The '88 M3 drove you all to frothing-at-the-mouth levels of indignation over just what a first-gen M3 was, much less what it was worth. Despite the healthy discourse over the merits of the E30-based super-de-duper coupe, the $39,000 asking price was still deemed a crack attack by 83% of you.

Now that that mystery has been solved, let's take on another, which may require a quartet of teens and horse-sized dog to unravel- that of the Rot-Rod Miata.

By now, most everyone is familiar with the main characters and typical plotlines of the Scobby Doo Mysteries: muscle-man Fred; smokin' hot Daphne; filthy pot-head Shaggy; and plain but smart Velma, roll around the country in their shag-carpeted sin-bin, the Mystery Machine. Along the way they get mixed up in odd goings on and eventually foil the plans of disgruntled employees, ne'er do well siblings and corrupt land developers. Keeping them company is Scooby doo, their talking great dane.

Today's mystery machine is a 1995 Mazda Miata that has gone full goth. The seller calls it a Rot Rod meaning Rat Rod, but the Scooby infused pronunciation is more fitting for this little Japanese sportscar. The body has been given a matte black paint job that's darker than the lyrics to a Bauhaus dirge. Skulls adorn the mirrors, windblocker and windows, and the air inlets in the nose look like fangs. Hugging the asphalt like Morticia Addams' skirt is a ground effects package, also in the key of strife.

Typically, when you wipe off their makeup and unstrap them from their combat boots and NIN tee shirts, Goths turn out to be just regular folks, only angrier and more sardonic. This Miata is much the same, as underneath the skulls and sorrow lurks a standard 1.8-litre Mazda DOHC four, the slick 5-speed manual, butt-thumper seats and easy to erect top. No mystery there.

Unsolved goes the impetus for its creation, however. A more typical canvas for this kind of treatment would have been a '59 Lincoln, or not owning a car at all. And while that riddle may have been too tough for even Velma, the question of how much it costs is one even Shaggy could deduce- $6,000.

Now it's up to you to solve the mystery of the $6,000 Gothiata. Is that a price that makes you say Jinkies? Or, will your response cause the seller to claim he would have gotten away with it if not for those meddling Jalopniks?

You decide!

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Most of the concepts have pretty regular wacky shapes and smart grid communications features the futurists are always in love with, of course they're all "green" and electric, but one in particular made us shake our heads. Whoever came up with the "GM Car Hero" needs a very stern talking to.

What's that? You can't imagine a Toyota that might consider offering a fun, affordable, two door with a modicum of sportiness and some seriously interesting style? Might we introduce you to the Toyota FT-86 concept — the first Toyota (barring the epic Lexus LFA) we've been genuinely excited about since the... um... Supra? Wow, that took entirely too long.

A Legacy In The Front Three-Quarters
The original Toyota AE86 is a legend, offering the fun of RWD in an extremely light-and-tossable platform. Despite having econo-car dimensions, the AE86 was able to incorporate a sports car look with its long, sloping hood and a line carrying itself through the A-pillar. Click through to see how this element transformed into the final concept.

Toyota's Design Evolves In Profile
The RWD is teased in the Hofmeister Kink, which goes through quite the metamorphosis before ending up with a look that combines the wild integrated kink of the first sketch and concept with the practical C-pillar on the original coupe and three-door.

A Sexy Swoop In Back
The new swoopy design language on the FT-86 has less to do with the AE-86 and more to do with where Toyota is going as a company. The two-box design coming to a point at the rear evolves from the LF-A Roadster concept to something more dramatic on the sketch and concept before ending up with a design incorporating the same rotary look into the trunkline.

Looking To The Future Up Front
Toyota has lacked a distinctive front fascia for years, with little similarity between a Camry, Corolla and Avalon, to give just one example. Though you don't quite see the emergence of one in these drawings, it's clear with the introduction of the 2010 4Runner that Toyota is attempted, at least, to create a more aggressive look with the use of a trapezoidal shape.

