K-Carmageddon Survivor: 1988 Dodge Aries LE Wagon

The K-car was an instant sales success for Chrysler when first introduced, and by the end of the third year of production over a million Ks had been sold in Chrysler LeBaron, Dodge 400/Aries, and Plymouth Reliant flavors.  Although marketed as having European flair, the K was distinctly American in execution, with a small overhead cam equipped 4-banger mated to the front wheels and a solid beam axle out back. The Aries/Reliant/LeBaron/400 was tuned for American roads and featured a comfortable ride uncommon with 2500 lb compact cars from the same era, just don't expect anything sporty from the K and you'll be fine.  Find this 1988 Dodge Aries Wagon here on eBay bidding for $1,975 located in Norwalk, CT with 1 day to go.

A Microcar in a Pear Tree: 1960 Trojan 200 aka Heinkel Kabine

One the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a Trojan 200 on a flat-bed.  Seriously, nobody wants some disease carrying piece of wild poultry, what they want is something useful, like a microcar that has been in storage for the past 50 years.  Find this 1960 Trojan 200 aka Heinkel Kabine offered for $12,000 in Wauchula, FL via craigslist.

Prototypical: 1928 Carter Electric

This next vehicle comes as a tip from rod444 who writes:  Merry Christmas to all at DT. Started this awesome day the same way as most, cruising my favorite vehicle websites, Craigslist and a the local auto ads... and here's an electric that 99% of us have never seen in real life. And here we thought Elon had come up with an original idea :) Find this 1928 Carter Electric offered for $5,700 in Eastern CT via craigslist.

Manual Swap? 2006 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S

Maserati had been building a big four door sedan named the Quattroporte for decades before Ferrari acquired a 50% stake in the company in 1997.  However, the new cars wouldn't share much in common with the boxy Marcello Gandini designed cars from the 70s and 90s (or the Georgette Giugiaro designed cars from the 80s), but instead rode on a M139 platform shared with the GranTurismo and Alfa Romeo 8C with styling by Pininfarina.  The new Masers put an emphasis on performance with single auto clutch gearboxes and screaming Ferrari V8 power.  Find this 2006 Maserati Quattroporte Sport GT S offered for $13,900 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.

Merry Christmas From Daily Turismo

Merry Christmas to all, from the staff of Daily Turismo.  We wish you the best of times with your family and are looking forward to the New Year.  We are going to take the day off from posting the best used cars on the interwebs, and we hope you do too!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas: DT Style

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the garage
Not an engine was turning, not even something vintage;
The rally calendars were hung by the bench vise with care,
In hopes that Kaibeezy soon would be there;

The readers were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of El Caminos danced in their heads;
And CFlo in his 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just torn down a Volvo for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn brown dirt* there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the Sparco to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a lion,
Tore open the shutters and pulled out my iphone.

The moon on the breast of the newly layed asphalt
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature Roadmaster, and eight tiny reindeer,

Squad Car: 1985 Ford LTD Police Sedan

There is something inherently cool about used service vehicles - it doesn't matter if it was a street sweeper or a mine sweeper, but the idea of getting industrial grade stuff for a consumer use is intriguing.  Used police cars also fit into this category; they were equipped with heavier duty shocks, sway bars, and all kinds of stuff not available at your local dealer.  Find this 1985 Ford LTD Police Sedan here on eBay with a starting bid of $3,500 located in Livermore, CA with auction ending on Christmas day.

Mamma Mia! 1927 Ford Model T "Bucket" Alfa V6

There are a few vehicles that should be on every gearhead's bucket list, one is a Model T based "T-bucket," and the other is something powered by a free revving Italian engine -- now imagine my surprise when I was tipped on a car that hit both of those targets with one tidy package.  Find this 1927 Ford Model T "Bucket" offered for $18,000 in San Jose, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Chris.

Big Brother Is Watching You: 2000 GMC Safari Van

The GMC Safari was a badge engineered version of the popular Chevrolet Astro, but it could be optioned without the tall greenhouse and glass windows -- instead it has the panel sides of a creeper work van.  The Safari/Astro/Express wasn't a large van, but it offered a frugal driving experience compared to a full sized van, and can still haul a bunch of junk...or be equipped with hidden surveillance equipment.  Find this 2000 GMC Safari Van offered for $7850 in Santa Clara, CA via craigslist. Tip from Matthew.

Mid Week Match-Up: A 3-Pedal Wagon For Marc B

It is Wednesday, which means time for another edition of DT's matching game called Mid Week Match-Up, just don't expect to get what you want by swiping left...or right...the swiping thing doesn't really work with an HTML based website.  This week's request comes from Marc B who writes:

After a series of turbocharged, manual transmission cars (Subaru Legacy Sport EJ22t, Mazdaspeed Protoge, Saab 9-2x (AKA WRX), Saab 9-3 wagon), I've purchased a 170in wheelbase Dodge Sprinter high-roof dually for our home renovations and an in-progress camper build-out.  As much fun as it is being THE BIGGEST VEHICLE IN THE PARKING LOT and looking down into nine out of ten bro-dozers, it's not less fun when it comes time to do a Trader Joe's run.

