Black Friday: 1990 Jeep Comanche

Black Friday is typically celebrated by running out to your local mega-mart and buying all kinds of discounted junk that you really don't need.  We at the Daily Turismo don't believe is messing with tradition, so today we would like to present our version of Black Friday - focusing on cheap cars...and they have to be black.  We think you should skip the $5 BlueRay player and instead pickup this 1990 Jeep Comanche located in Falls Church, VA and currently bidding on ebay for $2,550 with 2 days to go.

Daily Thankrismo: 5 Used Automotive Reasons to be Thankful

As we prepare to consume large quantities of fowl (and foul liquor) today we would like to first and foremost wish all of our readers a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving.  Be sure to properly lube and sharpen the blade on your chainsaw before carving the turkey and always remember to have a buddy holding your beer and ladder when doing any 2nd floor window repairs.  With that out of the way, we'd like to present the 5 top reasons to be thankful this Thankrismoiving (it doesn't really work well in writing, but it sure flows off the tip of the tongue like a Shakespearean sonnet after a bottle of Jagermeister).  Starting in no particular order, we'd like to present our top 5:

5. Mercedes W201 2.3-16V Cossie ~$5k

10k: 1966 VW Bus Kombi; Brazilian 16-Window

We really wish we could say that we don't see VW Buses on the road today - because they are slow, smelly, horrible piles of junk- but unfortunately the damn things run forever and today have become collectible to the point that even the worst basket case is saved from the crusher.  This is terrible news as the average vehicle speed on SF Bay Area freeways would increase by 25 mph if all VW Buses were crushed and sent to China to be recycled into Matchbox versions of VW Buses...ironic ain't it!  Even worse news is that a Brazilian (just how many is a Brazilian anyway!) immigrant Type 2 has made its way into our fair land and this 1966 (in title only) VW Bus is now for sale via www.oldbug.com for $9500 USD (R$20,000 Brazilian Reals).

5k: 1985 Midas Mini GT Gold

Fox body Mustangs were not available and VW beetles were too slow/horrible, so kit car makers in the United Kingdom chose to use the Mini (ubiqutous and speedy) as the basis for a number of kit cars, starting with the Mini Marcos and then continuing with the Midas Mini.  This 1985 (titled as a 1965 Mini) Midas Mini GT Gold is for sale in Riverhead, NY and is currently bidding on ebay for $4,650 with 2 days to go.

15k: 1964 VW 1500S Type 3, Notchback Survivor

In the late '50s, Volkswagen was high on its wave of success with its little WWII-era Type 1 (Beetle) and derivative commercial / utility vehicle the Type 2 (aka Bus, Van, Microbus, Kombi, Transporter...). But someone deep in the bowels of Wolfsburg realized that if growth and success were to continue, the company needed a bigger, more modern, less obtuse looking car to stay relevant. Enter the Type 3, which retained VWs trademark rear-mounted aircooled boxer four, and torsion bar suspension but was otherwise a fairly 'normal' midsize car. The styling has aged gracefully and today these shoebox veedubs are classics in their own right. We've found a very nice, low mileage survivor Notchback sedan, a variant never officially imported to the US. Find it here on oldbug.com, for $15000 asking. Location is unspecified but we are betting it's in Colorado based on the rear plate.

15k: 1959 Goliath 1100 Express

Goliath-Werke Borgward & Co was a German auto/truck manufacturer that built a number of oddities in the 1950s before going bankrupt in 1961.  This 1959 Goliath Express 1100 was been around the block a few times - not just because it is covered in rust and decay, but also because its been featured on Jalopnik, BringATrailer, and Hooniverse; but now it is for sale on ebay for $14,000 buy-it-now in SLC, UT.  

DT: Daily Turismo Sponsors Black Iron Racing 24 Hours of LeMons Team

Automotive blogs and magazines are known to sponsor race teams from time-to-time, such as a Touring Car team or a Time Attack Team but those are cohesive media organizations backed by conglomerates such as Source Interlink, and the Daily Turismo is a blog run out of a van down by the river.  As a result we are starting a sponsorship of a team participating in the working man's hobo's version of endurance racing - the 24 Hours of LeMons, and we are proud to sponsor one of the most ghetto teams - Black Iron Racing.

