Archive for the ‘Feature’ Category

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Suckered – 1976 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT (plus bonus ’78!)

July 5, 2013

As regular readers know, I am a sucker for a nice Alfetta, or even a not-so-nice Alfetta, which is how I end up spending more on bodywork than I probably should! While they have their issues, which are well-known from when Alfa Romeo was trying to sell these as daily drivers, many of those are significantly diminished by the weekend driver status. When sorted, they are really quite reliable as a fun second car. With that, let’s see today’s example, a 1976 Alfetta GT listed for $1500 in Seward Park, near Seattle, WA.

1976 Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT left front

(more…)

Tags:, , , , , ,
Posted in Feature | 3 Comments »

Disappearing Breed – 1991 Saab 900 turbo

June 26, 2013

RustyButTrusty has a soft spot for Saabs. The nice thing about our home base is the level of car nuttiness going on here, and people will truly buy anything. I don’t mean that in a bad way – but driving around the streets of this area, you’ll see all kinds of things on the roads, including rare stuff like the last version of the Saab 9-5, released just before the company went out of business. But in spite of their longevity, the first-generation Saab 900s are becoming a less and less frequent sight. At some point, that distinctive exhaust note these have should make it part of the fleet, but for now we’re left to admire from afar. And while you’ll find beaters and automatic turbo convertibles, it’s rarer to find a 5-speed hardtop turbo in good shape with relatively low (say, less than 150K) miles. Like today’s car, listed in Santa Cruz, CA for $3200.

1991 Saab 900 turbo right front

(more…)

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Feature | 2 Comments »

The Sheen is Off – 1967 Fiat 600

June 25, 2013

It’s pretty rare to find any kind of older, pre-1970s Fiat in decent shape for short money. With the ubiquity of the new Fiat 500s, it’s also hard to find a Fiat that Charlie Sheen has not advertised. Nowadays, the only Fiats of this period that are cheap are projects or complete rust buckets. And that’s not much of a surprise, either – as I was mentioning on a recent post about a VW Rabbit, the older economy cars just diappear after a while, and even enthusiasts don’t seem to have them. Which is funny, because there is a distinct type of fun in these simple, cheap cars. For example, this 600 in Duboistown, PA near Williamsport. It’s $3800 for a running, inspected car with some rust in the rear floors – really not so bad for a car of its age outside of the dry states. Assuming, of course, that the Pennsylvania state inspection means the structure is solid and all electrics and brakes work, this would be a great driver project.

1967 Fiat 600 right front

(more…)

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Feature | 2 Comments »

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »