Volkswagen R32, Brammo Empulse R, Smart Fortwo Hayabusa: The Dopest Vehicles I Found For Sale Online

Another week means another entry into this series featuring the sweet cars we found online.

To compile this list, I search as much of Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist as I can for interesting vehicles that don't cost a lot. They may be hilariously unreliable, remarkably unique, questionably tuned, or maybe something else that stops me in my tracks. Prices for some particular cars are trending higher due to the pandemic, but I think some good deals are still out there.

Those who want to make a Smart Fortwo stupid fun sometimes cram a motorcycle engine in the back. However, it's not easy to actually mate a Smart with a motorcycle. Have you ever wanted a Smart Fortwo powered by a Suzuki Hayabusa engine, but don't want to go through that whole process of building it yourself? Well, this car might be the ticket for you.

While the conversion isn't finished, it runs, drives and is way faster than any stock Smart. The seller recommends it to be used for drag racing, drifting and for burnouts. It looks like it'll need a few things to be finished like the interior cleaned up and a solution for no reverse gear. But you can do a smoke show right now with it.

This burnout machine is for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Piggott, Arkansas, for $6,000.

The Trabant 601 is the car people think about when someone says "Trabant." Nearly three million 601s were produced. These cars have bodies of Duroplast, a composite like Bakelite that uses pressed cotton. While these little two-stroke, front-wheel-drive cars aren't all that practical today, they have quite a following, and quite a history. It's certainly an interesting choice if you want a weird classic car.

This Trabi is quite clean and it's up for $5,995 on Facebook Marketplace in Newville, Pennsylvania, with 20,000 miles on the odometer.

Here's an electric motorcycle that looks wild and is usable for a commute. This 2014 Brammo Empulse R has a range up to 100 miles, can be charged where electric cars can and even features a regular sequential manual transmission like an ICE motorcycle would. Reviews praised it for feeling like a traditional motorcycle, but knocked it for its clunky gearbox. This motorcycle originally sold for close to $20,000 and is now offered up for a much cheaper price.

Brammo disappeared not long after Polaris purchased its business, so finding parts may be a bit difficult. It's $7,500 on Facebook Marketplace out of Beloit, Wisconsin, with 3,500 miles.

A first-generation BMW X5 wouldn't normally be anything to write home about, but this one is somewhat special. Instead of the automatic transmission that most of these first-gen X5s have, this one comes with a five-speed manual. This particular X5 has high mileage with 190,000 miles on the odometer. However, it's in good condition. It even has cold air-conditioning.

It's $2,200 on Facebook Marketplace in Janesville, Wisconsin.

The Daihatsu Atrai is the van version of the HiJet kei truck. This little van has the rare Super Cosmic roof, which gives the occupants of the van a sweet view of the sky above. It has a 660cc three-cylinder fuel-injected engine and working air-conditioning. It has 49,700 miles and is reported in good mechanical condition.

It's for sale on Facebook Marketplace in Carmichael, California, for $5,500.

The GMC PD-4108 is the successor to the famous Scenicruiser buses that GM built for Greyhound in the mid-1950s. If you check around bus forums you'll often see people refer to these as "Buffalo" buses. These coaches make for good conversions as they were made for traversing the country in speed and comfort.

This particular example is an older RV conversion that will probably need some refreshing. It has a Detroit Diesel 8V92 and air ride suspension. The bus is said to run and drive great and can be used as-is. It's even registered as an RV, which is super important.

The PD-4108 Is $9,000 on Facebook Marketplace in Corydon, Indiana.

This week's enthusiast car is a Volkswagen R32 for an affordable price. The R32 is like a Golf GTI on steroids. Under the hood is a 3.2-liter V6 producing 252 horsepower through a six-speed dual-clutch and all-wheel-drive. This hot hatch will boogie even in the snow!

The seller says that it comes with an extra set of wheels with winter tires and the car is well maintained without any major issues. It's even been upgraded with a skidplate to protect the underside in the snow.

This R32 is $11,000 on Craigslist near Denver, Colorado, with 117,700 miles.

What's better than a regular Jeep Grand Cherokee? A Grand Cherokee turned into a pickup truck! There isn't much of a description on this one aside from a statement that it runs OK. However, that does appear to be a Smyth Ute kit on the back. Maybe $6,000 is a lot to ask for a Grand Cherokee, but at least it's something different.

It's for sale for $6,000 on Kijiji in Carlisle, Ontario, Canada, with about 149,000 miles.

Hat tip to reader Ian!

The final vehicle on this list is some of the most fun you can have on two wheels. A Grom will sort of go highway speed (just), but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in all of the silly shenanigans that you can do.

These hold their value extremely well, so it's always awesome to see a cheap one appear for sale. This one has 1,800 miles under its tires and the seller says it'll need a battery and some minor front end repairs, but it runs and rides as-is.

It's $1,700 on Facebook Marketplace in Machesney Park, Illinois.

That's it for this week! Have you purchased a car from one of these posts? If so, I want to know.

If you now of a weird car for sale on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, drop it down in the comments or send it along in an email! If the car's still for sale, we may feature it on a future post.