Posts Tagged ‘german’

Safety Orange – 1976 Mercury Capri II Pair

December 1, 2015

If you’re a music lover, you’ll most likely be familiar with the sensation of going back to an album you liked, but haven’t listened to in a long time, and rediscovering why you liked those songs or the musicians that created them. Part of the mission here is to do the same for once-popular (and sometimes not-so-popular) cars that have faded into obscurity, a good example of which is the Ford/Mercury Capri. The Capri was originally sold as the sexy European, but by the time the second generation car had arrived, the 2.3-liter car had gained 476 pounds over the original 1970 1.6 Kent-engined car, had lost several of the design flourishes of the original, and together with a new hatch, had matured into the “pleasantly plump and practical European”. Which might have been a great tagline for commercials, but a weakening dollar and the arrival of the Fox-body Mustang in 1978 meant North American Capris did not last long. Check out this 1976 Mercury Capri II for sale for $3000 in Rialto, CA.

1976 Mercury Capri right front

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Rare Bird – 1985 Audi 5000S Turbodiesel

November 26, 2015

Everyone has their list of turkeys for Thanksgiving, and since joining the mainstream is the goal here at RustyButTrusty, here’s an unusual turkey for the holiday. Until the recent comeback of diesel in North America (however long it may last at this point) you really needed to have a manual with a diesel engine, or you could literally be out-accelerated by a one legged man pedaling a bicycle. So let’s ask ourselves why, in 1985, someone decided to buy this 1985 Audi 5000S Turbodiesel , for sale for $950 in Portland, OR.

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Same Same But… – 1984 VW Jetta GLI

November 23, 2015

Searching online listings sometimes brings up interesting dilemmas, like the fact that you can choose between a car that originally sold for $8610 in its year of manufacture, or one that sold for $36,000 in the same year, both in apparently similar condition. Both are faded silver, one has 26,000 more miles, and both have 1980s-ish mesh wheels with rubber that’s too low-profile. All that said, one might be a little more complex to repair and more durable, while the other will have you scrambling to keep up with flimsy rattling plastic trim, but reward you with simpler construction. Yesterday’s 733i is one half of this equation – the other half is this 1984 VW Jetta GLI, for sale for a surprisingly familiar $2400 in Wilsonville, OR.

1984 Volkswagen Jetta GLI left rear

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