Offerings From Mr. Craig: Strange Finds Addition

[Taylor Martin]

I haven't done one of these since old Oppo, so I figured I'd throw up some of the cars I came across in my pointless Craigslist searching.

Originally, the theme of the day was going to be manual pickup trucks, but Mr. Craig threw up some really strange stuff in the stick-shift category. So the theme of the day is Oddball Cars I Didn't Expect To See Today.

We'll start simple, and work our way up:

https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/d/kissimmee-2007-suzuki-reno/7228227975.html

It's a Suzuki Reno! I can't tell you the last time I saw a Suzuki for sale, let alone on the road, which is the real reason it caught my eye. For 2000 bucks, it's a decent car, will get you from A-B for a bit, and has some cool rims (I wish the blue on them was darker so it matched the body a bit more). Basic car for little money.

It's also sold by Orlando Magic Tows, the same place that still has that really tempting Dodge D50 manual... mmm I really like that truck but I don't have $1,200 bucks lying around.

https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/d/kissimmee-1990-mitsubishi-mirage-speed/7228298908.html

Speaking of obscure little Japanese cars, a 90s Mitsubishi Mirage with a 5-speed manual. Pretty clean looking, at least on the outside, though it's hard to tell what it should look like because the original color was blue. Would make a wonderful little manual beater. Usually, I like hatchbacks more than 4-doors, but I really like this. Maybe it's the red pinstripe on the bumper or the two-tone paint job.

Those seem like real PHAT tires though.

https://orlando.craigslist.org/cto/d/saint-cloud-1985-honda-accord/7242871400.html

Curse mechanics who do shoddy jobs. I think this is one of my favorite generation Honda Accords. It just screams 80's, but according to the owner the mechanics jammed the wrong starter in and it wore out the ring gear. Currently runs, but starts rough. I don't know how easy it is to fix that, and some of the other kinks, but it sounds like it'd take a fair bit of labor.

Seems the owner really liked this car, so despite its dirty appearance (my car is still covered in dust from the trip, but now there's a reason for keeping it dirty. More on that soon).

Alright, now let's get into the really interesting stuff:

https://daytona.craigslist.org/cto/d/port-orange-1984-alfa-romeo-spider/7238362052.html

Wasn't expecting to see an Alfa in my searches, let alone an Alfa that's pretty clean. The previous owner passed away and the car sat for a while, but they truly put some love and care into the car. They say it ran when parked, but with the injection going a bit bad and the fact that it's an Alfa, it probably doesn't anymore.

May the previous owner rest in peace.

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto/d/clearwater-lamborghini-volkswagen/7242509958.html

Lamborghini Volkswagen. Not much to say about this one. Way more interested in the sky blue cloud paint job on the VW bus behind it, and the bright green Karmann Ghia (at least I think it is, but the taillights look a little too big).

It's a manual... might be the only good thing about this kid car...

And last, but certainly not least, a car I've never actually heard of:

https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/d/balm-87-dodge-omni/7239906484.html

Dodge Omni. First of all, it's adorable. Secondly, it's super-duper clean. Third, I've never seen cleaner pictures on a Craigslist ad before. And fourth, it's dirt cheap. One of the cheapest running cars on this list... and I want it.

It's a stick, so it qualifies as a manual beater. It has the old Dodge emblem, so it's classic and cool. It had a major restoration before being put up for sale. It just looks really good.

So for $1,100 I gotta ask, would you buy it? Would you buy anything I found? Do you think my taste is sickly and that I should be outlawed from Oppo for even liking these cars (or at least finding them interesting... I don't like the Lamborghini Volkswagen all that much). Personally, I think I'd take the Omni, even though it's apparently a very scary car to drive...

Hope you enjoyed. Maybe next time I'll take a peek at manual pickups.

[Just Jeepin']

Speaking as someone who learned to drive in 1987: you don’t want the Omni. Cheap cars in the late 80s were terrible straight from the factory.

(Admittedly, I’ve never been in either an Omni or a Horizon, but I did drive a Citation for a while.)

