Among affordable sports coupes of the 1970s available in North America, there can’t be many remaining with a better aftermarket than the Capri. Yes, you might have to brush up on your British English or German, but once you’ve got that down, you’ll be reaching two countries with big fan bases for these cars. And indeed, the Capri had (and still has) a cult fan base in North America. Check out this 1973 Mercury Capri for sale for $3500 in Sandy, OR.
If understated style is your thing, and you like the look of a sixties or seventies Mercedes, but don’t want to sacrifice sportiness, the 1968-77 E3-series of BMW sedans is worth a closer look. Packing a 2.8-liter M30 six cylinder with 168hp and 174 lb.-ft. of torque, the E3 nearly matched the W115 Mercedes in size, while having sharper performance. Let’s take a look at this 1970 BMW 2800 for sale for $3000 in Edmonds, WA.
If you ask someone to name a French car, Citroen probably won’t be the first name they’d come up – Renault and Peugeot were in the North American market much more recently, and it seems the stories about them were more appalling. But Citroen really epitomizes the French approach to building (most) cars – an unusual combination of great comfort and handling, not much of a focus on the engine, and distinctive designs. They’re not always beautiful in a traditional sense, but those are beautiful in their engineering aesthetic. And among Citroens, the 2CV is the purest expression of the French car design ethos – both innovative in its abilities, and accessible to a very wide audience. Check out this 1965 Citroen 2CV for sale for $3900 in Portland, OR.
Rusty But Trusty 