Welcome to Craigslist Crapshoot, our weekly search for the most bizarre, awesome, and/or terrible vehicles that the online classifieds has to offer.
Hybrids today are very different from the hybrids of old. In fact, back then we didn’t even call them that. Back then they went by names like Cobra, Iso, and Tiger. That’s because instead of electrons merged with diminutive gas engines like today those were cars often previously powered by small engines that had been imbued with stonking big American V8s. That’s just what we went looking for last week, V8 engines in cars that perhaps wouldn’t have normally carried them. We’ll see the highest-brid (if that’s even a thing) in a sec. But first, this week’s quest.
It’s become pretty clear that the world is becoming a more and more dangerous place, and because of that we need to take additional precautions when undertaking treacherous activities like going to the grocery store, or simply making it to work in one piece. We’ve got your back however and this week we want you to get ours by finding us the most anonymous cars you can, the ones that no one would notice.
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.
Oh man! It was V8s everywhere last week, and while none of the ones you found will offer two daily servings of vegetables, there were a few that were about as meat and potatoes as you could get.
Starting off, I’d like to note the LS1-powered S13 found by Batshitbox which was seeking to drift into someone’s life. That’s a pretty intriguing combo, but perhaps not quite as much as the weird V8-Beetle uncovered by Inliner. A cool way to go—perhaps literally—might be found in the 302-powered Frogeye his royal highness ManicKing located.
Also high on the fun way to get yourself in trouble was the Toyota Starlet unearthed by Wayne Moyer. That had a V8 stuffed under its hood, but the hood still couldn’t contain all its high-rise manifold sassiness. Maybe the saddest hybrid of the bunch was the Triumph TR7 with a Buick V6 presented by HycoSpeed. It beat out the TR6 with a V8—can you say flex?— by a hair. That car came to us by way of Inliner as well.
When it comes to looking for love in all the wrong places, I’m a traditionalist. And that’s why a Volvo with a V8 holds so much appeal to me. They just seem to go together like cheap drinks and happy hour. That’s why the 940 with a supercharged 302 took home the hybrid honors this week along with Kiefmo who found it.
Congrats to Kiefmo, and thank you all for participating! Now, let’s go blend in.
It’s all relative to where you live – beige Toyota around here? Well, still somewhat of a rarity given the nearest dealer is 2 hours away. No, for us tree-billies in fly-over country, it’s the mundane Silverado crew cab in
Invisible BeigeSilver Birch. Bonus points with this one having a topper and corroded factory rims.http://images.craigslist.org/00d0d_e6NiOB7dOIf_600x450.jpg
https://fargo.craigslist.org/cto/5631450968.html
It’s definitely location specific. In San Francisco you would get a Prius and slap an Uber sticker in the window and a Lyft mustache on the dash. After that you could rob a bank in plain daylight with no mask, moon walk back to your car while singing “Dixie” and after you closed the door no one could find you.
(I mean, in theory. Not that I’ve done that.)
In NY it would be the same exact truck, but dark blue and with rusted out rear fender wells. Completely invisible.
Nothing says ‘meh’ with less empathy than a Golf diesel wagon. Should have been silver, but I sort of liked the snowy background.
http://m.finn.no/car/used/ad.html?finnkode=68165442
https://finncdn.global.ssl.fastly.net/dynamic/960w/2015/12/vertical-3/04/2/681/654/42_539590027.jpg
My employer used to share the facilities with a financial service, so the parking lot consisted of “good enough” beaters, “sensible” Volvos and Golfs like you posted, and when still a novelty, Tesla S’s. Most Tesla owners moved over to Egolfs by now, so the Golf has become the mobility staple of the middle class indeed.
I live in Dearborn. You wanna fit in? You drive what everyone else is driving.
http://images.craigslist.org/01515_kj5oQ7ZnasH_600x450.jpg
http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/5648194704.html
Why yes,I have driven a Ford lately.
Woohoo!
For this week’s contribution:
Gruff Officer: Can you give me a description of the alleged perpetrator’s vehicle, sir?
Innocent Bystander: Well, it was a silver sedan.
Gruff Officer: Make or model?
Innocent Bystander: Well, I reckon it was a Honda Accord… or maybe a Toyota Camry… coulda been one o’ them Kia Whatevers, too.
Gruff Officer looks at camera and shakes head
http://images.craigslist.org/01313_1715TfIImo2_1200x900.jpg
http://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5647978228.html
It’s clearly a Honda, look at the H on the front badge!
My anonymous van Ford looks like this one.
What happened to your “Free Candy” sign?
Good question
Gave it to Yo Momma.
http://images.craigslist.org/00d0d_cxI6aOUppfh_600x450.jpg
http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/5644951769.html
I’d sell the Vic for this…
I owned one of these–an ’88 with 5 speed. I LOVED the blacked out wheels! More Darth Vader than a Grand National in my eyes. Purchased at auction in 1991 with 32k miles–former Montebello, CA PD detective car. Sold it to buy a wedding ring. –She is worth it, but I sure miss that Mustang!
The most anonymous car I can find…
As much as we enthusiasts like to use beige as a pejorative synonymous with boring, a beige car would actually stand out in the present sea of silver and black.
Anything new is notable in its newness. Anything particularly old is notable for its survival.
The average age of a car on the road is something like 14 years.
Here is a 14 year old silver Accord.
http://images.craigslist.org/01010_hAh2ZxjDKEv_600x450.jpg
http://toledo.craigslist.org/cto/5641883054.html
This is the kind of anonymity that I like. The price is quite high for an ’04. It appears to have a lot of mods, some of which add value, but you don’t get your money back out of mods.
http://images.craigslist.org/00b0b_bXMve8jG69N_600x450.jpg
http://toledo.craigslist.org/cto/5641883054.html
Guy 1: “Hey, I just got a new Dodge Ram 3500 Cummins Turbo Diesel Heavy Duty Crew Cab 4X4!”
Guy 2: “Sweet! You should lift it like mine so it will stand out!”
I figure this conversation happens about once every five minutes in Alberta.
(It used to be once a minute, but the oilfield has slowed down).
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/NrYAAOSw3R1XTiS4/$_27.JPG
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/calgary/2014-dodge-ram-3500-lifted-everyone-approved-0-down-299-bw/1032665883
I don’t know, that back bumper is still chrome, and where’s the coffee can sized exhaust?
Ditto for Houston.
http://quadcities.craigslist.org/ctd/5647225087.html
witness: “he was driving a white pickup”
officer: “can you be more specific?”
witness: “It was white?”
http://images.craigslist.org/00s0s_amLLL7dHUQJ_600x450.jpg
I did not know these existed when this post was made. After following one on the motorcycle for a while, I determined it to be the most generic, forgettable car on the road. A car with a Someone Else’s Problem field around it, to borrow from Douglas Adams. I was tempted to let it run me over to see if I could remember what hit me. (But I’ve been through that before, the concussion foils the experiment.)
Mystery Car style, see if you can identify it before clicking the link!
https://a.tcimg.net/vehicle-images/inventory/10332/34/13/JS2RF9A33C6101334/OX5ICXX62QB3KWK3CEKZODZPE4-600.jpg?idx=0
https://www.truecar.com/used-cars-for-sale/listing/JS2RF9A33C6101334/2012-suzuki-kizashi/
Bonus points: they sold so few of these, no-one has ever seen one before, so no-one can identify it.
Points deduction: You’re on Tanshanomi’s hitlist now…
Hard to get more anonymous than a car no one knows exists, like the Mitsu Galant:
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/5627565426.html