Nissan Pao, Honda Dream, Grumman Olson Kubvan: The Dopest Vehicles I Found For Sale Online

Before you correct me and say that this is actually an E-350 Centurion, you should know that Centurion wasn’t the only company turning Ford vans into part-camper, part-pickup hybrids. According to Ford Truck Enthusiasts, the Cabriolet is similar to the Centurion, but has lower bedsides and a semi-tractor-esque wind deflector up at top. These were the van-trucks (vucks?) meant to do just about everything. It’s a luxury vehicle, it’s a pickup truck, it’s a toy hauler.

Only one picture is provided in the Facebook Marketplace ad, but the ad also has a link to more pictures. It is remarkably clean for its age. The seller is asking $9,500 and is in Quincy, Illinois.

This wonderful find came my way from our own Jason Torchinsky. This Pao is a highly celebrated car with fans and journalists alike. This car is one of the cars to come out of the famous Pike factory. I’ll let Pao owner Torch take it away:

The goal of the Pike Factory was to build niche cars with as much design appeal as was available in other consumer products of the time — electronics, cameras, fashion and so on. These were cars that were not designed to appeal to everyone, but would be cult classics for those who appreciated them.

I’ve been searching for a cheap Honda Beat to import to the U.S. During that process I’ve also looked at a Pao or a few. Cheap ones are alarmingly rotted out and mint ones can soar above this seller’s asking price. I think it’s a good deal. This Pao can be had for a very reasonable $7,000 from Craigslist at a dealership in South El Monte, California.

Here is a Mercedes-Benz AMG car that’s so cheap that you could buy it just for the giggles. This sport sedan comes equipped with a supercharged 3.2-liter V6 engine pumping out a healthy 349 horsepower. It also has relatively low mileage for its age: 125,000. The owner has done some upgrades, ranging from a custom exhaust to modifying the headunit to play streaming content.

What’s the catch? Like many Mercedes-Benz vehicles of this era rust is popping up in many places. Thankfully, the rust doesn’t appear to be too aggressive yet. But you’ll probably want to peel off the Plasti Dip and go to town nuking it.

It can be found in West Chicago, Illinois, on Craigslist for $2,750.

H/T - Mike Z

This Honda Dream has an instantly recognizable design and could send veteran riders on a nostalgia trip. It’s functional art. The 305cc parallel-twin engine produces only 23 horsepower, so you won’t be going anywhere fast. But when you do arrive, you’ll arrive in style.

This example is in amazing shape for being original and the seller says it runs and rides great, too. It’s $2,500 on Facebook Marketplace in Moline, Illinois.

For this week’s enthusiast car, I decided to find a Nissan 350Z that is manual, under $10,000 and not tragically modified. The task was harder than you’d think, as many cheap 350Zs are either wrecked or modded beyond recognition. This example does have 180,000 miles on it, but it looks pretty good. I mean, it even has Enthusiast as its trim level!

It comes with some tasteful modifications and seems in good condition overall. Attached to the shifter for the manual transmission is something that looks like a Dragon Ball, which makes me giggle.

This car is $5,850 on Facebook Marketplace in Smyrna, Tennessee.

I dream of the day I can own a Grumman LLV and turn it into a small motorcycle hauler. But as the United States Postal Service seems intent on driving them into the ground, I have to find the next best thing. This Grumman Olson Kubvan comes close, and in some regards it’s even better than an LLV.

This one comes equipped with a lethargic 54-horsepower diesel engine from a Volkswagen Rabbit. The owner’s manual states that the small truck also uses Volkswagen suspension, steering and braking components. All of that is wrapped together with an aluminum body. Information gathered by Kubvan owners suggest that Grumman Olson intended this tiny truck to be for the USPS, but the postal service went for another design instead.

This diesel-powered wannabe mail truck can be had for $7,195 from Facebook Marketplace in Harriman, Tennessee.

Here is a scooter you aren’t going to see on the road very often. This rad little scooter was imported from Japan and features a Minarelli 2T 50cc engine. Webike Japan suggests options for it seemed to have included luggage racks and baskets. Whatever, it’s a unique city runabout.

It’s $2,200 on Facebook Marketplace in Hazel Park, Michigan.

Here is a somewhat rare vehicle that you will not often see on the road today. This is a 1989 Buick LeSabre T-Type. As the Truth About Cars reported, this was one of Buick’s attempts at capturing some of the youthful buyers who wanted something more sporty. Indeed, this car has some sleek bodywork for its day, and under the long hood is the fabled Buick 3800 engine.

Unfortunately, these weren’t hot sellers. The Daily Herald noted that fewer than 16,000 were sold. This example is in great shape, and the seller notes the car runs and drives great. It’s $6,500 on Facebook Marketplace in Oak Park, Illinois.

To round out this list I have a car that I’ve wanted to try but never really pulled the trigger on.

The Mercury Capri was Ford’s take on the drop-top roadster formula. It was released around the same time as the first-generation Mazda Miata. But unlike the Miata, it didn’t sell very well. It was also plagued with water leaks and other quality issues.

Still, I absolutely adore its looks. I mean, check out that paint and those wheels.

This one is only $2,100 in Pine City, Minnesota, on Facebook Marketplace. That makes it cheaper than a Miata, too!

That’s it for this week! Since I started this series I’ve watched how the pandemic has been changing local car prices. Vehicles that were an easy $1,000 before are becoming $2,000 or even $3,000 cars.

It’s becoming harder to find what I’d say are truly awesome deals without getting behind the wheel of something that’s one harsh pothole away from the scrapyard. Some gems are still out there, but they end up selling before I can even finish writing these.

Know of a weird car for sale on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist? Drop it down in the comments or in my email! If the car’s still for sale, I may feature it on a future entry.