Conclusion
The FT-86 in name and purpose is the heir to the AE86 legacy but is far more important to the brand. Though still a concept, this near-production vehicle is perhaps Toyota's best answer to Aiko Toyoda's complaint that the company has become distant from its customers.

The Toyota FT-86 concept is the fruit of cooperation between Toyota Motor Company and Subaru, and as such will wear a common chassis and some degree of engine commonality, at the least a 2.0 liter, four cylinder boxer engine dubbed the "C-45 Boxer" and making between 200 and 250 HP will power the rear wheels through a manual six speed transmission, and get this — no hybrid system. Saints be praised.

Perhaps most telling are the car's overall dimensions. At 163.7 inches long, 69.3 inches, a wheelbase of 101.2 inches, and 49.6 inches high, it's thankfully compact, smaller in length, width and height than the Nissan 370Z, and slightly longer in wheelbase. It's also the first car to wear Toyota's new swoopy styling with some gusto. Dare we say it, we actually like the look of it. It's... exciting, we're so confused here. The interior is obviously all show-car glam and may serve as direction, but we'll be shocked if there are many zippers on the production car's dash.

We're men enough to admit that combined with the recently unveiled 2010 Toyota 4Runner, we're about to shed a tear over what looks to be the return of the old, fun AE86 sports coupe-building Toyota.

Yesterday was not a good day for the Nicest Yugo in the World. Fully 90% of you felt its $7,999 asking price would be better spent on lobbyists to promote legislation banning Malcom Bricklin from starting any more car companies. Someone else who lent his name to an automotive venture - but with greater success - was racer and entrepreneur Steve Saleen, and today we're going to take a look at his pinnacle achievement.

Irvine California is no stranger to hyper-fast machinery, considering its sprawl of suburban neighborhoods abuts what once was the El Toro Marine base- home to the Marines West Coast Fighter Squadron. So it was natural for Steve Saleen, when he first began making mustangs more muscular, to base his operations there. In addition to the ‘Stangs, Steve applied his magic touch - and more Saleen badges than you could shake a stick shift at - to F150s, Foci and a herd other FoMoCo products. But those were all tuned versions of somebody else's vehicles. What we have today is the culmination of everything Saleen had learned about making cars go faster, handle better and look cooler - the Saleen S7.

This pearl white example is claimed the last built before Steve sold his company and the rights to his last name. Production number 78 is one of a total run of a mere 21 twin-turbo street cars. That makes it more rare than an Enzo, more so than a Veyron. At that it is tickling at the production numbers of Spyker- or Aston Martin in 1979.

This car comes with the ‘Performance Option' which includes a grand total of 850 bhp out of its Ford-based aluminum 427. That's good for a claimed 245 mph top speed as well as sub-four second runs from the In-N-Out drive thru window to freeway speeds when Tony Stark gets the munchies.

What does such performance cost? Well, in this instance $375,000 will plop you down into the leather driver's seat, and behind that fat wheel. That buys you gull-wing doors, enough carbon fiber that you'll be regular for a year, and that thunder god that lives in the back, and under the mating-aliens intake manifolds.

Your options, again, are pretty limited, as few of these locomotives come on the market with much frequency. And another thing to consider is the beating that exotic car sales have taken in the economic downturn. A super car of this desirability and exclusivity would normally appreciate in value, but this one is demanding a mere 65% of its $585,000 base price when new, only 4 years ago. If you've got the cash, this is the time to spring for your garage's new fall wardrobe, and nothing accessorizes better than an S7 in white.

So, with all that going for it, do you think plunking down $375,000 for this American-do super car will make your accountant do zero to crapped-pants in under four seconds? Or, does that price make you wonder why your accountant hasn't recommended this investment earlier?

You decide!

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[Sony]

For this AMG mercedes ML55

If eBay is still alive

If your bid does survive

You may win. . . 



