This next car comes as a tip from SecondMouse who writes: Somewhere within the vicinity of this particular automobile is someone who needs a good slap. Letting a 1965 two-door Impala SS with a 427 4 speed sit outside like this... Hopefully, someone out there has the desire and the budget to put this beast back on the road. Find it here in the Houston area, asking $8500 and looking pretty complete. Find this 1965 Chevrolet Impala SS offered for $8,500 in Houston, TX via craigslist.
I haven't made up my mind about this next car...so I'm going to post it and let you guys tell me if it is right on the money or a bridge too far. Anyway, the background behind this car is that back in the 80s the management at Jaguar didn't want to spend the money to go racing, but a fellow by the name of Tom Wilkenshaw ran a privateer entry into ETCC (European Touring Car Championship) Group A (that's the big boys) and it was a success. Watch some on-track action here. Regardless, the seller tells us that Jaguar sold some 250 examples of the TWR racing body-kits and only 50 remain...various websites both confirm and refute this suggestion...and to be honest...I dunno. Find this 1990 Jaguar XJS offered for $10,500 in South Florida via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
This is all the money (and then some) for a '93 Lincoln Town Car...but if you are in the market for something strange from the 90s with super low miles...you don't have many choices. But the only problem with this car is that you can't drive it. The second the odo turns into quintuple digits, the fun is over. So you've got about 2100 miles before you've got to park it again or take a $10k hit on the "value". Is it just me, or has this car collecting thing turned into stamp collecting? But I still appreciate the shockingly nice condition of this someday-it'll-be-a-classic. Find this 1993 Lincoln Town Car offered for $17500 in Stamford, CT via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
This next car REALLY stretches the limit of what you consider an appreciating classic car. It isn't fast, and it isn't really noticeable (most of the mindless automatons driving around in their beige pods won't blink twice at a Corolla wagon...even though it was never sold here in this generation and is the only one you'll ever see) and there are thousands of cars that offer more daily driver usability...but...BUT...this is an all-wheel-drive and manual-gearbox equipped Corolla imported from Japan with right-hand-drive and it will win all the street cred you can use at the next Japanese classic car show. Find this 1992 Toyota Corolla Van offered for $8500 in Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Erik202.
I'm going to admit that I like strange features on cars...but if you read this website you probably share love of strange design elements. Take half windows for instance, these are certainly less usable than a regular window, but it is a design feature shared exotics like the McLaren F1, Lamborghini Countach and DMC DeLorean....and it can be found in something as cheap as a used Subaru SVX. Yes, that is indeed a good thing. Find this 1992 Subaru SVX offered for $3700 in Eastville, CA via craigslist. Tip from Erik202.
Happy St Valentine's Day! This next Corvair isn't the fastest Vair on the planet (that's probably something with a mid mounted V8) ..and I'd prefer the 4-speed manual version to this 2-speed powerglide equipped version, and it would be nice to have a bit more forward ooomph than the base 95 horsepower flat-6 can provide...but...this thing is super clean inside and out. So if your automotive nirvana is more sitting in a folding chair at a car show instead of burning through a clutch at the drags...this is your baby. Find this 1965 Chevrolet Corvair offered for $9500 in Anderson, SC via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!
This next car comes a tip from Jeff who writes: I know this is over the DT price threshold and don't expect you to post, but just thought I'd share a great example of depreciation. Sure, a V10 Viper putting out 400+ horsepower doesn't sound like much by today's standards, but just look at this thing..... an epic buy for $27k-ish. Still looks like a 6-figure exotic simply rolling down the road. I agree that this thing is epic for the price and it is a steal compared to all of the overpriced 993s, MkIV Supras, F355s, and E30 M3s -- THIS is the answer. And it does have stock 400 horsepower pounding to the pavement without the aid of traction control, auto-gearboxes, anti-lock brakes or airbags. This next car is the Babe Ruth of the automotive world...its built on hot dogs and beer, not steroids and professional trainers. Find this 1994 Dodge Viper RT/10 offered for $27,980 Niceville, FL via cargurus.
This next car comes as a tip from Jeff who writes: By the pictures, it looks like the owners are doing quite well so it makes you wonder how "Sports Addition" made the cut. That being said, this looks to be a great cash car for daily or first car for a teen. Find this 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix offered for $3650 in Houston, TX via craigslist.
This next tip comes from Erik202 who writes: Seems like you’ve been on a small car kick lately (not complaining) but here’s something that’s not that. Small cars...big cars...I try not to discriminate, but there are times when I get on a kick for small 80s crapcans that have manual gearboxes and I need something like this next car to pull me back to my senses. Find this 1991 Mercedes-Benz M100 Sprinter Van offered for $6500 CAD ($4904 USD) in Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada via kijiji.net.