[Taylor Martin]

@just-jeepin Not sure what it is, but I don't think I'd want to drive a car called "Citation." Sounds like I'm already in trouble the moment I open the door.

The thing with the Omni is I like little clunkers like that, and for what it is it looks pretty well kept and recently restored. Though if it really is that terrible perhaps I ought to shift my focus on something more... sensible...

[RamblinRover]

I always double-take when I see a working Omni. Usually mistake it for a Rabbit at first glance out of the corner of my eye, then on second pass "Good Lord, an Omni. WHY"

Kind of like how here in town somebody had or has a running Tempo, worn but clean.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

Some good stuff today. Several months ago I featured a total beater Suzuki Reno with a manual in a DOTS. I think they would make great budget commuters that don't suck your soul dry.

I don't think that VW has a cloud paintjob. I think it just used to be blue but someone has been prepping it for paint.

Definitely a nice Karmann Ghia though.

As for my local Craigslist, this rebuilt title BMW 325i wagon with a stick is very tempting. It's cheap for a rare 3 series wagon but rebuilt title and 230,000 miles on a cheap German car is risky.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/cto/d/kennesaw-2003-bmw-325i-touring-zhp-wagon/7241644509.html

And this 03 Sentra SE-R has got to be the most fun you can have for $2,500.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/atlanta-2003-nissan-sentra-se-spec-2500/7242954262.html

[Just Jeepin']

@taylor-martin Heck, take it for a spin, maybe like Starship Troopers it’ll be so bad it’s actually entertaining.

[Exage03040]

@taylor-martin said in Offerings From Mr. Craig: Strange Finds Addition:

@just-jeepin Not sure what it is, but I don't think I'd want to drive a car called "Citation." Sounds like I'm already in trouble the moment I open the door.

I'd have a Cessna Citation though.

[Mazda616]

@just-jeepin said in Offerings From Mr. Craig: Strange Finds Addition:

Speaking as someone who learned to drive in 1987: you don’t want the Omni. Cheap cars in the late 80s were terrible straight from the factory.

(Admittedly, I’ve never been in either an Omni or a Horizon, but I did drive a Citation for a while.)

Cheap cars from the ‘80s are cool to us masochists that own them.

[Tripper]

@whoistheleader big time diceroll on the 230k salvage title... but it looks really nice...

Had that nissan, mine was sliver.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@tripper You'd have to be desperate to buy that specific 325i Touring but it's a lot cheaper than the other 325i Tourings. Someone will be that desperate.

[Tripper]

@whoistheleader lol yep, if it was not for the salvage title...it might be me haha. Wow in looking further at that nissan...I had the same intake and fart can too

[Taylor Martin]

@whoistheleader Oh man, if I had to go for either of those it'd definitely be the Sentra. As good as that wagon looks, it's still German, which means it's complicated and expensive when things go wrong. Also needs roof racks, but that's beside the point.

Both being sticks is nice though, because shifting good ooga booga.

I haven't put on my glasses yet today, so you're probably right about the pain on the bus, but if it were mine I think a nice cloudy sky paint job would be just the right kind of hippee for me.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@tripper Did that shiny dash bezel ever reflect sunlight in your eyes?

It's actually pretty much the perfect entry level enthusiast vehicle at that price.

[Taylor Martin]

@exage03040 No cops would give you a citation in that citation...

Good luck getting it on public roads though. Registering it may get a little funky...

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@taylor-martin I think I'd go Sentra too and save a few hundred thousand dollars on repairs. I'm actually considering suggesting it for a friend of a friend that's going to get his first car. Might turn him into a gearhead yet.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/dawsonville-1990-trabant-601/7228613814.html

I still want this Trabant though.

[Tripper]

@whoistheleader I don't remember mine being shiny like that. I had the "red magma" interior, it was so bad. Def a perfect entry level enthusiast vehicle, now and then. A little power, 6 speed, lsd. I bought mine in 2003, very slightly used for a steed discount. I really wanted a Cooper S, but they had just been released and were going for sticker! Which was 26k+. I paid less than 15k for the Nissan.

