Jalopnik Takes on the Tuner Dungeon Challenge at NYIAS
Subtitles
  • Off
  • English

Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online

Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online

I've got my wrenching project, but do you have yours?

We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Start Slideshow
Start Slideshow
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

Folks, in the words of our era’s great poets, Santana featuring Rob Thomas, it’s a hot one. One might even say it’s like seven inches from the midday sun. It’s approximately ten thousand degrees in New York right now, and that gorgeous sun has put one thing in my mind: Wrenching.

Advertisement

Well, the heat, and the fact that I’ve been hanging out in it while resurrecting my 2013 BMW F800GS. It’s so nice to have a wrenching project again, something I can tinker with and fix and improve, and I want you to feel that same joy. So today, we’re looking for your next project, something you can really sink some afternoons into. In other words, we’re looking for the internet’s Dopest Cars.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

If there’s anything more dope than a genuine Integra Type R, I’ve yet to see it. Don’t be fooled by this one’s front end — it’s a Canadian-market car, left-hand-drive from the factory. It’s an Acura Integra, not a Honda.

Advertisement

But it’s not just any Acura. This Type R claims to have an engine refreshed by JUN Auto, a fresh rebuild of nearly every component, and a slew of aftermarket parts to improve handling. It may be the perfect Type R.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

Adventure bikes are so hot right now, but the larger end of the segment is fading in popularity. Instead, buyers seem to be flocking to the middleweights — the F850GS, KTM 890 Adventure, Tiger 900 and Tenere 700. But if you want that long-distance touring comfort, you’re in luck — you can score a deal on the bigger ADVs.

Advertisement

This KTM 1290 Super Adventure has all the touring equipment you want. Center stand, hard cases, everything you would need for your next road trip. So long as that trip stays mostly to paved roads, this 1290 could be your ticket to adventure.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

Okay, I admit, $75,000 for a Westfalia is a lot. But most other Westfaliae aren’t built to this standard. Rust prevention, a full color change, suspension and brake upgrades, and — oh yeah — a 2.5-liter Subaru engine sitting in back.

Advertisement

It’s not the turbo EJ255, but the Subie mill is still an upgrade over the VW’s factory engine. It’s an earlier, SOHC motor, but you’re still likely to find parts for it for decades to come — the advantages of a (somewhat) more modern engine.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

Remember when Mitsubishi made performance cars? Not just crossovers and Mirages, but twin-turbo V6 coupes that ran against Porsches and Supras? Pepperidge Farm remembers, even if Mitsubishi doesn’t — or simply has no interest in going back to that market.

Advertisement

Luckily, those cars are still around. Some, like this VR4, have survived in near-perfect condition. Sure, the top may not retract, but it doesn’t on Andy’s Z4 either — that’s not going to change the pull of that twin-turbo V6 as you row through the gears.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

This Brat has lived a hard life. It’s been pretty beaten down over the years, from its exterior “customizations” to the thief that apparently pilfered parts from its engine bay. Also, the owner claims to have “made an attempt to bypass the wiring harness”? What does that even mean?

Advertisement

There’s discussion of carb jets and turning the Brat into a “hotrod project,” but you don’t need that. You’ll have enough of an adventure just getting this little ute back into the land of the living (and running, and driving). Bring it back from the brink this summer.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

I understand that, among the Jalopnik staff, I’m the resident microcar aficionado. I like their light weight, nimble handling, and how easy they are to navigate through densely crowded streets. But there’s something so tempting, so desirable, about an old ‘froader that can just go anywhere.

Advertisement

This 4runner, with its rust and dents, fits the bill. The exterior may be rough (to stop you from worrying about scrapes and scratches) but the interior is shockingly clean. It’s the ideal condition for a vehicle that’ll take you on off-road excursions for years to come.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

These bikes have intrigued me for years. I even came close to buying one brand new, shipped out of California in a crate, just to see what they were like in person. Of course, that was before I worked here, where I can blog all my opinions about bikes, but the curiosity was still there.

