Now here’s a smoking deal if it turns out to be rust-free: a 1984 Toyota Land Cruiser with a stick and mild lift kit for $3,995 here on craigslist! I’m confused by the low asking price as almost every generation of the Land Cruiser pulls $5,000 or more unless it’s a rusty basketcase. This one is said to be a barn-find but it looks pretty clean to me – even the cloth interior appears livable and free from rodent nests. There’s some visible rust on the chrome bumpers and possibly some rot-through on the nose, but considering the reputation these trucks have for being completely used up by adventure-seeking owners, this J60 Land Cruiser looks like it has plenty of life left. I wouldn’t be surprised if this one ends up being exported to a 3rd-world country given its reputation for can’t-kill-it dependability and go-anywhere traction. Or could it be your next hunting vehicle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Archives for September 2015
1986 Isuzu Impulse Turbo: Dream Project
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted an Isuzu Impulse Turbo. As a fan of MK2 Volkswagens, I saw it as the Scirocco VW should have built, with rear-wheel drive and a turbocharged engine. Factor in the other touches of 80’s period goodness, like the flip-up headlights, clamshell hood and ample Turbo graphics, and you have one of my favorite potential project cars. This 1986 model here on craigslist is available for $2,500 and looks like a great starting point – the automatic is unfortunate, but these cars are hard enough to find in any form that I’d gladly buy it as-is. The interior is in astonishingly good condition for the age, as are the polished OEM wheels. A car I wish I could buy, right now. If any of our readers have experience with these turbocharged hatchbacks, let us know in the comments below.
1988 Ford Escort EXP: Child of the 80s
Despite not being a great era for performance, the ’80s saw an uptick in manufacturers pumping out coupes with sporting intentions in mass quantities. Chrysler was turbocharging everything that moved, Pontiac started making the Fiero a competent performer right before they killed it, and Ford was slapping 5.0 badges on Mustangs like their house was burning down. But they also began their dalliance with cheap, economy-minded performance in the Ford EXP, starting with the super-weird (and rare) early ’80s version before morphing the yawn-inducing Escort into a great looking coupe with OK performance. This 1988 example here on eBay benefits from a recent repaint and an owner who believes in using OEM parts for replacement purposes – Motorcraft all the way. Plus, the factory body kit and sport seats look to be in great shape; now, it just needs the correct Marchal fog lights to be perfect.