For $40,000, Everybody’s Working For The Weekender insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $40,000, Everybody’s Working For The Weekender

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Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Vanagon is a Weekender whose Subaru motor makes it an extra-mobile home. You need to decide however if its price makes it worth moving in.

I think it’s safe to say that, in consideration of all the various possibilities, Tonto was the coolest sidekick, with Dr. Watson coming in a close second. I mean seriously, the dude’s a Native American; he’s the obvious brains of the outfit; and he manages to remain wholly dignified even though his name means ‘idiot’ in Spanish, which was common in the Old West. Yeah, I guess you could tell who wore the pants in the Lone Ranger household.

Despite all that, yesterday’s Ford Ranger needed no sidekick to get its Nice Price win on. Fully 68% of you voted it so, owing to an apparently reasonable price tag and a turbo motor that should make the light truck a hoot and a half to drive.

Let’s say you were not so much a lone ranger, but were looking for a home on the range - say just for the weekend - then this 1985 VW Vanagon may just be your ticket to ride.

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This van is offered with the Weekender package, which includes a flip-up table mid-ship, a rear-facing jump seat behind the pilot’s perch, and a pop-top roof for added head room and upstairs accommodations. There is no stove or fridge, meaning that this isn’t a full-on camper, but it’ll make that fishing trip to the lake a lot more comfortable.

Getting to the lake will be a pretty sweet deal too as this Vanagon eschews the standard 90-something horse 2,109-cc flat four for something a little more Subaru. The six cylinder now housed in the van’s rump is said to be from a ’96 Subie, which would likely make it the 230-bhp DOHC EG33.

Wow, that’s a lot of ponies to throw at a brick, and helping to get them to the pavement is what’s claimed to be a Porsche-sourced 5-speed gearbox. That sends the money to the back wheels only, as despite this Vanagon being jacked up like a dachshund on cold wet grass, it’s not a syncro.

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It does have upgraded brakes however, and there are Go Westy burly man bumpers on either end for when they don’t quite do the job. Other add-ons include a rear swing away spare carrier and South African four-lamp nose because apparently eighties apartheid is a hot look these days.

No mileage is given for either Van or drivetrain, but the ad does note the inclusion of a new coat of paint in clown forest green, a re-suited interior, and a new Camo pop top in case you wanted to use the Vee dub as a duck blind.

The whole ball of wax also comes with an asking price of $40,000 which is an amount, no matter what the discussion, that’s cause for a pause. Of course the discussion here is this Subie-powered Weekender, and it’s now incumbent on you to say whether this green machine is worth that kind of cash. What do you think, is this Weekender worth $40K? Or, is this a Vanagon priced like a van Gogh?

You decide!

Ventura Craigslist in the moonshine, or go here if the ad disappears.

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For $3,500, Don’t Be Lone

Last Summer’s Lone Ranger movie may have been box office bowel antics, but that doesn’t mean today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Ford Ranger needs to… Read…

For $40,000, Everybody’s Working For The Weekender

For $7,000, This Jetta’s A Synchro, Yo! insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $7,000, This Jetta’s A Synchro, Yo!

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While Jetta Synchro may sound like the name of a video game hero, it’s actually that of today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe custom Vee Dub. The question is, will it price have you using some less pleasant names for its seller?

Here in America we like us some trunks. Not the elephant kind mind you, but those on the back ends of cars to make us feel all important and stuff. That affinity for three-box cars over hatchbacks is what led Volkswagen’s second-generation (A2) Jetta to become America’s best-selling European car back in the day, as well as outselling its trunkless twin, the Golf, by more than two to one.

That mk 2 Jetta is also noteworthy for both being the longest produced of any Jetta model, and for being the first VW built in China, where in 1991 the cars were assembled from complete knockdown kits just like so much Ikea furniture- Jê-tā.

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But today we’re not so much interested in all the things the A2 Jetta was as we are in what it wasn’t, at least here in the U.S.. Let’s look at the list, m’kay? The mk2 wasn’t available with a VR6 engine. Nor could you buy it with Volkswagen’s Sychro AWD system. And, you most certainly, absolutely, definitely, unequivocally could not buy one with a Corrado dashboard, even though you know that’s what the Jetta buying public craved.

Well, now you can.

This 1988 VW Jetta GLI sedan has apparently been the personal project of its present owner since 2000. From the tail end, it looks pretty Jettariffic, but move around to the front and you will note a set of headlamps and accompanying grille from the homologation Rallye Golf. That’s all kinds of cool looking and brings home the point that many VWs - like twin sisters - have the ability to share forms and functions like nobody’s business.

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Under the hood is where that fact becomes evident as the GLI’s four has been replaced by a 2.8 VR6 out of a 1993 Passat. BTW - I’ve always loved the name of that slightly larger VW, just so I could say passat gas. Yes, I’m weird.

Here, the narrow-angle dangle of a six is backed up by a 5-speed stick, which if my experience is anything to go by, will be clunky to operate. No surprises there. What you will find surprising however is the Synchro drivetrain, also late of a Passat, just this time a ’91.

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The we are fam-il-y doesn’t stop there either because popping a door reveals that the mk 2’s rectilinear dashboard has been given the heave-ho in favor of a rounder one from a later Corrado. Aside from some hinkey under-dash wiring it looks like a pretty decent fit, and the rest of the GLI interior pieces seem to have either held up well or have been replaced since new.

