Saturday, March 19, 2011

Weekend Quickies



1995 Audi S6 - This is the first year Audi started calling this car the S6, prior to 1995 it was known as the S4 (and is completely different from today's S4).

This S6 has been slightly modified, using parts from from 2Bennett Audimotive, one of the best Audi tuners around.

This is the type of modified car I like. It's not overdone. Other than sitting on some 18" wheels and a lower ride height, there is nothing about this car that screams "modified".

The only thing I would add to this car is a set of Audi rings on the front. The nose looks too bland without them.

Located in Lynden, WA, click here to see the eBay listing.

1989 BMW 325iX - This was BMW's answer to Audi's 80/90 quattro sedans. While Audi advertised their AWD cars like crazy, BMW, for unknown reasons, downplayed these cars. It was almost as if they were saying "Yeah, Audi's got AWD and if you really, really, want it, you can get a BMW with AWD, too. We're just not going to try very hard to sell you one."

It's too bad BMW didn't publicize these cars. They are every bit as good - and in some cases better than - the Audi 80 / 90 quattro sedans.

The E30 iX cars have one big flaw. They rust. BMW put some lower body molding on the iX and it collects moisture and dirt.

This car is not perfect, but it would make a great everyday driver or winter car. It has some rust and needs a little brake work, but it has just 130,000 miles and the seller says it runs good.

Located in Everett, MA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1988 Renault Medallion - Remember this car? It's now on eBay. The new owner found out what most of us who love and drive older, obsolete cars already know... It's not easy finding parts for orphan cars. And sometimes those parts - even for non-exotic cars like this one - are incredibly expensive.

The car is in better shape than it was when it was purchased a few weeks ago. It has a number of new parts. The eBay ad, besides having more pictures, is much more descriptive than the original Craigslist ad.

The original post I wrote about this car received a lot of attention. (You can find the post here.) A number of people left comments and sent me e-mails stating that they wished they had been able to buy the car. Here's your second chance.



1966 Citroen Ami 6 Break


A little while ago I posted a group of interesting European cars being offered by someone in Chicago. (You can find the post here.)

This is another car from the same collection.

I've always admired old Citroens for their incredible engineering and offbeat looks. However, the Ami sedan, in my opinion, went beyond offbeat and straight into ugly. The backwards sloping rear window with its little overhang was just something I just found completely unappealing.

The station wagon (or "Break", as it was called by Citroen), while no beauty, is a lot easier to look at.

The Ami is, for all intents and purposes, an upscale 2CV. It came with a 602 cc two-cylinder. Top speed was somewhere around 60 MPH and it took around 30 seconds to get there.

The suspension was the same suspension found on the 2CV. It's a very unique system that gives the car an incredible ride and some interesting handling characteristics, as you can see in the photo below. (I wrote a post about an Ami back in October, 2009. In that post is a link to a site with a picture of the suspension. You can find the post here.)

(Photo courtesy of The Truth About Cars.)

Like the seller's earlier eBay listings, this one has virtually no information and some not-so-great pictures. There is a phone number you can call for more info.

1972 AMC Hornet Sportabout


I love seeing cars like this. Not just because it's an AMC product (which, oddly, I have an affinity for), but because it's a Hornet station wagon. How cool is it that someone preserved a 6 cylinder, automatic transmission, Hornet station wagon?

The Hornet was introduced in 1970. It replaced the Rambler in AMC's lineup. It may not have been the most technologically advanced car, but it did have to be; it was competing the Ford Maverick, Chevy Nova and Plymouth Valiant. The body was designed by Richard Teague. In my opinion it is better looking than the GM, Ford and Chrysler cars.

AMC built the Hornet through 1977. The basic platform lived on another 10 years as the AMC Eagle.

This Hornet Sportabout (as AMC called the station wagon) came with the optional "X" package. With the X package you got sport wheels (which are steel, but very nice looking), body stripes (which were removed when this car was repainted), a sport steering wheel and a few other "sporty" items. The drivetrain and the suspension were unchanged.

