15k: One Day, Happy and Ethereal: 2004 BMW M3

The middle of Act 1 of Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata (the Fallen Woman) is famous for a duet sung by Alfredo (a tenor) and Violetta (a soprano), simply known by its first line as Un dì, felice, eterea (One day, happy and ethereal).  Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland belt out a particularly memorable rendition -- you can listen to it here on youtube while you read about this M3, it makes great background music.  Find the 2004 BMW M3 currently bidding for $6,900 no-reserve on eBay with 5 days to go, located in Cincinnati, OH.

1k: Sudden Depreciation: 1983 Audi 5000S

 After the rust prone Audi 100 LS (or LS 100 depending on where in the world you see it), the 5000S became the car that launched Audi so successfully into the US market that a frivolous lawsuit be brought against them to send them damned near back to Germany.  At least we get to thank the plaintiff's attorney for ending up creating a precedent which has caused anyone with an automatic to step on our brake pedal before shifting into drive, ain't progress great baby!?!  It took another 20 years or so before more lawyers and idiots (who hit the wrong pedal) formed a union to take on Toyota, but that is a story for another time. In the meantime, you can relive your 80s Audi fantasies with this 1983 Audi 5000S currently bidding for $1,026 on eBay with 6 days to go, located in El Segundo, CA.

2k: What's A Guy Gotta Do: 1976 Subaru GF Sedan

The early bird gets the worm is the conventional wisdom, but I like to say that the late bird gets the filet mignon because all the other birds had stomachs full of worms by the time the internal temperature of the roast reached 120 deg F.  Sometimes you don't want the be the first guy to overpay for some piece of vintage hardware, and it is better to let it cool for a while and watch the seller drop his price.  Like this 1976 Subaru GF Sedan offered via NASIOC classifieds that started at $5000 and is now at $2900 asking. 

5k: Rescue Mission: 1973 Alfa Romeo Spider Series 2

 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.

5k: Standard Time: 2001 Audi A4, B5 1.8T 5-Spd

It was nice this weekend to sleep an extra hour courtesy of the additional hour shoved down our throats by the US Department of Transportation (yes, the US D.O.T. is in charge of standardizing time zones since the Uniform Time Act of 1966).  As we transition back into Standard Time, we'd like to take this opportunity to recognize a few cars that are deplorable with a torque convertor equipped slushbox, but delightful with a standard gearbox.  First up is the B5 generation Audi A4, a fun affordable luxury sedan with a standard gearbox and a dreadful deathtrap with the slushbox.  Here is a nice 2001 Audi A4 offered for $5,980 or make-offer on eBay, located in Paterson, NJ with 8 days to go.

10k: Silver Surfer: 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo, 931

 The Porsche 924 was first released in 1976 and in the ensuing years, countless negative press has been heaped on the Audi van/sedan engine used to power the lithe little coupe.  In 1979 Porsche was kind enough to introduce a turbocharged version with a few more ponies and a sweet NACA duct on the hood for extra emphasis.  Think of it as the automotive styling equivalent of an exclamation point.  924.  924 Turbo! Find this 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo currently bidding for $3,454 reserve-not-met with 6 days to go.

Tom Magliozzi Dead At 77 Years: Opened His Last Valve

Tom Magliozzi born June 28th, 1937 died today at age 77 from complications from Alzheimer's disease according to NPR.  Tom was the older brother of Ray Magliozzi and together they were Click and Clack, The Tappet Brothers, on their weekly NPR radio show Car Talk.  Who hasn't spent hours on Saturdays and Sundays listening to these guys while taking a long drive or wrenching on a car.  Groaning when you diagnosed the caller's problem incorrectly and patting yourself on the back when you'd get it right -- the vaudevillian jokes, endless puns and silliness is something that we here at the Daily Turismo appreciate right down to the core.

Image property of car talk

What Am I? Driving Me Nuts

It is Monday morning, so that means time for another edition of Daily Turismo's famous game of find the hair in your falafel plate -- also known as What Am I?  We furnish a poorly exposed picture of some wreck and you get to guess what you are looking at. Just what am I anyway? Update with answer below.

15k: Filed Under Rockford: 1977 Pontiac Firebird

 The Rockford Files was a Universal Studios/Roy Huggins production that ran for 6 years and helped make a legend out of the 2nd generation Firebird.  In the later years Jim Rockford typically drove Formula Firebirds that had been modified to look like Esprit models, but if you want the real deal, expect to pay top dollar at an auction.   If you would prefer to make your own clone for a fraction of the price, this excellent condition 1977 Pontiac Firebird offered for $18,500 in Des Moines, WA via hemmings classifieds.  Tip from Gianni.

