Just A Car Geek

1974 Ford Falcon XB Ute - A Mean Looking Aussie Here In The US...

2021-04-22T12:53:00.004-04:00

This is an old post from 2012. I was playing around on the site today and somehow republished it as a new post. I have no idea how I did it. Whatever. It's really cool car, one that's worth looking at again.

......

I don't know enough about this car to do a long post, but it's too cool looking, too unusual in North America, not to write something about it. The Australian Ford Falcon started life in 1960. It was essentially an Australian built version of the North American Falcon. With each passing year, changes were made that made the car more and more Australian. By the time this one was built in 1973, it was uniquely Australian, as Ford had discontinued the Falcon in North America. According to a few websites, the first versions of the V8 XB Falcon came with a US built 351ci V8. Later cars came with a detuned, Australian version of the same engine. As I wrote in the opening paragraph, I know very little about these cars. (Australian readers, feel free to add info in the comments section.) This one has "Super Roo" decals on the fenders. Super Roo was a trim package offered on the Falcon, but I don't know, other than the stickers, what differentiates a Super Roo from a regular Falcon. This is one mean looking pick up. It is much more aggressive looking than the Ranchero GT Ford sold in the US during the same time period. The front end, with its twin driving lights and power bulged, NACA ducted hood, has a US muscle car look to it. (The seller calls the hood a "NASA bonnet," not "NACA." Unless that's an Australian term, it's an amusing typo. Wouldn't you have loved NASA to have built space ships with a hood with hood scoops? "Uh, roger, Houston. I'm going to pop the hood and check the oil before we re-enter the atmosphere. I've got a quart of 10/40 in the back in case we're a bit low. I'm going to check for space dust in the air filter and scoops, too.") It would not be much of a stretch - based on its size and specs - to consider this sort of a Mustang pickup. This is an unrestored Falcon Ute. It's in very nice overall condition. The seats could use a little work and it has some rust on the rockers and lower front fender. All-in-all it's a pretty easy project. Being right hand drive would disqualify it as a daily driver for me. (I'm a wimp, I guess. I like to see if there is oncoming traffic before I pass the car ahead of me.) But, if I had the extra cash, and had fulfilled a few of my other - longstanding - car fantasies, I'd buy this in a heartbeat, just to bring to Ford shows. It would most likely get more attention than any other car there. Located in Ventura, CA, click here to see the eBay listing.

1986 Lands Precedent Sportswagon - Just 1 of 2 Built - 8 Years Later, It's Back And Still Weird

2020-09-26T12:15:00.026-04:00

I featured this car in a June 2012 post. You can find it here.

That early post received a decent amount of views in 2012, but then, like most older posts, the views tailed off. I had no idea what happened to the car or where it wound up. I forgot about it.

Now and then I go through the comments section of the blog looking for spam that may have slipped through the filters. Last week, I noticed that the old Lands Precedent post was getting quite a few views and even some comments. I looked at the post and saw a comment from "Splatt" that read: "This car is for sale and is up the street from where I live." Since I have no idea where "Splatt" lives, I asked if there was an online listing anywhere. A man named Ryan responded with the Facebook Marketplace link.

Yep. It's up for sale again. It looks like someone has started to prep it for bodywork and/or paint. (Or maybe the paint has started to fade. I'm not sure.) There are no pictures of the interior in the Facebook listing. The seller says that it has a 5.0 V8 in it, which was something that wasn't mentioned in the 2012 listing. A JaCG reader pointed out that the headlights and markers are from a Lincoln Mark VII.

Everything I wrote in the original post still holds true in my mind. This is not a good looking vehicle. But, it's incredibly rare and interesting. I'm glad to see that someone took care of it over the past 8 years. Let's hope that the new owner will restore it to its former glory. (I'm really not sure "glory" is the right word, but I can't think of any other word. Maybe I should say that I hope it gets restored. ;-) )

The asking price is $12,500. Is that too high? Is that too low? Who knows? It's not like Kelley Blue Book - or anyone - is going to have a listing for this.

If you really wanted this 8 years ago, here's your second chance. Located in Enterprise, AL, click here to see the Facebook Marketplace ad.

1987 Suzuki Samurai - It's Been A Long Time Since I Have Seen One This Nice...

2020-09-21T12:58:00.001-04:00

In an earlier post about a Suzuki Grand Vitara, I mentioned that the Suzuki Samurai was becoming a sought after vehicle. They are incredibly good off-road vehicles.

But what if you don't want to use it off-road? Clean, unmolested, Samurais are getting very hard to come by.

Here's one with just 27,415 miles on it. Based on the pictures, it looks close to new.

Yes, the Samurai was great going through mud and snow, over rocks, etc. But, they weren't especially great on the road. They were slow and didn't handle very well. (Although they were not as bad as Consumer Reports claimed they were. Like many high center of gravity / short wheelbase vehicles, you could tip it, but you had to work hard to do it.) But they are relatively reliable and a lot of fun in the old-school put the top down (or take it off in this case) and cruise on a summer day way.

The asking price for this Samurai is $9,500. That's a lot of money for an old Samurai. But, when was the last time you saw on in this condition? If you have the money and are looking for a road-going Samurai, this one may well be worth the asking price.

Located in Stratford, CT, click here to see the Facebook Marketplace ad.

When You Really Want An Amphicar But All You Have Is An Old Morris Minor And A Dinghy...

2020-09-20T14:05:00.011-04:00

I spotted this a few days ago while driving through Clifton Park, NY. Unlike an Amphicar, this can't be driven on land. But it is a real Morris Minor body on top of what looks to be a small Boston Whaler. It appears to be well done. It must look really cool on the water.

This is at the same place as the Snyder 600C I posted a little while ago.

I really need to hang out with this guy for an afternoon.

1972 Renault R17 - Ex SCCA Car - Ready For LeMons?

2020-09-18T18:20:00.004-04:00

Just because I post any R17...

This thing popped up on Facebook Marketplace.

A former SCCA racer, its best days are behind it. It now has no engine and more rust than metal.

