Archive for August, 2014

Turbo for a Grand – 1978 Saab 99 Turbo

August 14, 2014

Frequent readers might know that early turbocharged cars are popular here. Sure, they’re not as refined as a modern turbo, where you get a nearly smooth flow of power like, say, an older six-cylinder, but that’s part of the fun for a true car nut – the car is transparent about what it’s doing and when it’s doing it. So sure, you get crazy wheel-spinning turbo boost at 3000rpm, and you have to hang on for dear life in the rain, but that’s why you should be going to the gym and working those forearms. And if you’re not, maybe you can look at this as exercise. So to improve your physical fitness, why not take a look at this 1978 Saab 99 Turbo for sale for $1000 in Castle Rock, WA.

1978 Saab 99 Turbo 2 left front

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Sleep With One Eye Open – 1979 Lotus Eclat

August 13, 2014

Lotuses are a rare feature here – their reputation is for being needy, their exotic status makes them rare, and some of the more affordable models suffer from questionable aesthetics. In fact, the most likely way you’ll find a Lotus here is under the hood of a Jensen Healey, in the form of the 907 engine. However, for today we’ve got a full-on Lotus for you, in the form of a four-place GT with wedgy, fastback styling that epitomizes some of the design and aerodynamic trends of the time. Check out this 1979 Lotus Eclat for sale for $3500 somewhere in southern Washington near Portland, OR.

1979 Lotus Eclat right front

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Topless and Hatchless – 1982 VW Rabbit Convertible

August 5, 2014

One of the more underrated convertibles of the last 30-40 years, and in fact one of few convertibles available in the early 1980s, is finally escaping its made-for-cheerleaders stigma. The earlier cars, without all the heavy modernizing embellishments of the late 1980s and early 1990s, are actually pretty smart looking and are great for being able to hold 3 other friends (instead of the usual 1 in a roadster). Fitted with a later GTI powertrain, these could actually be fairly sporting and give an E30 3-series convertible a good run for its money. But perhaps that’s part of the problem right there – a 1988 BMW 325i convertible in decent condition is maybe double the price of a Rabbit convertible, but in fully-depreciated used car terms, that’s a couple grand for vastly more prestige, six-cylinder power, and whatever’s left of the famous BMW handling. Nonetheless, check out this 1982 VW Rabbit Convertible for sale for $1500 in Tucson, AZ.

1982 VW Rabbit Convertible left front

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