The Mini is one of those iconic classic cars that everyone should experience at some point. Trouble is, while many of the more popular classics are quite accessible, for the North American audience, Minis are beyond the reach of the bargain basement enthusiast. So it’s a pleasant surprise to find a Mini that’s in apparently good condition, without any tacky modifications, and even left hand drive. Check out this 1987 Austin Mini for sale for C$4500 ($4100 today) in Delta, BC.
With all this talk about the bubble in Porsche values, you’d think there was not a single affordable Porsche for the whiners to purchase. Sure, it sucks that not everybody got their hands on a 911S for $12,000 in 1990, but are you in this for the money, or the cars? If you are looking for Porsche engineering with a low cost of entry, you have to find the cars at the bottom of the depreciation curve. Back in the 1990s or the aughts (did we ever decide what the last decade was called?), 911 targas and 914s were the accessible Porsches. Ten to twenty years on, the accessible cars are 924s, 944s, and 928s – and who knows, perhaps in 20 years, someone will be complaining about the bubble in 928 values. Want to get in on the ground floor? Check out this 1979 Porsche 928, for sale for $3900 in San Carlos, CA.
Beyond suicide doors, retro kitsch is another good reason to look at and buy old cars. Who doesn’t at least crack a small smile at the Pierre Cardin AMC Javelin, the Frank Sinatra Imperial coupe, or the Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon? With the kustom van craze in full swing, the marketing types at Ford thought, why not make this easy on people? How many people want to go to the trouble of applying wicked stripe schemes, airbrushing murals, and fitting heart, diamond, and bubble windows to the back? All that work is so messy, even if it is in the name of getting in good with the ladies. So they came out with the Ford Cruising Van, and for the fuel-conscious ladies’ man, the Pinto Cruising Wagon. Being a throwaway car, there are few survivors, but if you can’t resist the call of the van, check out this 1977 Ford Pinto Cruising Wagon, for sale for $2750 in San Jose, CA.
Rusty But Trusty 