I'm pretty certain no one is running an R17 in the 24 Hours of LeMons. Do some welding, drop a Fuego Turbo engine or a 2.2 in it and you're ready to go! ;-)

Yeah, I know. This is a basket case. But, boy, would I love to see this on a track again...

Located in Troutman, NC, click here to see the Facebook Marketplace ad.

1999 Callaway HSE Range Rover - A Restoration Project

2020-08-08T16:02:00.000-04:00

Usually a rough 1999 Range Rover is something I would advise everyone to stay away from. As Range Rover HSEs get older, mechanical things start failing at an alarming rate. Rust sets in. Parts are very expensive.

Range Rovers of this vintage in decent / good condition don't sell for much. There is no really good reason to restore a rough 1999 Range Rover.

But, there are exceptions to every rule and this Range Rover is one of those exceptions. This is a 1999 Range Rover Callaway.

In 1998 Range Rover commissioned Callaway Cars to do a limited run of Range Rover 4.6 HSEs.

Callaway ultimately created 220 of these vehicles, each one receiving a numbered plaque on the dash. (This Range Rover is # 73.)

Not turbocharged as many of Callaway's cars are, Callaway instead modified the engine by increasing the compression ratio from the stock 9:35:1 to 9:60:1, increasing airflow through the cylinder head, tweaking the ECU and much more. The result was that the Limited Edition Callaway Range Rover 4.6 HSE produced 240 bhp and 285 lb. ft. of torque, an increase of over ten per cent from the production 4.6 liter V-8. 0-60 times dropped from 9.7 seconds to 8.6 seconds. Very nice for such a big, heavy vehicle. You can find all the modifications Callaway did here.

This particular Callaway Range Rover needs work. The seller is calling it a "project or parts car." He says it is drivable and has has new head gaskets, a radiator and has had some brake work done. On the downside he states that it has electrical issues, rust, and a "converted suspension" (I don't know whether that means it has had the coil conversion done or he's saying that it should be done.)

This will most likely not be a cheap restoration. But, with only 220 made and Callaway doing the work, this may become valuable as time goes on. Even if it doesn't, it's still a cool, rare car that is worth saving. The asking price is $3000.00

Located in Minneapolis, MN, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1990 Rouge Collection Jaguar XJS

2020-07-28T13:01:00.000-04:00

This is a "Rouge Collection" XJS. Not a lot is written about the Rouge Collection cars and what info is available is often contradictory. What is fact is that all Rouge Collection cars came painted red, which makes sense. They all had a cream colored interior with red accents on the seats. They all had red paint-accented basketweave wheels. They all had Rouge Collection badges. Somewhere around 200 were built.

After those above facts things get a little vague. Many say that all were 1990 model year cars. Some say that all came with dark burled Walnut trim and matching dark - possibly brown - carpeting. Based on this car, all of that seems true. But, then there's this... A 1989 XJS Rouge Collection that sold on Bring A Trailer in 2019. Besides being a 1989, it has lighter wood trim and a light carpet.

The Rouge Collection was strictly an appearance package. All the mechanical bits, suspension, etc. are stock XJS. I think it looks great in red and I like the interior. I'm not so sure about the wheels.

Of course you can't talk about an XJS without talking about reliability. The truth is that while these are certainly not Toyota-like reliable, they are not the complete nightmare they are rumored to be. The V12 engine is very strong. But, it's a lot of engine stuffed into a relatively small area and keeping it cool was often a problem. Upgrade the cooling system - you can find kits online - and do a coolant flush and fill every couple of years and you should be fine. The transmission is a three-speed GM Turbo-Hydramatic 400. Not exactly a sporty transmission, but it's damn near bombproof. As with many older British cars, you can count on experiencing some electrical issues and should budget for that.

About this car... It appears to be in decent condition. It has 46,000 miles on it. The seller states that it "doesn't need much to be show quality. It is not perfect. It is beautiful and can be driven every day with period maintenance such as oil changes etc. It is turn key and drive home." But he also states "The Jaguar has 46,421 original miles on it. It has been in dry storage for years. It runs and drives great. Since 2008, The car has been driven only 116 miles." That's not a selling point to me, that's a red flag. Yes, keeping it tucked away for 12 years has kept the mileage down and prevented any additional wear and tear from happening, but cars need to be driven. The gaskets and rubber parts are quite possibly dried, cracked and in need of replacement. But, then again, if it was stored properly and maintained during storage, it may not need much. The bottom line is that this is a car that needs to be checked by an experienced Jaguar mechanic before purchasing.

The seller is asking $7950.00. That's a reasonable price for a low mileage XJS. The "Rouge Collection" parts add a little to the value of the car, but not much.

If this car checks out mechanically, this would be a cool car to own. Especially if you like the color red.

Located in Knoxville, TN, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

Renault R7 - An R5 With A Trunk

2020-07-27T13:43:00.001-04:00

As far as I can tell, this car is in Poland and not for sale. I just had to post it because it is so obscure and cool.

The R7 was essentially an R5 / LeCar with a trunk. It was built in Spain. Except for the chrome bumpers and the trunk, it's pure R5. FASA-Renault (a Spanish company that built Renaults) built these from 1977 through 1983.

What is interesting is that when Renault introduced the 4 door R5 / LeCar in 1980, they used R7's rear door design.

I'm pretty certain that there are no R7s in North America. Getting one from Europe is probably tough these days as only 159,000 were built and in its day it was an inexpensive disposable car.

Enjoy the photos.

1975 Isuzu 117 - A Rare, Nice Looking Isuzu

2020-07-24T12:22:00.000-04:00

I last wrote about an Isuzu 117 back in 2009. That was the last time I saw one come up for sale. This is a rare car in North America.

In order to save time - and because history never changes - I am using some of the text from my earlier post...

I never understood why Isuzu didn't send this car to North America. Built from 1968 through 1981, this is one of the more interesting looking cars to come from Japan in the 60s and 70s.

Those looks didn't come by accident. This car was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro.

