For $6,750, This BMW Is A Coupe De Grâce insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,750, This BMW Is A Coupe De Grâce

Have you ever dated someone who was totally hot but very high maintenance? If you haven’t then today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe BMW 850Ci will show you what that’s like. You’ll just have to ask yourself, at what cost, crazy?

Porsches have their engines in the back, amiright? I mean real Porsches, not some sort of almost an Audi or - Heavens to Murgatroyd - an SUV. The question is, as long as it’s in the back, does a real Porsche need to have a real Porsche engine? Well in an RCH-narrow vote - 53% to 47% - it turns out that when that engine is an LS1 and has been professionally installed, it's not only real, it's really awesome.

Of course, if yesterday’s German-American hybrid left a bad taste of just plain wrong in your mouth, and you need something to cleanse the palette then how about an all original BMW that’s about as rare a sighting as is Bigfoot reading SQ (Sasquatch Quarterly) whilst sitting on the can?

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Today’s 1993 BMW 850Ci is about that rare as its V12 is mated to a 6-speed stick. The E31 Bimmer was in fact the first production car ever to do that- mating twelve cylinders with half that number of cogs in its gearbox.

This one looks like it's gone 12 rounds, but I do give the seller props for not describing the car as a ‘rat rod’ owing to the faded paint, assorted dings, dents, encroachments by that ol’ demon rust, and an interior that looks more like S&M Rhino than leather.

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Those lived in looks might just be your cup of tea if your goal is to project the image of a faded ‘80s sitcom star still clinging to the last vestiges of your former fame, and it also means that this visually vexed vixen is unlikely to get you car jacked for being mistaken as a person of wealth.

Little do the car jackers know that under the hood beats the mighty M70 with its 4,988-ccs and 296 horses ready to play. This isn't even just a rare modern iteration of the V12 configuration, but as we noted in last week's crazy 5.6-litre equipped E43 M5, it actually operates as conjoined six cylinders. Two BMW sixes in one car! Can I get a Booyah!?

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You'll need them both because the big BMW coupe tips the scales at well over two tons. That also means that fuel economy - on premium - is like that old David Bowie album; Station to Station. What you get for that extraordinary thirst is power delivery that's smoother than 30-year old Scotch. Too bad on this one that's wrapped in a body that looks a little too much like skunky PBR.

Despite the car's physical presentation, the ad claims that mechanically it is sound. Recent maintenance noted include a brake flush, new center Guibo, control arm bushings and a pair of batteries. If that list saddens you because you enjoy pouring money into cars don't worry, there's plenty more to go wrong here.

When new the BMW E31 was one of the world's most complex automobiles. Add to that this model's 112,000 miles and you can be sure that both expected and unexpected shit's going to go down.

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Still, when was the last time a running V12-powered super coupe could be had for under ten large? I mean, other than creaky old Jaguar XJSs that typically smell like an Englishman's damp trousers. Plus, over here the Jag could only be had with an auto.

No, it's unlikely that you ill find something spec'd like a Ferrari for old Civic money, and that's what makes this beast so interesting. You are obviously paying for the base and not the condition, and for that this dealer is expecting $6,750 in return. What's your take on that price for this big Bimmer? Is that a start of - eventually - a beautiful friendship? Or, is this 850Ci too scary at any price?

You decide!

SFBay Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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For $6,750, This BMW Is A Coupe De Grâce

For $6,500, Become Super Man (or Woman, If That’s How you Roll) insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,500, Become Super Man (or Woman, If That’s How you Roll)

Volkswagen introduced the Super Beetle to offer better trunk space, improved braking, and better handling. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe flat windshield edition is presented in an artistic form, but is its price also pretty as a picture?

Just like Robert Downey Jr or bacon-flavored edible undies, yesterday’s 5.0-powered Ford Ranger proved hard not to love despite its potential character flaws. Not only that but its seemingly cheap asking price was embraced by fully 86% of you, giving it a Nice Price win. I just love happy endings, especially after a relaxing massage.

If yesterday’s Ford was somewhat rough and tumble, today’s Volkswagen is, in contrast, an artistic expression of automotive allure. At least that’s the impression given by the hipstastic pictures in its Craigslist ad.

Consider if you will history’s greatest cars for the common man- Ford’s Tin Lizzy, Citroën’s two horse, Fiat’s little mouse, etc. Possibly the best known and most revered of cars for the people is the one named the People’s Car, the Volkswagen Type 1, which is exemplified here today in one of its last permutations sold in the U.S., you know, to the people.

