Posts Tagged ‘roadster’

MalaiseGB – 1979 MGB Limited Edition

July 30, 2014

Rubber bumper MGBs have long been disparaged by enthusiasts, but thanks to attrition driving supply down and prices up, people are starting to recognize these for what they are – while they were burdened by the weight of safety equipment, and the performance reductions of emissions equipment, they are still simple, reliable drivers that can better withstand the beatings of a daily driver life. The latest years also benefit from improvements and refinements that make them quite capable, and if you’re unhappy with them in stock form, you can retrofit chrome bumpers to start, and also remove the smog equipment if you’re not subject to testing. Check out this 1979 MGB Limited Edition for sale for $1300 in Bakersfield, CA.

1979 MGB right rear

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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

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Fiat Day – 1979 Fiat Spider 2000

January 30, 2014

Number nine on the Sports & Exotic Car roadster list is the Fiat 124 spider. As with its Alfa cousin (brother-from-another-designer?), this Pininfarina/Tjaarda designed car is an underappreciated classic. While there are tangible differences between the Fiat and Alfa (Alfa uses a fancy cast aluminum hood release, for example), on a higher level these are both competent, comfortable roadsters with excellent, raspy twincam fours and five speed transmissions, as well as easy-to-use tops. You can find this 1979 Fiat Spider 2000 (which, by its chassis code, is actually a 132) in Amherst, NH for $4000.

1979 Fiat 124 Spider left side

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