971 Ford Thunderbird Sportback V8

The 5th generation Ford Thunderbird was introduced in 1967 as the second major revision to the original Thunderbird.  What was once a lithe sports car that competed with the Corvette was now an enormous personal luxury car that competed with first class rail transport.  Find this 1971 Ford Thunderbird Sportback 429 offered for $1,500 in LA area, CA via craigslist.

DTPC Volvo 242 Update! Suspension, Wheels, Tires, and Stuff.

Editor CFlo: I sold our original Volvo 242 project car to a friend almost one year ago. Since then it has undergone quite the transformation. Below is the first installment in a series updating us on the beast, in the words of owner Alex B. 

Since buying the '83 Volvo 242 DTPC I have been using it every day to commute to and from work. Except for an early episode involving a complete failure of the braking system (big thanks to CFlo for leaving me with that undocumented easter egg) [ed CFlo: Hey...I told you that front caliper was starting to seize up!] the car has been very dependable.

First order of business upon taking ownership was replacing some regular maintenance items and taking care of a few small projects CFlo hadn't gotten to; water pump, belts, cam cover gasket, radiator hoses, thermostat, along with some other odds and ends.

10k: Bedless Pickup: 1974 Citroën DS Camino

The Citroën DS (pronounced Déesse, like the French word for goddess) was a front-wheel-drive oddity built from 1955-1975. It featured a sophisticated oleopneumatic (oil-air) suspension instead of springs and oil shocks.  Pressurized nitrogen spheres at each corner work in conjunction with a 175 bar oil pump and a magical set of valves to allow a huge amount of suspension travel and variable spring/damping rates depending on road conditions and body movement.  It was all very complicated and expensive to repair, but when it worked it was sublime. When it didn't work the DS was abandoned on the side of the road like a dead porpoise, but prices were low for long enough that well equipped hot rodders (in the classic sense) were able to perform some magic on the goddess...El Camagic!!  Find this 1974 Citroën DS Camino offered for $9,000 in Running Springs, CA via craigslist.

10k: Vader's Family Car: 1988 BMW M5 E28

The BMW E28 generation M5 is a great way to get into a rare and cool classic without needing a trust fund.  It also offers a purity of driving experience undulled by electronic power steering, stability control, traction control or any number of electronic nannies found in modern cars.  Unfortunately, the world has moved on and what was once fast is now just mediocre and repair bills from a mechanic (or dealer) can be downright bankrupting.  The only way to survive E28 M5 ownership with your pants held high is to buy a nice one and maintain it like you would maintain an airplane.  Find this 1988 BMW M5 E28 currently bidding for $9,600 via eBay, located in Auburn, ME.

10k: The Full Baur Targa: 1980 BMW 320 E21 Baur TC1

The Baur Targa was a Lancia Beta Zagato lookalike that featured a folding soft top in the back and a targa-style soft roof above the driver/passenger.  The result is convertible fun in the sun while retaining chassis rigidity and safety by keeping an intact B-pillar roll hoop.  The Baur Targa cars came from a time when BMW didn't offer the 3 Series in drop top and the modifications were done by Karosserie Baur when new, maintaining a factory BMW warranty.  Find this 1980 BMW 320 E21 Baur TC1 offered for $12,900 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

10k: Neue Klassic: 1967 BMW 1600 Sedan

The BMW Neue Klasse (new class) is primarily known for its 2-door version, the 1600/2000/2002, but they made quite a few of the 4-door sedan version.  The 4-door version shared engines, transmissions and mechanical parts with the 2-door version but offers a little more access for the family man, and is much more rare on the road today.  Find this 1967 BMW 1600 Sedan offered for $9,000 in Beverly Hills, CA via craigslist.

Save The Saabs: A Collection of Saab 99s

Driving a Saab 99 around the street says a few things.  It says; I'm cool and am willing to drive something that will leave me stranded at any time.  I'm an 80s chiropractor stuck in the 80s. I enjoy fixing wiring issues.  I love jazz.  Tweed rules!  One strange observation from driving the Draken around town is that I don't ever recall seeing a Saab 99 on the road in the past few decades, although it may have been for lack of trying.  The 99 blends into the background and looks Saab-ish, but not noteworthy and could be at a glance confused for an early 900.  I can say with some certainty that since buying the Draken, I haven't seen another on the road or rusting in someone's driveway.  Like survivors of polar bear attacks, it is an elite club with some suffering required.   Funny enough, all of the Saab 99s I've found via a quick interweb search are not running...but that isn't the point.  Let's take a look at the best Saab 99s for sale around the country and see what pops out.

5k: Monster Two: 1991 Toyota MR2 LS4 V8 Swap

The 2nd generation Toyota MR2 was sold from 1991-1999 and powered by a inline-4 in naturally aspirated or turbocharged configurations.  The turbo version was the closest thing you could get to a Japanese Ferrari, (at least until the NSX came out) and was legitimately a quick car.  What happens when you shove a Chevy LS4 V8 sideways into the back?  Chaosome!  Find this 1991 Toyota MR2 LS4 V8 Swap offered for $7,500 near Porland, OR via craigslist.  Tip from Fueltruck.

10k: LadyBuggin: 1989 Nissan S-Cargo

The Nissan S-Cargo is a part of Nissan's Pike family of vehicles that were sold new in Japan and predated the current retro-style fad (PT Cruiser, Prowler, HHR, SSR etc).   In stock form the S-Cargo looks like a washing machine with cartoon eyes, but it was a retro styled tribute to the Citroën 2CV Fourgonnette delivery van.  Even the name S-Cargo sounds like Escargot or snail in French.  Find this 1989 Nissan S-Cargo in Nanaimo, BC Canada currently bidding for $3,101 reserve-not-met with $9,900 Buy it Now on eBay with 6 days to go. Seller submission from Paul.

Mid Week Match-Up: A New Car

Everybody knows that guy or gal.  The person who rolls his eyes when you tell him how much money he'll save by buying a 5 year old car.  That person always buys something new, often the cheapest economy car he can find and ignores your sound advice about owning a fleet of old Saabs.  When your Viggen is getting its weekly dash rewiring, you drive the Sonett unless its raining, then you drive the 99-- you say...and then your friend buys something from the first dealer he stumbles into on his way home from work.  Lets help him out this week with a Mid Week Match-Up for the guy who needs something new.

5k: Molto Bello: 1981 Lancia Beta Zagato

 The Lancia Beta Zagato was a quasi-convertible version of the Beta coupe along the lines of the Baur Targa-ized BMWs from the same era.  The Zagato (or Spyder) is a very affordable way to get into an Italian car designed by Pininfarina and produced in limited quantity.  Plus it is a Lancia!  Find this 1981 Lancia Beta Zagato offered for $4,300 in Tacoma, WA via craigslist.  Tip from Gianni.

eBay Motors Adds Trending-At Value

Auction giant eBay is always adding little features to make the buying/selling process a little more slick -- one feature that popped up recently (or has always been there, but I was blind) is the trending-at value for vehicles.  According to the pop up box the trending-at value is median price based on item condition from all ebaymotors sellers in the past 14 days (or 90 days if sales are slow.)