5k: Across the River Styx: 1987 Peugeot 505 STX

The river Styx was a mythological river of the Greek tradition that was the boundary between Earth and the Underworld.  It was a magical place where gods swore oaths to each other and a dip in it would bestow invulnerability (Achilles was dipped in the river sticks as a boy, dipped in the river by his heel, hence his weak point of the Achilles heel).  This next feature is a little bit like the river Styx, because one wrong step could lead you stranded in the underworld.  Find this 1987 Peugeot 505 STX offered for $4,400 in Los Gatos, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Clark.

20k: Let's Rock: 1964 Dodge A100 Pickup Hot Rod

 The A100 was a lineup of cab-over style vans from Chrysler's Dodge brand and sold from 1964-1970.  Dodge offered a pickup and van version, but they offer a great combination of funky looks, basic reliability and form-follows-function utility.  Think of the A100 as a domestic version of the VW Bus that offers an easy swap to maniac power level V8s...like this 1964 Dodge A100 Pickup Hot Rod offered for $25,000 buy-it-now or best-offer on eBay, located in Meriden, CT with 5 days to go.

15k: Restorad! 1970 MG MGB GT V8

 This year we've found the internet to be surprisingly full of well modified versions of MG's hartop MGB GT.  For recap, you've seen the MGB GT-S Twin Cam, a nicely done MGB GT Rover V8 and late last year we found a lime green MGB GT 3.8L GM V6 Swap.  It is important to point out that all three of those cars went for less than the sum of their parts -- it seems that the MGB GT market is refreshingly free of the rampant speculation that plagues 911, 2002 & GTV markets as of late.  Find this 1970 MG MGB GT V8 currently bidding for $10,100 reserve-not-met on eBay, located in Valencia, CA with 3 days to go.  Tip from Patrick. 

5k: Bone Stock: 1965 Chevrolet Impala Wagon 4-Spd

The 4th generation Chevrolet Impala is instantly identifiable by its 6 small bullet shaped tail lamps and coke bottle styling.  Unfortunately, the 4th gen Impala became a favorite of customizers who dropped the B-body onto air bags (or hydraulics) and shod it with ridiculously small gold wire rims with odd sized tires -- it got to the point where driving a stock 4th gen Impala would get you extra scrutiny from the 5-0, not a good thing at all. Times change and the customized Impala rage faded into the background of the low rider scene, but it is indeed refreshing when you see a stock Impala.  Find this 1965 Chevrolet Impala Wagon offered for $7,500 in San Diego, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Joe.

5k: All Saints' Day: 1966 Volvo 1800S

 All Saints' Day (Nov 1) is the celebration in the Roman Catholic (plus Eastern Orthodox and Anglican) tradition of those who have attained the beatific vision, but here at the Daily Turismo we have a tradition of posting a slightly less than beatific version of Roger Moore's ride from the hit 60s TV show called the Saint.  Here it is.  Find this 1966 Volvo 1800 S currently bidding for $1,880 reserve-not-met with $5,500 buy-it-now on eBay, located in Reno, NV with 1 day to go.

5k: Dusty And Rusty: 1974 BMW 2002 Tii

 You've probably heard this before, but the BMW 2002 is a great low budget classic...except that certain hot versions are no longer low budget.  Forget trying to find a 2002 Turbo that doesn't require a Caymans bank account and even the (moderately better than a basic 2002) Tii version demands big bucks.  Not around here.  Here, everything is cheap, because we firmly believe that purchase price should be based on utility (that includes fun, since fun has a use) and not hype..unfortunately the entire classic car collectors market doesn't agree with us, but that is a different story.  Find this 1974 BMW 2002 Tii offered for $5000 in Columbus, OH via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

4k: Sweaty Palms: 2005 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

This image will haunt car enthusiasts for years to come, even though most police units have phased out the old Crown Victorias in favor of Impalas, Caprices, Chargers, Tauruses, and Tahoes. The iconic cop car still invokes cotton mouth and nausea today, but why let the 5-0 have all the fun? Bestowing panic attacks onto other motorists is fun the first time, until you realize that you're in slow-moving traffic everywhere you drive. Thankfully, this one has been thoroughly decommissioned from service thanks to a new Billy Club Black paint job and the general lack of enforcement paraphernalia - weapons box, laptop tray, light bar, and so on. And it's listed as a "steal." Nice try, honeypot. Find this 2005 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor in Hollywod, FL for $3,990 with 16 days to go via eBay.