Craigslist Crapshoot

By Robert Emslie Jun 8, 2016

The World’s Worst Car Is For Sale On Craigslist
Welcome to Craigslist Crapshoot, our weekly search for the most bizarre, awesome, and/or terrible vehicles that the online classifieds has to offer. 
Porsche originally intended for their 928 to replace the 911. That didn’t happen, and instead the two models lived side by side on dealer’s floors for a time. The 911 is still there while the 928 is only available through the classifieds. That’s just where we went to look for them last week, diving into the world of used V8 Porsche coupes and seeking the best deals we could find. We’ll see all that in a minute, but first, this week’s hunt!
Well, as you all saw, old Porsches can be money pits, either in the initial purchase or in the cost to bring them back from the dead. A car that has gained the opposite reputation—that of cheap wheels that will keep going no matter what—is the Toyota Corolla. Sure, there are a ton of deathly dull Corollas out there, cars that you might want to have breakdown every now and again just to spice things up. There have also been a number of way-cool Corollas, especially in the eighties. Let’s see if we can find any of those cool Corollas for sale. Once again, money is no object.
As always, we want your finds to go down in infamy and not in the site’s spam filter. Since we’ve changed commenting systems, you may need to update your commenter account. Make sure you have a Disqus account – they’re free and easy to get – and then comment away.

Got that? Good, Now, let’s go sit on the Porsche.


Presumptions were fulfilled last week as the 928s found for sale ran the gamut from fright pigs you wouldn’t let a hobo camp in to pristine examples of ’80s excess that came with reciprocally high price tags.
OA5599 found us an example of the former, a $200 “car” that might serve for yard art or the basis for a crazy inventor’s flying car but little more. Likewise, I_Borgward came up with a green machine that looked like it had been saved from doom at the very last minute in a chop shop raid.
You might say to yourself, oh how the mighty have fallen, but then how would you explain cars like the $20K ’88 located by the nonplussed GTXcellent, or the blue car found by nanoop once tested by a Swedish car magazine?
With the exception of the Lotus Esprit, I don’t think there’s another limited production semi-exotic with such a broad spectrum of available conditions and potential heartbreak.
We’ll end here with the 1990 928 found by JayP as it both straddles the line, price-wise, and exemplifies what the 928 became in its later years with its Miami Vice white over burgundy presentation. Thanks to all for your participation.
Okay, let’s get Corolling!
1990 Porsche 928S4 * Grand Prix White * Texas 928 * STACKS OF RECORDS

35 thoughts on “Craigslist Crapshoot”
      1. As Monkey once showed us, the key to easy low-speed drifting is mounting up four skinnies.

        1. Indeed. The intent of my comment was more to mock the sort of nonsense “classic” car sellers put in their CL ads when the car is clearly 90% destroyed.

        2. In the wet, sure. Space savers are also quite sticky, so you probably won’t get maximum drift satisfaction in the dry. If you do, it won’t be for long.

      1. Thanks for that … I was confused by the appearance. One of my high school buds had a real ’72 Corolla we called “Sperm” because of the way it wobbled down the road with a bent axle. He later fixed the axle, put a JDM engine and racing slicks on it and played boy racer until he lost his license.

    1. “Rear quarters are cut out with overs screwed on.”
      “Overs”? Must be a Canadian thing.

  1. Probably the newest possible exciting Corolla – the 2005-2006 XRS.
    This is the one with the mandatory 6-speed manual, and 8200 rpm redline. This engine, in modified form, was installed in the Lotus Elise and Exige.
    This one is at $5500, though you should sell the HiDs to recoup your costs.
    http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAwWDgwMA==/z/QJkAAOSwzJ5XVgE-/$_27.JPG
    http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/city-of-toronto/2005-toyota-corolla-xrs-sedan-condition:-excellent/1171722687?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

    1. Oh. Spoiler delete and a hat in the rear window – that’s how I’d drive it. Attractive deal!

    2. I’m not a big fan of JDM cars, baring the occasional curiosity, but I do like high revving engines in relatively unassuming 4-door sedans.

      In fact, if I ever decide I want a modern version of my SHO, then I’ll probably take a good look at one of these.

  2. https://i.imgflip.com/15iq84.jpg
    We had one for years, basically planning to set aside money for a more exciting car. That concept worked so darn well, and evolved, we ended up on a “money mustachian”-path leading to freedom from debt*. So I can’t understand why not all people who don’t care about cars (we do, so the Corolla’s gone) drive around in cheap, used Corollas. This ad hits the nail on the head: Seller is motivated to get rid of the boring car, after having tried it for its impeccable reputation. He had several crappy VWs before and the Toyota did what it was asked of. But because he is bored, he is selling it now at a loss for a measly 1200$ + registration. Bonus: V12 batch on the wagon door.
    http://m.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=76469185
    https://finncdn.global.ssl.fastly.net/dynamic/960w/2016/5/vertical-3/26/l/nul/l_429119701.jpg
    https://finncdn.global.ssl.fastly.net/dynamic/960w/2016/5/vertical-3/26/l/nul/l_1502709981.jpg
    *I never deleted the sales listing. Turns out the photos are still online:
    https://finncdn.global.ssl.fastly.net/dynamic/960w/2013/5/vertical-3/25/4/418/437/64_1722122832.jpg
    https://finncdn.global.ssl.fastly.net/dynamic/960w/2013/5/vertical-3/25/4/418/437/64_1776522233.jpg

  3. It seems that every single unmolested AE85/AE86 Corolla around nowadays is automatic. The price though is probably at the very top of the market, especially for an automatic, though it does only have 67,000 km (~41,500 miles).
    1985 Corolla SR5 Auto – $11,995 CAD (~$9500 USD)
    http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzY4WDEwMjQ=/z/MJQAAOSwnFZXUACJ/$_27.JPG
    http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/ottawa/1985-toyota-corolla-sport-sr5/1170376817?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

  4. On a slightly related tangent – I saw a 1968 Corolla 2-door sedan in a blueish color listed on Kijiji (for $4,200 CAD, IIRC) about a year and a half ago, and I was floored. To this day, it remains the only 1st gen Corolla I’ve ever seen for sale, though admittedly I don’t peruse every day.

  5. Here’s a “1989 Corolla Race Car” for $8K. He says it’ll run low 12s (!) “if you can find traction”. It’s running Weber side draft carbs, which is kinda cool, and he lists an impressive sounding array of go faster engine parts. 5 sped and an LSD. 11K redline.
    http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/5588288463.html
    Allas, the one and only image is a close up of the engine:
    http://images.craigslist.org/01414_9wzW8lfCTVf_600x450.jpg
    For reference, here’s a 1989 Corolla (the ad doesn’t say coupe or SR5 or wagon, so I assume it’s a 4 door):
    http://starmoz.com/images/toyota-corolla-1989-8.jpg

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