One Owner...Twice: 1969 Jeep Gladiator

I'm no St Nick, but I've got a few lists at home.  One is a list of things that I don't want to do under any circumstances.  Top on that list are things like, #14: Never attempt to circumnavigate the world in a bathtub full of scorpions, #2: Never attempt to infiltrate a Daesh stronghold with two of your best friends dressed like characters from the Blue Man Group, and #1: Never visit your local Department of Motor Vehicles.  The problem isn't that I don't appreciate the civil servants who carefully guard our roads from abuse by arbitrarily applying an arcane set of rules...no, the problem is that I don't like waiting in 4 hour lines before being told to wait in a chair with a number like I'm waiting for the butcher to slice some meat. Because, when my number is called, I don't get pastrami -- instead I get a person who may or may not let me transform a commercial box truck into an RV, or may or may not be cool with my lame excuse for taking more than 10 days to register a car.  And the problem always starts when I sell a car and buy another used car...so why do I keep doing it?  Why do I spend so much time at the DMV?  Probably because neat stuff like this next car keeps popping up for sale.  Find this 1969 Jeep Gladiator here on eBay bidding for $10,100 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go, located in Clinton, MO.

Scruffy Survivor: 1974 BMW 2002tii

The BMW 2002tii is a unique kind of temptress.  For years, she was a cheap way to get into something unique and sporty, but then prices took off and people started demanding silly money for the tii version and regular 2002 alike.  But recently, I've seen more and more reasonably priced tiis and each one makes you stop and wonder...is something wrong with this car?  Find this 1974 BMW 2002 Tii here on eBay bidding for $9,001 with 1 day to go, located in Riverside, CA.

Euroflared: 1993 BMW M5 Euro-spec 3.8L Widebody Conversion

After the last E34 M5 I wrote up sold for $56,000 - we thought it might be best to kick it down a notch and look at the lower end of the gray-market Euro import 3.8L market with this next feature. The E34 M5 was produced from 1989 through 1995, with the last three model years not sold in the New World. From 1991 to 1995 the Euro-spec M5 included the forbidden fruit S38B38 engine, an enlarged and de-distributored version of the 3.6L version our cars came with. Out of the 14,754 E34 M5s produced in total, 45% were the 3.8L variety - however, they are much more scarce than that here in the 'States. Find this 1993 BMW E34 M5 3.8L for sale in the San Gabriel Valley, CA for $17,000 via craigslist.

Less Show, More Go Package: 1969 AMC AMX

The AMX (1968-1970) was a 2-seat muscle/sports car that used a shortened Javelin chassis and V8 power to offer decent performance for the money when new.  Today, the AMX is one of those forgotten sports cars that hasn't been swept up in a whirlwind of speculative collectors cash and you can get decent examples for the price of a new econobox. Like this 1969 AMC AMX here on eBay bidding for $14,250 reserve-not-met with a few hours to go, located in Seattle, WA.

Thursday Twister: Name That Car

It is time for a brain teaser for all the car geeks in the audience.  Typically the Thursday Twister is a game where we name all the cars with such-n-such a feature, but today I'm going to make it a simple quiz with a single answer.  What single make/model automobile, over the span of two model years, was available from the factory with a pushrod inline-4, an overhead cam inline-6, and a V8?

Turbo Diesel 5-Spd Nirvana! 1999 BMW 525tds

Those of us in the land of the free will often bitch 'n' moan about the price of gas, particularly when it hits some arbitrary threshold -- three dollars a gallon, I can get water for less! -- but our friends across the pond have paid taxed through the roof fuel prices for decades.  For this reason the luxury sedan buyers in the States made have paid more for a big monster 4.0 liter V8 in his E39 generation 5-series, but the European buyer would have opted instead for the 2.5 liter turbo diesel with manual gearbox.  Find this 1999 BMW 525tds offered for $10,900 in Lancaster, OH via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

155 MPH Pick Me Up: 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10

Ford beat Dodge (and Chebby) to the full sized performance pickup game with the 1999 release of the F-150 Lightning (there was an earlier Lightning, but it wasn't that fast all things considered) and the nuts at Chrysler's SRT (Street & Racing Technology) division realized that they needed to compete.  So the engineers who built the original Viper and Prowler did the only logical thing and shoved a 8.3 liter Viper V10 into a full sized pickup. Find this 2004 Dodge Ram SRT-10 offered for $16,500 in Bloomington, IL via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

The Temptress: 1966 Pontiac Tempest LeMans

I just don't understand the classic car market sometimes.  There is a derelict '55 Porsche 356 Speedster bidding for $150k on eBay right now (with an unmet reserve...) and I just don't understand who'd drop that kind of cash on a car that needs a total rebuild.  Sure, after dumping $100k into the car you might have a Speedster that'll sell for $500k, but I just don't understand who are the folks with deep pockets bidding these things into beach front condo levels.  For my money, if I'm going to get a barn find it'd better be cheap...like this 1966 Pontiac Tempest LeMans here on eBay bidding for $6,400 with 3 days to go, located in Macedonia, OH.

