For $4,400, Bronco II, Boredom Zero insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,400, Bronco II, Boredom Zero

In Spanish, Bronco means rough, and that's the word that American cowboys adopted to describe an untrained horse. Today's Nice Price or Crack Pipe Bronco II looks anything but rough, and its Mustang drivetrain should make for one fun rodeo. Will its price however, be low enough to rope you in?

There's an old expression - given enough rope - which basically means that, provided the necessary resources, an individual is destined to fail. In the case of yesterday's wild wrong-way Corrigan of a Corvair the issue wasn't rope but greenbacks, as according to 76% of you the seller was demanding way to many for the right to own the unique beast.

Speaking of beasts, how many of you have ever ridden a horse? I have on occasion and what stuck with me afterward was the intimidating size of the animals, and how walking after the ride made me feel like Larry Craig at the airport.

That's why I prefer my ponies to be of the Ford kind. It seems the Blue Oval boys have cornered the market on equine epithets and two of the most well known are Mustang and Bronco, both of which came about in the '60s. And yes, before the indignant replies come streaming in, I know the Mustang was named not after the horse but for the P51 airplane. . . which was named after the horse.

The Mustang (car) is still with us, but while the Bronco was once successful enough to sire a II, both it and its offspring have been unceremoniously ushered off to the glue factory. Today's 1987 Bronco II not only has been saved from an ignominious fate but it's also apparently gotten busy with a 'Stang at one point or another, having been imbued with the hot edition of that car's 5.0 and five-speed gearbox. It's also pretty damn cool looking if you ask me.

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The ad is light on the details of the drop-in, but does note that it's an injected 302, which of course is nice unless you'd rather be blown. The 5.0 is a reliable way to put ponies in your pony and fitting it to the Ranger-based Bronco isn't rocket science, Smithers! The little truck was also available with a row-yet-own so the five speed's not in alien territory either. Four wheels discs add potential stopping prowess to the happy-making too.

Of course putting a lot of power into the tall in the saddle Bronco II is in many ways asking for trouble, but this one mitigates that problem by being hunkered down on its 17" Mustang GT wheels. That also goes a long way in making this Bronco about the most badass looking one out there.

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The two-tone paint looks perfectly serviceable in the pics and while there is the caution of some wheel well rust, it doesn't look bad enough that you'd have to put this horse down. Other issues brought up in the ad are a need for some TLC owing to the truck having been in storage for an undisclosed amount of time and the cryptic note that the interior needs some finishing touches. I'm thinking doilies and a bowl of ribbon candy but then again what do I know?

What you need to know is that this 5.0-Bronco is being offered for $4,400, and once again that's in that colorful Canadian money so you'll need to do some maths if you don't happen to be well mannered enough to live in a nation where they can't even bring themselves to dump a crack-whore of a mayor for his drunken debauchery. What a country!

Fortunately, this Bronco II is on the opposite side of the country from that other Ford, and it's now time to decide if this coolio 5.0 truck is worth that $4,400. What do you think, is that a fair price for this untamed beast? Or, does that make this a horse of a different color?

You decide!

Vancouver Craigslist eh, or go here if the ad disappears.

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For $4,400, Bronco II, Boredom Zero

For $4,500, I Sing The Berlina Electric insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,500, I Sing The Berlina Electric

The best part of Alfa Romeo’s 164 was its melodious six. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe edition exchanges that for the sounds of silence and a far shorter range. Will you find its price to be equally short sighted?

While the second generation Camaro became ever more lugubrious with each ensuing year, that's not to say that yesterday’s ’79 was without its attraction. With its whale tail trunk lid and inevitable Foghat cassette under the seat, its price and condition conspired to give the mullet machine a respectable 67% Nice Price win. Yee-haw!

While that American pony may yet experience a second life through reintarnation, today’s Alfa 164 is more like a subject from the Island of Dr. Moreau, had the good doctor’s bent been along the lines of electrical engineering instead of animal husbandry.

Priced at the same forty-five hundred as yesterday’s sleeveless tee shirt, this Italian stallion couldn't be more different. The Camaro will certainly require frequent fill-ups owing to its thirst, but this Alfa sedan demands that you rock down to Electric Avenue for its modus operandi.

Coming a day late and potentially a dollar short circuited to make yesterday's 10 shittiest electric cars, this 164 is still amazing for its mere existence. You'd have to be pretty nuts to look at nearly any Alfa Romeo, a marque renowned for being the Motel 6 for electrical gremlins, and think hells-yeah that'd make a baller electric car.

But that's just what some dude did, and to a manual gearbox 164 too! Still, since we're here, let's check it out and see if it's worth what he's asking now that he apparently no longer gets a charge out of the car.

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In place of the Alfa's sweet six there now resides a 120-volt electric motor, rated at 24KW. That's like what, 30, 35 horsepower? That runs through the stock 5-speed gearbox so there's no fancy shenanigans required to make the motor go backwards for reverse. Power is provided by seven trunk-mounted lead-acid 12 volt batteries, wired in series.

Now, car batteries are great for that little bump needed to get the engine turning over, and they do recharge via the alternator in a regular car. What they're not all that hot about is sustained draining and tons of discharge cycles. That's a sure fire way to age one faster than picking the wrong cup at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

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Luckily, these still have 8 months left on their pro-rated warranties. On the downside, trunk space is severely compromised. Also, range isn't really all that great. In a comment response from the seller's noir-ish YouTube video he says that range is super limited when the car is 'driven like an Alfa should be.' Considering that for most Alfas driving means sitting in the driveway with the hood up and puddles of various fluids below, that's not all that much.

It turns out it's not quite that bad, as the seller claims 15-50 miles depending on a bunch of factors. That's a wide enough disparity that it might make sense to keep a cab company on speed dial on your phone. This is extremely limited range - seriously, this wouldn't get me to a single titty bar in town on a single charge. Perhaps I need to move to a more accommodating neighborhood.

On the plus side, the ad says that the car costs but $0.15 to charge and aside from having had its heart ripped out, this 164 looks to be in damn-fine shape. It's also quieter than a ghost's fart which should allow for the unique experience of actually hearing the car rust and its trim pieces intermittently popping off while driving it.

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I also note that the tunes in this Alfa appear to be provided by way of an old iPod suppository and wired cassette adapter. That's the kind of technological savvy that I want to see in my electric car builders.

Okay, I'll be the first to admit that this is 164 is an eleven on the weird-o-meter. I can't think of too many people that might want something with so limited a range other than for the uniqueness factor. The seller says that he can make the same changes to just about any car so perhaps he knew what he was doing building this one, and you should now consider yourself forewarned to keep you cars' doors locked.

Still, it is for sale and we're here to decide if the seller's price is well considered, or if he's living in a fantasy world. What do you think about $4,500 for this 120-volt 164? Does that price give you a charge? Or, is this an electric Alfa dog?

You decide!

Milwaukee Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to CrashRedHot for the hookup!

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For $4,500, Become Bitchin’

Ohio’s not the best place to go whale watching, but today’s Cleveland-located Nice Price or Crack Pipe Camaro will at least let you spy a whale’s… Read…

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For $4,500, I Sing The Berlina Electric

For $4,500, Become Bitchin’ insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,500, Become Bitchin’

Ohio’s not the best place to go whale watching, but today’s Cleveland-located Nice Price or Crack Pipe Camaro will at least let you spy a whale’s tail. You’ll just need to decide if its price is a fluke.

It's a bit odd to me that the current retro-themed Camaro channels the car’s first-generation body style and not that of its successor. It seems like that ‘70s pony was the far more beloved among Camaro enthusiasts, despite the car’s decline over the decade in performance, build quality, and appearance.

Today’s 1979 Camaro is from that nadir-end of the model’s lifespan, which as you might recall was comprised of three distinct models identifiable by their bumpers, among other things.

The second generation Camaro debuted as a 1970 model on a new but familiar platform. Coil-sprung A-arms in front and a leaf-spring live axle in back supported a plethora of inline six cylinder and V8 engines.

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Two noses were offered; the standard full-width blade bumper and the Rally-Sport with its open grille and twin bumperettes. Out back, four round tail lamps showed solidarity with the Corvette. It should be noted that the Camaro’s base engine this year - the 250-CID six - put out 155-bhp, albeit under the older gross-output standards.

In 1974 the second iteration of the second generation made its debut. The Camaro grew 7-inches this year, owing to its 5-mph compliant aluminum bumpers which also required a redesign of the nose and tail, both of which now were sloped rather than straight. Out back the round lights were replaced with rectangular units that tapered to a point around the corners. The back window also grew this year, wrapping around the sides allowing for lots more light in the back seat.

Come 1978 and things changed once again, the metal bumpers now replaced by plastic caps that tied into the bodywork but were so lumpy in appearance that they looked like Rocky IV to the earlier cars’ Rocky I. Also, the tail lights became larger with the appearance of a full-width panel, the lenses separated by an ill-fitting plastic section that housed the door for the centrally-located gas cap- ‘member those?