Folks have toyed with the concept of direct injected two-stroke engines for years...in fact, I worked at a (now defunct) small alt-fuels engineering firm (BKM) in the early 2000s that was working with Yamaha on direct injection technology for small engines...and it was neat stuff that never went anywhere. Anyway, at the same time there was a small (not defunct, but now in the unmanned aerial vehicle biz) company in Perth, Australia called Orbital Engines Corp that produced about a hundred direct injection engines and put them in Ford Aspires that drove around making two-stroke noises without the 2-stroke smells. Here is one that has some engine noises according to the seller -- just head to your local Pep Boys for new parts, shouldn't be a problem. Find this 1997 Ford Aspire offered for $5000 in Newbury, NH. Tip from Cory.
Random fact of the day: The 1990 Subaru Justy was the last car sold in the US to have a carburetor...but this is a 1991 Justy so it should have some kinda fancified fuel injection setup feeding the 3-cylinder lump under the hood (which conflicts with the seller's statement that the car needs a CA legal carb to pass smog...hmmm). A 5-speed equipped Subaru Justy isn't a car that will get bidders fired up into a 6-figure frenzy at the next Barrett-Jackson live auction or get mad respect at a BaT auction, but it might put a smile on the face of an average Joe for a small pile 'o' cash. Find this 1991 Subaru Justy offered for $2100 in Oakland, CA via craigslist. Tip from Matt.
You used to hear a lot of chatter from car guys over here in the New World about how the Europeans always keep the best stuff to themselves. Everything from higher horsepower M3s to special Evolution editions of Cossie powered Mercedes was the stuff of legend back in the day...but globalization changed much of that and we get most everything they get back home in Germany/UK...except we don't get much from France these days, which is a shame...but what you can't get here in the the USA you can get by heading due North. You might have to move to Canada permanently, but a little snow never killed anybody. Find this 2003 Peugeot 206RC offered for $8900 CAD ($6688 USD) in Laval, Quebec, Canada via Kijiji.net. Tip from Erik202.
Mazda recently celebrated its 100th anniversary at the end of January. Over those 100 years, Mazda has achieved a number of notable firsts. Mazda was the first Japanese company to win the 24 Hours of LeMans and also with that win, was the first to win the 24 hour race with a rotary. On the world rally circuit, Mazda was the first Japanese manufacture to win overall with a Group A car with the 323 4WD's win at the 1987 Swedish Rally. Group A regulations required the production of 5,000 road going versions, and the 323 4WD was sold here in the states as the 323 GTX. Popular as rally cars here too, through attrition (exploding transmissions) they have become even more rare than when new. So when ones does come up for sale, buyers can't be too choosy. Find this 1988 Mazda 323 GTX for sale in Battle Ground, WA for $2,500 via craigslist.
In the world of fast German luxury sedans, there is an interesting rivalry between the BMW M3, Mercedes-Benz C-AMG, and Audi's S4. These three compact executive cars have been brawling since the beginning of time..and while you might think that BMW landed the first punch in the German street car brawl with its barn-storming E30 M3...but the truth is Mercedes-Benz launched the 190E 2.3-16V Cosworth in the same year -- and the 190E hasn't appreciated into stupid price territory, yet. Find this 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16V Cosworth offered for $8000 in Hillsborough, NJ via hemmings. Tip from BP.
The King Midget is not a child's toy that someone sneaked past the dimwits at their local DMV, but a micro car that traces it roots all the way back to 1946. The initial versions were kit cars offering the unbeatable value of a 500 lb car for $500, but later the guys at the Midget Motors Corp offered fully assembled King Midgets...which is a strange name for a car powered by a single cylinder aircooled Wisconsin motor that pushed out 9.2 horsepower into a 2-speed...royal indeed. Find this 1958 King Midget offered for $11,500 in Northwest CT via craigslist. Tip from Cory.
The 1974 Datsun 260Z was an evolution of the original 240Z that was first released in 1970 but it was only a one year affair before it was replaced by the 280Z in 1975. The difference between a 240Z and a 260Z is hard to see from the outside...unless you find a 260Z 2+2, which added a small back seat and notched roofline. Today's example isn't perfect, but if it runs/drives it could be a good buy. Find this 1974 Datsun 260Z 2+2 offered for $5500 in Dublin, CA via craigslist.
With the launch of the second generation CTS sedan in 2008, Cadillac finally gave the hungry masses what they demanded...a wagon version of the BMW 3-series & Mercedes C-Class competitor. It wasn't a bad looking wagon (and much better looking than the slab sided CTS Coupe thing) and the American buying public did exactly what they always do...which is to not buy the wagon and instead buy some crappy small SUV. A few years later Cadillac discontinued the wagon (when they launched the 3rd gen CTS in 2014) and now the only way to get one is on the used market...which is okay because they are cheap. Find this 2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon offered for $7800 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.