Archive for the ‘Feature’ Category

Slow-vakian – 1986 Skoda 120GLS and 1989 Skoda 135GLi

February 1, 2014

Ha! You thought a pun was coming about the Czech part of this car’s country of origin, like, say Czech it out. But we here are full of surprises, including these cars themselves. Back in the 1980s, around the time Yugo was establishing a short-lived presence on the US market, Skoda was doing the same in Canada. And like Yugo, they became a national joke among Canadians, along with Hyundai Ponies and Ladas. However, some still survive with oddball car enthusiasts who recognize them for the interesting cars they are. You can find this 1986 Skoda 120GLS for sale in White Rock, BC for $1200.

1986 Skoda 120GLS right front

(more…)

Ichiban – 1992 and 1991 Mazda Miata pair

January 31, 2014

Since they got first place on the Sports and Exotic Car list, and today seems to be double (or quadruple) feature day, here’s a pair of winners, at least in terms of quantity sold. Though scorned by many car nuts, and many sports car nuts, there’s a lot to be said for the Miata, both in terms of the revolution it started and its ability to be something to many people. You can pick up a new, relatively powerful Miata for up to $30K-ish, or a simple, light drive-a-slow-car-fast first-generation Miata for as little as a few hundred bucks. And in between, there are all kinds of permutations, stock, hot-rodded by owners, Spec Miatas, and factory hot rods. If you don’t want to spend a lot for a roadster and want a car that will last around 200,000 miles well-maintained, you really can’t go wrong with one. So yes, trusty for sure, and if you buy a snow-state Miata, you can have some rust too. For this episode, we’re focusing on a couple of owner-modified cars. You can find our first one, this 1992 Mazda Miata turbo, for sale for $3500 in Tacoma, WA.

1992 Mazda Miata turbo left rear

(more…)

Fiat Day – Fiat 128 and Brava Sedan Madness

January 31, 2014

For some reason, a recent search yielded a surfeit of Fiat sedans. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking most of these cars had taken the “ashes to ashes, rust to rust” route, and there are usually only one or two for sale at a time in North America. However, right now there are at least 4 available, and it’s quite likely that some of the other 128s recently featured here are still available. The real score would be a small bumper 128, but those seem to have gone the way of Elvis (nobody’s sure if he’s dead, but occasionally some nut job claims to have seen him – the same statement applies in both cases). Check out this 1976 Fiat 128 2-door sedan for sale with bidding at $750 and two days left to go.

1976 Fiat 128 left side

(more…)