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This ’79 has all of those changes, along with the new dash that appeared this model year, and a set of dusty grey alloy five-spokes off of a third-generation car. Of course the best part of this car is its whale tail trunk lid. Now the whale tail is probably most famous as having been a prominent visual indicator of Porsche’s original 930 model, but it’s never been exclusive to that car.

It’s also equally famous for being the part of the thong that’s visible over the top of girls’ low-rider pants when they bend over, and it looks just as good here on this Camaro. If you disagree with that assessment then the ad notes the inclusion of the original lid in the sale.

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The rest of the body looks pretty clean, although the general fit and body gap irregularities are historical evidence of GM’s disregard for build quality in the late ‘70s, especially at the Norwood and Van Nuys plants.

Inside it’s a little more rough, although the seller judiciously composes his single cabin image to mask the torn part of the driver’s high-back. You can see it in the video however, and this brings up the fact that this Metallica-infused video is one of the best sales tools I have ever seen.

Now that you’re all pumped up, lets delve under this Camaro’s hood. Now, remember 8 years earlier when the base six has 155 horses? Okay, this car rocks a 350, not a six, but even with the 4bbl that engine was factory spec’d at 170-bhp. The hotter motor in the Z-28 only sported 5-horses more. That somewhat tepid mill is backed up by a TH350 and as you saw in the video is able to smoke the back meats should the need arise.

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The ad notes 104,000 on the car and that it’s a Rally Sport model. That means the car has been resprayed over the course of those miles as the RS came from the factory with two-tone bodywork, and I don’t think the CAMARO decal and stripes were stock.

This Ohio whale could be yours for $4,500, and it’s now time to decide if that’s a whale of a deal or if that price means that this Camaro’s tail is told.

You decide!

Cleveland Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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For $4,500, Become Bitchin’

For $4,200, This Datsun Is An OffRoadster insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,200, This Datsun Is An OffRoadster

If you hate all the stanced cars out there then perhaps you will contrastingly love today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Datsun that's high as a kite. That is of course if you’re down with the price and not still all up in the air about it.

You know what word was heard a lot last night? Boo! That’s what. If you happened to stop by yesterday’s NPOCP then you might have heard a similar word - Boooooooo! directed at the price of the somewhat sketchy 2001 Nissan Skyline that we featured. That car’s 65% Crack Pipe loss was almost as bad as getting an apple instead of candy while trick or treating. And then finding that it was wax fruit. Awww, grandma!

Today, new month and new car! Well, new old car, and in fact today’s 1969 Datsun is actually two cars in one. That’s because its tidy and freshly painted roadster body has been dropped onto the stout and sturdy frame of a Jeep CJ-5.

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The 2000 was ultimate edition of the Fairlady roadster and this being a '69 enjoys the taller windscreen and plastic dash introduced the year before. What it doesn't enjoy anymore is its original 133-horse U20 SOHC four and five-speed stick. In their place resides an AMC six of indeterminate age and a three-speed manual perfect for self-shifters with short attention spans.

Of course the rest of the drivetrain is all Jeep, including live axles at each end and a hard leaf-spring suspension that will likely make bumpy roads feel like you're Marcellus Wallace and the Datsun is Zed.

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Still, much like the original Jeep CJ-5 this offers capable off-roadability along with communing with nature open topness, just with two fewer seats. The chairs that are there look to be the original Datsun units, just sans the headrests.

The rest of the interior appears plenty serviceable and of great appeal to the wall-to-wall-a-phobic. Remarkably, considering its major point of connection between Datsun and Jeep, the car appears to have its original wheel and steering column. Plus, left-hand ignition!

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The ad claims that the car 'runs and drives good,' and honestly when was the last time we saw one that said otherwise? It also notes that the paint is a recent respray, but apparently that was undertaken with the doors closed as it's a bit rattier in each of the jams, and as is typical of Datsuns this age, the weatherstripping looks like the Crypt Keeper's ass.

Another issue that you might want to keep in mind is that this Datsun roadster comes without a top so unless you are specifically seeking a fair weather friend, you might want to add the cost of a new bit of vinyl to the cost of ownership.

The staring point for that is $4,200, and you now need to say if you find that to be a deal for this Datsun. What do you think, is $4,200 a fair price for this custom off-roadster? Or, does this Datsun wedded to a Jeep come with far to large a Dowry demanded?

You decide!

Boston (World Champs!) Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to deeteevee for the hookup!

