All of Craigs

There was an old site that got taken down by Craigslist some time ago.  I'm forgetting the name of it now.  But it allowed you to search all of Craigslist nationwide.  Hugely beneficial when you are trying to find a specific make and model of a car.  Well, someone has put together AllofCraigs.com.  The same type of search engine.  Hallelujah.  I'll be posting more finds from Craigslist now.

1984 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60/BJ60

This guy claims 32 MPG highway and 24 MPG around town with the turbo diesel conversion.  That's really great gas mileage for a big rig that weighs in at 4,246 pounds.  28 years later, new Jeep Wrangler Unlimiteds are only rated at 16/21 on gas.  Seems like technology should have given us better juice-to-distance ratios than that.  Jeep is planning to offer a diesel for 2013 models.  But I still have my doubts whether the MPG will match this Land Cruiser... which has me doubting the MPG claims on this Land Cruiser.  Oh the Linsanity.  See how I worked in a Jeremy reference?  I'm sooo current.

Not sure I can say that it's worth the $24,000 asking price but I still like it.

On eBay in Brampton, Ontario Canada but it's originally a California truck so import back to the US should be easy.

1987 Eagle Motor Coach Model 15

Otherwise known as a:

• Bus

• Portable storage unit

• Home

• Rodent city

• A pain in the ass to park

• Scared to fly compensation machine

• A good place for a keg on a long trip

• A bad place without a bathroom on a long trip with a keg

• Grateful Dead fantasy cruiser

This one actually runs but needs a bit of everything.  

On eBay for the get rid of it price of $5,000 in Pharr, Texas.

2009 Spyker LM85

Should I be surprised that the Spyker has lost 40% of its value in three years when a car like the Ford GT has barely lost 10%, if that?  This is one of 24 made while there were four thousand GTs built.  I guess collectors don't gravitate towards cars that Victor Muller built with smoke and mirrors management at the expense of any profit.  I'd still buy one.  I think the attention to detail is where a car like this needs to be.  The interior reminds me of Bugatti's or Rolls Royce's from the '20s with jewel like gauges and switches on a proper metal dash.

On eBay in Valencia, California for $175,000 Buy it Now, no reserve bidding starts $5K lower.

1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40

Oh wait, I like this one better than the one I just posted below.  Love the color, the original straight six motor and the Toyota telescoping side mirrors.  Even though this motor is the 1F vs. the 2F which came out in '75 and had a bit more power.

These things are not known for the highway cruising abilities which is why people did the Chevy V8 swap.  But with olive-brown-green-mustard jewel like this, who needs to go fast down the highway. 

On eBay in Tennessee for $15,000 Buy it Now or make offer. 

1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40

On Hemmings in Scottsdale, Arizona for $21,600.

"Description:

1974 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser, Fully restored (body-off-frame).  Excellent condition, used very little since full restoration (approximately 12,000 miles).

Included:

Chevy 350 (rebuilt) with 300hp double-hump heads / Edelbrock intake & 650cfm 4bbl carb with Ron Davis cross flow aluminum radiator with switched Spall "pusher fan" (will easily stay cool with the AC running in Phoenix, AZ when it is 115 degrees), brand new BFG's all terrain tires, pioneer CD player, custom built rack with LED lights, new NV4500 (5 speed) transmission with Advance Adapter Kit (great for highway driving), 4.10 gears, Centerforce Clutch with new transmission, front and rear axles were dis-assembled and checked along with the tranfer case, new Vintage Air AC / Heat, new complete soft top / doors
custom built rack and spare tire cover (could sleep on top of rack / that is how sturdy it is), new brakes / booster pump / water pump / fuel pump and lines / alternator / belts , new Best Top bench seat (for the kiddos car seats) or I have the original jump seats (right now the full soft top and bench seat are in), new bikini top / Tuffy lockable center console / front seats / new Spector Off Road carpet kit.  Many items unmentioned, you just need to come and see for yourself.   This FJ40 looks and runs amazing.  You will have good memories and fun times with this Landcruiser."

Blue Zebra - Bad Luck Brown

Shameless promotion of one best bands to never make it big. Chris Coons on lead guitar is stellar.  Video production is... well... not stellar but that would be me learning iMovie and working with what few photos I have.  I hope you enjoy and pass it on.  Let's get the band back together man.

