Spring seems to have sprung a bit early this year. It was over sixty degrees here in New York yesterday, which is a fantastic feeling until you think about it too long. Still, it seems to have gotten everyone in the warm-weather spirit — at least, based on how much people spent on motorcycles and sports cars this week on Bring a Trailer. Let’s see who lost the biggest.
NADA value: $2,275
This week, the Suckers Slideshow starts small. This 1989 Toyota Tercel EZ is a compact car from the days when that designation really meant something. You got four wheels, three doors, and two sealed0beam headlights. It got you from point A to point B. What more could you want?
The Tercel is the car Jesse Pinkman bought in Breaking Bad when he was broke and just needed transportation. Do you think he had seven grand laying around to pick something up? Probably not, but he may have had the $2,275 that NADA says this Tercel is really worth.
Hagerty value: $7,300 in concours condition
From small, we go even smaller. In the early 1970s, this Honda CT70 (or Trail 70) was a dirt bike meant for cruising around beyond the reaches of pavement. These trail bikes are absolutely tiny, like a tricycle aa bear might ride in a circus. With seventy cubic centimeters of fury between your feet, though, you may just outrun the bear. For a bit, at least.
This CT70, admittedly, has seen a full restoration. It’s been torn down, repainted, and the engine was even fully rebuilt. But that engine doesn’t match the engine number on the bike’s title, and the whole thing appears to have a “Planned Non-Operation” registration. What’s the history on this bike, and can you even legally use it?
Hagerty value: $10,300
This CRX SiR actually came in as a reader tip, alongside an Integra Type R sedan that unfortunately didn’t end up selling. These cars are incredibly cool, putting out 158 horsepower (in Japan-only SiR trim) and weighing in at just 2,138 lbs. When I used to work at Watkins Glen International, my boss actually raced these — and loved them.
This SiR, however, isn’t a pristine example. The car has been modified by previous owners, and much of its mechanical condition is a question. There’s an aftermarket VTEC controller, but no one really knows if it works. The center console has wiring poking through for Japan’s version of EZpass, but the unit itself is gone. Cosmetic issues abound, and the car itself doesn’t have a title — normal in Vermont for vehicles over fifteen years old, but it could still cause a hassle for the car’s buyer.
NADA value: $18,300
I’ll admit, I’ve been tempted by 100-series Land Cruisers recently. The idea of packing one up with a sleeping bag and some clothes, hopping behind the wheel, and just heading vaguely westward is incredibly appealing. But the Cruisers saved in my Facebook Marketplace are all asking four figures — far from the $35,000 this Brand Cruiser raked in.
The Brand Cruiser appears to be in fantastic shape, but the seller notes it was hit in the front in 2010. The lack of any direct photos of the affected panel doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence in the repairer’s ability to match that gorgeous Cypress Pearl paint. Would you rather have one Brand Cruiser that’s been hit, or three Land Cruisers that haven’t? I rest my case.
Hagerty value: $28,500 in concours condition
The original Kawasaki H2 is a weird bike. It’s a three-cylinder two-stroke that made 71 horsepower when new, and could hit 126 miles per hour. This one, fresh off a restoration that ended last year, is probably still capable of those same numbers — and of producing the clouds of blue smoke for which the H2 is famous.
$40,000 is, incredible, more expensive than a modern Kawasaki H2, and that newer bike has a supercharger that spins so quickly its impeller blades break the sound barrier under load. By the time you’re old enough to afford the poster bikes of your youth, they’ll have been surpassed by modern successors. And at that age, do you really still want to ride around in a cloud of blue smoke?
Hagerty value: $38,100 in concours condition
Earlier this week, I sent a Bring a Trailer listing for an F-150 SVT Lightning to the Jalopnik slack. It was accompanied by the caption “Is it just me or is this a totally reasonable price?” This, dear reader, is not that listing.
That Lightning didn’t have this one’s chromed-out exterior, its Altezza tail lights, or its four-digit mileage. But that one was something drivable — this one has to live indoors, both to keep its mileage down and to hide all its chrome from the watchful eye of god. Which one would you rather have?
Hagerty value: $46,400 in concours condition
It wouldn’t be a Suckers Slideshow without a seventies Chevy truck, would it? The story here is the same as it ever was: Take an old Chevy, add six feet of ride height without using portal axles to actually improve ground clearance, and sell it for comical amounts of money. And the days go by.
This particular K10 is an interesting one, simply because of its condition: Look closely, and it’s not as pristine as it appears. The paint is chipped in places, and rust is starting to show up in others. The tailgate handle doesn’t fit right, and some of the window gasket material is starting to really show its age. For over $70,000, you should at least get something waterproof.
Hagerty value: $239,000 in concours condition
Bedroom poster cars are never the most attainable, but the Rad Reemergence of the past few years has really taken a toll on the Diablo. Just three years ago, you could pick one up for barely over a hundred grand. Now? Even this relatively low-spec VT is a $270,000 car.
In defense of the Diablo, it has all the supercar things right. The doors, the wheels, the wing; everything is just chef kiss. For this kind of money, though, a car should be perfect — not full of worn, scratched plastics and cracking leather.
Hagerty value: $239,000 in concours condition
That brings us to the Diablo’s successor, the impossible-to-spell-correctly-on-your-first-try Murciélago. Putting these two next to each other really shows the DNA that carried over — the upper and lower rear intakes, the wheels, even the mirrors look like a direct evolution of the Diablo aesthetic.
The price, too, evolved upwards from that Diablo. $300,000, for comparison, is modern Lamborghini money — as in, one and a half Huracáns money. If you want a late-model Lamborghini, why not shell out less and get one with CarPlay?
I’ll admit to having a soft spot for the Mercedes 190E in all forms, particularly the Evo II. I even used to have a photo of one from Radwood Greenwich as my phone wallpaper. But the prices on these, while never attainable, have skyrocketed recently — including on this very car.
This exact car, Evo II #473, was shared by Bring A Trailer back in 2015 when it was listed for sale in the Netherlands. Back then, the seller was asking about $176,000 for it. In just a few years, that’s been more than doubled. What are the chances that this Evo II, at this price, ever sees the inside of a Radwood event?