Normally, I do nothing with this list but wish that I had purchased that Volkswagen Phaeton W12 instead of another Passat TDI wagon. Sometimes I make half-baked plans to buy something far away. Much of this is hardly productive, but I’ve found another use my list, and it’s sharing it with you, dear reader. So buckle up! I’ll warn you right away, some of these may be downright stupid or crappy cars. Some of them are questionably modified. Some of them may be suspiciously cheap. And some, unfortunately, may be a bit too expensive for many enthusiasts. But it’s ok to window shop! So let’s take a peek under the covers of my long list of the cars and motorcycles that I’ve been pining for lately.
2000 Honda Insight – $4,800
If you want a car that scores phenomenal fuel economy, you don’t have to buy new and you don’t have to buy a hacked up Geo Metro, either. Over 20 years ago, Honda released a car that is rated to get 49 mpg in city and a whopping 61 mpg on the highway. The first-generation Honda Insight is so good at sipping on fuel that it held the EPA crown of “Most Efficient EPA-Certified Vehicle – Gasoline” from 2000 to 2015. It took the 2016 Toyota Prius Eco to unseat it, and it only did so with an EPA combined rating of 56 mpg vs. the Insight’s 53 combined mpg. But the Insight still bested the Prius on the highway by 8 mpg, a feat it still achieves today. How did Honda do it? The Insight features a lightweight aluminum structure and some pretty radical aerodynamics. This is a car that weighed roughly the same as a Smart Fortwo despite the vehicle’s hybrid equipment. It also sacrificed on practicality. A Prius seats four, while you’re getting just two in the Insight. The Insight can also do something that many other hybrids can’t, and it’s continue to drive after the high voltage battery bites the dust. Other hybrids use the HV battery to power the motor generator to start the ICE, but an Insight can run on just its engine alone. Weirdly, searching on sites like CarGurus, Auto Trader, CarFax and similar sites usually yields zero results for a first-gen. That leaves enthusiast sites and Facebook or Craigslist. Here’s an Insight that doesn’t have a million miles, comes in a fun enough color, and yep, has a manual transmission. It’s $4,800 on Facebook Marketplace in Liberty, Missouri with 158,000 miles.
2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe – $20,900
Here’s a car so rare that it’s rarer than a Ferrari F40. That’s not hyperbole. The targa coupe version of the Solstice went on sale in 2009, selling just 1,266 copies. Meanwhile, there are 1,311 F40s out there. The Solstice is one of those awesome cars to come from the brain of legendary auto exec Bob Lutz. One of Lutz’s dreams was to create an affordable, rear-wheel-drive American roadster. When Lutz took the helm at GM, he finally took his chance to realize the dream. The General’s engineers created the Kappa platform, and riding on it is a handful of low-slung roadsters. It launched with the Pontiac Solstice, a curvaceous drop-top sports car that was America’s answer to the Miata. It robbed GM’s part bins with engines form the Chevy Cobalt, reverse lights from the GMC Envoy, a transmission from the Chevy Colorado, and more. But the end result is something that looks gorgeous even today. Saturn got the Sky, Daewoo got the G2X and Opel had the GT. Spanish automaker Tauro even used the Kappa platform for a V8-powered sports car. Towards the end of Solstice production, Pontiac decided that the Solstice needed a hardtop, and created a fastback out of its roadster. Being a coupe would be cool enough, but this one has a treat under the hood. There’s a 2.0-liter Ecotec LNF turbo in there. That gives you 260 hp and 260 lb-ft torque to the rear wheels through a manual transmission. The seller’s asking $28,900 for it with 42,800 miles. This same car could be had for half of the price with a fabric roof, so it’s definitely for the person who really wants a coupe.
1971 Honda CT90 Trail 90 – $2,250
The Honda CT90 Trail 90 traces its roots back to the venerable Super Cub. Honda notes that back in 1960, a dealership noticed that a ton of Honda 50 sales were going to people who lived out in the mountains, and not cities. This gave the dealer the idea to put knobby tires and a different sprocket on the motorcycles and sell them as trail bikes. This was successful enough that the dealer pitched the idea to American Honda, and in 1961 the CA100T Trail 50 was available for sale. The little motorcycle got improvements over the years. Eventually, it became its own model instead of being a Super Cub with off-road bits. The off-road motorcycle gained a reduction gear, telescopic fork, a heavy duty cargo rack, and a high exhaust and intake to prevent water ingestion. These little motorcycles remain popular today, and it’s no surprise that old ones like this one even get restored. This 1971 model is said to have gone through a total nut and bolt restoration and repaint. Sadly, the original engine didn’t make the final cut and now there’s a Lifan 125cc single in there. That makes 7.5 HP, or about what the original engine made. It’s $2,250 on Facebook Marketplace in Bloomington, Illinois.
1969 Austin-Healey Sprite – $8,500
As MotorTrend writes, when the Sprite launched in 1958, it was intended to be a low-cost roadster for the masses. It featured a semi-monocoque construction where the panels were stressed members and like the Solstice on this list, it robbed parts bins. In this case, the Sprite got parts from the British Motor Corporation. The Sprite that you see here is the fourth iteration of the Sprite. [Editor’s Note: These ones were essentially re-badged MG Midgets – JT] These had improvements over previous Sprites like a folding top that was attached to the car and reverse lights. Older cars had tops that detached and had to be stowed. Power comes from a 1.3-liter four that was shared with the Mini Cooper S, but it’s making less power here. You get 65 hp compared to the Mini’s 76 hp, which sounds like nothing, but it’s moving a body that comes in at just 1,574 pounds. This one looks real clean, and the seller claims it’s from California. It’s $8,500 on Facebook Marketplace in Asbury Park, New Jersey with 47,000 miles.
1991 Honda Cub EZ90 – $4,500
As car enthusiast site Silodrome notes, the EZ90 was an off-road motorcycle that was designed to be as easy to live with as possible. We’re talking about a motorcycle with an automatic transmission, a sealed drive chain, an electric starter and a low seat. These were designed so that you just hopped on them, twisted the throttle, and had the time of your life. It was one of a number of motorcycles that Honda designed to be easy for owners, another would be the PC800 and the ADV150. Honda didn’t stop with just making the scooter equivalent of a dirt bike, but it also wrapped it up in futuristic plastics. This looks like the motorcycle that an astronaut might ride on the Moon. Unfortunately, it’s not road legal, so don’t expect to take this motorcycle and its 90cc two stroke single down the road. Or at least, not without first adding equipment like lights and mirrors. This EZ90 presents in pretty good shape and its up for grabs for $4,500 on Facebook Marketplace in Sodus, New York.
1993 Daihatsu Atrai Cruise – $9,000
One of the most absurd driving experiences that you can have is behind the wheel of a kei van. Imagine driving a Smart Fortwo, but higher off of the ground on narrower tires and from a seating position not unlike a city bus. Yep, it’s awful…but it’s so awful that it comes back around to being fun. But that’s only part of what makes a kei van great. You get tons of visibility, surprisingly decent room for four people, and in the case of vans like this Atrai Cruise, you can get them with seats that turn into beds and a mostly glass roof. If you’re wondering what an Atrai is, it’s the van version of the Daihatsu Hijet kei truck. This 1993 is a seventh-generation model and it features a 660cc three making 64 HP transmitted through a manual transmission. A huge bonus with going with this van is fuel injection. Popular competition from this era used complicated carburetors, but you aren’t getting that with this. It’s $9,000 in Pleasanton, California on Facebook Marketplace. Unfortunately, you may not be able to register this in Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and Georgia.
1941 Packard One-Twenty – $50,000
Canada’s Globe and Mail news notes that the One-Twenty was Packard’s saving grace in 1935. While Packard outsold the competition, it was still a luxury marque when in a time when money was tight. In an effort to survive, Packard pivoted to mass-produced vehicles aimed at the competitive mid-price luxury car market. It worked, and Packard survived the Great Depression. This One-Twenty is in the vehicle’s short second-generation. These are different from previous One-Twenty models with a column shifter, transmissions with synchros, and an overdrive gear that was advertised to reduce engine speed by 27.8 percent. Packard also marketed the new One-Twenty as being more richly appointed than the first-generation. Power comes from a 3.6-liter straight eight making 120 hp. This one looks to be in exceptionally good shape and the seller says that the current owner has had it since the late 1970s. It’s $50,000 on Facebook Marketplace in Carrollton, Ohio with 61,755 miles.
2002 Isuzu VehiCROSS – $4,100
The VehiCROSS is one of those oddities from Isuzu’s final U.S. struggle. And while it may be known best for its wild style, it was also pretty technologically advanced. Sure, it had the same running gear as other SUVs in Isuzu’s line, but it was in the suspension and four-wheel-drive system where the VehiCROSS shined. The suspension features monotube shocks with external heat-expansion chambers. Isuzu marketed these shocks as nearly impossible to overheat while providing extra damping over regular shocks. You’ll find shocks like these on all sorts of off-roaders today, but as Isuzu notes, they were more for racing back then. This was complemented with an advanced 4×4 system that used 12 input sensors and a software map to try to detect slippage before it occurred. When the system did, it sends power to the front axle to rectify the slipping. And of course, you got a low range as well. While the VehiCROSS is rare and properly weird, they haven’t become collectible. Thus, you can get this one for $4,100 on Facebook Marketplace in Menominee, Michigan with 196,000 miles.