This car is in remarkable shape. According to the seller, it was originally a California car and has no rust. He has "a lot of original paperwork and service records from the original owner". It has air conditioning, but it's not working. Collectible Automobile Magazine featured this car in its April 2011 issue.

I don't think this car will sell quickly. There aren't a lot of people looking for 6 cylinder AMC Hornet Sportabouts. But, if you are, this might be one of the nicest around.


1986 BMW 535i - A Very Nice Car, A Well Done Ad


This is a very nice car with a very good Craigslist ad.

I've always liked the looks of the E28 5 Series. It's boxy and purposeful, but sporty at the same time. They're fast, handle well and are very comfortable. With routine maintenance, they will run forever.

This is a very, very nice E28. It's been what I would call "modestly modified". It's been lowered slightly, has Bilstien Sport shocks all around and E32 brakes up front. It has 16x8.5 Hartge rims, a 535IS front air dam and rear spoiler and a sport tuned exhaust.

While the car itself has 196,000 miles on it, the seller says the engine is from a 1988 535i and has just 75,000 miles on it. According to the seller, the only work the car needs is a new heater core. It has a 5 speed transmission.

The body looks like it's in very nice condition. The front spoiler has a few scrapes (almost all of them do, I wouldn't even bother fixing it) and there is a small parking lot ding on the front left fender. I can't see any rust or other damage.

Included in the sale is a Hartge M30(H5S) head with 300 degree cam, but only if you want it...

The asking price is a reasonable $3800.00. However, if you don't want the Hartge wheels, the seller will take $1000.00 off the price. If you don't want the Hartge head, he will take another $400.00 off the price. If that stuff means little to you, you could be driving this car for $2400.00. Me? I'd leave the wheels and take the head.

The Craigslist listing is really well done. It's easy to read, gives you the information you need, has a link to a comprehensive Photobucket album, and the seller leaves his phone number.


1968 ZAZ-965 Zaporozhets - In Georgia... That's Georgia, USA


Wow. Who would have thought that there would be one of these in the US?

The ZAZ-965 Zaporozhets was built from 1960 until 1969. It was an original design, although it's a pretty good bet that the folks at Moskvitch (who designed the car) had taken a good long look at a Fiat 600 before they put pencil to paper.

Like the Fiat 600, the engine sat in the rear of the ZAZ-965. The engine is an aircooled, 746 cc, 26 HP, V4. Unlike the Fiat, the ZAZ-965 had a torsion bar suspension up front. Supposedly the ride is pretty comfortable for a small car.

This was one of the cheapest cars you could buy in the Soviet Union. The interior is pretty spartan, but really no worse than many cheap Western European or Asian cars from the same era.

The seller doesn't say how or when this car arrived in the US. From what I can gather from the listing (which is pretty confusing) it somehow found its way to Georgia from Maryland. It has some "rust issues", which the seller attributes to it being an "up north car". He also says the engine turns over but doesn't run.

I have no idea what these cars are worth. I suspect it's not a lot. Based on the pictures, this one needs a lot of work. But, if you can buy it cheap and you don't mind waiting for parts to arrive from Eastern Europe (Unlike Lada, Skoda and a few other Eastern European cars, these, to the best of my knowledge, were never sold outside of Eastern Europe. They were most certainly never sold in North America) this would be a really cool car to restore and bring to shows.


Men (Or Women) Of Few Words...


These are all very cool / interesting cars. Unfortunately, the sellers don't leave much of a description in their ads...

1960 Goliath Station Wagon - Of the bunch, this one has the best description. The seller writes, "I have it stored inside have only driven it a couple times. Rust/rot free, still has the original interior,one amateur repaint. A neat little car."

He leaves a phone number you can call for more info.

If it looks as good in person as it does in the pictures, the $3999.00 asking price is reasonable.

Located in Plaistow, NH, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1976 Jensen GT - "1976 Jensen GT; 5 speed 907 Lotus engine." That's the entire description.

It looks very good in the pictures provided, but these cars are very prone to rust, so it should be inspected carefully.

Located in New Salisbury, IN, click here to see the Craigslist ad.