5k: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190-Series 2.3-16V Cosworth

 The W201 Mercedes-Benz 190 sedan was built from 1982 to 1993 and is the predecessor to today's C-class sedan.  It was an elegant but simple sedan powered by a few 4 & 6 cylinder gas and diesel engines.  It wasn't a car that any enthusiast would consider, at least until the 2.3-16V Cosworth edition was released as a direct competitor to BMW's apex-raping first generation E30 M3.  This 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190 2.3-16V is for sale in Fairfax, VA currently bidding at $4,400 with 1 day to go.

10k: 2004 BMW Z4 3.0i 6spd

Oh no, not another BMW featured on the Daily Turismo, we can just see the comment section filling up with snarky posts such as: "Another BMW, you guys should go work for Car and Driver" or "You guys must have stock in BMW and why doesn't the Corvette ever win the comparison tests!"  Truthfully, we think new BMWs are horribly overpriced and poorly constructed, but give them a few years of depreciation and things start looking much better...at least on price.  This 2004 BMW Z4 3.0i 6spd has reached that key level of depreciation but isn't old enough for disintegration to have set in, and is for sale on ebay for $11,900 buy-it-now in Florida.

5k: 1982 BMW 735i E23 Euro 5spd

 The e21 (correction, E23 - DT regrets the error) generation BMW 7-series sedan was the uber-sedan labeled as 7 and is still a stately and cool today as it was from 1977 to 1986.  The 735i model was powered by an inline 6 cylinder engine and boasted some serious gadgets and sophistication for the era, but was not available with manual transmission on this side of the Atlantic.  Thankfully, the 735i was available with 5spd manual in Europe and someone imported this 1982 BMW 735i and it is now for sale in San Diego, CA from dealer who specializes in Cereal, Marshmallows and one-owner original cars on ebay for $5,807 buy-it-now.

5k Flash: 1971 Toyota Corona Wagon MkII -slushbox

The 1st generation Toyota Corona MkII was based on the Corona, but was slightly larger model slotted to fit price-wise between Corona and Crown.  We are big fans of Coronas, MkIIs and Crowns today because they are dirt cheap and easy to maintain.  This 1971 Toyota Crown Mark II wagon is available for sale in Tujunga, CA for $2000 via craigslist.

25k: 2006 BMW M5 V10-SMG

BMW M division's first bruiser sedan was the 1988 BMW M5; they had previously dabbled in the M1 supercar and 4-cylinder powered E30 M3 but it was the E28 M5 that set the standard for a fast M-sedan.  Multiple generations later that formula had outgrown its inline-6 roots and by the E60 generation the M5 was powered by an F1 inspired V10 with a screaming high 8250 rpm redline.  Today these M5s are out of factory warranty and can be purchased for less than a new 128i Coupe.  This 2006 BMW M5 is for sale in Sebastopol, CA with an asking price of $25,000 via craigslist.  Thanks to tip from DT reader Kaibeezy!

DT Musings: Rambling Thoughts on Sportswagon & Vista Cruiser

DT's resident wagon expert, Buick-nut, paint-snob and grandpa (while technically not a grandpa as far as he is aware, his hair has been fully gray for decades) Hunsbloger started a long dialogue about SportsWagons, Vista Cruisers and the general state of 60's wagons today.  It was too good of a conversation to just send to our trash-bin, so we've saved it and posted it up here (-Ed's note)

I am a HUGE fan of these Vista Roof cruisers and EBAY is flush with them today!  In addition to the one above, there are two others joining in to represent the full spectrum of the first generation of Sportwagon/Vista Cruisers.  They also represent,  three different situations which present challenges when trying to figure out which car is the right one for you on Ebay.

 Regarding the big vista glass windows letting in too much light...No worries about the sun in the back seats of the Vista Roof Wagons from Buick or Olds, they have oversized Sun Visors which do a great job of blocking the sun when the kids in the back need a nap! (seen in the picture below)

5k: 1974 Jaguar XJ6L with Chevy V8 or... Tea, Crumpets and a Thumpin' V8!

The Jaguar XJ6 is the quintessential sports luxury car of the '70s.  When introduced in 1968, few knew that its sensuous new shape would carry the load for Jaguar into the 1990's. While offered in Europe with a wide range of lesser (smaller displacement) engines, the US version was given the the venerable 4.2 litre inline-6.  The 1974 was the first of the Series II cars which brought a host of improvements in exterior looks and interior switchgear, but the 1974 XJ6L currently up for grabs on Ebay offers the best improvement of all...a Chevy 350, which depending on tune should be good for 300HP and decent acceleration (or good noises while trying).