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This 1971 Super Beetle is a transition car. Coded by VW the 1302, these possess the revamped nose that offered greater trunk capacity and improved handling, both made possible by way of a new McPherson Strut front suspension used in place of the transverse torsion bar/trailing arm setup that had been previously employed for decades.

Offered only from ’71 through ’72, these Super Beetles do not have the later more sticky-outie dashboard or curved windscreen, both features added to meet U.S. Government safety standards at the time.

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Instead, both the dash and the windshield are as flat as day old beer, and the tail lamps are the older, less in-yo-face jobs. The front turn signals did grow with the Super, only that’s not the case on this one. Perhaps that change came after its build date? This being a ’71, it does make use of the 1,584-cc dual port engine with a Solex carb, a set up good for 60-bhp.

One of the features of the original Beetle that always seemed an afterthought was the brakes. The Super Beetle ups the ante with discs in front making stopping a more normal affair and not something that has to be planned the night before.

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This orange juliet has been dropped, the ad noting the addition of a Topline lowering kit. That has resulted in its ride height hovering somewhere in between stock and absurdly stanced, but remains a love it or leave it look. That results in an out of whack speedo from the comically tiny meats up front required to prevent chaffing like a fat kid in corduroy.

There’s also a side-shooter exhaust and louvers in the backlight that look like they were stolen from the office of a dime store novel detective. No interior shots are among the cloyingly artistic collection in the ad, but rumor has it that the shift knob for the 4-speed has been upgraded.

Beetles that either haven’t been irrevocably screwed up, or are in such dire shape that just looking at them requires a tetanus booster are hard to come by. This one, being a transitional Super is kind of cool, and looks pretty good in spite of its stance. That’s probably undoable, and the rest of the car looks reasonably good, but of course that could just be the high school art class pictures.

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Regardless, we still need to weigh in on just how artistically positioned is this Super Beetle’s price. The seller is asking $6,500, and notes that the car runs and drives great. What do you think about that price, does that make this Beetle especially Super? Or, does this Beetle’s price just super bug you?

You decide!

Two pickets to Tittsburgh Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Skif6996 for the hookup!

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For $2,700, Hi Ho Silver!

The present Government shutdown may have idled a ton of park rangers, but owing to its 5.0 you wouldn't want to do the same with today’s Nice… Read…

For $6,500, Become Super Man (or Woman, If That’s How you Roll)

For $6,500, Embrace Your Inner Clown insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,500, Embrace Your Inner Clown

Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Suzuki is the kind of car you’d expect a murder of clowns to spill out of at every stop. It’s not clowning around however as it rocks a hot 358, but will its price prove a pie in the face?

Sort of like how the age of the Dinosaurs came and went, so to did the era when Minivans ruled the road. Today there aren’t any more dinos around, but minivans still seem to be hanging in there, albeit with a universal herbivorous dullness.

That fact didn’t make the appearance here in the U.S. of yesterday’s JDM 1988 Nissan Homy any less shocking than say seeing the Loch Ness monster take a steaming dump right before your eyes. The only thing more shocking was its price, which 73% of you didn’t like at all.

You know what would be even scarier than being chased by one of those big-assed dinosaurs- I mean one of the sharp-toothed eat-you-saurus sort, not the slow-witted step-on-you kind? Effing clowns, that’s what.

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And because of that, I’m kind of planning to give this custom 1997 Suzuki X90 a wide berth, as these things have always looked like freaking grenades that when they go off will shower you in nasty clown shrapnel.

The X90 was based on the Sidekick and hence is pretty tiny. Unlike its progenitor however, the X90's styling couldn't ever be mistaken for a shrinky-dink Jeep, not even in the dark, by Stevie Wonder. Instead, the T-roof equipped two-door looks more like something you'd strap on to go skiing, or more accurately a vessel purpose built for bulbous-nosed and wild-haired evil.

The good thing about the X90 was that outrunning one containing an insane clown posse wouldn't even require donning into your running shoes. That's because the truck's 95-horse 1.6 took an interminable amount of time to get the cute little turd up to speed. Considering that clowns can't run in their comically over-sized shoes, that means that they'll only be able eat the fat ones.

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This one might then seem somewhat less terrifying until that is you pop its tiny hood and discover that it has been equipped with not just an SBC but one that's been punched out to a clown hurtling 358 cubic freakin' inches.

Oh shit!