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For $4,200, This Datsun Is An OffRoadster

For $4,500, Rock The Best-Looking Bowtie Ever insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,500, Rock The Best-Looking Bowtie Ever

Chevrolet’s Monza was so handsome that most people totally forgot it was based on the vilified Vega. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe 2+2 is still a total looker, but is it priced to make buyers keep on looking?

During its development John DeLorean dubbed the Monza 2+2 the ‘Italian Vega’ owing to its visual kinship with Ferrari’s short-lived 365 GTC/4. Based on the Vega platform, the Monza had a lot of cool features that its predecessor did not.

Those included rectangular sealed beam headlamps intended to offer a lower frontal profile and hence better aerodynamics and fuel economy. The Monza also was one of the first cars offered with plastic wheel covers over steel wheels. That gave the car fancy alloy wheel looks at only a fraction of the cost, but as Road & Track discovered in their heavy braking tests, they did not match the real thing in durability, melting and fallen off due to the heat. Oops.

Another update over the Vega was the design of the bumpers. With the new 5-MPH standards enacted to mollify insurance companies many manufacturers were forced to hang massive battering rams on the outside of their cars’ to allow for compression space, including on the '74-plus Vegas. In contrast, the Monza had urethane end caps that masked the space for bumper movement and allowed for elegant and simple blade bumpers as the contact medium.

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The Monza was supposed to debut one other really big technology and that was GM’s two-rotor Wankel. Unfortunately, just like everyone else at the time GM was unable to overcome the Wankel’s proclivity for fuel use and poor durability and the engine was shelved right before the Monza’s debut.

That decision also left AMC in the lurch because the Kenosha company had been planing to float the engine in their fishbowl-shaped Pacer. In the end the Monza came with the usual suspects of ‘70s Chevy small car motors, starting with the Vega’s aluminum block 2.3-litre four and topping off with a couple of V8s, a first for the Vega platform.

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This 1975 Monza 2+2 rocks a V8, and it’s the 350 not the even weaker kitten fart 262 that served to disappoint enthusiasts back in the ‘70s. The 350 was offered in the Monza in ’75 in California and high altitude areas as a result of the smaller mill’s inability to meet the more stringent emission standards there. That 5.7 sported a 2bbl carb and - are you ready for this - only 125 factory horses. Yeah, that's woeful, but considering the potential inherent in any SBC, that, and a JEGS catalog are a good starting point today.

This one already has the ball rolling with an aftermarket and shiny chrome air cleaner housing, but beneath that it’s still the stock two-venturi, which sucks for not really sucking. Further on the downside, the rest of the engine compartment looks pretty beat up, with much of the wiring loom now covered in electrical tape and a brake booster that looks like it would give you tetanus.

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Behind the tepid eight should be aTHM300, and this one has been gifted with a cue-ball topped B&M ratchet shifter in its stock center console. The rest of the interior is original down to the high-backed and shapeless buckets and need to know basis instrument cluster. There is a dash cover which makes you wonder what is the condition of the pad beneath, as well as just exactly where do you find a small enough maid to vacuum those things? The carpet on the floor is about as done as you could imagine, but at least it’s there.

On the outside things are equally serviceable but not extraordinary.This is a survivor not a restoration and as such the flexible end caps are in amazingly good shape for their age. The paint is an obvious respray, the door jams and under hood areas showing off a darker hue that the car obtained from the factory.

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Still, the paint’s not bad and the bodywork… well, suffice to say that the Monza 2+2 is one of the best looking cars that Chevy has ever offered. Oh, and those crappy hubcaps? They’ve been replaced here with some period-correct and cool looking Cragars. Underneath it’s all there, including the driveshaft accompanying torque arm, and there’s no sign of rust in this bucket.

Strangely enough for a dealer ad, there’s no mention of mileage, but in a car this old does that really matter? One number that does matter is the price, which is $4,500. That of course gets you a car that’s drop dead gorgeous, but still with performance not matching those looks so figure in a few hundred to boost that 5.7 a bit.

With that in mind, what’s your take on this fancy Vega for $4,500? Is that a price that could have you racing the Monza? Or, does that price make this Monza a mockery?

You decide!

Legendary Rides via Classic Cars.com, or go here if the ad disappears.

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For $4,500, Rock The Best-Looking Bowtie Ever

For $4,950, This Bird Is A Fox insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,950, This Bird Is A Fox

Just as Freebird has been a staple of Lynyrd Skynyrd concerts for decades, so too did the Thunderbird once long hold court in Ford’s U.S. lineup. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Turbo Coupe may not be a ‘free’ Bird, but is its price good enough to make you free as a bird, now?