On the outside a set of real deal BBS baskets add some bling to the somber black bodywork, and while the Rallye Golf’s flared fevers didn’t join the grille and lights in Jetta joining, the clean lines of the stock car still look good today. The paint seems reasonable, and the ad notes only minor dings and dents, which are to be expected.

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Unexpected may be the price, which is a requested $7,000.Seeing the mods that Jetta owners usually make to these cars, the fact that this one is claimed to be made from VW OEM parts is noteworthy and laudable. The question is do they add up to the car being worth that seven grand?

What do you think, is this cool AWD VR6 mk 2 worth that kind of scratch? Or, for that kind of dough, would you rather just go buy an old Audi?

You decide!

Phoenix Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Grant Scott for the hookup!

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For $7,000, This Jetta’s A Synchro, Yo!

For $10,000, Come To Your Sensonics insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $10,000, Come To Your Sensonics

Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Saab 900 is claimed to have had not one but three Saab master mechanics as previous owners. That's a good thing owing to its being an uber rare Sensonic edition, but will you find it's been priced to make someone its new master?

Yesterday's tidy 5.0 Bronco II wasn't bucking any trends, bringing home the Canadian bacon with a 76% Nice Price win. That boxy SUV from the eighties was imbued with greatness for its engine and gearbox transplant, but we've got another car today with a similar switcheroo, but while it does apparently drive, this one's literally built for show.

Have you finally realized GM's plan for world automotive domination? Instead of competing with great products, they buy up competitors, pollute their product lines until even the most loyal of fans say, eww, this is as bad as that Cavalier we rented in California. They then kill off the now unpopular brand while rubbing their hands together and cackling manically.

You think GM stands for General Motors? Nope, it really means Gunning for Marques. That's what happened to Isuzu, Pontiac ('course that one took longer than planned) and most sadly of all, Sweden's Saab.

Of course some of Saab's fatal wounds were self-inflicted, and one of those was the ill conceived Sensonic gearbox fitted to some less fortunate European NG 900 models in '94 and '95. The Sensonic is a manual gearbox that gives inept car jackers a fighting chance by automating the clutch action. You still have to move the five-speed gear lever between the cogs, but your legs get a break by not having to participate in your poor ability to find the right gear.

How does the Sensonic work? Well, it doesn't all that well, and in fact if you happened to catch the Top Gear special; The Worst Car… in the World, you might have seen James May's attempt to parallel park a convertible edition, the result being the expected hilarity and a pile of broken tail lamp lens on the rustic cobblestones.

Actually, the Sensonic works by way of tiny Swedish gnomes who live under the floor and work the clutch when their gnome sense determines that you want to change gears, hence the name Sensonic. This may or may not be accurate, it's just how I imagine such things work.

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This one is unique in that it is apparently the only one in the U.S.. Built off of a three-door NG 900, it's claimed to have been a show car and possesses a number of other features not found on the stock Opel Saab 900. Those include Viggen seats, a rebuilt 2.0-litre turbo motor, and custom wheels intended to wrap around Brembo four-pot brakes. Oh and to give you an edge up on those aforementioned car jackers, the exterior door handles have been shaved like an angry cat.

The three previous owners are all claimed to be both fully competent wrenches as well as folks who take really good care of their toys. The two pics included of the car back this up as the car looks clean as a bean. This generation of 900 isn't the most beloved and usually finding one for sale means a fright pig- or fright moose as the case may be.

This one's not only fantastic looking but it's also probably the only opportunity any American is likely to have to rock a Sensonic edition. That model's lifespan in Yurrup was a short two models years owing to its monumental unreliability, but if you feel up to the challenge then perhaps this is the show car for you and your chronic restless leg syndrome, and hence we should consider what it costs.

Should that be the case, or if you just want to voice an opinion on the matter, the asking price for this one-of-a-kind Saab is $10,000. That gets you a cool car and bragging rights, plus all that gearbox voodoo.

What's your take on this unique opportunity and its ten-grand price? is that a super deal? Or, does that price set off your Saaby Senses?

You decide!

SaabCentral Forums, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Hardibro for the hookup!

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For $10,000, Come To Your Sensonics

The Ten Best Enthusiast Cars For Under $1,000 insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® The Ten Best Enthusiast Cars For Under $1,000

A tight budget shouldn't mean you have to spend your time in something boring. There's a whole world out there when it comes to enthusiast cars in need of saving, and these ten models are well worth your attention.

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10.) Volvo 240

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We love classic Volvos, and it's easy to see why when you look at the 240. It's rear-wheel drive, comes with a manual and you can find wagons for the same money as the sedan. Matt Hardigree owned one.

If this isn't big enough for you, look for a 740 Turbo wagon instead.

Suggested By: cazzyodo, Photo Credit: youngthousands

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9.) Subaru Justy

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Don't worry about the people who have no idea how cool the Justy is. We know you know, that's all what matters. A tiny Japanese hatchback with a red button on the shifter saying 4WD?

Just press it and keep going!

Suggested By: b33g33, Photo Credit: dave_7

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8.) Chevrolet Corvair

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It might have been unsafe at any speed according to some back in its day, but the Corvair should really make a comeback. It's a great classic that's easy to work on, and your possibilities with it are endless.

Suggested By: 2 Wheels awesome!, Photo Credit: Hugo90

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7.) AMC Eagle

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Anybody can pick something from the Big Three. But since they killed Jack White's baby, be a man and pick the Eagle from AMC! Save a piece of history and have loads of high ground clearance fun.

Suggested By: CalzoneGolem, Photo Credit: dave_7

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6.) Nissan Sentra SE-R

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This great sleeper comes with a 2.0-liter DOHC and LSD. Acronyms we like a lot.