It's surprising that such a big mill could be crammed into such a tiny little car, but then again stuffing it full of a dozen or more clowns also seems impossible until one pulls up and they come spilling out throwing pies and eating cats. Clown shoes prevent both heel and toe work and proper clutch pedal action so of course this bad boy also has an automatic, a 700R4 in case you were wondering. Other updates included in what is claimed a $15K investment in the car are all sorts of chrome dash-top gauges, and a quartet of equally reflection-worthy wheels.

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Mileage? Don't know. Who did the install? Hopefully someone who knows what they're doing and not some clown. Both the paint and interior on this one look to be in fine shape, and there doesn't appear to be any missing trim or other major issues that should be noted.

The X90 was never taken seriously and in its short life Suzuki only managed to sell about 7,300 of them here. Still, that's a lot of clowns. What you now need to do is say whether or not this custom job's $6,500 price is a good deal or not. What do you think, is that a fair price to keep this V8 X90 out of the hands of some clown? Or, does that price mean this Suzuki is no laughing matter?

You decide!

Richmond Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to GrammerAss for the hookup!

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For $6,500, Embrace Your Inner Clown

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!

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For $6,999, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,999, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

I’m going to start right out here and say that today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Comanche is not for you. Not in a million years. But, that doesn’t mean you still can’t pass judgement on its asking price.

When it comes to cars and trucks, immutability is not a word seemingly resident in most owners’ vocabularies. That was evidenced yesterday with a 1968 BMW 2002 modified with a Honda F20C. Unfortunately, that apparently was not change we could believe in as the ad’s description brought more questions than it answered, and that Bimmer went down in a 58% Crack Pipe loss.

When it comes to change however, yesterday's old school with a new rule BMW can't hold a candle to today’s Dee Snider on acid 1987 Jeep Comanche. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

The Comanche pickup was derived from the Cherokee SUV- no mean feat if you ask me as the Cherokee was a unibody design and pickups are typically body on frame. The MJ Comanche however is also a unibody design like a VW Caddy or Dodge Rampage, only with a separate and removable bed.

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This one has had had a good deal of that bed cut away, the rear edges now artistically crafted into verdant flames as though some cruel individual has lit Kermit the Frog ablaze. The funny thing is, those green flames are probably the least startling aspect of this custom truck’s ass.

Small pickups are generally considered to be less utilitarian than their full size brothers, but this one is completely useless for trips to the Home Depot or even to get your prescription refilled. The complex of exhaust options in the bed is the challenge, as is the pirate emblazoned wing that brings only one thing to mind - hook’em Horns!

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You might think that this truck was built only for show, there being no aspect of it left original. Instead it apparently also has plenty of go as well, seeing as it’s been fitted with a bumped out 383 SBC. That's backed up with a THM400 and shifting gets done via a T-handle job in the skeleton infused and very yellow interior.

The ad claims 450 horses, and that the chop top truck is quick. I don’t know but it seems like half the crap on it might come flying off even at freeway speeds so perhaps that engine is overkill.

The Chevy mill may be a rocker, but it doesn’t dress the part, and in fact in comparison to the remainder of the truck it’s a bit of a plain jane. At least it looks better than the foam insulation stuck on the firewall which makes the underhood view look like a backwoods meth lab trailer. Also somebody got jiggy with the hole saw in there.

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Look, as I said at the outset, this isn’t a truck for you. Well, maybe it is, I don’t honestly know that for certain. What I do know is that any time you personalize a vehicle, while making it more intrinsically valuable to you, it becomes ever less so to others. This one has gone so far down one dude's rabbit hole that it’s general appeal is certain to be limited. But like a terrible train wreck or celebrity sex tape, it just can’t be ignored. As such, you need to determine if its $6,999 price tag is a deal for. . . well, someone out there.

What do you think, is $6,999 for this custom Comanche a bargain? Or, is that a price that needs to be customized too?

You decide!

Peoria Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Dan Driscoll for the hookup!

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For $6,999, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

For $6,000, Buy An Engine, Get A Rally Car Thrown In For Free insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,000, Buy An Engine, Get A Rally Car Thrown In For Free

Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe 323 GTX stems from a model line that once was boasted as being a Great Little Car. It’s up to you to determine if this potentially rabid rally car - and its price - lives up to the hype.

In a shocker so big that your local TV news would save its reveal until after the commercial break, yesterday’s 1986 Caddy Cimarron D’Oro fell in a decisive 81% Crack Pipe loss. Cavaliers everywhere pointed and laughed at its shame.

Did you know that rally racing once was as easy as A B C? Yeah that's right, it was as simple as do-re-mi, 1-2-3, baby, you and me girl. . .