During its run Isuzu produced somewhere between 85,000 and 100,000 of these cars. (The numbers vary depending on the source) It came with a variety of engines including a 1.6 SOHC 4, 1.6L DOHC 4, 1.8 SOHC 4, 1.8 DOHC 4, 2.0 DOHC 4 and even a 2.2 diesel 4 (Some people claim that the 117 Coupe was the first diesel powered sports car.) The 117 was ultimately replaced in Isuzu's lineup by another Giorgetto Giugiaro design, the Impulse (called the Piazza in most of the world).

Front engine, rear drive, the 117 did not use cutting edge technology under the skin. The rear suspension had semi-elliptic leaf springs while the front had wishbones, coil springs and an anti-roll bar. Pretty standard stuff for 1960s and 1970s sports cars.

The 117 is a very nice looking car. It's not perfect though. In my mind there is too much front and rear overhang. On this particular car the sideview mirrors mounted on the front of the fenders are odd looking (but more common in other parts of the world, so that's just my North American brain seeing them as odd, I guess).

This car looks great in green, although I have to admit that I like almost any car in dark green. It appears to in great condition. The seller says it has 37,500 miles.

Te asking price is $19,500.00. This would be a great car for weekend cruises and to bring to car shows. Given its styling and rarity, you'll probably get as much attention as diving up in a Ferrari would. Of course you won't have anything near Ferrari performance, but you'll never find a Ferrari for the asking price of this Isuzu.

Located in Akron, OH, click here to see the Facebook Marketplace ad.

2013 Suzuki Grand Vitara - An Obscure, Reliable, Desirable SUV

2020-07-18T18:23:00.001-04:00

This is not a typical JaCG post. This is by no means a collectible vehicle. It's not oddly engineered. It's NOT unreliable (far from it). It is somewhat rare, however. At least in North America.

Suzuki's history in the U.S. is a story of bad luck and bad marketing. Not all of that was their fault. North America first became aware of Suzuki cars / trucks in 1986 when they introduced the Samurai. (We knew about their motorcycles for many years before this.) The Samurai was a pint sized Jeep Wrangler type vehicle. It was amazing off road. It went through or over anything in it's way. But, Consumer Reports didn't like it's on road handling characteristics and in 1988 wrote a scathing article about it. Lawsuits followed and in 1995 Suzuki dropped the Samurai from it's U.S. lineup. Despite that bad publicity, Suzuki managed to sell around 200,000 Samurais in the U.S. Today, because of its incredible off road prowess, the Samurai is rapidly becoming a collector's item.

But, the Samurai wasn't the only vehicle Suzuki was selling in the U.S. They were also selling the Cultus. Never heard of a Suzuki Cultus? That's because it was sold here as the Chevy Sprint. They eventually started selling the Suzuki Sidekick here, but the same vehicle was being sold by GM's Geo brand as the Geo Tracker. The short lived Geo brand was sold through most Chevy dealers and outsold the Suzuki branded cars. Suzuki was actually selling quite a few cars in the U.S. but most people didn't know that as they were not Suzuki badged.

In 2004 GM dropped the Geo brand. Suzuki added a few models and things were looking up for them. In 2006 they redesigned the Grand Vitara. In 2007 they introduced Suzuki XL7 and the all-new Suzuki SX4. (A car that I will write about at some point, as I believe certain specced SX4s are genuine automotive bargains these days.) Later on they introduced the highly regarded Kizashi

But at the same time they also added some Suzuki badged Daewoos. Suzuki was involved with GM at the time and GM (along with Suzuki) owned Daewoo. The idea was to "give cash-strapped Daewoo a source of income and broaden Suzuki's model line." In that regard, it worked. The Daewoo built Forenza became Suzuki's best selling car in the United States. Unfortunately for Suzuki it was an awful car. Completely unreliable. The Daewoo cars (which also included the Reno and Verona) killed Suzuki's reputation. Their JD Power score fell to near the bottom of the list. As Suzuki board member Hirotaka Ono bluntly stated "One reason for this, to be honest, is because we added (GM Daewoo) cars."

But, along side the awful Daewoo cars Suzuki was selling some really good cars. I mentioned the SX4 and the Kizashi, but there was also this this SUV; the Grand Vitara.

You may have never seen a Grand Vitara. You may have seen one and not noticed it. Suzuki didn't sell many here and the styling doesn't stand out.

The Grand Vitara used unique unibody on ladder-frame design. The idea was that it gave the vehicle a car like ride and decent off road prowess. For the most part it worked. The ride isn't quite as smooth as a similar era CRV or RAV4, but it's not bad and, based on my experience driving a friend's Grand Vitara, it feels much more sure footed in snow and mud than the CRV, RAV4 or even my X3 does.

The only engine choice in the later Grand Vitaras was a 2.4-liter I4. It's rated at 166 HP. At times it feels like a small six and is more than capable for street driving.

Given its original price point, the Grand Vitara is very well equipped. The interior is well laid out. Everything is logically placed and has a good feel to it.

Except for the headlight bulbs, which burn out quicker than on any other car I know, the Grand Vitara is amazingly reliable. And that's a good thing as the one major drawback to owing a Suzuki Grand Vitara is parts availability. OEM parts are close to unobtainable in North America. Common consumable parts are available through the aftermarket, but trim pieces and obscure Grand Vitara specific parts are going to be harder to find and may have to be bought from Europe (where the Grand Vitara is still sold) or Asia.

As I wrote in the opening paragraph, this is not a collectible car. What it is is an obscure, reliable, SUV bargain. If you're looking for a very capable SUV and don't mind occasionally hunting down parts (something I actually like doing), a Grand Vitara is worth looking at.

There are a few for sale across the U.S.. I picked this one as it's a 2013, the last year the Grand Vitara was available here. It has 65,000 miles on it and an asking price of $8900.00. Located in State College, PA, click here to see the Autotrader ad.

A Beautifully Restored 1980 Rover 3500 SD1

2020-06-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

Wow. Just wow.

I have written about the 3500 SD1 in the past. I even owned one. To save time, I am copying some of the text from a previous post.

...

I think that of all the "odd" car I've owned, the one that got the most attention (as in, "What the hell is that?) was my Rover SD1.