In the year twenty-oh-nine

Nice Price or Crack Pipe searches to find

Car and trucks for such a cost

That you may think the seller's sense is lost



In the year twenty-oh-oh
This mercedes truck first said hello

The seller claims it's horsepower is four hundred

He likes it better than a Cayenne, in case you wondered

Back in the year twenty-oh-oh
Mercedes got the SUV bug, don't you know
Built these things in Tennessee
And this one's engine's by AMG

whoa-a-o




Now in the year twenty-oh-nine

The seller wants fourteen grand, won't take less a dime

It's a truck that looks like a minivan

And he claims it was owned by a celebrity man



In the year nineteen-sixty-nine

Evan & Zager wrote a song all about time

About pollution, and how we are bad

It was a hit even though it made people sad



Back in the year twenty-oh-nine

Zager's mercedes is on the eBay auction line

The seller thinks with this history the value it will nudge

But we all know you'll all be the judge

whoa-a-o




Now it's a mercedes ML55

That's not too bad a truck to have when you're alive

It should be quick, should handle too

But about the cost, what will you do?

Is fourteen grand a price that's nice?

Is the celebrity history a throw of the dice?

For this truck, what would you really pay
?
So it's not crack pipe, and saves the seller's day?

whoa-a-o

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Yesterday, the wishful thinker-owned Essex elicited a 91% vote for curtain two. For the unfathomably motivated 9% that voted Nice Price, we'd like you to get in touch with us; we have special high-performance air for your tires that we would like to sell you, it adds 50mph to your top speed!

Speaking of speed, nothing looks faster than a McLaren M6GT. And, as there were only a handful of those ever built, your best bet to satisfy your M6 stiffy is by grabbing a Patty Duke Show-styled Manta Montage kit car, like the one we are contemplating today.

The builder of a kit car is looked upon much the same way Noah was by his neighbors when he started putting together that big boat in his back yard. The pointing and the snickering; the way mothers quickly herd their children past the house; the late night realization that, 50 cans of Krylon later, maybe you can't sand it smooth. It's not something people typically call out on their resumé.

But that's not a problem with this Thank god it's friday faux famous flyer of fiberglass, because it's already been slapped on a donor Vee-Dub chassis, and is ready for you to plunk your sweaty ass down in the dime store-vinyl seat of it's non-ventilated cabin, fondle the exposed fasteners, and make like Bruce McLaren.

Now, this Montage is claimed registered as a 1969, which is the likely birth year of the sport-tuned beetle-base upon which it rests. The seller made a point to add the information that it was used in the movie Leman w Steve Mc Queen as a back drop car, which is questionable as LeMans was filmed over the course of the 1970 race, and Manta Cars, the instigator of the Montage homage, wasn't even incorporated until 1973. When they did, brothers, Brad and Tim LoVette created a car that was a faithful replica of the M6GT. Many kit cars used expensive-to-make parts from other cars; Pinto tail lights, Karmann Ghia windshields and Mustang backlights, but the Montage used a purpose-built windshield and lexan rear window. Neither of these pieces are still in production - Manta Cars having folded in 1982 - so you better hope, on the way home, you don't get one of those irreparable stone chips, or an errant motorcyclist through the windscreen. Doing so could set you back even more than the cost of the car.

That matters little in determining the appropriateness of a $12,500 asking price for this flat-four 1935cc-powered monster. Its all-fiberglass body is actually pretty good for a kit, having inner-fender wells and a claimed 16 cubic feet of trunk space. Registered as a '69, it is less encumbered by power-robbing emissions controls, and the 1640lb curb weight also works to that small engine's advantage.

So does that price seem like a deal considering all the work has already been done? Or does that price for a VW-based kit, send you into a fit?

You decide!

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In addition to the most expensive to insure list, the folks at Insure.com put together this list of the least expensive cars to insure. Come join us on this journey to find out what makes these econo-boxes so damn cheap to own that it'd almost be a crime to not consider them for your next purchase. Almost.

[via thecarconnection, edmunds, insure.com]

20.) Dodge Grand Caravan

Price: $22,725
Cost To Insure: $960
Curb Weight: 4321 lbs
Engine Displacement: 3.3 liter V6
HP: 175
TQ: 205

Driver Stereotype: Soccer Mom

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: The ability to blend into the suburban landscape has allowed the Grand Caravan to slip seamlessly to and from soccer games, the grocery store and at times, Mexican border crossings without detection.