Sorry about that. But it is true, the Alphabits designation for rally cars defined different classes and hence the individual specifications and rules for the FIA series.

Introduced in 1982, Group A was the milquetoastiest of the three classes and was intended to encompass modified touring cars, or more succinctly production cars that were lightly beefed up for their competition job.

In order to qualify for the series, a number of production models had to be built - 5,000 minimum - which was called Homologation, or in layman’s terms, “becoming the gehz.” Mazda's a company with racing in their blood and seeking to become a Group A star with a reasonably paced car, in 1986 they debuted the 323 GTX.

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Mazda brought the turbocharged 4x4 hot hatch to North America two years later, and this black beauty happens to be a Canadian example. From the factory these cars had a pumped up edition of the B-series four cylinder and 132-bhp.

On this particular car that mill has been rebuilt with enough performance enhancements to get it suspended for 50 games by the MLB, but probably makes the car a hell of a lot more entertaining to drive. It's all claimed to have been professionally done and the engine bay doesn't look any more whackadoodle than normal.

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The car's exterior has also seen some mods including a primer painted hood that is holier than thou, and a JDM front bumper cap. The stock wheels seem to be missing their center-caps but nicely the stepped rubber spoilers on the hatch are intact. Oh, and Yakima rakima!

As far as the rest of the GTX's mechanicals go, a five-speed stick sends power to all four wheels through a manually locking planetary diff, and each corner is independently sprung and gets a disc brake to call its own. Adding to the stopping on this one are what are said to be some monster brakes, also from the market known as after.

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It may not seem so just by looking at it, but from the factory the GTX was really a far different car from the block-stock 323 three-door. The hotter hatch featured a wider track, redesigned floorpan and sill reinforcements, all which served to the hard charging all-wheel drive rally aspirations.

The ad offers no interior shots, but does note that along with the engine, the car's sound system has been upgraded, to which I say whoop-dee-freakin'-doo. With what the seller is claiming to be 252 hp, I doubt anyone would want to waste time listening to anything other than the sound your right foot creates.

Mazda planned to sell quite a few of these cars over here, but their initial high price when new quelled demand. In the end not many were sold, and today they seem rarer than hen's teeth.

At a $6,000 asking price, the seller of this one isn't really playing on its rarity. Instead he's making the claim that you're really buying all the work that has gone into the engine, and that you're getting the rest of the car for free.

I don't know about that logic, but I do know that it's now time for you to pass judgment on this GTX and its six grand price. Do you think that's a square deal for this modded rally aspirant? Or, is that too much for this Group A car and you'd just rather wait for the Groupon?

You decide!

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

A blip of the throttle to usingthegasyourhybridissaving for the tip!

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For $6,000, Buy An Engine, Get A Rally Car Thrown In For Free

For $6,000, This 928 Is On The Ragtop insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,000, This 928 Is On The Ragtop

Porsche’s 928 is best known not for what up top, but for its Sir Mix-A-Lot worthy rump. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe edition has “dat ass” but as an added bonus, it goes topless. You have to determine if its price is also in top form.

Furgone baby, gone it may have been, but yesterday's cool but rust ridden Alfa Romeo F12 proved to still be solid enough to carry the day, posting a respectable 56% Nice Price win. That was our fourth win this week, and showed that the little Italian van may be Furgone, but it's not forgotten.

Today’s candidate is a custom-built Porsche 928 convertible, located in - where else - Florida. That southern state, so accurately described by Homer Simpson as America’s wang, has both the weather and the unbridled crazy to create such an amazing beast.

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The ad is light on details - so much so that its creator even lightened the Porsche name in its title, dropping the uber heavy letter c. Porshe. Porshe, Porshe, Porshe. See, it still works. Also, Coo-hwhip.

There’s also some talk of a new timing belt and possibly a replaced water pump but the single line of description’s total lack of punctuation makes it entirely too difficult to tell.

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There’s a lot to tell from the pictures however, and from those we can see that the top actually looks as though it was created by someone who had an idea of what they were doing. Most home-brew convertibles have rickety coverings that look like they were designed by the boy scout troop where they put the droolers, the biters, and the kids that like to start fires.

The rest of the conversion is a little less successful as there doesn’t seem to be an actual trunk opening on the car. That'll make retrieving that golf bag left there beforehand pretty damn hard. Also, the spoiler that's been blended into the tail looks like the first big swipe from a tub of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.

There’s no mention of mileage, or even original year of manufacture. Owing to the spoiler in front I'd guess that it hails from the early eighties, say around ’84-’85, but this Rennlist thread appears to be about the same car and it says it's an '80. Of course, much like Wilde's Dorian Gray or LA's Angelyne, it's sometimes hard to tell a 928's age.

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You can tell a horse's age by opening their mouth and looking at their teeth. Popping the hood on this Porsche reveals an engine compartment that looks its age, and in fact is akin to peering into a meth addict's septic pie hole.

There's no sign amidst the grunge and questionable hoses and wiring of the claimed timing belt change, and in fact just dropping the hood and then dropping the top would probably be the best course of action to take here.

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With no shots of the interior, and but that single sentence description, there's no way of telling what the remainder of the drivetrain is, or its condition. We can tell that the body looks straight and that, under the patina of filth, the paint seems shiny. That's about it.

Prices for 928s are all over the place, exemplary late models hovering in the upper teens and twenties while the ones that have been let to go fallow can almost be had for free. This one has an asking price of $6,000, which seems to be its standard MO as that's what was asked in the Rennlist referenced ad.

What do you think about that price for this car? is six grand a deal for a 928 that flips its lid? Or, does that raise your 92-hate?

You decide!

Tampa Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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For $6,000, This 928 Is On The Ragtop

For $6,000, Check Out This Deutsch Mark insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,000, Check Out This Deutsch Mark

Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Lincoln Mark VII is the ultra rare BMW diesel edition. That saps a lot of the sport out of its sport coupe persona, but will paying its price make you look like a sap?

In the 1970s the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to flex their global economic muscle and single-handedly kill American automotive excessiveness. The group’s phony baloney constraint in petroleum supplies drove gas prices higher, engendered long lines at the pump, and made fuel economy the number one performance consideration for millions of car buyers globally. I know, what a bunch of asshats!

Here in the U.S., car makers took two tracks in response to this new found fealty to efficiency; they made their cars smaller and lighter, and they looked at alternatives to the traditional big honking gas engines to power them.

GM went the way that GM usually does, and attempted to turn a gas V8 into a diesel. Hilarity ensued. Today’s 1984 Lincoln Mark VII represents an example of Ford’s more prudent route. Lacking the cash for such a capricious investment - tightening emissions requirements made the future of dirty diesels uncertain - Ford went outside the brand for their oil burner, deciding to buy a bunch of turbo diesels off of BMW. That straight six, of 2,443-cc capacity and 114-bhp, was offered in the German maker’s 5-series as the 524td, and in Lincoln’s then spankin’ new Mark VII personal coupe.

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Now, there had been a lot of Marks leading up to the VII, a collection I like to call the Marks-a-lot. All of those - leading back to the Mark II of 1956-57 - were cars of gravitas and presence. That original Mark II in fact being at the time the most expensive automobile offered by an American manufacturer, and even at $11,000, losing money for Ford on every one sold.

Even as Continental was folded into Lincoln, the Mark series continued as the brand’s halo model. With the exception of the Mark III, the series styling maintained an iconic long-hood, short bustle-backed (with a fake spare tire) rear, and ubiquitous vinyl roof.

All that stopped with the fox-based Mark VII. These cars were closely based on the wildly successful and critically praised Aero-Thunderbird of 1983. The VII even shared the door structure and skin with the T-Bird, but you could hardly notice.

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The VII was also the first production car sold in America with composite lights instead of sealed beams, under new, more flexible Federal lighting regs that Ford used the Mark VII prototypes to help push through.

Air suspension, electronic 4-wheel antilock brakes, and an aero body specifically designed without a transition from roof to hip to dissuade the application of ol’ demon vinyl this was a new Mark. And with the BMW diesel six, his Lincoln proved to be Ford at its most continental, in every connotation of the word.

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This one looks pristine, both inside and out. The silver metallic paint seems to sparkle, and the somber interior showing no apparent signs of wear. This being a first-year car - and the only year of the diesel, it gets the minimalist digital display for an IP, and of course the transmission is a 4-speed (ZF in this case) automatic.

If you’re worried about the performance of 115-ponies pulling a 3,700-plus pound car, consider that the gas engine option for the ’84 VII was a TBI 302 good for only 155-bhp with dual exhausts. The contemporary 5.7-litre Olds diesel used in the Cadillac Eldorado was only able to manage a meager 105-bhp and 200 ft-lb of torque. They may not be fast, but these big coupes are good for an honest 30+ mpg.