Had I lived in Europe when I owned that car, the reaction would have been "So what? It's another Rover". Here in the US, where it was known as the 3500, the SD1 was sold for only one year, 1980. Only 800 were sent here and it took Rover well into 1982 to find homes for all of them. To say it was a failure would be putting it mildly.

It didn't have to be a failure. On paper it was a brilliant car. But quality control at BL's factories in the 1980s was awful and the cars that rolled off the assembly lines were poorly screwed together and broke down often.

My Rover at a car show circa late 1980s.

The 3500 came with Rover's ubiquitous aluminum V8. This engine is one of the great engines of all time. It has powered everything from Land Rovers, Triumphs, Rovers, Morgans, TVRs, MGs and a whole bunch of kit cars. Lightweight and fairly powerful, it was the perfect engine for the SD1. (In the UK the SD1 was also available with 4 and 6 cylinder engines.)

The interior was extremely comfortable, very roomy and relatively luxurious. It was also "modern" by British large car standards. There was not a piece of wood veneer to be found. The design of the dashboard was made symmetrical in order to allow for the assembly of both left and right hand drive cars. It had two gloveboxes. On a LHD car like this, there is a vent where the steering wheel would be if the car was RHD.

In every place other than North America, these were great looking cars. In North America they had the mandatory big US bumpers and awful looking sealed beam headlights. More than anything, the loss of the flush headlights (also mandated by US law at the time) ruined the look of the front end of the car. If you buy one pay whatever you have to pay for a set of European lights. It makes a world of difference.

My SD1 was a reliable car. It never failed to start, it never left me stranded. It was fun to drive and, as I mentioned, attracted attention everywhere I drove it. I traded mine for an MGB, a move that I now regret. The MGB was a good, fun car, but compared to the Rover they're a dime-a-dozen. I should have kept the Rover and bought an MG. Oh well.

This is a pretty amazing find. The seller states in his ad:
This Rover (not Land Rover) 3500 or “SD1” is 1 of about 800 left hand drive models made by British Leyland for the US market in 1980.

Mechanical restoration is mostly complete and it starts and drives great. The paint and interior are all original, and quite nice for their age.
5-speed manual, Pendelican White, 3.5L Rover V8 EFI 130hp. Always garaged. Always passed smog. 33k miles on chassis, 3k since rebuild.
Things that work: All exterior & interior lights. All gauges. Wipers. Seat belt buzzer. Blower fan and heater core diverter. Quartz analog clock.
I bought this car with its drivetrain removed, performed a frame-on restoration of the engine bay and installed a rebuilt engine from another SD1 bored .030 over. All parts under the hood are either new, or rebuilt.
New brake, clutch lines & hydraulics, rotors pads drums & shoes. Rebuilt steering rack & power steering pump. Rebuilt front suspension, powder coat cross member. New EFI wiring harness and computer. Rims and spare power coated in Prismatic Gold. Most lighting converted to LED.
Included with the car is a large collection of spares. 18 or so boxes and a few larger items. Original workshop manual with USA model wiring diagram. 5 rims. Steering rack core. NOS interior trims, sensors, relays etc. Buick ported heads. European Vitesse front spoiler. US model chin spoiler. NOS tail lights and corner marker lights. Full upholstery set in light brown (or use as pattern for your own choice). Full set of A/C parts. A/C condenser. Spare radiator. Cruise control computer & throttle actuator. Fitted indoor car cover.

What can I say? This is a car you don't often see, that has been lovingly restores. It is worth the $9500.00 the seller is asking.

Located in San Jose, CA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1980 Renault R5 / LeCar - Are They Becoming Collectible?

2020-06-21T16:41:00.000-04:00

This has already been posted on Barn Finds. Their post can be found here.

I'm just posting this because it's an R5 / LeCar. I've posted quite a few of them here. I've owned a few, too. They have a bad rep in the U.S., but mine were reliable and fun to drive.

This one supposedly has just under 40,000 miles on it. It has the very desirable sunroof. The seats are not original, but seem to fit well and look comfortable.

All-in-all it looks to be in decent condition (I see quite a bit of surface rust), but would need some work to be perfect.

Here's the interesting thing... This car has been bid up to $4,050.00 with just under 4 days to go on the eBay auction. Yikes! Are these now becoming collectible?

I'll be interested to see what it sells for. I wonder what my Black Beauty Edition would have been worth if I had kept it?

Located in North Hollywood, CA, click here to see the eBay listing.

1970 Rover P6 3500 - It Deserves To Be Restored

2020-06-20T13:56:00.000-04:00

I've written about the P6 in the past. Some of the text in this post is coming from past posts...

The P6 was introduced in 1963. It was advanced for its time. In the rear was a de Dion tube suspension, it had 4 wheel disc brakes and, in 4 cylinder form, an OHC engine. Those things were not usually seen in 1963.

In 1968 Rover made the P6 really interesting by dropping the 3500cc V8 into it. The all aluminum V8 gave the car some real power without adding much extra weight (The V8 3500 P6, which had more "features" than the 6 cylinder version, weighed only 52 lbs more.) The car was able to hit 60 MPH in around 9 seconds and had a top speed of over 120 MPH.

There are some pretty interesting features on the P6s that came to the US, notably a thing called "Icelert" which told the driver when the temperature dropped to a point where ice may form on the road. Many modern cars have something similar these days, but 40+ years ago that was really unusual. You can see the sensor in the picture above, it's the silver box next to the right side headlights.

The 3500 P6 should have been a huge success in the US. It featured everything the US buyer looked for in a car; power, ride, handling, luxury and style. Initial reviews of the car were glowing. Unfortunately, the 3500 P6 may have been one of the most trouble prone new cars ever sold in the US. The Lucas electrics, of course, were a problem, but build quality, due to BL's poor quality control and a disgruntled workforce, was also extremely poor.

How unreliable was the 3500 P6? Well, in 1974, Britain's "Drive" magazine declared it the "worst new car in England". They purchased a 3500S P6. During their first six months and 6000 miles of ownership, it had gone through three engines, two gear boxes, two clutch housings and it needed a complete wiring harness. The car had spent 114 of its first 165 days in the shop. This was 6 years after the model's introduction, by which time you would have thought Rover would have worked all the "bugs" out. Imagine how bad the early cars must have been. Yikes.