"Grand Sport": 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4

The C4 generation Corvette was born in 1986 at the end of the malaise era but survived well into the sports car renaissance with the final models shipping for the 1996 model year.  They are cheap to pickup on the used market today, so you might as well get a nice Grand Sport model from the final year of production.  Like this 1996 Chevrolet Corvette C4 offered for $9,000 in San Jose, CA via craigslist. Tip from Kaibeezy.

Crushed Can: CR-V Wreck Repair for Less Than a G, with CFLOMOTO

A few months ago my own car projects were put on sudden hold when I got the news that my mother-in-law had just crashed her beloved 1997 Honda CR-V into the back of a Civic during a sudden traffic jam on a Northern California interstate. She was devastated, not only because her own mother had passed away that same day and her foot was injured in the crash, but because the car she bought new and enjoyed for the past 18 years had just seemingly been totaled. Fear not, I told her after seeing some initial photos of the wreck - we can fix that! Follow along as we introduce CFLOMOTO, a new corner of Daily Turismo, a place to share tips, tech, tricks, and tales of mechanical cunning. In this first feature, we share how some simple tools, a lucky junkyard find, and a little ingenuity got this Honda back on the road for less than $1000.

Electric Bug Kit: 1970 Urba Town Car

Ring...ring.
Bricklin SV-1: Hello. 
Zamboni:  Its me, the Zamboni, and I think we need to talk.
Bricklin SV-1: Who is this?
Zamboni: It's me, remember that time a few years ago that we got really drunk and went behind the ice rink...
Bricklin SV-1: Hang on, is this DeLorean playing jokes on me again?  Are you pranking me bro?
Zamboni: No...and I'm not a bro, and you are a Dad..he's 5 now.
Bricklin SV-1:.....
Zamboni: His name is  Urba Town Car and you can find him bidding on eBay for $4,000 reserve-not-met with 1 day to go, located in Louisville, KY.

Eau de toilet seat: 1971 Honda CT90

You meet the nicest people on a Honda.  Back in the early 60's, motorcyclists had a bad reputation in no small part from the late 50's teen gang movies - especially Brando's Wild One.  Honda, with its "nicest people" ads and the Bruce Brown movie On Any Sunday, changed that.  One of the Honda's that changed that perception was the step through Super Cub and its off-road-ish successor, the CT90.  Find this 1971 Honda CT90 for sale in Shelton, WA for $1,395 via craigslist.

V8 For Speed: 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air Coupe

Whenever someone mentions the name Bel Air, I instantly think of the mid-late 50's sedans with big bulbous front ends and wings out back, but the Bel Air name was used on low end Chevrolets through 1975 in the US and 1981 in Canada.  So the next time you see something that looks like a low optioned early 70s Impala cruising down the boulevard, it might just be a Bel Air.  Like this 1963 Chevrolet Bel Air offered for $10,500 in Port Charlotte, FL via craigslist.  Tip from Dascpcu. 

Not So Mangy: 1983 Isuzu P'up Diesel

Once upon a time, before GM decided that it could spare a few thousand engineers to develop its own compact pickup truck, but after they realized they needed one, the top brass just did what any self-respecting large auto company would do in the same predicament, and bought one from Isuzu. The Isuzu Faster (...than what exactly?) was a pretty ordinary small Japanese pickup, which GM rebadged as the Chevy LUV as their bid in the captive import mini-hauler craze, competing with the Ford Courier (really a Mazda) and the Dodge D50 / Plymouth Arrow (Mitsubishi in disguise). After GM discontinued the LUV in the US and started selling their own S10 however, Isuzu marketed the truck under the parent badge, with the name P'up...short for...wait for it...Pickup. Find this 1983 Isuzu P'up Diesel 4WD for sale in Ventura, CA for $7,500 via craigslist.

Gansta Lean: 1937 Hudson Custom Eight

There is an interesting phenomenon in the custom car industry, where everybody wants to be/build something different but ends up with the same collection of parts.  It is the analogous situation to those goth kids, who paint their faces black, and perforate their external organs willy-nilly and scream that they just want to be different...just like all of their different friends.  The custom car world is the same to an extent, where builders grab some oddball one-off and install a Chevy V8, Mustang II rack-n-pinion, Lokar (of the hill people?) shifter/gauges/steering column, TH400 transmission, and a Ford 9-inch rear end -- it doesn't matter if they start with a Model T or a Fiero...it all ends up the same.  Like this 1937 Hudson Custom Eight here on eBay bidding for $11,601 with 2 days to go, located in Beaumont, TX.

Marquis de Sad: 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis

The Mercury Grand Marquis was a badge engineered version of the Ford Crown Victoria and Lincoln Town Car.  It rode on the full sized Ford Platform in the mid 70s, but transferred (with its corporate stablemates) to the Panther platform in 1979 where it lived with the CrownCar through 2011.  Today's example comes from the late 80s when vinyl landau tops were in and shocks were underdamped.  Find this 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis offered for $4,000 in San Jose, CA via craigslist. Tip from Kaibeezy.