Another week means another entry into our series featuring the sweet cars I found for sale online. This week we have a rare speedy wagon, a beautiful old truck, and an obscure American roadster.
I now search for interesting vehicles anywhere and everywhere on the internet, not just Facebook Marketplaceand Craigslist, to make sure I find the best cars out there.
These vehicles may be hilariously unreliable, remarkably unusual, questionably tuned or just something that stops me in my tracks. We all know the used car market is all kinds of broken right now, but I try to find deals where they exist.
1957 Dodge D100 - $14,500
I love a good classic truck, and here’s another that looks like it would be a ball to leisurely drive down a country road. Oh, and you get some nice kit with it, too. You row gears from a column-shift manual and a 3.8-liter Flathead straight six making 120 HP. Again, this isn’t a rig for going fast, but for taking a good backroad cruise.
This one looks pretty good all around. It’s $14,500 on Facebook Marketplace in Youngstown, Ohio with 68,526 miles.
1998 Panoz AIV Roadster - $47,500
If you’ve played a racing game or hung around a car show, chances are you’ve played with a Panoz Esperante or maybe seen one in person once or twice. But before the Esperante, Panoz built an even more distinctive car. Meet the Panoz AIV Roadster.
The AIV Roadster is the second-generation of the Panoz Roadster. Panoz was founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, the son of Don Panoz. Back then, Dan had purchased the rights to the defunct Thomson Motor Company TMC Costin chassis. Panoz then worked that chassis to fit Ford Mustang running gear and a custom body. The AIV — Aluminum Intensive Vehicle — would get an aluminum space frame and the running gear from the 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra. Just 176 were built.
That makes this a rare roadster with a 305 HP 4.6-liter V8. It’s $47,500 on Facebook Marketplace in McEwen, Tennessee with 12,400 miles.
2011 Saab 9-5 Aero Turbo 6 XWD - $8,500
This was a fantastic Saab that perhaps arrived a little too late. Why should you care about the sedan before you? Check this out: this car has all-wheel drive and a 2.8-liter turbo V6 pumping out 300 HP and 295 lb-ft torque. You get that wrapped up in a sleek body filled with modern tech and a chassis that holds its own when things get curvy.
Car And Driver’s review of the car praised its comfortable seating (better than a Corvette) and its rear room (better than a Mercedes E-Class). Even the navigation system is thoughtful, offering drivers either a touchscreen or physical button experience.
Unfortunately, this is a great car that couldn’t save Saab. You can now have it for yourself for $8,500 on Facebook Marketplace in Madison, Wisconsin for $8,500 with 162,000 miles.
1978 Honda Civic - $3,000
Looking for a Japanese classic but don’t want to pay Bring a Trailer prices? Check out this ‘70s Civic! The seller is quick to note that it has a bent valve thanks to a previously broken timing belt, so it will need engine work in the future. But for now it does run and drive. And the body has minimal rust.
This first-generation car was one of the cars to flood the States to give Americans a car that was cheap to purchase and cheap to run. The first Civic was a smashing success and beloved around the world, earning awards and sales everywhere. If you love these cars you can thank these little first ones for getting the ball rolling.
This one presents in ok condition. You’ll need to fix that aforementioned bent valve and the rust, but it looks pretty decent. It’s also cheap at $3,000 on Facebook from Obscure Cars for Sale in Renton, Washington with 115,000 miles.
1984 Honda VF1000F Interceptor - $1,800
There aren’t many V4 automotive engines in the world, but you’ll find a number of them is lodged into motorcycle frames. This 1984 Honda VF1000F Interceptor has Honda’s 998cc, 113-horsepower V4, and the whole motorcycle comes wrapped in a gorgeous red, white and blue color scheme. Listen to this soundtrack:
This one runs and rides, and it’s cheap, perfect for the upcoming good weather. It’s been for sale for a while, but I’ve confirmed that it’s still for sale. Please buy it for $1,800 on Facebook Marketplace in Reedsburg, Wisconsin before I do.
1957 Ford Thunderbird - $29,900
In decades past the personal luxury coupe offered comfort and sophistication in a package dripping with style. Ford’s Thunderbird was an upscale entry into personal luxury cars and is sometimes credited with popularizing the segment in the 1950s. Don’t think of this as just another sports car. This has more kit in it than the era’s Corvette.
This particular Thunderbird is a turn key classic that doesn’t need work. The chrome shines bright and there isn’t rust, even in the common areas of the body. You get power disc brakes, a dual master cylinder braking system and even a power seat. It’s $29,900 on Facebook Marketplace in Skokie, Illinois with 42,500 miles.
2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX Wagon - $49,997
Don’t rub your eyes and don’t smack that CRT. You’re indeed looking at a Lancer Evolution, but with a glorious long roof. If you’re an American, you may not even be aware that these are out there. But Mitsubishi hit the road with a spicy Lancer wagon for a really short time. Just 2,500 of them were built, and none of them made it to America. So it’s already a rare car and one you won’t see in America.
Of course, being an Evo IX means that you get a 286 HP 2.0-liter turbo four mated to a six-speed, which should make this one of the most fun wagons you’ll ever drive.
It’s unclear how this one made it through the border, but it’s said to have a North Carolina title. There’s also a load of aftermarket parts from the navigation system running an ancient version of Android to stuff like the intake, intercooler and piping. I’d normally find a stock version, but this is a car so rare here that I struck out.
If you have an Evo wagon itch to scratch, this will set you back $49,997 at Cosmo Motors in Hickory, North Carolina.
Hat tip to Tori!
1987 Ford C8000 Ramp Truck - $26,500
Here’s a cool rig to haul your favorite cars that won’t cost you six figures. This 1987 Ford C8000 cabover ramp truck looks to be in excellent condition outside with what looks like light wear inside.
The Ford C-Series of cabover trucks were produced for a lengthy 33 years between 1957 and 1990. As Curbside Classic notes, its production is only surpassed by the Mack Model R. The bodies of these trucks ran practically unchanged through those decades and the trucks have proven themselves to be so reliable that you can still find a few of them on the road today. These trucks were used for everything from cement mixers and fire engines to over the road Class 8 semis.
This one has a Caterpillar 3208. It’s a chunky 10.4-liter V8 diesel that in this application is known to make least 200 HP. You also get LED lights, hidden ramps and an Allison automatic. It’s $26,500 on Facebook Marketplace in Upton, Massachusetts with 52,000 miles.
2004 Volkswagen Passat W8 Wagon - $16,000
When Ferdinand Piëch ran Volkswagen he had some wild ideas. The Volkswagen Phaeton, Touareg V10 TDI and the Passat W8 make up what some enthusiasts call the “Piëch Trifecta,” that are sought after by VAG-loving masochists like myself:
These Passats feature a unique W8 engine that, loosely speaking, consists of four banks of two cylinders each; it makes 270 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, with 273 lb-ft torque peaking at 2,750. (It’s said this engine was made by combining two VR4 engines, but Volkswagen never made a VR4 in a production car. So to make the W8, VW deployed tech it hadn’t previously used.) All this is run through a glorious six-speed manual and transmitted to the mechanical full-time AWD 4Motion system.
According to enthusiast sources, just 424 Passat W8s are in America with manual transmissions. And of those, only 95 are wagons.
This one is a two-owner car that looks to be in minty shape. It’s $16,900 on Facebook Marketplace in Frankfort, Illinois with 158,170 miles.
That’s it for this week! Have you purchased a car from one of these posts? If so, I want to know.
If you know of a weird car for sale on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, drop it down in the comments or send it along in an email! If the car’s still for sale, we may feature it in a future post.