Aside from Chevrolet’s Corvette and possibly Ford’s own Mustang, does there exist a more venerable name in the pantheon of American automobiles other than Thunderbird? That model, introduced in response to the post-war car market’s demand for personal coupes - represented by cars like the Corvette and Jaguar’s XK series - proved to be a modest hit off the bat, and gained an even greater halo once it grew a pair of back seats.

You know how they say ‘don’t shit where you eat?’ Well, I guess that could also apply to not getting busy where you do your driving business, as ever teenager worth his or her salt knows that the best place for car-nal knowledge is in the back seat. As such, the original ’55-’57 ‘Birds, being two seaters, must have put a serious dent in the heavy petting industry.

The ’58 Square Bird set things right, and every model after that, up until the late seventies added both girth and baroque styling to the car's resumé until the ‘70s gas crisis’ pushed demand for smaller, more fuel efficient cars. Ford’s first take on a smaller ‘Bird was the woeful Fox-based disaster that melded the overly ornate old-school styling elements in a smaller package and looking much like a dwarf in prom tux . It was rightfully shunned in the market.

By the time the early ‘80s rolled around, Ford was financially on the ropes and needed a dramatic change in their fortunes just to survive. The products that arose as response, starting with the next generation of Thunderbird, are remarkable for just how different they were, both in concept and execution, from what came before.

The ’84 ‘Aerobird’ dropped both jaws and panties for its audacious, handsome, and wholly unexpected appearance. Ford took the best of what they had - the well thought out and cost efficient Fox platform and turbocharged Lima four - and wrapped them in a body that was both unrepresentative of T-Birds past, and fully inline with the marque’s soul and raison d’être.

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Today’s 1988 Turbo Coupe represents the second generation of the model, a restyling that created a more elongated and beakier presence, while keeping the center section much the same. For whatever reason, it seems the vast majority of Turbo Coupes - both first and second gen - are painted in Merlot, as is this car, and it may be because they just plain look good in that shade.

The paint on this once seems to have held up well, and the plastic headlamps don’t seem to have gone yellow like that ancient printer at your work. On the inside the cloth Lear Sigler seats also seem to have stood the test of time, a fact that speaks volumes about the benefits of modestly bolstered thrones.

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By the late eighties Ford was getting good at dash design, and the quality of the materials used to build them was also improving. This one may not be up to modern standards, but it’s still not half bad, and seems to be all there and without flaw.

Of course what gives the Turbo Coupe its name is the hot Pinto motor under the hood, a 2.3-litre four (the Turbo Coupe was history’s first four-pot T-Bird) shared with the SVO Mustang, and Merkur XR4Ti. Here, like in the BMW-chasing Mustang, it gets an intercooler, which is fed by a pair of hood nostrils. As equipped, the turbo 2.3 was good for 190-bhp when backed by the 5-speed manual.

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This one is so equipped and as an ’88 model it gets to use its full boost in all the gears and not just the bottom two. Woot! Brakes are four-wheel discs and the car comes with the factory snowflakes, which were designed, incongruously, to give them impression of fronting finned drums.

The ad notes 132,000 miles on this T-Bird’s clock, and that it was a vacation car, spending most of its time idling away in a garage. Despite that, the seller claims that everything works, and is all original.

The idea that the Thunderbird wouldn’t top Ford’s line up was once unimaginable, but the marque fell from grace in later years. This one represents to some the model’s high point in the modern era, and despite that, finding a cherry example these days seems to be harder and harder.

To pop this cherry, you’ll need to come up with $4,950. If you love ‘80s Fords the way some folks do - you know who you are - then you might seriously consider that amount. For the rest of you, you still need to vote on the price, you just don’t need to pine for the car.

What do you think of $4,950 for this Turbo Coupe, is that a price that should let some new owner feel good about spreading their wings? Or, is this a Thunderbird that’s price is bird-brained?

You decide!

Lima (!) Ohio Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to JCAlan for the hookup!

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For $4,950, This Bird Is A Fox

For $4,995, Let Rover Take Over insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,995, Let Rover Take Over

Eve got Adam to sample the original forbidden fruit and as a result their landlord sent them packing. Similarly, today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Rover is, for Americans at least, about as forbiddingly fruity as they come, but does its price speak of forbidden pleasures as well?

If your pleasure includes rotary-powered Vegas then you probably liked yesterday’s 13B-rocking hatch. Sadly for the seller, 65% of you didn’t find his nearly ten-large price to be all that pleasing. On the plus side however, it was nice to see a Vega once again.

