You probably remember the Pontiac Sunbird as a terrible front drive subcompact econobox from the 80s, but there was a time when it was a terrible rear-drive subcompact econobox in the 70s...with a Buick V6 engine up front over Chevy Vega running gear. Find this 1976 Pontiac Sunbird offered for $5000 in Deer Valley, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
It isn't often that you stumble onto a 1 of 250 built oddball kit car from the 1970s that didn't use Volkswagen power or make you cringe at first sight. Yeah, we are talking about the Dick Blakely built and Ford 4-banger powered Bearcat. Find this 1975 Blakely Bearcat offered for $12,500 in Arizona City, AZ via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
DT readers -- posts have been a bit light the last week because your editor-in-chief (me...Vince!) was doing some globetrotting (huuuuuuuge thanks to the DT writers who stepped up and delivered!!), but I'm back with a What Am I puzzle for you. What is it...errr...what am I? I don't even know what time zone I'm in, or what day it is!
The Fiat 128 (built from 1969-1985 in Italy...and 1980-2001 in Yugoslavia) was the original front-drive modern car [Ed. CFlo: if you don't count the original Mini...] -- it used a transverse front-engine setup that has been copied by billions of cars since, but don't hold that against it because it certainly won't drive like a Camry...because it probably won't start. Don't hold that against it because it'll look great just sitting there. Find this 1971 Fiat 128 Rally offered for $18500 in New Orleans, LA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
When I was growing up, a car that rolled over 100,000 miles was something to take note of. Flash forward twenty five years and it is common place see cars with plenty of life at 200,000+ miles. The 2007-2009 Mazdaspeed 3 was the first real hit for the brand. Mazdaspeed's first go at things with the Protege was a somewhat lukewarm effort besieged by an engine that grenaded itself if boosted much over stock level. The Speed 3 righted the ship with a very potent 263 hp 2.3 turbo engine and 6 speed trans that still has a strong aftermarket tuner following. It is rare to see a late model hot hatch from any brand in 100% stock unmodified condition. Find this especially clean 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 for sale in Coventry, CT for $4,800 via craigslist. 
Most of the time, out of this world show cars end up as one offs that either find their way to a collection or the crusher. However, some provide inspiration for a man in a shed to create a 
In 2018 the number of two door coupes available from car manufacturers are few and far between, but back in the 1980s they were literally everywhere. The General Motors G-body cars included the Chevy Monte Carlo, Buick Regal, Oldsmobile Cutlass, and Pontiac Grand Prix. With the exception of the Grand National and T-Type, these were not particularly sporting or fast cars. However, they coupes are one of the last rwd body on frame designs which make them desirable to muscle car fans without a baller budget. Starting about ten years after these cars were discontinued, V8 engines started making a ton more power stock than the roughly 140 hp wheezed out from the factory. Today's Monte features a 300hp engine/trans swap from a 1996 Corvette. The G-body cars now also have a host of modern suspension components via the aftermarket that can turn these into a decent handling and much more modern feeling car. Find this 1987 Chevy Monte Carlo for sale in West Babylon, NY for $6,000 via craigslist. 
Turbo diesel engines large fan base out there love their ability to rack up miles and produce stump pulling amounts of torque. VW and Mercedes were the only two brands who offered passenger cars with diesel engines back in 1998. Today's GTI has had the venerable 2 point slow engine swapped for the same year TDI power plant. It would seem to be an unusual move for all but a die hard diesel fan, but when you dig into the numbers further it makes more sense. The stock 2.0 8-valve gasser was good for 115 hp and 120 lb-ft of torque, while the TDI engine made 90 and 150. This TDI engine has a Malone stage 1 tune that takes things up to 110 hp and 188 lb-ft so this should be a good bit quicker than stock due to that mountain of torque. Find this 1998 VW GTI for sale in New Fairfield, CT for $5,500 via craigslist. 
