Ebay Challenge: The American Way For Under $5k

With the nation's 238th birthday around the corner, I figured it necessary to grab a La-Z-Boy, heat up a bacon-injected apple pie, and challenge all of you red-blooded patriots to browse the internet (invented by America, by the way) for the best cars that were forged in the land of the free.

Here are the rules:

• Cars must be American (kit cars, trucks, and military/commercial vehicles included)
• Cars must have a selling price of under $5000
• It can be an auction, but it has to realistically end under $5000 (No Ford GTs with $5k starting bids!)
• Completed and sold listings can be included.
• You can add modifications, as long as it doesn't go over the total budget.
• Write a short reason why your car is the best American car $5000 (and under) can buy.

Now go find a car that would make Uncle Sam proud!

I'll arrange the best choices so we can reflect how far we've come in our short-yet-glorious history on our nation's birthday.

(Photo by Nick Ares on Flickr)