Craigslist Crapshoot


Welcome to Craigslist Crapshoot, our weekly search for the most bizarre, awesome, and/or terrible vehicles that the online classifieds has to offer.
Finding something special hidden away in some barn, outbuilding, storage locker or shed is the stuff of legend, and in fact that’s just what we went for last week—barn finds for sale. We’ll go for a roll in the hay in a just a sec, but first this week’s quest.
Have you ever looked at the new cars on auto dealer lots and ever wondered what they do with them if they never sell? I mean, you’ve got to be thinking that when driving by Mitsubishi dealers, right? Well, that’s what we want to find this week: the oldest new cars the classifieds can offer. I saw a never-registered 2006 Lincoln LS on a dealer’s lot in January 2008! See if you can beat that.
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 see the barn burners!
Dut-dut-du-du-dut… how ya gonna’ keep ’em down on the farm, once they’ve seen pareee… You know, we have to give thanks to the inveterate packrats of the world. How else would we come across such wonderful barn finds like the ones you all dug up last week?
Let’s start out with a little education as Jofes2 informed us all that the Swedish word for barn is “lada” and then proceeded to find a barn in a barn… er, I mean a Lada in a lada. Keeping up with the theme of squirreled away AWDs, P161911 came across an old Disco with a five-speed stick. That’s got to make someone’s list of oddball models to have. Kiefmo let the cat out of the bag, while Fuhrman16 played Coronet in a cornfield. 
Perhaps the weirdest thing to ever come out of a barn was the 1952 Mechanic’s Illustrated special found by GTXcellent. That was just slightly more substantial than the Hillman Minx offered up by mrh1965. A little nicer but demanding a limbo artist to enter and drive was the Bricklin SV1 mdharrell gave us, but that was perhaps overshadowed in its desirability by the ’55 Ford Ranch Wagon with a heavy patina and holes in the floor, awith a price to match, brought to us by Batshitbox
Our winner however is a car that, if it were a little closer would be mine, or at least would be inspected by me. That is this cheap as hell Spitfire found by ptschett. If it’s half as sound as it looks in the ad’s single pic, it’s a deal.
Congrats to ptschett, and thank you all for your excellent barnstorming. Now, let’s get some new old, okay?

 

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16 responses to “Craigslist Crapshoot”

  1. mdharrell Avatar

    Here’s a 1941 Chevrolet with “…no title. I bought it from the estate of the original owner years ago. It was never titled by the original owner.” If true, presumably from a legal standpoint this is still resting on its manufacturer’s certificate of origin and is therefore “new.”
    https://images.craigslist.org/00X0X_aVTCS7VXA9d_600x450.jpg
    https://seattle.craigslist.org/kit/cto/5965084309.html

    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      /discussion

      1. mdharrell Avatar

        Well, I am bending the rules a bit because it hasn’t strictly passed only from one dealer to another during this period (I assume, although technically the ad doesn’t say), so it was in fact delivered to a customer, just one who apparently couldn’t be bothered with paperwork. I’m still prepared to fall back on the “nice truck” defense for posting it, however.

  2. oldcarjunkie Avatar
    oldcarjunkie

    This 1990 Supra likely meets the requirements in spirit but managed to accumulate 92 kms over the years.
    The dealer is asking almost $70k Cdn so I don’t see it changing hands anytime soon.
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/209ed67b01ccb174c16b5a9149a742336bb826142688d5059b6fb9f97d596f0d.jpg
    http://www.autotrader.ca/a/Toyota/Supra/Calgary/Alberta/5_22266107_2004101215371706/?ursrc=hl&showcpo=ShowCPO&orup=2_15_2

    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that car before.

  3. Andrew_theS2kBore Avatar
    Andrew_theS2kBore
  4. ptschett Avatar
    ptschett

    Extended demo periods sometimes happen. My Thunderbird was built January ’96, was driven by the wife of one of the dealership owners for a while, and we were the first to title it in August ’98 with 5800 miles. I wouldn’t be surprised if mine was the last ’96 Thunderbird sold.

  5. ptschett Avatar
    ptschett

    As an example like my Thunderbird, here’s a 2014 Raptor that was driven by the dealership owner and it’ll start its warranty time period when it gets purchased.
    https://topeka.craigslist.org/ctd/5967596708.html
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/cb1bf8f6f1dd4a151ef729387fefddb814514212d4cd07d68b21e4e7137a6180.jpg

  6. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    1994 jet boat. I predict the $1400 asking price will be the cheapest offering this week that’s still on the original MSO.
    https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/boa/5913318730.html
    https://images.craigslist.org/00G0G_65F4gAG62zy_600x450.jpg

  7. Jofes2 Avatar
    Jofes2

    This one isn’t completely new, but as good as. 3250 km. Rome to Moscow. I think that’s fine.
    A 1989 Ferrari 328 GTB with the instruction note for the dashboard clock still attached to it with a piece of string. Interesting side note in the ad:
    “This car has despite its low mileage still had timing belt changes every so often, which have also been documented.”
    https://cdn.blocket.com/static/1/original/12/1227658436.jpg
    https://www.blocket.se/stockholm/Ferrari_328_GTB__Unik_bil_med_endast_325_mil_71641731.htm?ca=11&w=3

    1. nanoop Avatar

      “A perfect car for collectors” – from a collector, for a collector. And only 250kUSD (roughly).

    1. ptschett Avatar
      ptschett

      I’m reminded of a song lyric:
      Car for sale, what a deal
      I assure you it’s a steal
      Come and check it out some night!
      Can’t I see it in the light?
      -Tourniquet, Tire Kicking

    2. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      Obligatory Bundy Bounce.
      https://youtu.be/kXVrLvl4zOg?t=20m9s

  8. mrh1965 Avatar
    mrh1965

    Some nearby searching found this 2013 Camaro in the Richmond area. I don’t know who would want a “new” four year old car, but here you go:
    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c2424e190d1ed232aad9d2ad4263edfa9433700fae7361c710a424d6e184b0f0.jpg
    https://richmond.craigslist.org/ctd/5995164675.html