Welcome to the Sunday Edition of the “It’s 1987 II” Weekend Edition. It has been a pretty good run so far as far as 1987 vehicles go, so let me review why this is my chosen theme this weekend (again). The Antique Automobile Club of America has designated cars and truck that have reached at least 25 years old as “Antiques”, and thus are eligable to be judged at AACA shows and events. Ahhh, but the postings from Last Weekend and This Weekend have centered on some rather desirable (ok, maybe some of them were not all that desirable) machinery. Well, this time let’s zero in on a few questionable choices that are currently for sale on eBay.
Modified S-10 pickups are all over the net, and in my opinion, none of them are remotely desirable. Here is a 25 year old S-10 pickup that has been tubbed (to fit very wide tires inside stock looking body work), but it looks to be a hacked job. Take a look at what I can only assume to be rust forming on top of the “tubbed” fenders, and look where they fitted the fuel cell! This has disaster written all over it. The truck has generated a bid of $200, but the reserve hasn’t been met (what a surprise). Take a look at the listing and tell me if any modified S-10 pickup is worth taking a chance on, as there are at least a few more of these questionable S-10’s on eBay right now.
As bad as modified S-10 Trucks are, modified BMW’s are even more questionable. This is a BMW 633 L6, the luxury version of the best loved 633 CSi. This car has been taken to new lows however, from the craptastic chrome rims, to the mismatched Recaro seats. I don’t ever recall any BMW with different upholstery front and rear, but this car has it. The car has received a recent re-paint, and the seller states that all maintenance has been done. If you have had something to eat, wait a while before you click on the listing, then tell me if this car is anywhere near the $9,000 Buy-it-Now pricetag.
While the S-10 is really questionable, and the L6 is in bad taste, the 1987 Plymouth Caravelle is nothing but a really bad idea. The idea was to take a rather basic K-Car in the form of a Reliant, and upsize it to the Caravelle. It had neither the style nor the charm of the original K-Car, and now it’s an Antique. This is a one owner car, with a little over 101,000 miles on it. Mismatched tires, light blue paint, and Grandpa swagger are all part of this particular Plymouth, but does that make it desirable? The current high bid is $1,325, with an unmet reserve. Why not take a look at the listing, and tell me what you think this Reliant XL will go for.
We all love the Mazda RX-7 in some form or another except equipped with an Automatic. This RX-7 has the dubious distinction of having said transmission, and a used Rotary engine installed a little over 14,000 miles ago. The list of questionable items regarding the condition of this car should have you running for the hills, and include a fuel cut off switch to prevent flooding, broken interior trim pieces, an exhaust system without a catalytic converter, a starter on its way out, and seven previous owners. The mileage currently shows 168,040 miles, and one wonders how much life is left with this car. Bidding has stalled at $500 with an unmet reserve (big surprise there). Take a look at the listing, and see if this RX-7 is even worth saving.
The 1987 Caprice received somewhat of a “thumbs-up” from a number of our fans last week, but here is a Caprice that has “Fail” written all over it. It is one of those detestable “Donks”, and on a 1987 Caprice Brougham LS no less. This car has all the bad taste rolled into one unique piece of trash. Let’s start with the 24″ Ghetto Fabulous rims that do nothing for the cars driving characteristics. The suspension was rebuilt (probably due to the rim and tire choice), new paint has been applied, the headliner was replaced (something that had to be done anyway), and a few other custom touches were installed including a grill, High Intensity head lamps, and smoked tail lamps. The top bid so far is $3,550, with an unmet reserve. Take a look at the listing, and help me burn this car with fire.
Donked Caprices are bad, but a fake Ferrari is even worse, and I found two of them. The first one is built from a Fiero (Naturally), and it doesn’t even look like a Ferrari in the first place. This car is built on a 1987 Pontiac Fiero chassis, and features a Corson custom Ferrari 308 body kit along with custom wheels & interior to match. Yes, there are a number of Ferrari badges festooned all over this car, but the fit and finish is horrifying to say the least. when you look at the eBay listing pay attention to the wavy fiberglass body, how the headlamps don’t blend in to the rest of the body, and how there are a number of stress cracks throughout. The interior is pure Fiero, with Ferrari emblems on the steering wheel and the seat backs. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the car shows almost 110,000 miles on it. So, how much will it take to purchase a car with this much class? Current high bid is $4,050, with an unmet reserve. Take a look at the listing, and tell me if the dealer has gone a little crazy.
If one fake Ferrari isn’t enough, here’s another. This one looks a little more convincing, as it is a tribute to the Ferrari 328. Looks are deceiving, as this particular fake Ferrari has the 2.5L 4-Cylinder Iron Duke Fiero engine, so no one will be fooled if you drive up in this forgery. At least the engine and transmission have been rebuilt, but the steering wheel, and the seats have all the Ferrari identification intact. This is a no reserve auction, and the bidding has actually exceeded what a stock 4-cylinder Fiero would fetch at $3,550, so the seller really has the last laugh. See the listing here and see if you will laugh with the seller.