1964 Chevrolet C10 Deluxe – $67,998
This last one is pricey, but it was so gorgeous to see in person. If I just randomly had nearly 70 large laying around I would have purchased it (or the looker next to it) right then and there. The first-generation Chevy C/K line of trucks replaced their Task Force predecessors. Much like the Ford trucks of the era, General Motors gave pickup buyers more comfort options and a style that isn’t all work. Cabs got a little bit bigger with larger windows, too. And in case you were wondering, the “C” denotes two-wheel-drive trucks while “K” trucks have four-wheel-drive. This Deluxe truck features power steering, power brakes, air-conditioning, an automatic transmission, and 4.6-liter V8. While the truck has been restored a bit and painted in a fantastic turquoise, these options are said to be factory. That engine should be making 160 HP. The statements about the exterior being almost perfect are amazingly pretty accurate; the paint really does have a glass finish and I didn’t see any rust, either. At least to my eye, someone did a good job with this truck. It’s for sale at the Volo Auto Museum for $67,998. That’s it for this week, folks! Thanks for tuning in, and I hope you enjoyed the week’s picks. With my money, it would easily be the VehiCROSS. they were such an outlier when they arrived. I well remember the first time I saw one-it stopped me in my tracks. Even my very non automotive enthusiast daughter said, “That’s neat: what IS it?” -or, maybe, that purple Jeep rootwyrm talks about. Those were high on my list when I stumbled backwards into my WRX Believe me, if the Insight was something that could be relied on to do anything besides fail in ways that cost more than the car’s worth to fix? I’d buy one. But there’s a whole list of reasons why it’s a Honda you absolutely never see on the roads these days. The 12V battery boots up the systems and powers the low voltage components, but starting that ICE isn’t the 12V’s job. On the other hand, the first-generation Insight can be started with a 12V starter after the HV system is bypassed (as Root wonderfully explains here). The Insight “fixes” championed by the community almost exclusively consist of “disable the IMA” or “disable the HV battery.” Which yes, means you have a working 3 cylinder that gets pretty good fuel mileage. But it also means you’ve defeated the entire purpose of the Insight. And because these were very common and very expensive failures, yeah. Then there’s the date fuse. What, you thought Honda was a pinnacle of ethics and honesty? Ha ha NO. The Insight’s HV/IMA has a time fuse that triggers a hard fault at 10 years regardless of miles and cycles. Most owners did not get anywhere near that. And once the IMA assist is gone? That’s the other thing that killed them – they’re so slow that they are just flat out unsafe. With the IMA their 0-60 is almost 11 seconds on a good day. Which is why the average retail for a 2001 that’s still got all it’s bits working is $2500. Also on the “no, thanks” list: the Solstice (the coupes are a little claustrophobic for me. The turbo ragtops are cool, but this isn’t one) and the Isuzu. I’d buy one if I had an Aztek…. The Packard, Sprite and C10? Yeah. Any one of them. Except for the money. It’s ALWAYS “except for the money,” dagnab it. Back in the day, most Spridget folks of my acquaintance regarded the Midget as a “re-badged” Sprite. I rode it from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe, but not being legal to be on the freeways made the route challenging. My uncle worked for CalTrans and part of his job was to map out the bike pathway for Interstate 80, which includes Sacramento to Tahoe. He provide guidance for where the side roads were, and where I had to travel on the interstate. When on the freeway, I had to ride on the shoulder. Got stopped once, for passing on the right. I passed a truck heavily loaded with firewood that was creeping along. The local officer pulled me over. I explained that it was illegal for me to actually be ON the highway, thus I just passed on the right on the shoulder. I informed the officer that where I could get on the freeway there was no sign prohibiting me from entering. I pointed out an exit/onramp ahead and I said he could check up ahead. The officer drove up there, stopped on the onramp, hesitated a bit, and then burned rubber to get back on the highway and left me alone. That hardtop solstice is also really slick. Makes me happy it exists 62.9 lifetime mpg, 256k miles and drives perfect. I had put more money on repairs on my winter beater (07 GMC Envoy) with less miles and I still have pending repairs (weird electrical glitches, because GM) Also, I don’t think it’s a 2002. U.S. market was 1999-2001 production years. I’ve never heard of any being produced in 2002. Unfog/grey the plastics and it still looks like a modern oddball. Based on the comments, appears different people are seeing different entries in the list, as there wasn’t a Cord or Jeep for me. The truck is in the I don’t want to drive it as a paid way to flipping much for it. The Cord hits the same area. With the Kei limits hitting the states, not worth the risk. The Sprite is one of those I would love to drive it, not own it and fiddling with it forever, yet drive it would be a blast. 