Suggested By: unhcampus, Photo Credit: dave_7

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5.) Ford Crown Victoria

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Fuel_of_Satan goes:

It's got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it's got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It's a model made before catalytic converters so it'll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?

Yep, I want one.

Agreed.

Suggested By: BigNSlow, Photo Credit: zombieite

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4.) Jeep Cherokee

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Forget about the stickers. What you can get for your thousand bucks is a four-wheel drive SUV with a straigh-six and a five-speed manual. Heaven.

Suggested By: Party-vi, Photo Credit: Rob_sg

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3.) Mk1 VW Rabbit

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Good luck finding an unmolested two-door, but the first Rabbit is getting so cool that even I started thinking about getting one in case something goes wrong with the A112. Having said that, European Golfs are better looking.

Suggested By: mcseanerson, Photo Credit: MSVG

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2.) Third-gen Camaro

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Some will say "only murderers drive Camaros." Getting boring, isn't it? Listen to CHuber instead:

Thirdgen F-Body. They are plentiful and can be found in any state of repair, for almost any budget, from $300 project car to $20k+ pristine show car/track monster. Parts are plentiful and cheap, they are relatively easy to work on. They can be everything you want it to be from restrained daily driver, to weekend cruiser, to drag strip monster to, AutoX/Road Racing excellence to even a jaw dropping show car.

The community is unbelievably good.

Suggested By: My X-type is too a real Jaguar, Photo Credit: aresauburn™

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1.) BMW E30

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We can't all have M3s but the E30 can be plenty of fun even with the weakest engine thanks to its fantastic chassis. Finding one is getting more and more difficult, but don't give up, it's worth the trouble.

If you want a bigger challenge and more class, go for the E21. I know I would.

Suggested By: PTLmarketingltd, Photo Credit: CC-BY-CarImages

Welcome back to Answers of the Day - our daily Jalopnik feature where we take the best ten responses from the previous day's Question of the Day and shine it up to show off. It's by you and for you, the Jalopnik readers. Enjoy!

Top photo Credit: Cook24v

The Ten Best Enthusiast Cars For Under $1,000

For $3,000, Have A Dodge Ball insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $3,000, Have A Dodge Ball

In much of the U.S. fall means a riot of earthy colors as the trees party down one final time before winter's cold embrace. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe old-school D100 fits with its autumn color scheme, but is its price set to see it fall?

Do you remember when you were a kid and you stuck a paperclip into one of the wall sockets in your house? Whoo-doggies, that burning hair smell never goes away, now does it? Well, with its 90% Crack Pipe loss, yesterday’s torpid Tesla of an Alfa Romeo 164 proved seemingly an equally bad bit of judgement, and just as shockingly so.

Today we’re switching gears, literally as our contender Dodge D100 comes with our favorite toy, a four-speed tranny. It also has a 318 that, thanks to lightly loaded rear end, should be pretty good at converting dead dinosaurs into tire smoke and macho posturing.

When it comes to America, we loves us some pickup trucks. And when it comes to pickup trucks, we loves us some Ford F150s, as that model is the reigning king of sales, and has been since back when MTV was cool. But that doesn’t mean that the competition hasn’t been trying, all these years, to knock Ford off the podium.

Today’s 1979 Dodge D100, while used and wearing a patina that looks more comfortable than footsie pajamas in front of a roaring fire, might make you reconsider whether you need all that fancy pants stuff a new truck provides. And it'll certainly take your mind off of Fords.

Back in the ‘70s, Dodge came out with a series of special edition pickups that threw both ostentation and performance at an audience that didn’t know they needed such things. The L’il Red Truck, Midnight Express, and Warlock were all marketed by the brand as ‘adult toys,’ and for a short time, the Dodge hauler was the fastest thing built in America.

Being an adult toy may be a little too salacious these days (thanks Internet!), and because of that it’s perhaps good to know that this short wheelbase (115-inch) step side is just a Custom, and not so much a toy. That’s not to say that its drivetrain, including the aforementioned 318 and 4 on the floor wouldn’t be entertaining.

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For ’79 the 318 came in both 2bbl and 4bbl versions. The two-throat offered a meager 135-bhp while the big carb’d edition managed a little more respectable 155. Of course the LA has been a Mopar mainstay for decades and there’s plenty of go-faster bits that can be added.

The rest of the truck is about as sweet as you could want, featuring a topographical map of colors and contours but looking like it’s all there. The autumn-hued DODGE side stripes and hood detail ensure the truck’s participation in your town’s harvest festival parade very year.

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The ad is a little cryptic in its description, although you do get the impression that the lumber in the box bed has been replaced, and that it has many of the functional accoutrements of the era, including power steering and brakes, as well as A/C. You can glean that, but the general lack of punctuation and random emoji makes getting any more info a challenge.

At least the seller managed to use pictures from a recent outing for his ad, and now I am curious as to what happened to the truck’s front bumper in the Luray Caverns.

Bumper or no, this truck does look like it would make you ten points cooler just by driving it and after all who us couldn’t use the help? Yeah, you know who I'm talking about. Of course the more important question is whether it’s worth three grand to do so.

What do you think, is this too cool for old-school D100 worth $3,000? Or, is that price as dodgy as the ad?

You decide!

Washington DC Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

For $3,000, Have A Dodge Ball

At $226,000, This Is The Most Expensive Land Rover Ever insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® At $226,000, This Is The Most Expensive Land Rover Ever

Next year we'll see the launch of both the first long wheelbase Range Rover in 20 years and the most luxurious version called the Autobiography Black, which comes with electrically deployable tables covered in black leather and a chiller compartment for all your booze.

