I recently asked you frugal lot to find the vehicle with the most horsepower, on Ebay, for less than $1,000. Obviously, it was a tall order, and most of the cars mentioned required some minor assembly. Without further ado, these are the ten most powerful clunkers you guys found for a grand.
10. Ford Taurus SHO - 220 HP
Ah, the mainstay of the sleeper world, the Ford Taurus SHO. Some of you missed the boat on the one I posted for sale here, but it doesn't mean you can't get your own slice of Yamaha V6 heaven for next to nothing. See if you can find one on eBay.
(Suggested by SCMiata97)
9. Lexus LS400 - 250HP
This car set the standard for luxury in the early 90s, if you forget about cars like the S-Class, BMW 7-Series, and anything coming from Bentley or Rolls Royce. But it was still a great car with amazing reliability and great power delivery. It's just over budget, but I'm sure you can talk the buyer down with a few kind words.
(Suggested by Yobobjm)
8. Allegro P30 Motor Home - 260 HP
Now you, too can start a mobile meth lab cross-country adventure with the family! It's a bargain at twice the price!
From what I can tell, this thing should have a 454 in it
(Suggested by biffo)
7. Dump Trucks - 262 HP/235HP
Who wants some industrial horsepower for some pedestrian cash? This Ford F600 and Scania Moxy dump truck are probably the most vehicle for your buck you can get for this kind of money.
(Suggested by biffo and LearnedItInAWillys)
6. Jaguar XJS V12 - 263 HP
OK, this one needs a little work, but it's likely the cheapest V12 on the market, and it's a damn good looking car. It's truly a Jag at it's Jaaaagiest.
(Suggested by DatASSun)
5. Pontiac Trans Am - 275 HP
You can 'Merica all day long with this unloved fire chicken. 8 cylinders of freedom.
(Suggested by sumfoo1)
4. E32 BMW 740i - 282 HP
It may be 20 years old, but it's still a top of the line BMW with an amazing V8 for the price of a new BMW's oil change.
Granted there are a few 300hp Northstar Caddy's that sold recently that beat the HP, but they surprisingly all needed head gaskets. This little gem was 282hp and needs no head gaskets. Rejoice!
(Suggested by LugNutz)
3. Cadillac Seville STS - 300 HP
I'll be honest - I hate this car. Mainly because I lost a ton of money trying to restore one. But at $1k, you can't really complain and 300hp is 300hp. This one, apparently has the proceeds going to charity, so that's a plus.
(Suggested by I Can be Stig?)
2. Chevy Suburban 2500 - 315 HP
It's 6 liters. It' a V8. It's built like a rock - sort of. It's also got mismatched wheels and some body damage, but who cares? It's cheap horsepower, and that's the best kind. You can paint it black and act like you're the generic and expendable FBI agents in some action movie.
(Suggested by BigNSlow)
1. Oldsmobile Toronado - 365 HP
This car is just plain cool. It's the first American muscle car with front-wheel drive. Jay Leno has one, and you should too.
(Suggested by Stapleface)
Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. He owns the world's cheapest Mercedes S-Class, a graffiti-bombed Lexus, and he's the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn't feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.