There is some good news to all of this. First of all, because of it's reputation, the P6 - even restored ones - don't sell for a lot of money. Secondly, like so many cars I write about, over the years the owners and the aftermarket have figured out how to prevent and / or fix most of the car's problems.

This particular P6 needs a full restoration. The seller say the engine has a rod knock. The body looks to have little or no rust, but there are some dents and it's missing some trim. The interior looks to be complete, but rough.

Financially, there is no good reason to restore this car. This car would be a labor of love. It's a job I hope someone takes on. The P6 may not be a perfect car, but it's from a time when carmakers took chances. That's something few carmakers do today. This piece of automotive history deserves to be saved.

Located in California's Sonoma County, click here to see the Craigslist ad. The asking price is $1750.00.

1974 Fiat 128SL Coupe

2020-06-19T15:18:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post today...

I just wanted to point this car out because there are so few left in North America.

The 128SL was based on a shortened 128 sedan platform. The suspension and brakes were slightly different than the sedan's.

The body was, to my eyes, subtly beautiful.

This car has had some work done to it. The seller calls the engine a "built performance motor." New parts include a cam. pistons, headers and a Weber 40 DCNF carb.

The body is described as being a "straight rust free body." It needs paint. Originally orange, someone spray painted it the blueish / greenish color you see now. I kind of like the current color, but if I were to buy it, I'd restore to its original orange.

Someone needs to buy this car and restore it. Cars like these are getting harder and harder to find. The seller is asking $2950.00 for it.

Located in Seattle, WA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1985 BMW Baur 323i - In the U.S.

2020-06-13T18:07:00.000-04:00

Another cool car that was never officially imported to the U.S. But, what the European car companies wouldn't send to us, gray market importers often did. This Baur 323 convertible is one of those cars.

The first BMW Baur convertible was based on the 1600 / 2002. Early convertibles had full folding roofs. In 1971 they started producing "targa" style convertibles. Every 3 Series through the E36 was available with a Baur conversion. (The e36 was a unique, somewhat bizarre, 4 door convertible.)

The E30, even in U.S. trim was a damn good car. Stuck between the lackluster (at least in U.S. trim) E21 and the much rounder, more modern E36, it was the car that put the 3 Series on the map in North America. The first M3 was an E30 and it was the first 3 Series to be offered as a 4 door sedan. It was also the first 3 Series to be offered as a BMW factory built convertible, which was sold along side the Baur "targa" versions.

The M20B23 6 cylinder engine was never offered in the U.S. and puts out around 150 HP. A noticeable difference between the U.S. spec E30 and this car is a lack of the 5 MPH "diving board" bumpers that were required in the U.S. at the time.

This 1985 Baur looks to be in overall good condition. The seller says the clear coat is staring to peel in places and there is a bit of rust "inside the trunk at the trunk lip." he also states that it needs new tires. If I were to buy it I'd replace the wheels too, which in my eyes don't suit the car. That's personal opinion of course, and you may think differently. (The seller is including a set of Alpina wheels with the car.)

The asking price is $8800.00, which seems realistic to me. The is a fairly rare car in general and very rare in the U.S. The E30 is a fun car to drive and the Baur conversion just adds more fun to the equation.

Located in Burtonsville, MD, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1979 Renault R30 TS - In North America And Being Auctioned

2020-06-10T15:21:00.000-04:00

Anyone who has read this blog in the past knows about my love of French cars. I've owned quite a few and lusted after many more. I would be lusting after this car big time if I hadn't just had a 10 week unplanned, unpayed vacation courtesy of the Covid 19 virus "stay at home" order. I'm fine (never got the virus, knock on wood) and my business is back open, but I'm not in a "let's spend money on unnecessary things mood" right now.

This is a car that was never imported to the United States. The R30 TS was Renault's top of the line car in the late 1970s. It was the first Renault to use the PRV V6.

Unfortunately early model problems, especially with the PRV engine, led to the car gaining a reputation for being unreliable. Rust was also an issue on early cars.

This R30 somehow found its way to Ontario, Canada. It looks to be in rough, but restorable condition. It is being offered by an auction house and their description is this: "4 Door Manual Gear Box. Needs Cv Boots On Axle Shaft. Body Fair To Good Condition. Need Brake Hydraulic Lines Replaced New Exhaust System Required." I'm pretty certain it will need more, but if you can get it cheap, it might be worth the gamble. Parts will be impossible to come by in North America, but Renault sold quite of few R30s (and it's sibling the R20) worldwide, so there should be plenty of parts available overseas.

As I write this the high bid is $202.00 Canadian (about $150.00 US). That's dirt cheap for a car that would be unique at any North American car show.

Located in Lambton Shores, ON, Canada, click here to see the Auction House website.

2007 Volvo V50 T5 AWD - This Would be A Cool Daily Driver

2020-05-30T17:06:00.004-04:00

I have always liked these cars. The second generation S40 / V50 Volvos just had a great look to them.

The V50 is the wagon version of the S40 sedan. The S40 line dates back to 1994. The first generation was a collaboration between Volvo and Mitsubishi. It wasn't a bad car, but it was nothing special. The first generation wagons were called the V40.

In 2004 Volvo introduced the second generation S40. The wagon was renamed the V50. While it shared its platform with the with the Ford Focus and Mazda 3, it was more of what you expect a Volvo to be than the first generation was. The body styling was consistent with the other Volvos of the time. The sedan sort of looked like an S60 that was left in the dryer for too long. The wagon was a bit more unique.

The interior showed the car's Swedish roots. Everything you expect to find in a European sport sedan / wagon is there, but it is all in what became known as a "floating" center console. It was simple and functional. Typical Swedish design. Most people either loved or hated it. I love it.

The T5 was Volvo's performance version of the car. The turbocharged inline 5 was good for 218 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. 60 MPH cam in just 6.9 seconds. That's very good for a car built in 2007. That power is put to the road through a Haldex AWD system.