Debuting at the Los Angeles Motor Show next month, the extended Range Rover comes with 5.51 inches of extra rear legroom (China, we're looking at you!) and seats that recline to 17 degrees if you choose "Executive Class" rear seats instead of the bench. Powered side door blinds and a panoramic sunroof comes as standard, and expect a hybrid version to arrive at the end of 2014.

Since you could hardly tell the difference from the outside, ‘L’ badges mounted into the exterior accents behind each front wheel arch will tell others that yours is bigger.

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Land Rover will also unveil its most expensive vehicle to date at the Dubai International Motor Show on November 5th. The Range Rover Autobiography Black will be only available in long wheelbase.

For £140,000 ($226,891), you get a black enamel and chrome front grille and side vents, different rear lamps and auxiliary vents to the front and a chrome accent finish tailgate. 21-inch 7-spoke wheels are standard, with high gloss 22"s on the options list for Lewis Hamilton.

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Inside, 10.2-inch rear screens are fitted to the rear of the front seats, while the rear center console includes electrically deployable tables covered in black leather with integrated USB charging sockets and cup holders. Yes, it comes with a champagne chiller, too, and the headphone stowage trim can be removed to reveal a ski hatch. The entire rear console can be illuminated with the vehicle’s mood lighting settings. It has 10 colors you can choose from.

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Naturally, the leather seating also has a massage function and can be adjusted in 18-ways for the driver and front passenger. Rear passengers can also enjoy the addition of lumbar massage and powered recline, a calf rest for the rear passenger side occupant and Solar Attenuating privacy glass. Sexy time.

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As far as colors go, three combinations will be available with the Range Rover Autobiography Black at launch: Ebony/Lunar, Espresso/Tan and Dark Cherry/Ivory, the latter including a unique duo-tone seat. These will be followed by Lunar/Cirrus in spring 2014, when a Poltrona Frau seat design in Navy/Ivory also becomes available.

Still not impressed? Well, my tip is to get yourself a Vantagefield Range Rover Hunter instead.

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For more info, check out the release.

At $226,000, This Is The Most Expensive Land Rover Ever

For $25,000, See If Eight Goes Into Six insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $25,000, See If Eight Goes Into Six

Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe 996 has had its M96 engine replaced as a precautionary measure. Reading its current specs, you’ll need to decide whether its price warrants similar caution as well.

Angelina Jolie recently - and very bravely - announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy due to the discovery that she carries the BRCA1 gene mutation. Possessing that puts her at greatly elevated risk for breast cancer. This obviously was not a decision to be taken lightly and many are praising the actress and serial child adopter for going public with having made this difficult choice.

On a similar, but far less personal and socially impactful note, the owner of today’s 1999 Porsche Carrera 2 has eliminated potential future tragedy by replacing the car’s less than well thought of M96 six cylinder with ol’ reliable, the Chevy LS1.

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Heresy! you might shout, Chevy is the most American of brands while Porsche represents our nation’s greatest enemy of the past century, and now the a Bowtie brand's most venerated motor sits, happy as a clam, in this German car’s ass?

Okay, patriots, just read the ad.

First off, let’s get one thing out of the way; the M96, in its 3.4-litre 296-bhp form as originally offered in the 996, is not a bad motor. Unfortunately it has gained infamy for a major flaw that affects some, and that has dunned it seemingly for all eternity.

The issue is with the Intermediate Shaft bearing. The IMS operates the timing chain for all four cams as well as the oil pump, and sits longitudinally below, and driven from, the crankshaft. The IMS is supported on the front end by a standard bearing that is pressure fed by the oil pump, and at the back by a sealed roller bearing that has no lubrication whatsoever.

This rear bearing is known to be a failure point in both the M96 and M97 engines, but the earlier cars are considered to be the most at risk, warranting a retrofit of a sturdier aftermarket bearing. The alternative to retrofit is keeping your fingers crossed in hopes of not having the bearing fail which will lead to catastrophic engine failure and possibly irreversible global warming and Miley Cyrus twerking her way into the White House. Tramp stamps for everybody, y’all!

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Another option is to do what the owner of this 996 did and drop the M96 like a hot pancake, replacing it with that bastion of reliable power delivery, the Chevy V8. Honestly, I like this guy’s option the best.

The seller notes in the ad that the conversion was done using a Renegade Hybrids kit, which is a well engineered and amazingly tidy way to inject a little Chevy into your Porsche’s backside. He also says that the 2001 LS1 both weighs less (?!) and pumps out more power than the sainted but tainted six, and that at 2,800 pounds soaking wet the car has a power to weight ratio that makes for entertaining sessions behind its leather-wrapped wheel.

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That airbag-equipped tiller sits in a stock and seemingly clean and serviceable interior, that’s also swathed in dead cow. For those of you holding your breath for some other sort of blasphemed revelation, you can relax, as the car rocks three pedals and six forward speeds.

Outside, there’s no indication that this Porsche carries a secret in its butt. The ad does note that there are some stone chips and scratches in the paint, to be expected in a 128K car that hasn’t seen a respray, but aside from a dent on the boot lid it otherwise looks just fine. You can see tons more pictures on the seller's blog.

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On the sad-making side, while the car is offered for sale in California, it's questionable if you'd be able to register it there. There is apparently also an exhaust leak on one bank and you have to actually stick the key in the door to lock/unlock the car. In the consideration of this non-purist Porsche’s price only one of those is a potential deal killer.