Custom Vans were the rage in the 60s and early 70s, and were then the conveyance of choice with families in the early 80s, but have since fallen out of favor. These rolling bordellos were often loaded up with “Luxury” features that were nothing but crap that failed long before the warranty ran out. The upholstery was suspect, the fiberglass running boards and fender flairs were very thin and prone to breaking off, the paint and striping bordered on tasteless, and overall, they were not all that practical. Here is one of those vans now, only this time it comes equipped with a wheelchair lift so that the geriatric custom vanner can still travel like he or she used to. This vehicle really isn’t that bad for a 25 year old unit, and in reality it is a snapshot of the time period. The seats are upholstered in Bordello Red, the fiberglass high top is a nice addition (with the Vista Cruiser Windows), and the rear sofa folds into a bed. The top bid so far is a very reasonable $970, with no reserve. This would make a great racing tow rig, and if you don’t care about the interior, the Wheelchair lift would come in handy for a spare engine. See the listing here, and tell me what you think about this van.
Lifted pony cars are just a bad ides all around, and here is a lifted Camaro that is offered by a Pennsylvania dealer. According to the listing: “This 1987 Chevy Camaro Iroc-Z has mated with a 1994 Chevy S10 Blazer and become the ultimate red neck chariot. Powered by Blazers bulletproof V-6 Vortec coupled to a 700R4 transmission, this 4×4 is all Chevy. This Iroc looks like nothing else on the road, sitting on an S-10 Blazer chassis lifted with 33” mud tires this thing has some serious curb appeal. Inside you will find all the regular amenities along with a powerful 4000 watt upgraded stereo system. Overall this 4×4 is sure to impress, it runs and drives great and even comes with a Reese trailer hitch. The 4wd is fully operational and will absolutely draw some serious attention coming down the road or trails.” So get your Mullet ready if your interested in this thing, as the Buy-it-Now price is $5,995! Take a look at the listing here, and tell me if you were ever thinking about owning something like this.
The next car doesn’t look like a bad idea, but something about this Rolls Royce kept shouting at me, saying “Run Away”. This is a 1987 Rolls Royce Silver (something or other) and there are a lot of visible clues as to its questionable nature. The headlamps were the first indicator, as the US version used the Square Sealed Beam system for this year, and it has been converted to European units. The paint doesn’t seem to have any gloss left, and there are no nameplates on the trunk lid. But the real indicator that this Rolls is somewhat questionable is the Crown Victoria Replica wheel covers. The tires don’t look right, and they don’t fill out within the fenders. A nice set of proper wheels and white sidewall tires will help in the appearance. Acquiring a Roller takes a lot of money, and this one is very questionable. the top bid for this Classic British Sedan is $10,825 with an unmet reserve. Take a look at the listing, and tell me I am wrong.
Some cars you want to try and love, and even nurse back to health. Ask any Alfa Romeo aficionado, and they will agree that they seem to be afflicted the most when it comes to their beloved mark. Well, here is a bad idea in the making… This is a 1987 Alfa Romeo Milano that seems to have been rear ended. The seller states that this is a rebuildable Alfa, but to what end I ask. This is probably the least desirable Alfa Romeo imported into the US, and it will probably never be worth the cost of rebuilding this Italian assault to the senses. Have you ever seen an uglier Alfa Romeo? This car has 106,000 miles on the odometer, has a rebuilt V-6 engine (one of the loveliest V-6 engines in the world by the way), but had an unfortunate hot and run incident. Parts are rather scarce, and it may never be as good as it was after the repairs. The asking price for this Alfa is $1,800, but I bet he would go lower. See the listing here, and tell me if this is the makings of a Project Car Hell.
Our last bad idea vehicle of this post doesn’t seem like a bad idea, but trust me, it is. This is a 1987 Ford Ranger Long Bed 2WD equipped with the rare Mitsubishi 2.3L Turbo Diesel. Rare is not the word as very few of these truck were produced. This was a factory job offered by Ford for the 1985, 86, and 87 model years. They produced 86HP, and 134 lb/ft of torque, so they were no powerhouse. The seller of this Ranger Diesel seems to have stored a lot of spare parts, so maybe it might be worth keeping around, but only if you’re handy. This truck has a little over 90,000 miles on it, and it could be around for a long time. Good luck on finding any spare parts for the engine though. The top bid for this truck sits at $1,625 with an unmet reserve, and with a Buy-it-Now price tag of $4,500! See what I mean about a bad idea? Take a look at the listing, and see if you agree with me.
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