Which would you prefer? Ease with mediocrity or Sisyphysian toil with incredible potential? We’ve got two cars from opposite ends of the spectrum that have miraculously settled at the same price. In one corner, a V6-auto Pinto hatch. It appears to be in good shape, aside from having a pointless giant raised-cowl hood scoop installed. In the other, a treacherous 5MT 928. The seller tells us it runs great, but non-specifically hints it’s a project in need of work. In California the seller’s responsible for selling a car with a current smog certificate, so “buyer to smog” translates directly to “failed smog and the cost to fix is too high to bother with”.

I’d be curious to see if I could de-Porsche-fy the elecronics of a 928 in favor of a Megasquirt system using more standardized off-the-shelf parts. This wouldn’t make it any more likely to pass a smog check, but at least I’d be able to diagnose what part of the system’s failing. Meanwhile, the Pinto? Well, they can be made to handle, or they can be made to handle some ridiculous motor in the engine bay. Clearly the only thing worth doing would be to combine said handling and power plant for the express purpose of embarrassing competitors at an Ultimate Street Car Challenge event. 1976 Ford Pinto for sale – SFBay Craigslist 1979 Porsche 928 for sale – SFBay Craigslist