1965 Datsun 1200 Truck - This is really cool. I'm starting to really appreciate funky old Japanese pick up trucks and wouldn't mind owning one. Unfortunately, here in New England virtually all of them have rusted away.

The description reads, "Good condition, mainly kept in garage. Well maintained by owner. Great for classic car enthusiast." The seller leaves a phone number you can call for more info.

1981 Peugeot 505


This car is being offered by a used car dealer. When was the last time you saw a non-classic car dealer selling a 29 year old car, let alone a 29 year old Peugeot 505?

This appears to be a very nice 505. Being a 1981, it has the early dash. I prefer the later dashboards, but there's something to be said for the simplicity of the early ones.

This is a base model 505. It came with manual windows, no sunroof and steel wheels. It most likely has the 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine. This was not the most powerful engine in the world, but it moved the 505 at a respectable pace. With proper maintenance it is very reliable. The transmission is a ZF 3 speed automatic.

This car has just 60,782 miles on it and the body looks great. White does a horrible job of hiding rust and I don't see any on this car. The huge downside to this being a 1981 505 is the US spec sealed beam headlights. They look awful. If you buy it, replace them with a set of European headlight units. It will cost some real money to find them and have them shipped from Europe, but they're worth it as they will not only make the car look 100% better, they will illuminate the road better, too.

The interior also looks great and the AM / FM cassette radio makes me believe this car was owned by someone "older".

Contrary to popular belief, there isn't a whole lot that goes wrong with these cars. Peugeot switchgear is pretty fragile, but as long as you don't punch the buttons or slam the stalks they will last quite awhile. Being an older car, electrical connections may corrode, but they're pretty easy to fix. The Bosch K-jet fuel injection system is a bit of an antique, but it's still pretty reliable.

A 29 year old Peugeot rides and handles better many modern cars. (Many, many modern cars.) The trade off for the lackluster performance of the engine is decent gas mileage. Both of those attributes would make this a great everyday car or commuter car. (Unfortunately, the seller doesn't show a price in his ad. If it's ridiculously high, that last sentence is moot.)


Renault (or IKA) Torino - If This Ad Is Legit This Could Be A Great Bargain...


Whoa! I hope this is a real ad. It seems a little too good to be true. The "scam detector" is beeping like crazy here, but you never know...

This is either a IKA (Industrias Kaiser Argentina) Torino or Renault Torino. (IKA became Renault Argentina in 1977.)

Essentially it's a Rambler American built under license by Kaiser. The front and rear body panels, bumpers and interior are significantly different from the Rambler. The redesign was done by Pininfarina.

The drivetrain was a bit of a hybrid. The engine was a Jeep "Tornado" I6, which was fed by Weber carbs. The gearbox came from ZF.

These cars sold well in Argentina and were often raced very successfully.

These are very cool cars and not often seen in the US.

The ad is sketchy. The car may be in South Florida, or it may be in California. The asking price of $499.00 seems insanely low. Who knows? Maybe the ad is legit and this is a genuine bargain. If you live in South Florida or California, it's worth sending an e-mail, I guess.

Click here to see the Craigslist ad.



1967 Fiat 1100 R - Now On eBay


I featured this car back in Novemeber, 2010. (You can find the post here.) At the time it was listed on Craigslist. It's now on eBay with many more pictures.

As I mentioned in the earlier post, I've always liked the boxy look of the 1100 series. The 1100 R, in my opinion, is the best of the series.

This car is in pretty good shape for an old Fiat that hasn't seen the road in 38 years. It, of course, has some rust, but it seems limited to a few holes in the floor and some along the rocker panels and rear wheel wells. (By old Fiat standards, this is close to being a rust free car!)

The interior is rough, but not in horrific shape. It could use some restoration, but it appears to be complete.

The seller says the engine is "stuck", which I assume means seized. That should be of little concern, as these are pretty simple engines and parts are relatively plentiful.

As the seller mentions, the 1100R is a rare car in North America. It would be great to see this one brought back to its former glory.

Located in Westfield, NJ, click here to see the eBay listing.

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