Based on what I see online, these are pretty reliable cars. Volvos aren't the bulletproof cars they once were, but the second generation s40 / V50 seem to have no glaring faults.

Having just written that, this car has has its engine replaced. The seller writes "the new engine has six months warranty from LKQ for parts only and documented 65,000 miles on it." (The rest of the car has 130K on it.) LKQ is an auto recycler (read: junkyard), and the seller does not say how many - if any - of miles he has put on the car himself since the engine was replaced. The body and interior look to be in very nice shape and I love the blue exterior color.

If the seller has a reasonable explanation for the engine replacement this would be a fun daily driver. The asking price is $5950.00.

Located in Walnut Creek, CA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

201? Snyder ST-600c

2020-05-19T12:46:00.000-04:00

There isn't a whole lot to do during these days of "stay at home." My business has been closed for two months, restaurants aren't open, car shows aren't happening and the Red Sox aren't playing. To avoid complete and total boredom, my girlfriend and I go "exploring." Exploring means that we get in the car and drive. We usually don't plan a destination and we always pack some sort of picnic type food. It's actually fun. Yeah, it would be cool if there was a car show we could stop at along the way or if the Sox were on the radio, but we're making the best of a weird situation and having fun doing it.

Early into our trip this weekend, I spotted this car in Clifton Park, NY. It's a Snyder ST-600C. Honestly, I had never seen or heard of a Snyder. I had to do some research...

Basically it's a Chinese built 3 wheeler. A company called Snyder Technology, Inc. imported them and sold them as under the Snyder name. They may also have had something to do with the Wildfire 3 wheelers that were also being sold in the US at the time.

The Snyder's engine is a 600cc motorcycle engine. It's mounted in the rear. Steering is via a single front wheel. Technically, it's not a car. It needs to be registered as a motorcycle.

From the outside, the build quality of this car looks similar to the build quality of the first Hyundais that made their way to the US in 1987. The interior, however, looks to be a total joke. I could not get into the car, but just from glancing in I could sense how cheap everything was. Amusingly, the center HVAC / radio stack is surrounded by fake wood grain. As if that was going to somehow make the Snyder seem luxurious. On this car that piece of fake wood grain plastic was completely warped.

I don't know if this car is for sale. I have no idea why you would want it other than as a curiosity. In 2010 / 2011, when it was new, it sold for $8000,00. Cheap money for new car, but you could have bought some very nice, 4 wheel, dependable, better screwed together used cars for that kind of money.

Youtuber WatchJRGo rencently bought a Snyder and had some fun - or as much fun as you can - with it. You can check out his videos here, here, and here.

1975 Lancia Beta Sedan - When Was The Last Time You Saw One?

2020-04-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

I've written about these in the past. To save time, I am taking some of the text from a 2010 post...

When was the last time you saw one of these?

The Lancia Beta line of cars were Fiat's "upscale" cars in the US during the mid-late seventies. Not econo-boxes meant to compete with VW and the Japanese brands, the Beta was positioned to compete with Alfa Romeo, Saab, Volvo, BMW and Audi. It failed miserably.

On paper the Beta line was brilliant. But they were sold at Fiat dealerships and, with each passing year, Fiat's reputation in the US was getting worse and worse. People just weren't going to the showrooms. To make matters worse, the early Beta sedans rusted like few other cars (except for maybe Fiats) rusted. There were stories of cars showing serious rust 6 months after purchase! (Later cars, like this one, were much improved.)

That's too bad, because these were neat little cars. The Fiat based engine is a gem. It revs like crazy, has plenty of power and, contrary to popular belief, is durable. It is, however, somewhat choked by the old school emissions equipment in the US. The Beta came standard with a 5 speed transmission when many cars were still using 4 speeds. The MacPherson strut suspension was not exotic, but it worked well. The Beta had 4 wheel disc brakes.

The body looked like a hatchback, but was not. It was a fastback with a standard trunk. (Looking like a hatchback probably didn't help sales here in the US, as we used to have the opinion that hatches only belonged on cheap cars.) Betas sold in the US had government mandated diving board bumpers and sealed beam headlights, both of which did nothing for the looks of the car.

The seller of this car does not give a lot of details about it. He says it has 136390 miles on it and the driver's seat is worn. No mention of rust or how it runs. Based on the ad, the car looks to be in nice condition.

If (a big if) it's in decent shape, the asking price is reasonable at $2000.00. However, back in 2017 a really nice one sold on Bring A Trailer for $3333.00. The BaT ad included a ton of pictures and some history. If you have to pay to have this one shipped, you'll be close to that $3333.00 price without knowing much about the car.

If I lived on the other coast I'd be looking at this car today. But I live about as far away from this car as one can and still be in the US. It's too big of a risk without being able to see it. I'll just have to hope it finds a good loving home on the West Coast .

Located in Bellevue, WA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1999 Jeep Cherokee XJ Sport 4x4, 113k Miles and "NO RUST"

2020-03-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

Many years ago I lived in a house that was basically on top of a mountain. My winter beaters of choice were always Jeep Cherokees. No matter how cold it was they always started. They went through everything. What was most amazing is how long they lasted. I had four of them. 3 went for well over 200,000 miles. One was running strong at 180,000 miles when some jerk (or jerks, I don't know) stole it.

You can credit (or blame, I guess, depending on your view of SUVs) the Cherokee for starting the SUV craze. Prior to the Cherokee if you wanted an AWD truck (they weren't called SUVs back then) you had few choices. The choices you did have were large and drove like trucks. The Cherokee was the size of an American car, rode nicely, handled safely and could be optioned to the point of near luxury.

The Cherokee was manufactured from 1984 through 2001. Available engines included AMC's 2.5 liter 4 (Under powered, but durable), a GM 2.8L V6 (1984 through 1986. It had only 10 more horsepower than the 4 and was not very durable), a Renault sourced turbo diesel (Rare in North America) and the indestructible AMC 4.0 liter 6. You could get a manual transmission, although early (1987 - 1989) Peugeot sourced 5 speeds had a lot of problems in the Cherokee. Others were better. The automatic transmissions were made by either Chrysler or Aisin-Warner. They are durable and, in my opinion, were better suited to the vehicle than the manual transmission.

