The Mad Max films (The Road Warrior is the best) featured an awesome vision of post apocalyptic Australia and some great car scenes, but the only gripe you might have is it didn't feature many Italian cars. The seller of this next vehicle must have had that in consideration when he built this Fiatrike. Find this 1982 Fiat X1/9 Custom Trike offered for $3500 near Rochester, MN via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
The Mazda RX-7 is a regular recipient of small block chevy power infusion -- certainly not because the wankel is an inherently unreliable piece of machinery, but probably because it has a decent engine bay size and a chassis that can handle. Find this 1989 Mazda RX-7 offered for $4999 near Tucson, AZ via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
Remember that Toyota 22R powered Mercedes-Benz 240D that we posted the other day...that was a strange car...really weird, but I think we've discovered where the engine from the Merc ended up...but for the universe not to end in a divide by zero error, there has to be a Toyota pickup with a Ford engine for sale...anyways find this 1986 Ford Ranger XLT offered for $2500 in Hadley, MA via craigslist. From Cory.
Now is a good time as any to get into a third generation Chevy Camaro or Pontiac Firebird/Trans Am. In recent years, the Smokey and the Bandit 1970's cars have seen some strong appreciation so bargain third gens are still out there. The Iroc-Z is a icon of the 1980's and boasted a real racing heritage. These Camaro's duked it out with the 5.0 Mustangs for king of the streets in the late 1980's when engines awoke from malaise era induced fog. The 5.0 305 Chevy V8 was and is second fiddle to the 350 5.7. However, only the 305 was able be paired with a 5 speed manual and in 1987 it only had 10 less hp than the top rung 350 Find this 1987 Chevy Camaro Iroc Z for sale in Newtown, CT for an easy on the budget price of $2,500 via craigslist. 
Are you going to be the guy who buys some oddball car just because it has cool doors? Sure. I guess there are far more terrible reasons to buy a car...and I am certainly one of the people who encourages this sort of errant behavior...so get crackin! Find this 1990 Toyota Sera offered for $7800 in Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
Another day, another Miata post on good old DT. We've done a fastback, blown heart transplant and cream puff and there was once even a diesel conversion featured, so now today's answer is a plug-in electric conversion. Supposedly, this is the future of classic car ownership, once the last gallon of crude is burned off in China while making a rubber spatula for Walmart. I'm skeptical, but I'm always the last in line. Find this 1998(?) Mazda MX-5 Miata EV - Plug in Electric Conversion for sale in Spanaway, WA for $29,999 via craigslist. 
The original title for this post was Hecho en Brasil, but then somebody (more smarter than me!) pointed out that people in Brazil don't speak Spanish, they talk Brazilian. So, I whipped out the old google translator and found it was actually Portuguese...wow...that was a long trip to get to the cheapest wagon in America when new. Find this 1987 Volkswagen Fox Wagon offered for $3500 near Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
A used MX-5 Miata is great little inexpensive sports car for anybody who enjoys driving and prices are very cheap these days. It might be because Mazda built a million of the little machines...no seriously, in 2016 Mazda produced the MILLIONTH MX-5. But, finding one from the first generation with 35k miles in immaculate condition isn't an everyday occurance. Find this 1994 Mazda Miata offered for $8800 in Ojai, CA via craigslist. Tip from Sean S.
The Mitsubishi Expo was a little crapbox mini-mini-van that doesn't excite many people except for maybe pug owners or die-hard junk lovers. Driving one would be fun for a while, at least until your friends find out and then you could 
So, I've got a new (to me!) car that needs various pieces of work -- needs new/re-upholstered seats, fix some oil leaks, fix botched paint repair, install flamethrower (it is a BMW, so I'll also remove the turn signal wiring for weight reduction) -- and I'll need something to drive occasionally for the next few months while this thing is on jack stands in my driveway or at some sketchy low-cost specialist who only works when the moon is full and his wallet is getting empty....which means this week's Mid Week Match-Up is for DT E-i-C Vince -- find me a $1000-$2500 daily driver with a manual gearbox, back seat, and make it weird because I only need it for a few months.
I have a small family. Well...not so small...5 of us in total if you include the wife, which means that we fill any common sedan very quickly -- which leaves limited space for friends, pets, grandparents, hitchhikers, clowns, etc. Full sized vans are cool, minivans are uncool...but I've always thought that a limo might be the right answer. Think about it -- take the kids to school, and they can --legally-- mix you a gin & tonic in the back seat for your post school drop-off nap. But the best part is that I would never have to listen to another "ouch, he is touching my leg" or "but it's my toy" or "the clown is biting my leg" again in my life because that bulletproof divider glass would be PERMANENTLY in the up & locked position. Find this 1994 Chevrolet Corvette limo offered for $14000 in Mesa, AZ via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
This next car comes as a tip from Zach Z, who asks "So what would you swap into this shell and why?". The actual car doesn't look that bad, but the asking price is optimistic for something without an engine...but who am I to predict the future market value of a Hayabusa powered Triumph Stag?!? Find this 1971 Triumph Stag without engine offered for $4800 in Las Cruces, NM via craigslist.
You know you want this. Don't try and hide behind some kind of self righteous wall of excuses about the environment, your ability get to work on time, or how much you'll spend on maintenance because it really doesn't matter AND I'M NOT BUYING IT. YOU WANT A LAMBORGHINI V10 POWERED SUPER SEDAN...EVERYBODY WHO CAN FOG A MIRROR OR MASH A GAS PEDAL DOES. Find this 2008 Audi S6 offered for $10,000 in Ridgewood, NY via craigslist. WHY AM I SHOUTING? Tip from FuelTruck.
I know, I know, no one can help someone with a problem unless they recognize they have a problem; and they want help. As a friend, I want to help, but I've given it my best shot and failed. I'm begging for help from our readers to find suitable alternatives to this Audi S5 a dear friend has fallen in love with, as shown here on Craigslist, in Arkansas for $17,300 (but haggled down to very close to the DT self-imposed limit of $15,000).
It is Monday morning...Easter Monday on the 2nd day of the Octave of Easter to be precise...and we've got another great What Am I? puzzle for y'all.
The Mazda Miata has a reputation as a hairdresser's car, mainly among those who have either never driven one or have some sort of image projection issues. This unfair characterization has lead to some interesting compensation techniques. Here's one that probably has some tie-back to an early 80's Mel Gibson film about a dystopian future. Find this 1990 Monster Mazda Miata for sale in Fallbrook, CA for $18,500 via craigslist. 
The turbo charged Cobalt SS is easy car to argue about. On one hand, it is one of the fastest fwd cars ever to lap the Nurburgring and very simple to add an extra 100 horsepower to the stout 260 hp stock engine. On the other hand, any Cobalt isn't going to impress your significant other 