You know what else is a rare sight in the eyeballs of most Americans? Yep, that’s right, non-scandal plagued politicians, they’re seemingly rarer than hens teeth these days. Oh yeah, and Rovers too, they’re also pretty rare here.

Just not today.

This 1993 Rover 216 SR is quite possibly the only one legally registered here in 'Murica, having been originally bought in Italy (hence LHD) by a U.S. serviceman who then rotated both himself and the car stateside. That's the story in the ad, and it's sticking to it.

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Let’s first get the whole rarity doesn’t equate to desirability bit out of the way because that’s just plain hogwash. And if you’ve never been to a pure hogwash I heartily recommend you do so soon as they are more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Come to think of it, a barrel of monkeys would probably make a hogwash even better, so keep that in mind.

Where was I? Ah yes.

Look, according to my junior college econ 101 teacher, supply and demand are directly related to value, and a swing one way or the other can drive prices up and down faster than a sweaty fat kid on a rocket pop. As such, the fact that this is probably the only Rover 216 SR that Americans can easily buy right now, the supply does not meet demand and hence it can command a relatively high price.

That is, unless of course no one wants it.

But who wouldn’t want so exclusive a coupe? Especially one with the bona fides that its Honda underpinnings provide. That’s right, the 200-series Rovers, and their 400-series siblings, come from the era when Rover collectively threw up their hands and said eff-it, we can’t make cars worth a crap, lets just re-badge some Japanese shit and hope nobody notices.

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Okay, so that’s an overly simplistic and possibly litigious encapsulation of the events that took place, but we’re not here to talk about my potential legal troubles, we want to give this 216 a once over.

Rocking midnight blue metallic paint over a fifty shades of grey cloth interior, this little Rover’s Honda roots are not hard to discern. The seller describes the 62K car as a targa roof and unlike its Honda (or Acura here in the States) cousins, almost the entire roof pops up or pops out.

That, along with the angular ‘90s styling sets this Rover apart from the similarly sized and kitted Acura Integra of the era. Under the Rover’s hood however things start to look more familiar. There you’ll find Honda’s DOHC D16A8 1.6-litre four. That 120-horse mill was never sold here in the States, but other derivations of the D-series were and seriously, who doesn’t want the D? A five-speed stick send power to the front wheels.

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Other considerations are the note in the ad that the timing belt has been recently refreshed, possibly countered by the other admission that cabin cooling is limited to the 2-55 variety. The seller also claims that there is no “significant damage to the body.” Hmmm.

Aside from that this seems like a cool opportunity to own something that’s fairly easy to maintain while still being slightly weird enough to be interesting. Instead of JDM it’s GBDM, and that’s close enough to BDSM to get me excited.

The clean Minnesota title also should go a long way to keep owning it from becoming a masochist’s dream. Still, those in places like California may want to confirm relations with your Oregon friends if you want to call the car your own.

So, what do you think about this veddy British coupe with a hint of Japanese underneath? More importantly, what do you think about its $4,995 price in light of the fact that it’s potentially the only legal one in the States for sale right now? Is that a sweet deal? Or, is this a Rover whose price means it should just keep on roving?

You decide!

eBay out of Wayzata, Minnesota, 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.

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When new, Chevy's Vega was shipped from the factory standing up on rail cars. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Vega has twin turbos for the twin … Read…

For $4,995, Let Rover Take Over

For $4,800, Omni Nom-Nom-Nom insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,800, Omni Nom-Nom-Nom

Back in the ‘80s Chrysler didn’t just pop out K-car derivatives, they minted a buttload of L-body Omni/Horizons too. Even with all of those, they never built one like today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Charger, but will its price make it one of a kind?

You know, some people have never forgiven Honda for dropping the CRX, and in its replacement dropping the significantly more lugubrious de Sol on the market. Having had a questionable motor dropped under its hood meant that yesterday’s ’93 del Sol continued the trend, dropping in a 63% Crack Pipe loss.

All cars have their fans, and that goes for the del Sol too, as a number of people appreciate the fact that the roof comes off and the back window goes down. The engine swap in that particular one may not have been the best choice, but at least it was an easy peasy lemon squeezy insertion, bolting pretty much straight into place and driving the same wheels as when the car left the factory.

But, what if you wanted to swap not just motor but driving ends, how tough a job do you think that might be? Well, don’t bother stressing out over it because today’s 1987 Dodge Charger (née Omni 024) has already had the switcheroo done for you. You're welcome.

