Weekend Quickies - You Don't See These Around Anymore
1970 Audi 100 LS - This is amazing. So few 100 LS' are still around. On paper this was a really good car. Unfortunately, we don't drive cars on paper. The Audi 100 LS had tons of problems. The electrical systems were nightmares, overheating was common, the inboard brakes tended to cook and as they got older, they rusted in an almost Fiat-like fashion... The list goes on and on.
Let's face it, many of the cars we now covet were not great cars when they were new. When companies like British Leyland, Fiat, Renault, Peugeot, et al, found their cars unsuitable for the US market, they just left the country. Audi, to their credit, persevered.
This car appears to be in great condition. According to the seller it is 1 of 10 two door sedans left in America. It has around 48,000 miles on it. It has not been restored.
This car has been for sale for quite awhile now. The asking price is just $2750.00. I'm amazed that it hasn't sold yet. It's a survivor and a piece of Audi history. You would think that somebody would want it for that reason alone. If this were an east-coast car, I'd scoop it up in a heartbeat.
Located in Olympia, WA, click here to see the Craigslist listing.
1971 Fiat 850 Sedan - This is another one of those cars that you just don't see around anymore. Most of them have rusted away.
In fact, the Fiat 850 rusted so badly that the federal government issued a highly unusual recall — going back 10 years — for the rust problems.
The seller claims this car is rust free. The car has only 80,000 miles on it and appears to be in good shape. The seller is including some spare parts wit the car.
If you're looking for an inexpensive car that will be amusing to drive and attract a lot of attention at any local car show, this Fiat 850 might be a good choice.
Located in Chevy Chase, MD, click here to see the Craigslist listing.
1980 Rover SD1 (3500) - Very few of these cars were sent to the US. I owned one once. They're a nice car to drive. This one has a 5 speed in it (as did mine), which was unusual in the cars sent to the US.
The Craigslist listing for this car is awful. It has just one picture and little information. But, if you're interested in one of these cars, this one is worth investigating.
Located in Canton, GA, click here to see the Craigslist listing.
Read my earlier Rover SD1 post here.
1982 Volvo 245 Diesel Wagon - I was driving home the other night on a road that's pretty desolate. There are very few houses, no restaurants, no gas stations, really not much of anything but trees.
All of a sudden I smelled Burger King food. An olfactory hallucination?
Nope, I rounded a bend and all of a sudden there was an old VW Rabbit in front of me. It was running on biodiesel. I passed it because A) It was going slow, and B) The smell was making me hungry.
I'm not a big fan of diesel cars, but I have to admit that for social / economic and environmental reasons, driving a bio-diesel car has crossed my mind. (As long as I have a few fast internal combustion engine cars to drive from time to time, too.)
This is an interesting alternative to a Mercedes or VW diesel. Volvo used an 80 HP non-turbo diesel engine, manufactured by VW. It's a good engine, but you're not going to win any races with this car.
These Volvos are fairly rugged cars and this one has only 126,000 miles on it. The seller says it's been stored winters and has no rust.
Located in Eden Mills, VT, click here to see the Craigslist listing.