Mid Week Match-Up: Find A Daily For A Grounded Kid

It has to be a parent's worst nightmare: your kid crashed and totaled his little sports car.  Luckily for DT's Northwest correspondent Gianni, his son walked away from the accident with little other than a busted nose.  Same for the Miata.  For this week's Mid Week Match-Up, we are going to find a new penalty box daily driver for Gianni's kid -- budget no more than $5k.

Cheap 4-Door: 1963 Ford Galaxie Sedan

The second generation Ford Galaxie was built from 1960 through 1964 on the full sized body-on-frame platform shared with the Mercury Monterey/Meteor, and Lincoln Continental.  It was Ford's answer to the Chevrolet Impala, and while it never matched the GM sales numbers, it is a cool car today.  Find this 1963 Ford Galaxie Sedan here on eBay offered for $3,850 buy-it-now located in Albuquerque, NM.

A Gemini In The Rough: 1989 Isuzu I-Mark Turbo LS

The second generation Gemini was a GM backed and Isuzu built subcompact that was "sort of" styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro.  The front engine front drive setup of the 2nd generation might mean that it lacks the drift potential of the rear-drive first generation, but this one makes up for that deficiency with a spattering of badges that claim things like "LS", "Handling by Lotus", "Turbo," and "1.5T".  Find this 1989 Isuzu I-Mark Turbo LS offered for $3,2000 in Brooklyn, NY via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

Some Importation Required: 1969 GAZ 21 Volga

The GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod aka Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д) 21 Volga was first released in 1956 as "the Star" (Zhukovka), restyled in 1958 as "the Shark" (Akula) and finally retooled in 1962 as "the Baleen" (Kitovy Us).  The nicknames were based on the grill shapes used and l;et-me-tell-ya, krill will go running when they see this thing roll up to a stop light.  Find this 1969 GAZ 21 Volga here on eBay offered for $12,000 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Klaipėda, Lithuania with 2 days to go.

Ride it, don't hide it: 1970 Triumph Bonneville T120R

I've been kinda avoiding opening a can of British bike all over DT, preferring to stick to Japanese two-smokers.  But, I guess if I'm going to open it, I need to start with the quintessential British Twin, the Triumph Bonneville.  Like everything vintage, the prices for original Bonnie's have been on the rise.  But this one shouldn't be affected by that.  Find this 1970 Triumph Bonneville T120R for sale in Mt. Vermin Vernon, WA for $6,500 via craigslist.

Born In Canada: 1985 Pontiac Parisienne

If you live in the tropical south you might known this next car as the Chevrolet Caprice, but up in the moose filled land that Jacques Cartier called "kanata", they are known as the Pontiac Parisienne.  Sophisticated, worldly, and reeking of stinky cheese, the Parisienne is the Caprice/Impala you really want.  Find this 1985 Pontiac Parisienne offered for $2,700 in Ft Myers, CO via craigslist. Tip from Dascpcu.

The Hunger Games: 1980 Plymouth Fire Arrow

The Hunger Games franchise of best selling novels and multi-billion dollar movies is a total crock of garbage.  Let me tell you why -- the books/movie are set in some unnamed future time where people travel around what's left of the USA in high speed luxury trains, hovercraft, and fireproof chariots -- but not a single car around?  I'm no Mother Shipton, but I'm pretty sure that any distopian future is going to heavily rely on vehicles from the 20th/21st centuries -- don't take my word for it, just watch Mad Max, The Matrix, Death Race 2000, Demolition Man....the list goes on.  Seriously, if Ms Katniss Everdeen (if that's your real name...such a fake sounding name) is going to take on an evil totalitarian regime, she is gonna need something better than a bow 'n' arrow...maybe a 1980 Plymouth Fire Arrow offered for 15,000 credits in District 7 via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.