That price is $25,000, I'd and now like your take on whether or not that’s a screamin' deal for this Chevy heavy 996. What do you think, is twenty five grand a fair price for this Porsche as presented? Or, does that price make this 996 a no-no-sex?

You decide!

San Diego Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to vipergtsr170 for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

For $25,000, See If Eight Goes Into Six

For $13,000, We Are Family insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $13,000, We Are Family

Today’s wicked wild Nice Price or Crack Pipe LoCost isn’t just Yamaha-powered, it’s also Jalop owned. Sent to me by ace3, you now need to weigh in on the price letting him know if that was a wise move or not.

Speaking of a movement, yesterday’s 1971 VW Super Beetle moved a narrow 54% of you to deem its price to be nice. The other 46% thought it another sort of movement altogether. Yes, I'm talking about poo.

Have you ever heard the riddle about what is the difference between a rooster and a nymphomaniac? Well, one says cock-a-doodle-do and the other says any co... whoa, hi there kids, how long have you been here?

Anywho, if you’re as big a fan as I am of the Lotus 7 and its offspring then you’ll be aware of the panoply of motivational forces that have over the years found their way under hood. Because of that, Sevens, especially the bargain basement LoCost homage editions, seem as indiscriminate as to what goes inside them as does the non-chicken in the above joke.

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For today’s Mazda mayhem LoCost that run-whatcha-brung means a DOHC, water cooled, four pot out of a Yamaha YZF-R1 über bike. The engine displaces 998-ccs and comes with both fuel injection and 5-valves per cylinder for maximum breathing all the way up to its 12K-plus redline.

The Yamaha mill brings along its radiator and 6-cog sequential gearbox which of course means that backing up this LoCost means either parking it on a hill or getting out to push. Perhaps making up for that omission it comes with an electric parking brake (fawn-say!) paddle shifters, and a pretty insane sound as you can gather from this self indulgently long but totes fun driving video.

Okay, ace3, a backwards cap? Seriously? What Frat are you in? Yes, your car doesn’t have a windscreen to speak of, but I mean come on, you claim you’re only 5’-9,” hunker down and wear it right. The fact that our brave owner is 50th percentile brings up another interesting point about this car, which is that, with a 4” extension to the frame it’s now roomier than a little kid’s first pair of boxer shorts.

That embiggening engenders the never before spoken admission regarding a Seven, that the present owner ‘had to move the seat up.’ Typically these cars are so tight inside that you have to make the choice of not fitting or rolling in the nude. Please however, don’t use that second option.

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There’s a lot of additional fun bits here, and a lot of them come off of various Mazda sports cars so you know they have some zoom-zoom in them. The front spindles are MX-5 while the coil-sprung live axle in back is out of an early RX-7. That brings with it disc brakes and a limited slip diff in the pumpkin.

Speaking of pumpkin, that gourd-hued paint isn't paint at all but a skin-tight vinyl wrap. The car also has a slew of fancy name parts that you can read all about in the ad, but which I'm not going to go to the trouble of repeating here as ace3 has already done a commendable job, and I am fatigued from a full night of krumping.

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There's no dancing around the fact that you now need to decide the fate of a fellow Jalop, and vote on whether or not ace3's price for this Yamaha-powered LoCost is a screamin' deal. He has recently dropped it to $13,000 from a previous demand for the total defunding of Obamacare, one large pepperoni pizza (and not that Papa John's crap either), and the ability to give the President an atomic wedgie.

Wait, shit! That was the Tea Party. Actually, I don't know what ace3 wanted for it before, but now it's thirteen grand. What do you think, are you going to let him slide for that? Or, does that price make the backwards cap thing look like only the beginning?

You decide!

USA7s or go here if ace3 decides to keep the car.

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For $13,000, We Are Family

For $20,000, Oh Canada! insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $20,000, Oh Canada!

Over the years the cylinder count of BMW’s M5 models has risen like the encroaching sea. None however has had as many as today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Canadian E34, for which you'll still need to decide whether its price needs to ebb somewhat.

The M in BMW's M GmbH Group stands for Motorsport. Of course it could also stand for 'More,' as in more of everything. The first car to carry the M badge was rightfully branded the M1 and carried a hot mama version of the company's straight six, the twin-cam M88/1.

With few modifications that engine found its way under the hood of the 5-series mid-sized sedan, creating of course the M5. A hot sedan version of the 5-series has been a staple of the marque ever since, and with the exception of the latest - the F10 - each successive generation has increased in both performance and cylinder count. Well, I'm sure the newest M5 will out perform all its predecessors, but it does so with a lessor cylinder count than the last gen, breaking the cycle.

Six, eight, ten, and then back to eight, no matter what kind of pot head you are, over the years the M5 has offered enough pots to satisfy, that is with one exception. If you happened to be a confirmed dodekaphile then the M5 may have always been a disappointment to you. . . that is until now.

Today's 1993 BMW E34 M5 - in Euro form no less - has had its 311-horse S38B36 six unceremoniously ripped from its bosom, and replaced by an even bosomier S70B56 V12, late of an 850 CSi. Hee, hee, hoo, hoo, ha, ha, oh my!

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The 5.6-litre twelve is in fact two sixes married by a communal crank, all the way to having an ECU dedicated to each six cylinder bank. This is one rare motor, with only about 1,500 ever being produced for the '92-'96 E31. It also served as the base for the engine that powered McLaren's F1. Bow your unworthy heads!