2000 Honda Insight Not a chance in hell. No way. See, the first gen Insight is notorious for suffering IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) and battery failure over time. The cost of repairing the IMA? You can’t; it was pretty much non-available the whole life of the car, and is even more NLA now. And the HV batteries? Even worse. Most Insights with IMA get “fixed” by simply… ripping out the IMA. Thus negating the entire point of the car. And $4800 with that many unknowns? FUCK NO. 2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe Yes. Just yes. Okay? If it’s not cool enough as is, call Mallett. They’ll stuff a V8 in it. Properly. Including the required suspension bits. But it doesn’t need it. Price is high, but, if it checks out not out of line. 1969 Austin-Healey Sprite You’ll permanently be fixing the electrical, but quite bluntly? The body’s the expensive bit, and $8500’s entry level pricing for a 10 footer respray if you had a restoration candidate. The price is less than the cost of entry. If it’s your jam, this one’s a winner. 1964 Chevrolet C10 Deluxe Way beyond deluxe crack pipe here, folks. Hagerty puts an ‘excellent’ at $41k and a concours at $64k. They want more than the highest price ever paid for any example of these? Volo needs to stick to the Series 1. The price on this one can fuck all the way off. 1998 Jeep Cherokee XJ, $3900 … which I’m not sharing. For VERY obvious reasons. Like: it’s under four grand. It’s purple. It’s got no rot and only mild surface rust. It’s got incredibly low miles for the age. It’s a 4.0/AW4/NP242. And it’s purple. It’s the steal of the decade. Somebody talk me out of buying it. Please. I don’t have room. Or make Mercedes or Jason buy it. David already passed. You seem to see no problem spending the value of a car to drop in an LS or some other big motor into a car. Plenty of people do it all the time, spending way more than what the car is worth. But for EVs you seem to think this is an unholy offense. Motor swap 😀 Battery/EV swap >:-( This insight, to me, seems like the perfect chassis to put in a modern EV battery and motor system, while keeping the ICE engine if it’s still in good shape. A modern PEV drivetrain in that stupidly efficient chassis would be a great project. No less worthy than spending $5k to put a turbo onto a $2500 car. 2000 Honda Insight Not a chance in hell. No way. See, the first gen Insight is notorious for suffering IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) and battery failure over time. The cost of repairing the IMA? You can’t; it was pretty much non-available the whole life of the car, and is even more NLA now. And the HV batteries? Even worse. Most Insights with IMA get “fixed” by simply… ripping out the IMA. Thus negating the entire point of the car. And $4800 with that many unknowns? FUCK NO. And in reality: I actually don’t do that. I really don’t. It eliminates the challenge, and that’s just no fun for me. Yes, I like BIG ENGINES and CRAZY HORSEPOWER. But when you actually look at things I’ve built and designed? One – just one – does not use an off-the-shelf factory shortblock. Cylinder heads are one thing – Edelbrock’s to blame there, and thank ’em for it. But fact is, the manufacturer built the engine to a spec, they tested it to it, and I don’t have eleventy billion dollars to spend on R&D to produce a glorious ‘concept’ car only to laugh when people think I’m gonna make it. So: I like boring, factory shortblocks. The problem with EVs is that you can’t just BEV these. Period. They’re PHEVs. They are fully dependent on the ICE because it is a fundamental integrated component. They cannot have the HV divorced from the ICE because the ICE can only even be started by the HV. That isn’t a challenge; that’s a Catch 22. At which point I’m now working with nothing but a unibody. Everything straight in the trash. May as well have bought a kit car then. If somebody else wants to drop a 5.0 Ford into an EV? Have at it. Just don’t expect me to go “man, that was hard” or “man, that’s novel.” It’s really neither. Just take the entire thing, throw it all out, and bodge bits in. I’m not saying it’s trivial – it’s not – but it’s not challenging to me. And PHEV is too tightly integrated from chassis to motor to HV packs. It’s basically impossible to do something like take a Tesla Model 3 and drop it’s drivetrain into a Ford Focus ZX5. Even before Elongate sending a death squad for you. It’s just not possible as things sit. It’s not cost – it’s technical capability. And as I said: I really don’t actually just whack honking big motors into things. The G24 project will either be getting a very special 2.2L Chrysler or a 2.0 LTG from GM. Stock or smaller. If you were to order a Stormcaller WK from me, you would be surprised to learn the engine displacement changes none at all and is even built using almost entirely factory parts to achieve 500ft/lbs peak. I could have put anything in the SSJ, but I chose the AMC 360, because that’s what belonged in it. Simple as that. And man, I wish it was $2500. Add another zero and you’re near on point. Shit costs, my man. It’s why I’m cash up front with quotes all the way. This one, unfortunately, has a grey interior. Whew! My pocket book is saved.