19.) Chevrolet Impala
Price: $23,790
Cost To Insure: $959
Curb Weight: 3555 lbs
Engine Displacement: 3.5 liter V6
HP: 211
TQ: 214

Driver Stereotype: Vanilla ice cream-favoring used car salesmen

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Sharing its appearance with multitudes of non-descript cop cars causes the surrounding public to drive very, very carefully around the Impala lessening the likelihood for any direct accidents and adding to the overall value of driver safety.

18.) Mazda B-Series Truck
Price: $16,060
Cost To Insure: $957
Curb Weight: 2999 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.3 liter inline-four
HP: 143
TQ: 154

Driver Stereotype: Has poor credit

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Based on the long-in-the-tooth Ford Ranger, the B-Series Truck shows its age with strong, virtually unbreakable bones.

17.) Lincoln Town Car
Price: $46,385
Cost To Insure: $955
Curb Weight: 4345 lbs
Engine Displacement: 4.6 liter V8
HP: 239
TQ: 287

Driver Stereotype: Mafia fat cats

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Carefully driven due to multiple dead bodies in the trunk, the Town Car rarely sees an insurance claim except for the frequent bloody interior replacement. Typically these are burned to the ground near the docks without much concern for an insurance claim.

16.) Suzuki Forenza
Price: $11,134
Cost To Insure: $954
Curb Weight: 2756 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.0 liter inline-four
HP: 127
TQ: 131

Driver Stereotype: Molly Maid employee

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Not much can happen to a car when it spends the majority of its life sitting outside of large Hollywood mansions all day.

15.) Honda Accord
Price: $20,905
Cost To Insure: $951
Curb Weight: 3230 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.4 liter inline-four
HP: 177
TQ: 161

Driver Stereotype: Anti-Toyota

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: The sedate Accord lulls drivers to a meditative state causing perfect driving habits and extreme awareness, lessening any sort of slip ups.

14.) Jeep Wrangler
Price: $20,710
Cost To Insure: $939
Curb Weight: 3782 lbs
Engine Displacement: 3.8 liter V6
HP: 202
TQ: 237

Driver Stereotype: Obnoxious Dave Matthews Band-listening, bandanna-wearing frat boys

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: The Wrangler was specifically built for douchebag frat boys and therefore features a virtually indestructible body and chassis making repairs all but non-existent.

13.) VW Passat
Price: $28,300
Cost To Insure: $936
Curb Weight: 3344 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.0 liter inline-four
HP: 200
TQ: 207

Driver Stereotype: Grown Dub boys

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Considering the Passat never moves due to repetitive electrical problems it is never put in harms way, allowing for a much lower insurance premium.

12.) Mazda Mazda5
Price: $17,995
Cost To Insure: $929
Curb Weight: 3417 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.3 liter inline-four
HP: 153
TQ: 148

Driver Stereotype: MX-5 driver's family car

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Typically driven by MX-5 drivers when they've got their kids in toe, the Zoom, Zoom nature of the Mazda5 allows for quick maneuvers to escape from the rest of the crazy drivers out there.

11.) Scion xB
Price: $15,750
Cost To Insure: $881
Curb Weight: 3020 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.4 liter turbo inline-four
HP: 158
TQ: 162

Driver Stereotype: E-tards

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: The typical driver of a Scion xB never really leaves the rave, instead spends hours upon hours upon delicious hours licking the glass repeating, "The snozberries taste like snozberries."

10.) Chrysler Town & Country
Price: $26,355
Cost To Insure: $871
Curb Weight: 4387 lbs
Engine Displacement: 3.5 liter V6
HP: 244
TQ: 240

Driver Stereotype: Self fulfilling prophecy

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: A perceived level of luxury is exhibited by the typical Town & Country driver, causing them to drive even more carefully back and forth from their kids Montessori schools and cricket matches. See Caravan to see the lesser of the ChryCo minivan driver's habits.