Along with the extra cylinders this E34 also gets some added gears. Backing up the 380-bhp, 410 lb-ft motor is a 6-speed manual - probably a Getrag - that sends power back to a Quaife LSD. The whole thing is said to have been built by Brett Anderson from Koala Motorsport in Cleveland OH, and to have but 76,000 miles on the car. No word on how many are on the mill, but it's unlikely that it's been anywhere near wrung out.

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The rest of the car is as you might expect of a Euro E34 M5, with leather-cover sport seats and wheel inside, and the satin grey airdam and rocker extensions on the outside. It all looks perfectly serviceable and in need of nothing other than maybe tossing out that goofy cup holder. Nobody should be big gulping in a car like this.

I know that the general consensus when considering 'someone else's project' is to stay away as confidence is almost always lacking in the work done, and it's unlikely that the builder's needs and desires would be the same as yours; but in this case, screw that! Yeah the burly V12 likely throws the handling all out of whack - the self leveling suspension notwithstanding - but it's a freaking M5 V12 with a six speed manual.

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I mean, the only thing that could make this car more awesome is if it came with a trunk full of blow and an amnesia-suffering Sofia Vergara in the passenger seat. It's so amazing that probably the most astonishing thing about it is that it resides in that bastion of civility and modesty, Canada. Oh and I was kidding about the trunk full of blow, don't do drugs, kids.

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Another astonishment may be the price which at present is $20,000 Canadian. Now before you start joking about that being 'what, $2.43 American?' understand that Canada's economy is presently stronger than that of the U.S. and their government presently not being a joke makes that fact pretty likely to continue for some time.

That doesn't mean that U.S. voters can't participate in deciding if that twenty grand price is a fair deal for this v12-rocking M5, you just need to do a better job than you did electing Congress.

Regardless of nationality, what do you think about $20K for this custom M5? Is that a price that proves the maxim that its cheaper by the dozen? Or is this an M with a price that's M-barrassing?

You decide!

Willz.ca or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Automatch for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

For $20,000, Oh Canada!

For $35,000, Be In With The Outlaws insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $35,000, Be In With The Outlaws

Real Porsche Speedsters - the 356-based kind - can these days go for a quarter mil, or more. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe custom 911 Speedster - strangely described in its ad title as an Outlaw - is asking a fraction of that, but is it cheap enough?

Don’t you know that the bird is the word? According to yesterday’s poll, fully 60% of you not only know that, but are also are hep to anointing our Monday contender, Turbo Coupe with a Nice Price win. Papa oom mow mow to its seller for that result. Today however we’ll have a totally different car and associated tune. In fact, better get out the glockenspiel.

Despite how venerated and dear Porsche’s early 911 has become, the simple fact of the matter is that wasn’t always the case. Because of that over the years a lot of people took to modifying the cars without regard to future generations’ interest in experiencing - and paying for - an original dealio.

Today’s custom 1973 911 Dion Speedster is just such a case. Built by a company called Dion and the Belmonts Sportscars it is a fiberglass body kit that looks so ‘80s you’d half expect it to play the MTV intro every time you fire the damn thing up. This bad boy has been for sale for freaking ever, apparently by the same seller owing to the pictures - and yes I did notice the two sets of plates. Weird.

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Does it look like a traditional Speedster? Yeah, I guess, if you're into that sort of thing. The bodywork has that Frankenstein's assistant look to it, and the covered lights up front do give the nose a cleaner appearance than stock. The fact that the turn signals and tail lamps look like they were drawn on with Sharpie doesn't help though.

Back when the car was stock - apparently pre-1992 - it was a fun-loving Targa. That frame-strengthening element however has been given the heave-ho, replaced by what is said in the ad to be either a tonneau cover or Haartz cloth lid. That snaps to a windscreen that has been dutifully chopped by 4 inches and leads back to a pair of retro-grade grilles on the engine cover.

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The doors must operate by poppers as there are no external handles to muck up the profile, while inside there's a pair of Recaro buckets in grey leather also missing their head restraints. Considering that omission emergency braking in traffic is NOT recommended. The rest of the interior appears to be stock early 911 which means limited ventilation and hand-cranked windows.

Under the back bonnet things are a little more interesting, there being a 1990 twin-plug 3.6 in residence, fronted by a WEVO-built 915 gearbox. Huge Racing Dynamics wheels are wrapped in Pirelli P-Zero rubber fill the wheel wells. This is all the kind of stuff that's intended to jump out from the pages of a buff book and sure enough one of these beasts appeared on the cover of European Car - Formerly VW & Porsche.

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The seller says that he is a 71 year old guy who is thinning his herd. Having owned it since '89 he says he personally had the mods completed in '92, and since then has put 48,000 miles on the car. Like I noted earlier, the heard thinning has been going on for a while with this particular Porsche, and the price hasn't moved all that much.

Right now, the asking is $35,000, which, depending on the model, might not be all that unexpected for a well sorted and bone stock '73 911 Targa. Yeah, a coupe might bring more but I've actually seen immaculately restored Targas from the era go for way more.

This one is neither fish nor fowl, and it's now up to you to determine if its modifications add to, or detract from its value. What do you think, is this custom Speedster worth $35,000? Or, does this 911's price have you dialing 9-1-1 to report a crime in progress?

You decide!