The Cherokee's biggest issue was rust. The bottoms of the doors, the floors and especially the rocker panels rusted horribly. Rust is what killed a large percentage of the Cherokees here in New England, including mine, but I have also seen Southwestern Cherokees with quite a bit of rust on them, too.

That's what makes this Cherokee so remarkable. According to the seller, it has "no rust." This is a "bone stock" Cherokee in excellent condition. You don't see many like this these days. It has 113,000 miles on it. With the 4.0 engine you can easily assume that you'll double that mileage without any problems. Spend a weekend pumping Waxoyl into the door bottoms and rocker panels and you may be able to keep it rust free for a very long time.

The asking price is $6995.00. That's a lot of money for a Cherokee, but it's not unrealistic. If it is what the seller says it is, it's worth that much in my opinion. There is nothing I can think of that will give you the reliability, drivability and basic simplicity of an XJ Cherokee. I haven't seen one in this condition in a very long time.

Located in Port Jefferson, Long Island, NY, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1943 Volkswagen Kubelwagen

2020-03-01T15:14:00.000-05:00

This is odd.

According to the seller this 1943 VW Kubelwagen is in the US, somewhere in Amish Country.

The seller writes: "Found this in an old barn we were tearing down. Owner says is more the 80% original and it started right up."

I have no idea what an old Kubelwagen is worth, but $58,000.00 seems like A LOT.

The (reproduction, I hope) SS license plates are just downright creepy.

Located in New Castle, DE. you can find it on the Facebook group called Obscure Cars For Sale.

1958 Austin-Healey Sprite Canlas ''Special''

2020-02-29T14:10:00.000-05:00

This is a really cool looking one-off.

There's virtually nothing written about it on the internet and I had never heard of it until today, so I am just going to copy some of the text the seller wrote:

"As a gentleman racer from San Francisco, Canlas built this car in the 60’s to go racing at historic tracks such as Sears Point and Cotati Raceway. Entering in many local race and club events, the bug-eyed Sprite ran tough against its competition for many years. Logbooks reflect the last race in 1968 before disappearing.

The car was discovered by a Bay Area car enthusiast who collected primarily prewar cars. He purchased the car from two brothers in Redwood City, California who had parked it in their enclosed trailer years before and “forgot” about it. When the current owner found the abandoned race car it was partially disassembled, but complete, in the enclosed trailer.
A comprehensive overhaul was actioned by the current owner, enlisting San Jose area professionals to perform the work. British car specialist On The Road Again in Morgan Hill and Alfa Romeo Specialist Tom Sahines in Milpitas took on the project.
Beginning in 2014, On the Road Again handled all of the details on the British side pertaining to the body/chassis before going to Tom Sahines for the driveline, electrical work, and final assembly. Finish Line Interiors in Santa Clara added carpet for civilized road use. The original Solex carburetors were replaced with 40mm Webers, but otherwise, the car remains exactly how it was originally built with original bodywork, driveline and its mechanicals. Over the next year, over $38,000 was invested to make this car road worthy and how it is presented today.
Based on a 1958 Bugeye Sprite body with modified bodywork, all metal and no fiberglass used. Equipped with a gorgeous early iron block 2-liter motor from an 1959 Alfa Romeo 2000 Touring Spider, which produces 115 horsepower with dual Weber 40DCOE Carburetors. Also Fitted with an Alfa Romeo 2000 driveline, this car really pushes out some power while staying nimble on the turns and straightaways. The original builder also installed a modified MGA rear end to compensate the added power and is completely converted to 12-Volt System.
Ambrosio Canlas was the original builder of the car and affectionately put the “CANLAS” badges on the sides of the hood. His name, address, and picture can be found inside the front covers of the logbooks. Canlas moved to SF after WWII with his wife and the car was built there before he relocated to Hawaii and then San Diego."

Besides the picture, the dealer also posted a video.

Hats off to Mr. Canlas. This is a beautiful car that seems to be very well done.

Located in Montery, CA, click here to see the dealer's listing. The asking price is $39,500.00

An Old Man (Me) Who Drives Old Cars Spends 4 Days With A 2020 Audi Q7

2020-02-24T13:58:00.001-05:00

I live in Massachusetts. My mother now lives near Richmond Virginia. She turned 90 this month. It was decided that a party was in order.

Getting from Massachusetts to Richmond Virginia is not as easy as it should be. A plane, besides being incredibly expensive for the amount of miles you're going, doesn't leave you in Richmond. You wind up in North Carolina and have to figure out how to get to Richmond from there. Amtrak isn't bad - I've done it before - but it takes 9 - 10 hours with stops, and the times are somewhat inconvenient. A bus was out of the question.

I currently drive an older BMW X3. Its a good car. I've maintained it and it runs well. But I wasn't sure I wanted to take it on a long drive. What would happen if, say, the alternator goes bad? Especially at night and on a weekend? I'm pretty certain the local Pep Boys or Firestone don't have one on the shelf. I would then be stuck wherever I am until at least Monday with the choice of bringing the car to a dealership and paying their insane prices or hoping to find an indie shop that A) knows BMWs and B) can get me in that day. Those were chances I wasn't willing to take. I decide to rent a car.

I went online about a week before my departure date and reserved a car through Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I wanted an AWD vehicle and they had a good deal on their "intermediate size" SUVs. (Usually a Toyota RAV4 the website said.) They called me a few times during the week to confirm that I still wanted to rent a car and that I would be there at my reservation time. I assured them that I was still planning on renting the car and that I would be there at the scheduled time.

I took an Uber to Enterprise and got there about 15 minutes early. The rental agent took all my info and payment and then went into the back to get the keys to my rental. He came back out a few minutes later and told me they didn't have any "intermediate size" SUVs available. He asked if I would accept a Dodge Journey. I said I would as long as it was AWD. He went into the back and then came out and told me it was 2WD.

