Welcome to Craigslist Crapshoot, our weekly search for the most bizarre, awesome, and/or terrible vehicles that the online classifieds has to offer.
Do you think the 1970s as an era gets an undeserved bad rap? I mean so many great things came out of the decade—The Godfather Parts I and II, Star Wars, the Personal Computer, Bo Derek… the list goes on. Cars too weren’t all awful in the Disco Decade, and last week we went looking for the best ’70s cars that didn’t suck that the classifieds had to offer. We’ll see the least sucky in a sec, but first: how you gonna’ keep down on the farm?
How many of you have cars squirreled away for a future where more time and money might be at hand? I know I do. What we want to find this week are not YOUR stored dreams, but those of others that have awakened and smelled the coffee. That’s right, this week we’re looking for barn finds for sale. They don’t have to have been found in actual barns, but they need to have been off the road and out of circulation for a good number of years to count.
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 disco, disco duck!
To be perfectly honest, over the course of the automobile’s approximately one hundred and twenty-five years existence there hasn’t been a decade that has gone by that hasn’t had at least one notable offering either premiere or prove an important factor in the genre’s history. The ’70s were no exception.
Porsche may have debuted the venerable 911 in the decade prior, but it was in the ’70s that it really came into its own, as JayP pointed out, and pointed out, and pointed out. Sjalabais likewise reminded us that that the legendary Volvo 240 series made its debut during the decade. Perhaps not wonderful to maintain but wonderfully wacky in the way that only a Franco-Italian tour de force could be was the Citroën-Maserati SM which also called the ’70s its decade, an example of which was found by Papa Van Twee.
Wayne Moyer gave us a Bandit, while
We now know—thatnks to none other than mdharrell who has first person experience—that the Ford Courier Sasquatch doesn’t suck, and as
Our winner, winner, chicken dinner however was Alff who offered up what might just be one of the most important sporty car to come out of the ’70s, the Giugiaro-designed Volkswagen Scirocco. Why was it so important? Because it preceded the hot hatches that dominated the sporty car market for the next two decades to follow, and also showed what could be done to a plebeian econobox platform to totally sex it up. Not only that, but they look amazing even today.
Congrats to Alff and thank you all for the wonderful trip down memory lane. Now, let’s go barnstorming.
Craigslist Crapshoot
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33 responses to “Craigslist Crapshoot”
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“…sold to someone else who kept it for many more years in a hangar before I got it. The car has 16,680 miles…the doors won’t open and the only way to get into the car is through the back hatch.”
http://images.craigslist.org/00v0v_1aFsIFbpoHM_600x450.jpg
https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/5988672692.html-
Buy it. Entry and egress still probably easier than for some of your cars.
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Obviously, the fix is to remove the doors permanently. It’ll be like a sports-jeep!
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I really like Brickylns. A lot of their failure was caused by a dealer network who were so desperate for cars that they sold the pre-production units. This could be laid at the feet of the factory as well.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/012229c7fa81fff3d0fcc0dbf91ee0e031ffe28e607aec5ce3d6c7d962cc9f58.jpg
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Wow, this is something else – a ’36 Plymouth with a handbuilt body from a 1952 Mechanix Illustrated magazine! It’s been pushed out of the barn, but they still claim it was a “true barn styled find”
I certainly wouldn’t want it, even if I was paid to take it, but it’s still kinda cool. $6850 and it can be yours.
https://images.craigslist.org/00k0k_av8jUUU4sRh_600x450.jpg
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/5990695961.html-
Looks like they used the barn roof to make the bodywork.
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The pages from the original article on the MI Sportster can be found here:
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/index.php/2010/05/18/build-this-100-mph-sports-car-for-under-500/
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Little Timmy has the dead from dysentery.
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I know this will have some purists screaming, but it looks like it would be a helluva lot of fun once running/driving.
I’d polish it up nicely, wrap some RWL tiger paws onto the spoked wheels, flip the hood cowl around to make it an air grabber, and go a-hoonin’.
https://images.craigslist.org/00w0w_744fHlowMGG_1200x900.jpg
Just needs a polish. A lot of one.
https://images.craigslist.org/01010_9dyqOXcvQ4k_1200x900.jpg
That’s a mighty big delco AC unit there. I wonder if it works.
https://columbiamo.craigslist.org/cto/5962542024.html-
It leaves me screaming … and I’ve always wanted a lumped kitty.
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A 5-Speed Disco! How hard could it be?
https://images.craigslist.org/00Y0Y_PQB4yMtjYz_600x450.jpg
https://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5992183898.html-
Trading heavily on the transmission that’s less cheerful for off-roading, aren’t they? You can pick up a first-gen Discovery in better shape than that for $1k less.
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$2500 is about my “why not?” limit, and I would do a lot of stupid things with a 5-speed Disco. Luckily for me, Atlanta is too far away.
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This is located on the most affluent side of Atlanta, lots of folks with more money that sense, and probably a lot higer “why not?” limit.
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Searching craigslist for “Barn find”, “garage find”, “stored”, and “survivor” netted 5 strong local candidates for this week’s Crapshoot. After much deliberation, the Falcon emerged as my official nominee.
https://images.craigslist.org/00b0b_fyhTwKK3687_600x450.jpg
https://toledo.craigslist.org/cto/5956195146.html -
’66 Triumph Spitfire for $975. It’s always confidence-inspiring when the photo of the car has it on the lowered deck of a flatbed car hauler.
https://nesd.craigslist.org/cto/5992224349.html
https://images.craigslist.org/00K0K_5aS1qIZ7Tw_600x450.jpg -
This appeals to my inner bottom-feeder.
https://kansascity.craigslist.org/cto/5932139273.html
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bcd006e5fbe949f47178d13ab356d23dc2c6d5d05d05c1f1d2f99ea1f021451e.jpg -
The Swedish word for barn is “lada,” so guess what flooded my search results.
I did manage to find a Lada that’s been in a lada for some time, though. It might not live up to the “find” part very well, but since these things often live hard and die young and are still in production, a 1993 model like this with the older tailgate and all that is a little unusual.
https://cdn.blocket.com/static/1/mob_iphone_vi_normal_retina/02/0262314351.jpg
https://m.blocket.se/pajala/Lada_Niva_2121_1_6_M5_71486834.htm?ca=11&w=3 -
Why is this person asking $7000 for a 1992 GMC S15?
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/5955034766.html
Because it has the word Syclone written on the side.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c4b3a6db0e170ea2a2ea2fcb55033a76942d033b6c42de8f017917011f542f12.jpg-
The Sonoma GT is evidence that rare doesn’t always equate to valuable. It is actually rarer (but far less desirable) than the Syclone it resembles. It’s a decent enough trucklet, but I don’t see $7k in value here, but it’s not as far off as you might think. With only 87k miles on this one, if it would clean up well enough, it could pretty easily fetch $5k, and $6k wouldn’t be out of the question.
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Wait, that says “Sonoma GT”? Damned blurry CL photos! I thought it said Syclone (I wondered about them rims…) Now I really want to know why they want $7K for it. (No I don’t.)
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Wife told him to “Sell that old truck!” “Honey I’ve got it on Craigslist now, nobody wants it.” Either that or they added a zero.
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It depends on what you mean by “the Syclone it resembles”. GMC only made three 1992 Syclones, but hundreds of SoGTs. But yeah, its a normally aspirated RWD S-15 with some mildly Syclonish cladding and interior pieces.
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’55 Ford Ranch Wagon, which might have been in a barn, but ‘ran when parked (RWP)’ in 2009. Someone smelled the coffee. $4500
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/5975899252.html
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/dca286c9a662781d93662d3eac31ae0a4c493567084e083f57616a41bbceda9b.jpg-
Gets my vote. If it were closer I’d feel obligated to vote with my checkbook.
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I know. Reading that ad reminded me I haven’t checked my lottery tickets from last week, nor played this week. 2-door wagons are a weakness of mine.
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I wonder if my wife would buy the argument that this is a smart purchase on the basis that we already have the sedan and thus a lot of transferable parts and knowledge.
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Of course! Remember your car will be much safer if you have immediate access to any brake parts you might need, and besides, this car is an investment
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Here’s a yellow ’59 Chevy fleetside pickup that had a 20-plus-year barn stay in its past.
https://fargo.craigslist.org/cto/5993075152.html
http://images.craigslist.org/00c0c_eP1QrQhtSri_600x450.jpg -
Couple of good choices but this Hillman Minx looks like death warmed over.
Condition: fair, lol
Paint: Blue. huh?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/837c5fa2d2221589ddf21eafc4d38a31d13db054c9341c0a667a7452131dda3e.jpg
https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/5922481372.html-
They look pretty cute when cleaned up, actually. Although this is probably a newer model.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/1e2d676c694d815e21ec29932c294cb3a8167267ada56a093adee346869c1401.jpg
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It’s always best to take pictures of your car in a corn field.
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/cto/5981576665.html https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/4e98c93aff74d060ef9782a316c55bf6be3e56039bb0833fcb1fb00bd81122ea.jpg
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