10k Flash: 1964 Buick Skylark Sportwagon Restomod

The third generation Buick Skylark, 1964-1972 was based on GM's intermediate sized chassis and shared parts with the Olds F-85, Pontiac Tempest and Chevy Chevelle.  It was a large car by todays standards and was available as a convertible, coupe, hardtop, sedan and wagon.  Power came from a variety of inline 6 and V8 options, but non as sweet as the Buick 455 V8.  This 1964 Buick Skylark Sportwagon with VistaRoof has been through a major restoration and modification and is for sale in San Diego, CA via ebay, currently bidding at $6,001 reserve-not-met.

DT Admin: DT Heading to LA Auto Show Nov 27/28

Auto shows to gear heads are the equivalent of back room pharmacy access to a mescaline addict and the Daily Turismo is lucky enough this year to send a contingent of representatives to the LA Auto Show.  The public show days are a nice way to see the current offerings from manufacturers all in one place, but the press days are a less crowded, packed with free food, bearded bloggers and booze.  Combine the 7am-7pm open bar, food trucks with lines of freegans and a chance to rub elbows with Adam Carolla...always a good time!  Our purpose of the auto show visit won't be to highlight the latest and greatest, but it will be to show you the cars that in 10 years will be good deals on DT.  Expect a lot of pictures of hyper-depreciation specials from Audi, AMG, /M, SVT, etc. 

Image from laautoshow.com

15k: 1998 Ford E350 ClubWagon Survival Van - w/ Food & Gear

Regular readers may have caught on that we at the Daily Turismo love useful utility vehciles just as much as a good drift circuit ready hoon-mobile.  We don't much care for hybrids of utility and sportiness as they tend to be too much of a compromise and deliver neither.  As a result we tend to have driveways cluttered with partially running projects, our insurance agent on speed dial and our wives all wound up about the latest car purchase - but that is a story for another day.  Today's feature is a car designed to protect the wife and family in case of societal meltdown, be it via natural disaster, thermonuclear war or zombie invasion.  This 1998 Ford E350 Clubwagon is for sale for an optimistic buy it now price of $22,600 in Houston Texas via ebay and survivalvans.com, and the age old adage of never judge of book by its cover strongly applies to this one.

5k: 1973 Siva S160 Spyder -VW kit car

 You may have detected in a past a hint of disdain for most kit cars from the editors of the Daily Turismo.  Honestly, it comes from seeing too many Cobra, Fauxrarri and Poor-sha based kit cars that take an iconic shape and combine it with eastern bloc build quality.  We don't have an problem with Berlin wall build quality, but we do have a problem with dilution of value of the original art and generally good looking cars that drive like crap and are priced like golden crap.  A little history lesson for you - there was a time when the booming kit-car industry produced all kinds of unique looking cars based on VW chassis, fast forward to today, the 'kit-ca'r is now synonymous with Cobras driven by wife beater wearing balding fat guys.  It is a shame because the old industry employed all sorts of engineers, skilled laborers and craftsman - instead today it just replicates old designs and ships the same ready for $7k paint job, 427 cubic inch engine, Fox body suspensioned beasts to the local car shows each year, most of the kits today are built overseas with molds created decades ago.  For a kit-car that isn't heinous -we think this 1973 Siva Spyder S160 for sale in Loudon, TN currently bidding on ebay for $2,092 reserve-not-met with 3 days to go, will do the trick (Thanks to tip from Andrew L.)

Counting Cars Casting Call

The Daily Turismo spam filter is pretty good at removing wanted and unwanted content alike, so we were surprised to see something interesting in our inbox last week.  It was a request from Leftfield Pictures, the producers of the History Channel show Counting Cars.  If you haven't seen Counting Cars, you really should setup your DVR to pick it up; it is set in Las Vegas and is a spin off from the show Pawn Stars and follows the car related obsessions of Count's Kustoms owner Danny Koker.  The show is captivating for its wild set of tattooed mechanics and crazy automobiles.  The producers of Counting Cars are looking for unique rides to feature for Season 2 and gave us the following flyer to share with our readers.

1.2k CL Riddler: 1959 Volvo PV544

If you're missing that certain sense of adventure when shopping for your next Daily Turismo...that slight feeling of dread and a voice in the back of your head telling you to leave, get out...something isn't right; the transaction could go "sour" at any minute...then we have found the perfect car to check out in full daylight and providing you bring along a buddy as backup. This gem of an ad combines two of our favorite things: craigslist kooks and vintage Volvos. Check out this 1959 Volvo PV544 for sale in Long Beach, CA for $1200.