I've been planning to go to college after i graduate from grade 12, so i decided 'Murica was as good for college, i ended up thinking what car should i buy in there, so i listed mostly American cars i always had wanted but i couldn't decide which.
My buddy ran his 78 K10 again today in the 300 FT mud drags. He was put in the mod stock class, with his 10.1:1 355, 700 CFM Edlebrock, straight pipes and 31 inch Super Swampers. There were 16 other trucks in this class, like a 78 F150 with 35X15.50 Boggers in the back and 35X10.50 Boggers in the front with a hot big block Ford, an 89 Ramcharger with the roof cut off, a hot 340 Mopar and 35's, and an 83 short bed K10 with a 383 SBC and 38's with a full cage and a fuel cell. Lo and behold, it came down to my buddy's old primer red firewood truck and that 83 shortbed, and he found himself with a 2nd place finish, and had he found the groove in the right lane, he'd of had it too. It's all the more impressive when you remember that his truck is a 4 speed, while literally every other truck in that class had an automatic. Another friend of mine brought his STOCK 78 K20, ancient 400 SBC, TH350, Full time, and some Chinese mud tires, and he still got 6th in the street stock class, out of 20-some trucks.
There's 2 problems I see with that list: the Mitsubishi Sopporo was rebadged over here as a Dodge Challenger and most where scrapped and the rest are very rare and we didn't get the Lancer until 2001 and we only got the first gen Mirage (78-83), but not the second gen Mirage/Lancer you want. And you're probably going to find a Firebird/Camaro or El Camino easy (Elco's are starting to rise in price though), the Accord's going to be rough and less than $1000, then the Dart/Duster is probably your best bet, then maybe a Caprice, and good luck finding a late 70's Cougar or Monte Carlo at all (many of those land barges where scrapped as well).
They aren't any better on the inside. The one time I drove one of those was when I worked at a Chevy/Cadillac dealer last summer. It was the sedan version, but it was about as cheap as you could go on one (it was even a stick shift!). I remember it being hilariously bad to drive, but ridiculously fun because of how bad it was.
They're pretty rare in the northwest, the only land barge I've seen around here for a long while IRL and local craigslist is a 77 Lincoln Town Coupe for $7500
It is in America. Even the cheapest cars are available with an automatic, so manuals are almost always relegated to just the base trims of the very crappiest of cars.
In basically anything but diesel trucks, manual transmissions are usually only for the absolute cheapest, low optioned, bare bones cars. (In recent years anyway, say post 1990)
Struck up a deal on the crown vic. $2900. It'll be gone tomorrow as long as the buyer doesn't back out of the deal. I'm a lot more sad to see this one go than I was the other one. Done a lotta stuff with this car. Time to move on though.
man, these salt flat racers are insane. you see this, think, "oh nice, a ford f150 on the flats" but then you realize it opens up like a damn nhra funny car
Turns out a stock volvo 240 will do a brakestand. Also working on the turbo 240's AC right now. Trying to eliminate a leak, then it should be good.
Though the Ford Focus ST is a wicked car on the autocross, I must complain that the passenger doesn't have much to hold on to with the window rolled up, the side of the seat flexes so that's no help, you can't get a grip on the shallow door handle and it's too far back so your funny bone smashes the b-pillar every time... Summery: The Ford Focus is a fun car, but not passenger friendly.
No, I sold it. Or at least have a deal to. Not done till it's done. I bought it at a police auction. It was a cop car. It was used to eat donuts in.
