“Are we there yet?” is a phrase that’s most often associated with family road trips, preferably in a floaty-boat of a station wagon with two three-seat benches and the vis-a-vis rear seat, all upholstered in vinyl. But the phrase only gets real meaning when the car you’re in is not powered by a hulking V8 with somewhere between 200 and 400 hp, but a 2.3-liter diesel engine with a mere 70hp. But wait, there’s more – add the weight of impact bumpers and other malaise-era safety equipment, and then strangle the whole lot with une transmission automatique. “You want ze automatique? You can ‘ahve eet, but eet weel be slower zan continental drift. And shut up about your aire conditionee.” You can find this 1980 Peugeot 504 Diesel Wagon Automatique for sale for $4000 in Yuba, CA.
Archive for March, 2014
Not Shakespearean – 1974 Saab Sonett III (plus bonus ’72!)
March 10, 2014In the world of affordable and unusual sports cars, it doesn’t get much more unusual than the Saab Sonett. Based, as many of its competitors were, on a more pedestrian sibling, the Sonett featured the same 65hp Ford-based V4. (Wait a minute, did he just call a Saab pedestrian??) By the angular 1970 redesign, the rear glass had sprouted hinges (replacing the rear flap found on the Sonett II), the clamshell front end had been reduced to a rather small hood with very limited access, and the car got a floor shifter and optional air conditioning. And thanks to clean air rules, power went down until the end of production in 1974. Nonetheless, the Sonett III was the most popular of all Sonetts, with roughly 5 times the number of Sonett IIs produced. And so they are most likely to show up here, where, aout halfway down the page, you can find this 1974 Saab Sonett III for sale for $3300 in Snohomish, WA.
Colli Alternative – 1974 Fiat 124 TC Wagon
March 7, 2014Ever had a hankering for an Alfa Giulia or Berlina? Or, even further down that path, a Giulia Colli wagon? Well, sure, if you have $20-$50K, you can pick one up with a little rust but otherwise in good shape. And never mind the low production numbers, which means most folks haven’t even seen one. So what’s a old-car nut who doesn’t mind a bit of rust to do? Well, there’s another similar-sized wagon with equally significant styling, and what’s more, they also have a twincam, 1.6-liter engine, 5-speed transmission, and rear-wheel drive. And if that doesn’t blow your mind, they were built by the factory, so no struggling to get body panels made by hand when your friendly local Fiat dealer has them in stock, right? Wait, what? There’s no Fiat Mobile Tradition/Classic/Heritage division? you can find this 1974 Fiat 124 TC wagon for sale for $2500 in Burlingame, CA.