I'm not an AWD snob, but I have spent my whole life in the Northeast. The weather, especially in the winter, can be unpredictable. There have been plenty of times that I have gone to bed at night after the TV weatherman has said the next day would be partly sunny, only to wake up in the morning to 8" inches of "partly sunny" covering the ground. I wanted AWD, just in case.

The rental agent went into an office where I saw him talking to someone. He came back out and said that they did have an AWD SUV they could give to me, a 2020 Audi Q7. For the price of the RAV4, I asked. For the price of the RAV4, he replied. Enterprise Rent-A-Car immediately became my new favorite company.

Someone brought the Q7 around to the front of the building. It had 325 miles on it. It looked and smelled new. We did a walk around and I agreed there was no damage on the car and it had a full tank of gas. He showed me how to start it and I was on my way. I drove it 90 miles to my girlfriend's house, as we were leaving from there Friday morning.

First of all, the Q7 is huge. Coming from an X3 it was like getting into a Ford F350. (It's not that big, it just seemed that way to me.) It took me awhile to get used to that. It has plenty of power, but it's not always delivered smoothly. (More on that in a bit.) The interior is really nice, but I was never able to find a perfect setting for the seat despite it having what seemed like infinite adjustments. The seat heaters, however, were the best I have ever encountered. My phone paired right up with the car and the music sounded great no matter what volume it was set at.

My biggest complaint was the navigation system. It's insane. I set our destination when we left my girlfriend's house. At first all was fine. It guided us to the New York State Thruway, then to the Garden State Parkway and then to the New Jersey Turnpike. After we crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge, it told us to get off at an exit. I had never done this before. I have made this trip a number of times, but its been a few years since I last made it, so I thought that there may be some new highway that would save us some time. After awhile I started to think that the route it was sending us didn't make sense. We pulled over and looked at the route the navigation was sending us. It was sending us to Richmond via Virginia Beach! This made no sense at all. We backtracked to I95. The whole time we were were doing this the Nav system kept telling me to go back to the route it had plotted. Once we got on I95 it seemed to get its bearings and sent us the way I thought we should be going.

I95 ties into a road around Washington DC called the Beltway. We hit the Beltway at rush hour. It reminded me of when I lived in New York and had to take the Long Island Expressway at rush hour every day, except in DC they commute in much nicer cars. We saw an i8. We saw countless Jaguars. Maseratis were as common as Toyotas. It was an impressive, impromptu, car show.

With the Beltway moving at about 5 MPH tops, we decided to get off in Tysons Corner, VA, to do some shopping and grab some food. We found a Home Goods store (my girlfriend's favorite place in the whole world) and pulled into the parking lot. This is when the Nav system went berserk. In the parking lot it kept saying "turn left, then turn left, then turn right, then turn left," over and over. Had I followed it I would have taken out several rows of parked cars and the front of the Home Goods store. On the way back home it sent us a completely different route that had us driving on the local streets of several New Jersey cities in order to connect with the Garden State Parkway. The free Waze app on my phone is much more impressive than Audi's system.

My only other big complaint with the car was a slight hesitation when I stepped on the gas pedal. It was only a millisecond, but when you're trying to pull into traffic that millisecond feels like a minute. In 2020 I can't believe it's turbo lag, I have no idea what it was.

That's my basic impression of 4 days with a new Audi Q7. This isn't a review, just the impression of someone who hasn't bought a brand new car since the 1980s. In my mind it makes more financial sense to buy a good used car.

Would I buy a used Q7 in a few years? No. I like the size and feel of my X3. When I dropped off the Q7 at Enterprise I was happy to be back in my own car, but thankful that they gave me the chance to drive it.

1975 AMC Hornet -No Frills, Excellent Condition

2020-02-19T12:17:00.000-05:00

I love seeing cars like this.

The AMC Hornet, along with the Ford maverick and Chevy Nova, was a step above basic transportation. Not a big step, but better than a Pinto or Vega.

The Hornet was introduced in 1970. It replaced the Rambler in AMC's lineup. The wagon, known as the Sportabout showed up in 1971. It immediately became the best selling Hornet body style.

Like most cars in the AMC lineup, the Hornet wasn't technologically advanced. But, its simple, old school, engineering meant that the Hornet - if given regular maintenance - would provide its owners with reliable, unexciting motoring for a very long time.

Rust was the Hornet's big enemy. Many Hornets - and plenty of cars from other manufacturers - hit the junkyard not because of mechanical problems, but because of rust.

That's one of the reasons this car is so remarkable. It appears to be in excellent condition. No rust holes, no major dents, no mechanical issues and an interior that looks close to new. How did this happen? Unfortunately, the seller doesn't give us the backstory.

The asking price is $4795.00. At 45 years old, this car is probably not something you'd want to use as a daily driver. But, it sure would be a cool car to take to shows and cruise around in. Chances are you won't see another one like it. Almost certainly you won't see one like it in this condition.

Located in Waupun, WI, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

Right Hand Drive 1990 Mercedes-Benz 220te - In The U.S.

2020-02-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

In the grand scheme of all things Mercedes-Benz, this is not a special car. It was the entry level Mercedes-Benz W124 wagon.

But, in the grand scheme of cars you don't see in the U.S., this is pretty cool... A right hand drive, 4 cylinder MB wagon.

From the seller's post...

99,xxx km ( 61,500 miles ) Runs and drives Suspension is a bit tired Rhd (Pretty rare for a jdm Mercedes as most are lhd) Imported from Japan to Canada about 10 years ago with 76,xxx km single owner it's whole life in bc. Few dents and dings and a few small spots lf chipped paint nothing major. Interior is in great shape no rips tears etc Windshield is cracked (can have it replaced for a buyer)

If you're looking for an everyday driver to haul the kids and your stuff around in, this is probably not a great choice. But,If you're looking for something cool and odd to bring to shows, this would certainly fit the bill. It looks to be in overall good condition and would take very little to make it a near perfect car.

This car is located in Saettle, WA. The asking price is $5500.00. As far as I can tell, the seller has only posted it to a closed Facebook group called Obscure Cars For Sale. If you're interested in the car you can send a request to join the group.