Advertisement

If you have that same curiosity, here’s your opportunity. A retro-styled 250cc motorcycle, made in China and supported by California, imported to be the cheapest style symbol since thrift shop Ray-Bans. Don’t you want to know what this mini modern Bonnie is like to ride?

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

This El Camino may look gorgeous, but there’s more opportunity for wrenching than meets the eye. The charging system doesn’t work, the bed needs paint to keep the rust away, and the interior needs some finishing up. Sounds to me like an ideal summer project.

Advertisement

If you do get this truck running, I have one request: Please turn the bed into a hot hub. I’ve long wondered if you could route a truck’s radiator hose through the bed, using lengths of metal pipe to heat a bed filled with water, but I’ve never been able to try it. Please help in my grand designs.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

The seller of this Civic claims that, when tuned for ethanol, it made 438 horsepower to the front wheels. On pump gas, that number dropped to 304 — still an absurd amount to put through the front end of an EG.

Advertisement

This thing must be an absolute riot to drive. I imagine the torque steer, as the car hits boost, would be incredible — wrenching the wheel from your hands. I want this. I want to try it.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

This Sentra has something I try to avoid in Dopest: A salvage title. The seller claims it’s due to “abandonment” rather than any kind of accident, but I contend that at this age it almost doesn’t matter. If the car drives straight, if it looks right, and if it’s survived this long, it’s probably fine.

Advertisement

According to the ad, this SE-R has had plenty of recent refreshment. Wear items, suspension, engine mods — it’s been looked after in recent years. Not so abandoned now, is it? Maybe they can change the title back.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

I’m a sucker for a beat-up E36. There, I said it. This actually extends to old VW Golves and Cabriopodes as well — there’s just something great about a performance-oriented ‘90s German car that’s fallen into disrepair.

Advertisement

That makes this M3 perfect, because the seller claims its claws are all cosmetic. The drivetrain, apparently, is in perfect shape, ready to hunt apexes at the autocross or hunt for parking spots at the office. Plus, it’s cheap — who doesn’t love that?

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

I never knew the Cobalt SS came in such a good blue. I knew they were fun cars, underrated in their time, far more entertaining and practical than they were ever given credit for, but this may be the single biggest selling point for a used SS: It comes in a very good blue.

Advertisement

If that’s not enough to sell you on this car, it’s also faster than you’d ever expect from a Cobalt — it handles better, it rides better, it just is better than the base car. At least, until you look at is — then the base Cobalt looks better.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

Speaking of great paint, my god. This Norton has more metal flake than the floor under a drill press; a brighter, shinier orange than you’d ever find in Florida. It’s been restored, and the seller claims it largely lounged around in a dealership showroom since it was fixed up.

Advertisement

You don’t see many Nortons in an average day, and it’s nice to get a vintage British motorcycle that isn’t yet another Bonneville. Plus, have you ever seen a Bonnie with that much flake in the paint? I thought not.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

I’m a sucker for Land Cruisers. If you’re a longtime reader of Dopest, you know this about me. This Cruiser, modified for off-road use, is far from an exception — I absolutely love this thing.

Advertisement

Locking center diff and axles, CB radio, aftermarket bumper and winch, 35" wheels, and a fridge and freezer combo — all built into a six-cylinder turbodiesel Cruiser chassis. Is this the perfect car? It might be the perfect car.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide
Image for article titled Acura Integra Type R, Chevy El Camino, Norton Commando: The Dopest Cars I Found for Sale Online
Photo: Craigslist

Though the B2000 gives it a run for its money, for simplicity alone. Don’t you miss trucks like this? If you do, you have a golden opportunity here to bring one back from the dead.

Advertisement

The seller of this Mazda claims the frame rails are solid, but that the floors have long since rotted away. You, its next owner, have an opportunity here: Swap out all the floors for custom parts, with that childhood city road map rug laser-etched into them. Please, someone, do this on literally any car. I will pay to see it.

Advertisement