Don't Restore It: 1970 Chevrolet Nova

If there is one thing that young car buyers must understand, it is this; they are only original once.  If this next car is purchased by a well meaning 21 year old version of myself...it could well end up with a decent new paint job and a fire breathing 350 v8 build connected to a 6-speed manual...which would be fantastic...but it'll lose some of the charm and charisma of a car that could have been an extra on an episode of CHiPs and deserves to be kept in a garage, driven twice a week, and not restored.  Find this 1970 Chevrolet Nova offered for $9500 in Wildomar, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Thunderbolt from Finland: 2000 Saab 93 Viggen

This next car comes as a tip from Johnny Bouncewell who writes: Man, I don't NEED another Viggen but this one sure is tempting.  Right number of doors, OEM wheels, and the proper six speed transmission.  Yes JB, you are correct, the combination of a 2.3 liter turbo-4 boosted to 230 horsepower is cool, but only 138 examples of the 3-door made it into the USA for the 2000 MY (764 over the 5 year model span)...so it is cool and rare. Find this 2000 Saab 93 Viggen offered for $5000 in Albuquerque, NM via craigslist.

ShortVan: 1993 Volkswagen Eurovan

This next car comes as a tip from Kester who writes: On my shortlist of possible VW Eurovans.  Ohhh...zing!  Hacking 3 feet of length out of your van sorta defeats the purpose of having a van in the first place...but given the choice betwix this and a Smart Car...I'd drive this short bus. Handling will be sketchier than the time I replaced my steering coupler with slinky, but the muppet skin seat covers will absorb any pooh that might leak out when you change lanes on the highway.  Find this 1993 Volkswagen Eurovan offered for $1200 in St. Cloud, MN via craigslist.

Fausse Gordini: 1970 Renault 8

The Renault R8 (later just called the 8) was a small sedan for the common man launched in 1962 with boxy styling and a chassis based on the curvy Dauphine platform.  The R8 used a Beetle style rear engine / rear drive setup and was slow in stock trim, but Renault released a Gordini version that was pushing almost 100 horsepower and a legend in rally races.  Today's blue thing isn't an original Gordini, but it's got a fuel injected big bore engine and should be fun on original skinny tires. Find this 1970 Renault 8 offered for $6000 CAD ($4419 USD) in Quebec, Canada via kijiji.net. Tip from Erik202.

Built The Way It Should Have Been: 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT

The Pontiac Fiero was the runt of the litter in the sports car world when it was new, and was the brunt of many jokes in the decades after...but...if you are going to buy a Fiero, don't fall for the V8 swapped monster or the '84 iron duke powered original and instead get yourself a nice 88 GT that has been restored by a Fiero expert and upgraded with a 3.4 liter Camaro V6. Handling wasn't by Lotus (that was a common, but unfounded, rumor), but the final year of Fiero did have upgraded suspension and is best of the breed. Find this 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT offered for $7950 near Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Balena Bianca: 1994 Alfa Romeo 164LS

This next car comes as a tip from Erik202 who writes: Without looking at this car in person it's hard to say but my feeling is the seller is overly enthusiastic about it's condition. That being said, there doesnt seem to be any rust and the interior looks to be in great shape minus one shift knob. The fact that it appears to be parked in some type of car graveyard, however, makes me nervous about the mechanicals. Not so nervous I wouldn't take a chance for $2900 ($2100USD) if I was closer.  Find this 1994 Alfa Romeo 164 LS offered for $2900CAD ($2100USD) in Laval, QC via kijiji.net.

Landspeed Record Holder: 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

Everybody loves fast cars. Right?  And what could be faster than a land speed world record holder?  Well...in the case of this next car...just about anything you will find on your street is faster.  But to go 100 miles per hour with 36 horsepower is indeed a feat worth acknowledging.  Find this 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia offered for $7900 in Dewey, AZ via craigslist.