Dallas Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to krautwagen for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

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1958 Pickup With 1.3 Miles On The Clock Sells For $142,000 insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® 1958 Pickup With 1.3 Miles On The Clock Sells For $142,000

Somehow, cars and trucks with insanely low mileage keep popping up, like they're spawned from the sky in Grand Theft Auto. Here's a great example, a 1958 Chevy Pickup with just 1.3 miles on it. And it just sold for $142,000.

This past weekend an auction in Nebraska was held for the vast stockpile of cars that were kept for decades by Lambrecht Chevrolet. It is one of the largest low mileage collections ever assembled.

In addition to the 1958 Chevy Cameo with 1.3 miles, there were a number of other amazingly low mileage cars on the block. A 1963 Chevy Impala with 11 miles went for $97,500, a 1978 Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car with four miles went for $80,000, and another 1958 Chevy pickup, an Apache, went for $80,000.

I'm actually surprised that these didn't all sell for more moola. These are basically time capsules since they're practically brand new. Sure, it's a sin to not drive these cars, but now someone can enjoy a basically brand new 1958 pickup... as soon as they replace some obviously rusted or destroyed parts.

1958 Pickup With 1.3 Miles On The Clock Sells For $142,000

The Porsche Macan Will Have Two Turbo Engines, Cost $52,000 insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® The Porsche Macan Will Have Two Turbo Engines, Cost $52,000

A dealer presentation recently showed off Porsche's new models for 2014. Somebody in that presentation took pictures of it with a camera, which they probably shouldn't have done. And that means we have the first details on Porsche's newest, smallest crossover, the Porsche Macan. Read on for all that info.

According to these slides, the Porsche Macan will debut at the LA Auto Show, which we already knew. What we didn't know is what would be under the hood and what it would cost.

This presentation says that Porsche is equipping the Macan with two turbocharged engines, a 3.0 liter in the Macan S and a 3.6 liter in the Macan Turbo. They should both be V6s like the one in the latest Panamera, which puts out 420 horsepower. The 3.6-liter engine is the intriguing one. Porsche has nothing like it in their lineup right now, other than the engine in the base Cayenne, which is sourced from VW and Audi. Could that be the engine they put in their top Macan?

That also leaves room below the Macan S for a base Macan with less power.

Pricing is listed in the presentation as $52,000 for the Macan S while the Macan Turbo will start at $75,000. Both cars should have a seven speed PDK as standard.

The image in the presentation is not what the Macan will look like though, as it is a render from Autobild.

Hat Tip to Christian!

The Porsche Macan Will Have Two Turbo Engines, Cost $52,000

2014 Porsche Boxster And Cayman GTS Will Cost $75,000 insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® 2014 Porsche Boxster And Cayman GTS Will Cost $75,000

In this editor's humble opinion, the GTS models are always the best versions of any Porsche. They're the cars the way enthusiasts would option them, sold at a reasonable cost. As part of the massive Porsche leak today we know the 2014 Boxster GTS and 2014 Cayman GTS will continue this tradition.

This slide, allegedly from a dealer meeting, purports to show what's going on with the lovable Boxster and Cayman models, which should get a nice, slight tweak over the existing S models.

Options include a 15 horsepower bump for each, standard manual transmission (PDK is an option), standard PASM, and a slightly faster 0-60 mph time.

Styling and equipment options include Sport Design front/rear fascia, GTS badging, 20-inch Carrera S wheels, upgraded steering wheel, and leather interior.

This should premiere at the Beijing Motor Show this April, if the slide is to be believed.

Hat Tip to Christian!

2014 Porsche Boxster And Cayman GTS Will Cost $75,000

For $2,000, Is This Allanté A Hot Commodity? insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $2,000, Is This Allanté A Hot Commodity?

Cadillac’s Allanté is famous for having the world’s longest production line, figuratively stretching from Italy to Detroit. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Caddy needs some work, but will that make its price a stretch as well?

When it came to yesterday’s mildly custom 1991 Acura NSX the only line of consequence was its bottom line, which 57% of you awarded a Nice Price win. The only other line might be the one out the door of people wanting to drive that red rocket.

Okay, admission time. Have you ever bought something that was advertised as “some assembly required?” Have you possibly ever dated a rebel, with the expectation that you could change their less socially redeeming qualities?” Lastly, have you ever bought something at a bargain price, offered as such because it possessed what you viewed as inconsequential or rectifiable flaws?

If you answered yes to all three of those questions, you are hopeless romantic who is also a cheapskate, and that’s a tough combo my friend. Still, these probably the very traits that the seller of today’s 1993 Cadillac Allanté is seeking in a buyer.

Here’s something that’s quite remarkable, today’s Allanté is two years newer than yesterday’s Acura, and yet it seems so much more a thing tied to the past while the NSX still feels vital and contemporary. Here’s something else that might just set your brain to twerking- the ’93 Allante, with its last model year Northstar V8 provided 25-more horses than the NSX, 295 to the Acura’s factory 270.

That infusion of Northstariness dropped the Allanté’s zero to sixty time from a leisurely nine seconds to a more heart pumping 6.3. That’s a second off the Acura but still not bad considering the Cadillac weighs in at nearly a ton more.

As typically the case with GM, once they finally got the Allanté right with the ’93 model, they up an cancelled it. Nope, can’t have that! Other changes that year included making the aluminum hardtop and digital dash optional extras, the removal of the fixed vent wings on the doors, and a new rear suspension that brought handling competence up a notch.

Even with the revised springy bits there was never any illusion that the Allanté would run with the likes of the NSX, but it was at the time the best handling car Cadillac had ever produced.