The L-body platform was originally developed by Simca as a very European FWD 5-door hatch form, looking very similar to VW's Golf. Starting with those underpinnings Chrysler developed a three-door variant that was far-more American in look and purpose. But of course there’s nothing more American than a honkin’ big V8 churning the back tires, and amazingly that’s exactly what today’s Charger provides.

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Under its ruby red hood lies not one of the plethora of transverse fours you might expect but a 4bbl-topped 360 that’s claimed rebuilt and is shoved back under the firewall so far you could probably set its points from the back seat.

In light of keeping the mill a secret to everyone but the NSA the intake is by way of a long snood the constriction of which probably makes even moderately high revs a wheezing affair.

Behind the big LA sits a Torqueflite A500, which was nominally a truck tranny, and is notable for being Mopar’s first light duty 4-speed OD automatic. Here it sends power back to a 8.75 rear axle that’s located by ladder bars and sprung with coils.

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Amazingly, aside from some under-dash shenanigans, the interior looks pretty stock. It’s also in remarkably good shape for an ‘80s L-body, the upholstery appearing clean and un-marred. How everything works goes unexplained, but considering that the seller is also the original owner - since 1987 - it’s likely that he’s had things like Speedo and temp gauges worked out along with switching the car’s driving wheels.

The ad notes that the car has 43,000 miles on it, but of course does not go to the level of granularity to break that out into FWD and RWD. Remarkably, considering what has gone on under its skirt, this Charger’s outward appearance is totally stock, which must lead to some interesting stoplight encounters.

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Should someone want to encounter owning this balls-deep cool Charger, they will need to come up with $4,800 cash in hand. I’m guessing that residents of states like California need not even bother as it’s unlikely to successfully pass that state’s stringent smog test procedure, and might just send the tester to therapy over the visual inspection.

For the rest of you however, what’s your take on $4,800 for this 360-powered Charger? Is that a deal for this moar-powah Mopar? Or, is this a Charger with a price that screams retreat?

You decide!

Frederick Maryland Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to PARKRNDL WILL HAVE A CVT WITH MAYO ON WHITE TOAST for the hookup!

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For $3,000, Be A Sol Brother

Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Honda is named for the Sun. This one’s supposed to be pretty hot too, owing to its B18b swap, but you have to… Read…

For $4,800, Omni Nom-Nom-Nom

For $4,500, That’s Alfetta Of Fish insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,500, That’s Alfetta Of Fish

A disclosure regarding today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Alfetta: I am familiar with this particular car, having seen it at a number of events around town. You probably aren’t however so let’s give it a once over and see if its price is worth disclosing.

Hey Denmark, what’s that rotten smell? Ah yes, it’s yesterday’s 1987 Buick, which while ambiguously purported in its ad to be a Grand National, was in fact just a tarted up Regal. That’s not altogether a bad thing, it’s just a level of equivocation unexpected of Canadians, and the car did come away with a 75% Nice Price win, our second thumbs up this week.

Today we’re moving from Canada’s clean and polite environs to the harsh sunbaked lands of Southern California. Here, Los Angeles, the state’s largest metropolis, along with its rambling sprawl of suburbs and smaller cities, sprang forth from the coastal desert.

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There are two reasons for that, one being the estimable William Mulholland and the other being the fact that we enjoy almost year-round good weather, made possible by what is described as a Mediterranean Climate. Because of that, it seems fitting that today we also have a semi-Mediterranean car - this 1979 Alfa Romeo Alfetta Sport Sedan - to consider.

The Alfetta debuted in 1972 in replacement of the earlier 1750/2000 Berlina. Most enthusiasts know the marque for its iconic Giugiaro-designed GTV coupe, but while far less sporty in appearance the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo-penned Sport Sedan is still a handsome, and plenty unique ride.

This 1979 edition has had some significant mods made to it along the way. It started out as a long-nose, and in the U.S. these cars came with massive rubber bumpers which stood proud of the body by a good half foot. Owing to the ravage of age and smog those usually end up also serving to rub off as black smears on your chinos every time you go into the trunk.

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That's not the case here as this metallic gold edition has had its rubber baby buggy bumpers replaced with rapier like chrome blades, making it totally chino friendly. They additional serve to lighten - both visually and actually - the ends, but the later squared-off nose does look a little funny with the chrome bumper below. I think it would grow on me however.

The same could be said about the rear end too, where there's also a chrome bumper and a full-on custom section above that eschews the Alfetta's factory lamps for a set of four round units flush-mounted and bracketing a minimalist license plate mount in place of the car's traditional backwards duck bill.

