Posts Tagged ‘Feature’

Toyota Coupes #1 – 1968/9 Toyota Corona Mark 2

October 1, 2013

As classic car enthusiasts, it’s entirely legitimate to have conflicted feelings about older Japanese cars. When they were built, they were considered a cheaper, more primitive alternative, and they were ultimately responsible for displacing cars and manufacturers from Italy, France, the United States, and England from our market. That said, the displaced manufacturers also shared that responsibility, and surviving old Japanese cars are now cool for being rare and signalling the beginning of a revolution in the world car market. While their styling was sometimes derivative, it’s still interesting to see the Japanese interpretation of what would sell well in the North American market. A prime example of this is this 1968 Toyota Corona Mark II hardtop coupe, available for $3500 in Santa Fe, NM.

1968 Toyota Corona Mark 2 right rear

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Box Stock – 1986 Honda Civic CRX

September 30, 2013

Considering what a time of uncertainty it was for the automotive industry, the 1980s truly produced some icons. BMW M3, Porsche 944, VW GTI, and many others came from this era. One more icon you can’t forget is the Honda Civic CRX. Originally designed as a commuter car like the Fiero, the CRX quickly started winning admirers due to exactly those things that helped it save fuel – light weight, compact size, high-tech engine, only those people admired it for its performance. If you want to admire one in your driveway, you can pick up this 1986 Honda CRX for $2390 in Yakima, WA, where it’s been for sale for at least a month.

1986 Honda CR-X left front

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Hitting Bottom – 1986 Porsche 944

September 29, 2013

One of the best places to look for great deals is in cars that are at the bottom of their depreciation curve. Often, this has as much to do with the car as with how many survive, or how popular it was. And it does appear that a high survival rate, due to robust drivetrains and zinc-oxide-coated bodies, is contributing to the low, low values of Porsche 944s, particularly the base models. For example, you can find this 1986 Porsche 944 in apparently very decent condition for only $3200 in, well, it’s hard to tell where it is – the listing does not specify location, and the car’s Illinois plates together with the seller’s northern Utah phone number do not give a definite clue. But the seller is moving cross country, so at least you’ll know he soon won’t be in the same location as the car!

1986 Porsche 944 left front

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