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There’s been a bunch of maintenance that’s gone into keeping this 45,000 mile Lincoln keep making those kind of mileage numbers, including the change-over for the A/C system to the more environmentally friendly r134.

The diesel edition of the Mark VII didn’t sell worth a damn when new, with fewer than 400 being built. The burgeoning explosion of efficiency found in gas engines starting in the mid ‘80s, along with the diesel’s inability to clean up its act at the time, drove the last nails in the diesel Lincoln's coffin.

Ford eventually sold their remaining stock of BMW smokers to a company that plugged them into the backends of fancy motorhomes under the name of Vixen. I have a buddy who is a happy owner of one of those homes away from home and it's pretty cool.

But before that happened, the engine found its way under the hoods of a small number of what was probably the best Mark to make a mark since the Mark II left its mark, and for $6,000, you could mark this car off your to-do list.

What do you think about that price, is this melding of American luxury sport coupe and German efficiency worth that kind of dough? Or, is does that price simply miss the mark?

You decide!

Detroit Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

A tip on the lid to jmpidgeo for the hookup!

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For $6,000, Check Out This Deutsch Mark

For $6,250, You Can Be Bass-Akwards insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com

insuranceinstantonline.blogspot.com ® For $6,250, You Can Be Bass-Akwards

Did you hear the one about the butcher who backed into his meat grinder and got a little behind in his work? Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Chevy Bel Air will back you up no matter where you go, you just need to wonder if its price is gonna' make you back away?

Turned out there were far fewer pros than cons with yesterday’s Pro Street 1985 Plymouth Voyager, and it fell in a 78% Crack Pipe loss, our second substantial drubbing this week. Pro Street it may have been, but quid pro quo it ain't.

Today, I want you to turn back. Or turn around. Or turn. . .well shits and tinkles, I don’t really have any explanation for this ass-first 1954 Chevy Bel Air. The seller says that it was built by a retired Czech aircraft mechanic back in the sixties. Owing to what he did to this poor car I would suggest that “retired” is a euphemism for let go and possibly committed.

Let’s see what we’ve got here. There’s a Willys Hurricane (I think) under what is now a clamshell hood. That engine’s bolted to a 3-speed stick with a floor shifter, and there’s also a solid beam axle from a Willys keeping that end off the pavement.

S

The body has seen lots of work, and I’ll just let the pictures do the talking on that account. Suffice to say that this car would provide hours of family fun just walking around it and playing where’d that come from, and what the hell, man?!

But what really makes this Chevy evoke Moe Szyslak levels of whaaaaaaaaaa? is the fact that you drive it backwards. I mean, the car drives backwards, only you sit frontwards. No wait, you sit back-front while it goes. . . oh hell, now it’s got me all confused.

Along with the weirdness that is the bodywork, the driver’s seat has forced into a 180 and placed smack-dab in the middle over the driveline hump - BITCH SEAT! There’s also a small, uncomfortable looking fold down seat attached to one of the cruelly modded doors in case you wanted to paint lines on the road or potentially escape in a hurry.

S

The thing of it is, the engine - which remember is now the Willys four - is still in the front, er, back, and powers the back, um, front wheels through a former Jeep front axle still on leaf springs. The back window now sports a single wiper, and there is a set of eyebrowed headlamps fitted to the trunk lid, so potentially you could drive this thing on the street.

But why would you? The seller calls this a rat rod, and to be honest with you I’m getting pretty tired of people selling cars and calling them rat rods just because they’ve been too lazy to wash the bird shit off of them. Still, he says that it’s parade worthy, but I think that's only if you wanted to give the kids something to be afraid of other than just the clowns. Fuckin' clowns.

S

Maybe I’m being too harsh on this beast? It is after all a pretty stunning achievement and demonstrates both a lot of hand fabrication and a level of dedication to a singular goal not seen since the original moon landing, or the media coverage of what’s up with Kate Middleton’s vag.

And lo and beyond, it could be yours for $6,250. If you’ve ever wanted to freak out people on a one way street, or just feel like seeing the world burn, this Chevy may be your cup of hallucinogenic tea. But should anyone pay that much for it? What do you think, is that a fair price for this wildly customized Chevy? Or, does that price have you backing away as fast as you can?

You decide!

eBay out of Kansas, or go here if the ad disappears.

A nod and a wink to Seth for the tip!

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Pro Street is the awesome racing class that verses you in NHRA rules and also lets you be cop bait too! Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Plymouth… Read…

For $6,250, You Can Be Bass-Akwards