[ibRAD]

@taylor-martin said in Offerings From Mr. Craig: Strange Finds Addition:

Personally, I think I'd take the Omni, even though it's apparently a very scary car to drive...

The guy I hunt with told me once that he used to have an old Omni that he parked in the woods as a hunting stand. I told him that at least it was good for something and he surprised me when he told me that he actually really like them and had owned a couple over the years.

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@tripper

Oh my, they really just plopped in some red seats and called it a day? Needs a better distribution of red.

Well, admittedly, I still want a Cooper S very badly. At my price range though, it's less what I want and more what's available. Basically, I'm looking for a fun vehicle that can be dailied without breaking the bank and preferably comes in a bright fun color with a stick. There's a lot of stuff that does most of those, but it's tough at sub 8k.

[BicycleBuck]

@taylor-martin My grandfather owned an Omni. I wasn't close to him, so I never rode in it. About the only thing I know was the story from the day he bought it. He was skeptical about buying a car that small, so the salesman drove them over to an empty parking lot. He said, "the great thing about these small cars is the handling!" Then he proceeded to do circles around one of the light poles. As they went faster and faster, the guy talked about how Shelby had a tuned version called the GLHS that handled even better. Poor grandpa was pinned to the door and starting to feel sick. I think he finally agreed to buy the car just so the guy would stop making loops. They went back to the dealer and grandpa bought the car, "as soon as the world stopped spinning."

[Mark Tucker]

I would absolutely, 100% buy and drive that Omni, since it's new enough to be fuel-injected. (The carbureted ones had a nasty habit of leaking fuel onto the exhaust manifold and catching fire...)

They're actually pretty good little cars to drive, way better than an Escort or a Cavalier from the same period.

[Tripper]

@whoistheleader Had the cooper S also miss it so bad that we'll have another eventually. You can definitely get them cheap, I know that there is/was an oppo who is very familiar with high mileage R53s. I know @ItalianJobR53 has one but I don't think he was the one telling me about high mileage issues.

Ours was up around 115k miles we just had it to my BMW/Mini inde for a bunch of preventative maintenance. Then the starter went...$800 later something else happened, couple hundred more and I decided to get a second opinion as I was starting to get the feeling that my BMW/Mini inde was more of just a BMW inde...

Mini shop said we needed $2500 just to pass inspection but the car would really need $3500-4k to be up to their standard.... I forget the laundry list but we traded it with a BRAND NEW SET OF TIRES on the forester...I'm much handier with a wrench these days. Next time will be different

[WhoIsTheLeader]

@tripper Yeah Minis scare me with my meager budget and general complete lack of wrenching experience. Not exactly the car to learn on. I guess I could buy a $4,000 Cooper S and use the other $4,000 to keep it on the road but that is a lot of money for a car that would still be worth $4,000.

And NB Miatas have shot up in value and it's hard to find one that isn't trashed. Here's a completely stock reconditioned one for 8k that honestly isn't that bad. I'm not a huge fan of NCs but that could change if I find a decent one.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/sat/cto/d/jackson-2000-miata/7234946585.html

I think a 500 Abarth might be a great middle ground. I've been eyeing this one.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/d/decatur-2012-fiat-500-abarth-turbo/7239443731.html

Here's my usual search if you want a reason to peruse Craigslist.

https://atlanta.craigslist.org/search/nat/cto?sort=date&search_distance=75&postal=30065&min_price=5&max_price=8000&auto_transmission=1

[Taylor Martin]

@whoistheleader Awww what a cute little guy. I like it because it has a ridiculously small engine and, thus, plenty of room to work under the hood. It's simple, straightforward, and fun all around.

Do it! Pressure your pal into buying it, it would make an incredible enthusiasts car as you said.

[Tripper]

@whoistheleader I don't know anything about, but LOVE those fiats. They sound great and are a super fun drive.

[Taylor Martin]

@ibrad After doing some digging, I've found that people either love the Omni and can get past its quirks or hate it for how unreliable it is.

Personally, I'm in favor of the quirks, though other econoboxes could be had with more reliability for sure.