9.) Mazda Tribute
Price: $19,730
Cost To Insure: $913
Curb Weight: 3276 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.5 liter inline-four
HP: 171
TQ: 171

Driver Stereotype: I haz no care for Zoom, Zoom

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Tribute drivers lurk quietly in traffic with hardly anyone ever taking notice, not even enough to ram them from behind.

8.) Saturn Vue
Price: $23,280
Cost To Insure: $911
Curb Weight: 3689 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.4 liter inline-four
HP: 169
TQ: 161

Driver Stereotype: I'm a new kind of car company

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Brought over as the Saturn version of the Opel Antara, most people avoid the Vue with the expectation that the Euro-wannabe driver won't speak English causing an annoying, pain-in-the-ass insurance swap.

7.) Smart ForTwo
Price: $11,990
Cost To Insure: $881
Curb Weight: 2315 lbs
Engine Displacement: 1.0 liter inline-three
HP: 70
TQ: 68

Driver Stereotype: Tries to out-smug a Prius driver

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Like the annoying fly that you just can't swat and kill, the ForTwo manages to avoid all conflict by being small and zippy, plus nobody seems to want manslaughter charges for when the driver gets squashed after a 10 mph accident.

6.) Honda Odyssey
Price: $26,355
Cost To Insure: $871
Curb Weight: 4387 lbs
Engine Displacement: 3.5 liter V6
HP: 244
TQ: 240

Driver Stereotype: Does not drive for the thrill of driving

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Odyssey drivers are busy reaching around and smacking the shit out of their kids, leaving very little time for accidents, so they generally avoid them.

5.) Kia Rio5
Price: $13,325
Cost To Insure: $870
Curb Weight: 2438 lbs
Engine Displacement: 1.6 liter inline-four
HP: 110
TQ: 107

Driver Stereotype: Typically doesn't care about cars

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: The Rio5 is so ugly that most drivers avoid any physical contact with them in fear that some of the ugly will rub off. Score one for Kia.

4.) Kia Sedona
Price: $21,245
Cost To Insure: $857
Curb Weight: 4365 lbs
Engine Displacement: 3.8 liter V6
HP: 250
TQ: 253

Driver Stereotype: Anti-Odyssey

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: This thing is so boring that they should have named it the Kia Sedative. It rarely leaves the driveway unless absolutely necessary, dramatically reducing its potential for road carnage.

3.) Hyundai Entourage
Price: $23,995
Cost To Insure: $848
Curb Weight: 4400 lbs
Engine Displacement: 3.8 liter V6
HP: 250
TQ: 253

Driver Stereotype: Anti-Odyssey/Sedona

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Should be renamed to Hyundai Ento...zzzzz. See Kia Sedona.

2.) Kia Sportage
Price: $16,695
Cost To Insure: $840
Curb Weight: 3230 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.0 liter inline-four
HP: 140
TQ: 136

Driver Stereotype: High school band geek

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: Typically the Sportage is doing exactly the opposite of what its name implies, instead it spends its life carting tubas and other brass instruments between Mom's house and band practice which coincidentally is just down the street. Also, the lack of party invites virtually eliminates any sort of under-the-influence driving.

1.) Hyundai Santa Fe
Price: $21,695
Cost To Insure: $832
Curb Weight: 3727 lbs
Engine Displacement: 2.7 liter V6
HP: 185
TQ: 183

Driver Stereotype: Not concerned with brand image

Jalopnik Insurance Cost Analysis: The Santa Fe, while having an unbelievably ridiculous name, is actually quite attractive limiting surrounding driver's desire to crash repeatedly into it. For complete opposite, see Kia Rio5.