It's not often you find a Plymouth Arrow on the pages of DT - in fact we've only ever featured two of them, in the same auction, if you don't count the eponymous pickup truck. That's not for lack of interest, as the little rebadged Mitsubishi fastback has a clean look about it, and that charming early Japanese simplicity and character that stands out as unique 40 years later. Find this 1976 Plymouth Arrow 200 for sale in Tucson, AZ for $3,500 via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
A good rule of thumb is to buy someone else's completed project car. In nearly all cases, it's far cheaper than paying for a restoration yourself. Today's car presents the question, is it madness or genius to spend twelve grand building up a sleeper GM B-body? The 84 Buick LeSabre is the cousin of the same year Chevy Caprice. Fifth generation LeSabres don't usually garner the level of unbridled enthusiasm found by our seller. Find this 1984 Buick LeSabre for sale in Hagertown, MD for $4,488 via craigslist. 
If you watch any of those home flipper shows on HGTV, when the work of flip is done, the last major element is the staging for the sale. In looking at that other car site that has become nothing but auctions, the better the staging as far as the photograph locations, the better the price. Avoiding locations where the object for sale is lost in the picture is rule #1. See if you can find this 1981 Puch Magnum LTD Mk2 for sale in Foothill Ranch, CA for $2,200 via craigslist. 
If you are allergic to the "all show and no go" ethos commonly found on modern cars, we have a sleeper Volvo 960 sedan right up your alley today. The seller has quite possibly the most understated V8 Volvo to ever grace these pages. This 960 is quite the find despite not being a wagon, not being brown, and having an auto transmission. The trump card here is the universally lauded GM 5.3L V8 engine and the complete absence of other clues saying this car is a anything other than your college professor's daily driver. It takes a lot of restraint to pull of a sleeper build of this magnitude. You won't find a prancing moose badge on the front fenders, up-sized aftermarket wheels, menacing dual exhaust pipes, or any tinkering with the trunk badge to reflect more displacement. Find this 1992 Volvo 960 for sale in Norton, MA for $7,000 via craigslist. 
V8 engine swaps into square edged 240/740/940 rear wheel drive Volvos never get old or go out of style here at DT. A certain something about any of these swaps makes them quite delicious. It could be the Letterman/Newman connection or that these are the ultimate Walter Mitty car. Today's example is on the lower end of the price range for one of these swaps and has a few minuses against it in terms of scoring and desirability- not a wagon, has an auto transmission, and uses a relatively mild Ford 302 engine. Find this 1984 Volvo 240 for sale in Montauk, NY for $3,500 via craigslist. 
It's getting pretty tough to find any running & driving car for less than $2,000 these days - the proverbial $500 car may still exist, but more than likely the engine is long gone and a family of feral cats have set up base camp where the back seat used to be. Blame a variety of market forces: inflation, gentrification, consternation, whatever. A fun, early '90s hot hatch for less than $2k though - there has to be something wrong with it...right? Find this 8-valve 1992 Volkswagen GTI for sale in Covina, CA for a paltry $1,800 via craigslist.
The 3rd generation Ford Mustang was built on the legendary Fox platform and featured the equally legendary Ford 5.0 V8 from 1979-1993. A stock Fox body Mustang might not be the fastest car on the block...in fact they might be slower than the average V6 powered new family sedan...but you can't beat the 5.0 style. Find this 1992 Ford Mustang GT offered for $6,500 in Gardena, CA via craigslist. Tip from Fuel Truck.
The current car with a Fiat 124 Spider badge on the back might be a Miata under the skin, but the original version sold from 1966 through 1985 was a purebred Italian from Turin. Today we've got a selection from a seller that might be more spiders than spider. Find these 1969, 80, & 81 Fiat 124 Spider(s) offered as a package for $6,500 near Sacramento, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
The theories as to why Volkswagen produced the Harelquin Golf are as varied as the drugs available on the silk road...but the idea that Volkswagen had spare panels of various colors and wanted to consume them is silly. Personally I'm a fan of the "colorblind assembly technicians" theory, but there is no disputing the basic awesomeness of the lego-colored classics. Find this 1996 Volkswagen Golf Harelquin offered for $8000 in Kent, WA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.