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The interior is awash with cloth and wood, although the dash on the '79 is far more plasticky and low-rent looking than on the earlier cars. This one has a custom bucket for the driver, and that has seen better days. The rest looks serviceable, albeit typical for an Alfa of this era.

Mechanically you couldn't ask for much more technological oddity on a sports sedan of this era. The Alfetta is powered by a fuel injected edition of the company's long-serving DOHC four, here in 2-litre 111-bhp form. The engine bay appears not to have suffered customization, and no, it doesn't have a busted engine mount, the motor's supposed to be canted over like that. The fact that there's a good deal of oil that should be inside the engine on the outside actually is a good thing, as it keeps corrosion down.

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Gear changes are made via a 5-speed transaxle situated in between a freaking de Dion rear end, and affording the car a 50/50 weight distribution. That's of course without your fat ass in it, and gives these cars some pretty entertaining handling. Cool Campagnolo wheels keep the tires from rolling away.

As I noted, I have seen this Alfa in person, so I'm going to refrain from the vote. I will say that it does look better in the pics than in person, but that there's nothing horrific about the car, it's just an old Alfa that's had some things done to it.

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You now know about the car as well, and in fact the ad provides enough pics of the car, inside and out, that you might feel bad at having seen so much and not having at least bought it dinner first.

Still, having seen so much, you need to vote on whether or not you think its $4,500 price tag is reasonable. What do you think, is this custom Alfetta worth that kind of scratch? Or, is this Alfa a dog?

You decide!

Santa Barbara Craigslist (although the car is in Pasadena), or go here if the ad disappears.

A tip on the lid to Rob Young 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 $4,500, That’s Alfetta Of Fish

For $4,500, This MX5 Is Ready For Its Closeup insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $4,500, This MX5 Is Ready For Its Closeup

Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe is a supposed movie star car, allegedly having appeared in the film Looper. With no paperwork to back up that provenance, its up to you to determine if it’s worth the price of admission.

Wow, I am shocked that, even at fifteen grand, yesterday’s wonderfully weird 1994 Citroën XM came away with a 75% Crack Pipe loss. With its rarity, diesel mill, stickity shift and amazing Frenchness, I figured it would have been deemed well worth that much. Talk about a plot twist.

The plot of today’s contest is far simpler, although its protagonist might very well fear buying this first generation MX5 on the off-hand chance of running into their older self somewhere down the road.

That’s because this car is claimed to be the one used in the Joseph Gordon Levitt/Bruce Willis actioner, Looper. If perchance you haven’t seen the movie, then you might want to skip right to the vote because I don’t want to spoil it for you.

Are they gone? Good.

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Now, Looper was a fun flick, even if infuriatingly rife with plot holes and JGL’s creepy facial prosthetics to make him look like old man Willis. But, in my mind the two best things about the movie were Piper Perabo being all kinds of undressed, and Emily Blunt playing a farmer.

Throughout her scenes toting a shotgun and being hipster hick I kept hoping she would drop into her acerbic british Devil Wears Prada character and tell Levitt you need to get off my property immediately because I have to eat a cube of cheese before I faint.

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Oh yeah, and Looper also features a Gen-1 Miata, owned in the flick by the soon to be extremity-less Paul Dano character. This is supposedly that car. What makes it so? Well, there's the seller’s word. Of course as George Costanza knows, that and bitten pencil won’t get you Jon Voight’s Le Baron. (Ooh, another spoiler!)

The ad shows the car looking much as did the one in the movie, with the same red paint and plus-size alloys. The seller also claims that the seats have been lowered to accommodate filming. That’s a bit of an eyebrow raiser as, if you’ve ever sat in an MX5 you’ll know that the stock distance between your butt and the road doesn’t offer much room for adjustment.

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In addition to its purported celebrity, this Miata is additionally. . . a Miata. And I mean, who doesn’t love that? These are the automotive equivalent of bacon and oral sex, almost universally loved and desired. Add to that the claimed new top, and maintenance items - battery, filters, and whatnot - and it’s kind of a no-brainer that it would be attractive to a wide audience. The thing of it is, a 160,000 mile pop-up light MX5 in decent shape is usually a couple grand car, son't you think? That's of course unless it’s been messed with, which can pendulum the price either way depending on what’s been done to it.

This one has an asking price of $4,500, and the seller avers to that being low owing to the fact that he has no proof of its movie stardom. What’s your take on $4,500 for this possible cinema star? Does the Looper connection make that price the ultimate martini shot? Or, is that price still big, and it’s the pictures that have gotten small?

You decide!

San Fernando Valley Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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For $4,500, This MX5 Is Ready For Its Closeup