LeRoy was arrested back in October when witnesses observed him, er, making love to a car wash vacuum cleaner in the wee hours of the morning. Caught red-handed by police called to the scene by the horrified witnesses, he admitted to the lewd act and got tossed in the slammer. Yesterday in Saginaw County Circuit Court, the 29-year-old was sentenced to 90 days in jail along with mandatory drug testing after pleading no contest. You can't make this kind of thing up folks. [DetNews]

If you're like us, then you've probably had an Irish Car Bomb before. We were pretty confident that we could make some that would knock yer socks off, but to give you the most accurate mixing of our three favorite types o' booze, we went the official route and received a true recipe from Drinksmixer.com.

According to Drinksmixer.com:

3/4 pint Guinness® stout
1/2 shot Bailey's® Irish cream
1/2 shot Jameson® Irish whiskey

Add the Bailey's and Jameson to a shot glass, layering the Bailey's on the bottom. Pour the Guinness into a pint glass or beer mug 3/4 of the way full and let settle. Drop the shot glass into the Guinness and chug. If you don't drink it fast enough it will curdle and increasingly taste worse.

Not surprisingly, it's an easy one to make, but also very easy to get wrong — as evidenced by last year's unintentional shoe-soaking ab workout. Now on to the good stuff. If you want to drink like a true Jalop Irishman (though lesser men will get alcohol poisoning and die), here's the portion size for 10 Irish Car Bombs:

7.5 pint Guinness® stout
5 shot Bailey's® Irish cream
5 shot Jameson® Irish whiskey

Don't worry telling us about it tomorrow. If you do it correctly, you won't even remember. Have fun, be safe and Happy St. Paddy's Day! [via drinksmixer, Flickr]

Named the 1/X (pronounced 1-x'th) after the fraction of its carbon footprint compared to other vehicles, the hybrid is greener than others not only because of it gas mileage: Compared to standard petroleum-based plastic, bioplastic allegedly produces up to 60 percent less carbon dioxide and uses about 30 percent less energy as well.

Toyota plans on presenting their 1/X concept car at the Melbourne Motor Show on Feb. 28, even though it could be another 15 years until this seaweed car actually makes it to production. Here's hoping that when it comes into fruition, Jason gets one to review just so we could joyride it into a lake of Miso. Yummy. [Wired]

The Camaro took a 40 year snooze from official pace car duties, but is now back with the 2010 426 horsepower Camaro SS just in time to pace the 51st running of the Daytona 500 on February 15, 2009. It's painted in Cyber Gray and possibly Rally Yellow along with all the necessary Daytona 500 stickers and Camaro decals. We won't say this thing is exactly pretty, as most pace cars are not, but the 2010 Camaro does look pretty good with the Cyber Gray covering its flanks.

Press Release:

Racing series NASCAR-CUP
Date 2009-02-07

Chevy Camaro Returns as Official Pace Car for 51st Daytona 500; Iconic 2010 Model Returns to the "Great American Race" After 40-Year Absence

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (Feb. 7, 2009) — Daytona International Speedway officials announced the return of the Chevy Camaro as the Official Pace Car of the 51st running of the Daytona 500—the first Camaro to pace the field since 1969.

"Chevy has been a great partner of the Daytona 500 for more than 30 years, and the Camaro is an automotive icon,'" said Speedway President Robin Braig. "This 2010 model will set the tone for a 21st century sports car, and that's a perfect fit to lead the pack at the 'Great American Race.''

The 426-horsepower vehicle, powered by the 6.2-liter all-aluminum Chevy V-8, carries a PPG Cyber Grey paint scheme with a bold accent design befitting "The World Center of Racing." A Camaro has paced the field just twice in Dayton 500 history, in 1968 and '69, and this 2010 model is scheduled to hit showroom floors this spring.

Built on GM's new global rear-wheel drive architecture, the Camaro also will be offered in V-6-powered LS and LT models. Additional specs of the 2010 model pace car include:

* All-aluminum 6.2-liter V-8

* 426 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque

* Fully integrated strobe system, including a GM-designed custom light bar utilizing Whelen 500 series linear strobes

* 27-mpg estimated highway fuel economy

* Fuel-saving Tremec 6-speed manual transmission

* Top speed of xxx mph on the test track

[via camaro5]