Made In Oz: 1991 Mercury Capri XR2

The first Ford product to wear the Capri badge was a German built Ford and a few years later it was recycled as the Mercury Capri (a thinly disguised Mustang produced during the 1980's.)  The Capri nameplate left in 1986, but the name would appear again in 1991 on an entirely different car while the 3rd gen Fox Mustang was still in production. This time the Capri lived on a front-wheel-drive platform from the Mazda 323 (similar to Mercury Tracer) but it was built in Australia but not sold in right-hand-drive.  It only survived for a few years but the one to get is the turbocharged XR2 with a manual gearbox. Find this 1991 Mercury Capri XR2 offered for $2450 in East Mesa, AZ via craigslist.

Cloth & Stick: 2004 Oldsmobile Alero

Oldsmobile was basically a dead brand standing when it launched the Alero just before everyone started hoarding water for Y2K.  I can't understand the mind of the person who went into an Oldsmoboat dealer in 2004 and ordered a new car...but I certainly appreciate that somebody went in and asked for the cheapest Olds he/she could buy and left with two of my favorite "almost extinct" car features...cloth interior and stick shift.  Find this 2004 Oldsmobile Alero offered for $2650 in Phoenix, AZ.

ASC Convertible: 1985 Toyota Celica GTS

The 3rd generation (internally called A60) Celica was the final rear-drive chassis to use Toyota's Celica name.  The next generation used a transverse front-drive setup that has become a de facto standard for economy cars, but up through 1985 you could get a Celica from the factory with a longintudinal engine and right wheel drive.  The A60 generation also added rack-and-pinion steering for the first time and ASC (American Specialty Cars) were nice enough to modify a few of the coupe versions into a decent looking drop top. Find this 1985 Toyota Celica GTS offered for $5900 in Anaheim, CA via craigslist. Tip from Mike Jr.

Manual Gearbox: 1973 Mercedes-Benz 350SL R107

The Mercedes-Benz R107 series roadster/coupes were sold from 1971 through 1989.  This remarkably long production life is credited to the graceful design and mechanical robustness that gave the cars of a great reputation and kept buyers returning to the showroom each year without the need for drastic changes.  The market for these cars is good right now for buyers and should start to pick up right around the time that AI makes us all unemployed and gasoline is only sold in small jugs at specialty shops. Find this 1973 Mercedes-Benz 350SL offered for $8500 in Salt Lake City, UT via craigslist. Tip from Erik202.

Has Sticker, No Engine: 1995 Volvo 960 V8 Swap Ready

The most famous Volvo wagon (or wagons) of all time is the V8 swapped 960 wagon that Paul Newman owned -- the saga of this car was told years later by Dave Letterman and in 2014 Newman's wagon was found in a cheap used car lot -- that story was broken here on DT.  Many have created tribute cars to that insane ideal of a fast sleeper wagon, and today's 960 is offered with its engine/trans recently pulled, but swap ready and a CA BAR sticker on the firewall.  Not bad at all for the price. Find this 1995 Volvo 960 V8 Swap Ready offered for $2000 in San Mateo, CA via craigslist.

Happy As A Pig In Mud: 2011 Ford Crown Victoria P71

The 2nd generation Crown Victoria  was introduced in 1998 and was available to the public (mostly old dudes) through the 2007 model year.  From 2008 to 2011 the Crown Vic was only sold for fleet/rental use and was the police car of choice for many precincts.  This made spotting smokey and dropping to the legal speed limit an exercise in Crown Vic spotting and its recognizable shape will be missed as it has been replaced with various Malibu, Taurus, Charger, Caprice, and various SUVs/Tanks/Black Helicopters if you read (and/or believe) the news these days.  Regardless, if you are in the market for a used Crown Victoria and want to escape the madness in the big (and small) cities (again...if you read and/or believe the news...), you'll need a Crown Vic that has been converted into an off road escape machine. Find this 2011 Ford Crown Victoria P71 offered for $5800 in Solvang, CA via craigslist. Tip from Mike Jr.