AWRS International

Getting bent about your wheels is pretty common when you live in the pot-hole ridden -- constant construction -- we build our roads using the lowest bidder so the concrete sucks and we have to rebuild them in 5 to 10 years -- world of Detroit.  When I had my 2004 BMW 330Xi, three of the four wheels were bent.  That's a pretty disconcerting when you drive 80 mph and the entire car shakes like it's going to fall apart.  New rims?  $500-600 a piece.  Wheel repair from AWRS?  $135 and they come to you.  

Inside their patent's pending trailer, they will heat your rim with a propane torch then use 10,000-psi ram to round out the flat spots.  They also do curb-rash repair starting at $125 with repainting services on site.  Would I pay for it on my BMW?  Yup.  That's a good value. Oh, and I looked up if they serve the southeast Michigan area and they do. 

1989 Cadillac Brougham

Seriously, it looks like a smoking lounge inside this car.  Are they in vogue yet?  How 'bout now?  ...now?

On eBay in Johnson City, Texas for a starting reserved price of $3,500

1987 Porsche 928 S4

Funny but I look at the S4 and think how modern it seems vs. my '86 944 Turbo.  It has my '86 by one year of freshness yet this old girl's lineage traces back to 1978.  Shouldn't my 944 Turbo feel like today's fashion instead of yesterday's bell bottoms?  But it doesn't.  It's got it's vintage styling that I love but the 928 is a truly timeless design like the 911.  A spaceship landing on a bed of moon rocks that in my opinion could be on the 2012 auto show circuit and still pull some tail.    

This one has a Buy it Now of $15,950 in Sarasota, Florida.

2005 Lotus Elise

The other day I got to thinking about my "30 for 30 in 30" list I'm building.  What 30 cars I would buy for 30 grand today and still be happy in 30 years with the investment.  The Lotus Elise came to mind.  It certainly has some depreciation left to go but values have been holding pretty steady north of $20 grand.  The one featured here has only 1,844 miles.  On eBay for a Buy it Now of $32,500 in Marina Del Rey, California. 

1977 Lotus Esprit Highly Modified

The profile got me.  It looks like vintage racing standing still.  The mag wheels are the right size and color so the 70s Lotus custom doesn't try to be modern day.  The interior is terrific.  The headliner piping, nice.  After that it fizzles for me.  They want $30,000 Buy it Now in Clinton, Washington which would seem reasonable if the car was sorted.  But it's not.  The carbs need a rebuild according to the seller even though the car runs.  Check out the reveal for the front and rear. 

2004 Kia Sorento EX

This post really isn't about the 2004 Kia Sorento I found on eBay.  If it was, you might think I lost my pop rocks.  It's actually about a news clip I read yesterday evening.  Kia Motors America sold 39,291 units in January.  That's more than they sold all year in 1996 when I was there.  I remember total sales in 1996 to be 36,000 and some change.  Incredible what Kia has done in the states.  They are selling more in the worse sales month historically than they did all year, 16 years ago.  Remember how you laughed and laughed at the Kia Sephia when it came to your town?  That's all changed.

But let's hope for our sake that Clint Eastwood did a number for Imported from Detroit in the Superbowl spot because despite Kia having a plant in the states, profits still fly the coup.  

2009 Audi 4.2L R8 Quattro

It was a few years ago that I had my first experience in the Audi R8.  On the test drive, I had one ear getting bent by my colleague telling me to stop short shifting and get on it, while the other was listening to the reserved roar of the FSI direct injection, dry-sump V8.  Forgive me for not wanting to get a speeding ticket on Crenshaw in the middle of Torrance.  Cheap insurance rates are still my friends.  

Once on the back roads, I gave it a good harumphing that harkened me back to a 1989 Porsche Carrera 4 floor fest.  Both machines with peddle to the wood pull through corners as drifting is politely complimented by four-wheel-drive dynamics.  Had these been rear-wheel-drive excursions something other than my friend might have been getting bent, most likely by the curb.   

One day, this will be yesterday's exotic at Grand Cherokee prices.  Too bad that's not today.

On eBay in Bethesda, MD for a starting reserved price of $102,200.  

Fools on the Hill

This was just forwarded to me. I haven't watched the movie yet but thought I'd pass on the trailer since it peaked my interest.