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Today’s candidate will probably let you sample that sweet Caddy handling, for a short while at least. That's because the ad - while claiming that the car "runs and drives great" - also notes that it overheats like a nympho at an orgy. Other problems include door glass that doesn't want to move and the fact that, much like the global economy, the car hasn't been doing anything the past five years.

Still, it looks good, at least on the outside where the metallic run, forest, run paint seems to still hold a shine. The top and interior are mysteries, as no pictures or description are provided for either.

The windows are a pain in the neck to fix, but probably not all that hard, as where the source of the Northstar's menopausal problem may be harder - and much more expensive - a gremlin to locate and make right.

But that's why this Allanté is only $2,000. These remain iconic and interesting cars, and you are unlikely to find a good one for anywhere near so low a price that doesn't have an ex-husband in the trunk and a seller stipulating that you need to drop her off at the airport post-purchase.

The question for you is whether this two-seat Caddy's 99 problems include its price being one. What do you think, is this hobbled Allanté worth a two-grand gamble? Or, does that price for this overheating car leave you cold?

You decide!

Dallas Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

For $2,000, Is This Allanté A Hot Commodity?

The Unbelievably Sexy Alfa Romeo 4C Can Be Yours For Just $54,000 insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® The Unbelievably Sexy Alfa Romeo 4C Can Be Yours For Just $54,000

Alfa Romeo has been returning to the USA since the day they pulled out of the domestic market. And after about 35 years of delays, Alfa is returning with the midengined 4C, which you (yes, you!) can have for just $54,000.

I like to think of the Alfa 4C as the Porsche Cayman's sexy, carbon fiber, Italian nemesis. And from what I'm hearing from people who have driven it, it sounds like that is the exact case. It has the looks, but might not be as good to drive as a Cayman.

And sometimes, those imperfections make a car better.

Alfa Romeo 4C to start at $54,000, on sale in USA by the second quarter of 2014. @jasoncammisa about to drive one.

— Road & Track (@RoadandTrack) September 23, 2013

At $54,000, the 4C will cost slightly more than a base Porsche Cayman, but as we've said ad nauseum, the Porsche Cayman's base price is basically never the price of a Porsche Cayman.

The 4C will be in the USA during the second quarter of 2014. I can't wait to get behind the wheel and see if loving an Italian in person is like seeing the pictures.

The Unbelievably Sexy Alfa Romeo 4C Can Be Yours For Just $54,000

For $6,000, Cheetos Never Prosper insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,000, Cheetos Never Prosper

Cheetos are like cheesy and delicious little angel turds presented in a mylar bag. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe rolling advertisement Chevy Caprice could also be considered kind of cheesy, but will its price have you whispering, my lord!?

Considering that the U.S. Postal Service’s current dire financial straits has been artificially created by a stupid act of Congress, I’d say it’s high time we give our nation’s under-appreciated mail carriers a well deserved break.

Sadly, yesterday’s ratted-out and postal themed DJ on an S-10 frame wasn’t going to help. In fact, not only did its price not deliver with a monumental 94% Crack Pipe loss, but it also incurred the ire of many of you just because of its dorky appearance.

Because of the response to yesterday’s kwazy kustom, today we’re going with something far more sedate, non-controversial, and totally anonymous in appearance.

Oh the hell with that, let’s do the Cheetos car instead.

Cheetos, the cheesy puffed corn snack, were first invented back in 1948 by Charles Elmer Doolin, and were sold regionally through the Frito company. Frito later merged with H.W. Lay creating Frito-Lay, and opening Cheetos to nation-wide distribution.

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The tasty snack treats weren’t always called Cheetos, in the earliest days they were Chee-tos. Unfortunately that’s just one dyslexic away from toe cheese, and that’s not something any sensible person would want to pull out of a vending machine short of a bet.

While damn delicious, Cheetos - in their multitude of flavors - are one of the messiest means of relief when you have the munchies, leading some enterprising partakers to use chopsticks to eat them.

You know what else is a hot mess? Today’s 1994 Chevy Caprice, that's what. Look, do you remember Zune Guy, the sweaty betty who got the Microsoft Zune logo tattooed on his arm because mental health services in his state were lacking? Yeah, well this customized Caprice isn't quite that deep-tissue demonstration of brand fealty, but considering its size it’s a far more prominent one.

But maybe you really like Cheetos? You do like Cheetos, right? I mean, who doesn’t? If that’s the case then it goes naturally that you’d like this Cheetos car. Just don’t try and eat it, stoners.

Sporting a wildly flamed and snack preference announcing paint scheme, this ’94 Caprice is all that and a bag of chips. That might not be immediately apparent as the pics in the ad appear to have been taken with a child’s pinhole camera, but you can check out the car in all its glory hole in the video below.

Yes, it once rolled on wicked big-ass bling rings, but those have now been replaced by a set of way-somber black steelies. That does nothing to detract from the Cheetos-infused awesomeness that is the rest of the car, however.

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That includes custom red and orange upholstery that goes the extra mile by featuring yellow piping. Yellow piping! The Cheetos Cheetah represents on just about every surface here, and there’s even a frickin’ TV in the steering wheel. Man, I didn’t see that one coming.

What you might not see coming is this custom Chevy’s $6,000 price tag. It’s now time for you to wipe that orange crumbly crust from your fingers and hit the vote button for that price. What’ll it be, a Nice Price win for this Jumpin’ Cheetosaphat Chevy, or a Crack Pipe loss?

You decide!

Chicago Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Brian Maggi for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click here to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your commenter handle.

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For $6,000, Cheetos Never Prosper