Mullet Dryer: 1989 Dodge Dakota Sport Convertible

Pickup trucks are the working dogs of the automotive world...and for decades they were strictly form-follows-function work machines.  But then auto designers started to get creative to sell things like pickups that were built from cars (the El Camino and Ranchero) and even performance pickups (SVT Lightning...etc)..and Dodge even went as far as to built a convertible pickup truck...so you could haul junk to the dump and have your mullet air dried at the same time. Find this 1989 Dodge Dakota Sport Convertible offered for $3500 in Norwalk, NY via craigslist. Tip from Cory.

Cheap Rally Machine: 1988 Mazda 323 GTX

This next tip comes from Matt C who writes: Sure, everyone knows about the Subaru WRX and Lancer EVO. The Celica All-Trac bowed out earlier, but it's notorious for one of the most epic cheating methods in motorsports. And some rally fans will remember the Mitsubishi Gallant VR4. But how many remember Mazda's entry? Well, you can take advantage of this obscurity (and a transmission problem) to snag one for under $2000! Find this 1988 Mazda 323 GTX offered for $1999 in Canton, GA via craigslist.

Verde, Bianco, Rosso, e Argento: 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce

Today's next car isn't something that'll win some fancy prize at the next Amelia Island Concours D'Corpulence, or get you the front valet spot at some Michelin starred restaurant...but it could get you the front valet spot at your local Salsa Dancing spot (is dancing allowed during COVID19 crisis?) or spark a conversation with random folks in front of the gas pump.  You won't need to spend thousands of your hard earned stimulus money on restoring or maintaining this car, but you should be able to simply drive and enjoy...provided you have decent skills with a wrench, multi-meter, and the internet. Find this 1974 Alfa Romeo Spider offered for $4850 in Decatur, GA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Rally Dreams: 2005 Subaru Forester XT

The Subaru Forester was launched in 2007 as Subaru's first entry into the (then small, now large) segment known as the crossover SUV, but the Forester was a long way away from being an AMC Eagle. A few years later Subaru put a slightly detuned version of their 2.5 liter turbo motor from the legendary Impreza WRX STI and called this new model the Forester XT.  Today, as cheap used cars, they offer an interesting combination of off roadiness, boosted all-wheel-drive fun, and manual gearboxes that'll challenge all takers for a few grand. Find this 2005 Subaru Forester XT offered for $5000 in Atlanta, GA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Truck Conversion: 1999 Jeep Cherokee

The list of small 4-door pickup trucks isn't very large -- a fact pointed out by the builder of this custom machine, who writes: I built this because I have always felt that the US manufacturers totally missed the boat on the mid-size 4-door pickup market. They built some – but they were all weird-shaped, weird-looking, independent front suspension garbage with too much motor and not enough simplicity. Dodge Dakotas, Chevy Colorados (or those really rare and weird 4-door S10s) Ford Exploder, etc. At least the Fords were kind of square for a while.  I love the idea of a rugged 4-door pickup and this thing with a built-in tool/gun/ammo box looks ready to rock. Find this 1999 Jeep Cherokee offered for $6500 in Omaha, NE via craigslist. Tip from ISAUN. 

BMWish: 1962 Glas S1004 Coupe

Hans Glas GmbH was originally founded in 1883 as an agricultural repair shop, but sometime in the 1950s, Glas started building its own small sports coupes in the town of Dingolfing in Bavaria.  BMW absorbed the Glas product line and factory in 1962 and what was left of Glas started building the BMW 1500 version of the New Class sedan.  A few years later, (1966) Glas was outright purchased by BMW to gain access to its patents and large manufacturing facility and today the Dingolfing factory builds BMW 5, 6 and 7 series automobiles.  Today's next feature is a small Glas coupe that is located somewhere south of the border, so make sure you have your importation experts ready. Find this 1962 Glas S1004 Coupe offered here on eBay for $14,500 in Montevideo, Uruguay. As seen on Germancarsforsaleblog.