I’m so bored, you guys. The logical part of me understands why it’s a good idea to stay home for the time being. That said, cabin fever has a nasty habit of creeping in after awhile, and we all need to find something to pass the time. Escapism normally involves thumbing classified ads for neat and interesting cars, and Bring a Trailer can be a rich vein to scratch that particular itch. So, in the interest of sparking some conversation on this fine Saturday morning, here are five examples I came across perusing the site — let us know what cool cars and trucks you’ve discovered in the comments below!
5) 1975 Ford Bronco Denver Broncos Edition
The first one is what you see above: a white-and-orange-themed first-generation Ford Bronco. This particular Bronco was a dealer special, and one of 214 marketed by a local dealership in Golden, Colorado. According to the listing, it moved to Texas before the current seller brought it to South Carolina in 2019. This old-school Bronco has a 302 cubic-inch V8 under the hood, mated to a three-speed transmission and two-speed transfer case. It also comes with a 3-inch lift, BFGoodrich Mud Terrains, a fiberglass hood and door inserts, aftermarket bumpers, leather bucket seats and a six-point roll cage, among other enticing mods.
Apart from the special edition playing on the Denver Broncos, I can’t help but do a double-take every time I see an original Ford Bronco rolling down the road. I’m as excited as anyone to see Ford bring it back here in the next few weeks. However, these older generations — particularly this one, where the Bronco looked totally bespoke — are just the business, and something I’d honestly take over a Jeep CJ-5, though I’m sure Tommy would disagree with me on that one.
At any rate, I know we’d reach a compromise on loving the International Harvester Scout, but at $19,500 (as of March 20) this Bronco is a bit of a bargain, as they can go over double that price. This one’s been used, but I still think it’s awesome.
4) 1993 Subaru Sambar 5-speed
Our friends over at Autoblog spotted this quirky Japanese Kei-class van up for sale in Concord, North Carolina. James Riswick said of this van, “We need something to make us smile, so allow me to present a tiny morsel of happiness that is this 1993 Subaru Sambar Dias van currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer.” Now, you may look at this tiny box on wheels and think, “What on Earth is that thing?” But even if you think it’s ridiculous, I can’t help but crack a smile when I see someone driving one of these things around.
The listing doesn’t say much about this Sambar’s history, other than showing an export certificate showing it was brought over from Japan just seven months ago. It has a 660cc engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission (score!), and it’s rear-wheel drive. Never mind the fact that the power is going to miniscule 12-inch wheels, and the 140 km/h (87 mph) speedometer is a bit, well, optimistic. It’s quirky, it’s cute, and it’s not terribly expensive if you want a fun conversation piece.
3) 2002 Honda S2000
As TFL’s resident Mazda freak, I love me some MX-5 Miata. But I also acknowledge the fact that, as a big 6-foot-tall guy, I look utterly ridiculous every time I drive one. That’s where the Honda S2000 comes in for me. The styling is a bit more my speed, and the slightly higher-raked windshield means it’s a couple inches taller, so I don’t struggle to fit in it. Under the hood, you get a screaming 2.0-liter VTEC engine paired (exclusively, mind you) to a six-speed manual transmission. As it should be.
This particular 2002 example is finished in Suzuka Blue Metallic, and was sold new in North Hollywood, California. From there, it moved to British Columbia, Canada before repatriating at a dealer just over the border in Blaine, Washington. Sure, you don’t get all the modern toys the MX-5 has to offer, but you still get more power thanks to that VTEC unit. Not only that, but you get a front-engined, rear-wheel drive roadster that retains its value, and this one has just under 51,000 miles. Since it’s a Honda, that sort of mileage is barely past its break-in period.
2) 2014 Chevrolet SS
I’ve long said the Chevy SS is an underrated muscle sedan, and I’ll reiterate that point here. This LS3 V8-powered, 415 horsepower four-door sedan is a rebadged version of the Australian Holden Commodore, and is just the latest version of that concept that extended back through the deceased Pontiac G8 and GTO. Sadly, the SS wasn’t a hot seller, and GM killed it off in 2017. This one has just under 37,000 miles on the clock and is up for sale in Pennsylvania.
Despite every car so far having a manual transmission, this one instead has a six-speed automatic. Yes, you can get it with a six-speed manual transmission. The reason this SS caught my eye at the moment, however, is price. This car has a really annoying habit of holding their value, with 90,000+ miles examples commanding $25,000 or more. And those are with automatic transmissions, so finding a manual is even more of a diamond in the rough challenge. As V8-powered sedans go, I’d still prefer this as a stealth cruiser, automatic and all, over say, a Dodge Charger.
I’m sure it will go past its $15,000 bid (the auction’s up until March 24), but if you can snag it under $20,000 or so, that’s still a good deal.
1) 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer
Finally, I came across this clean-looking classic for sale in Phoenix, Arizona. This particular 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer was 126,000 miles on the clock, as well as a 360 cubic-inch V8 engine and three-speed automatic transmission. This truck was originally silver, but someone painted it metallic blue in 2018. Despite that, a cursory look at the pictures make it seem like it was fairly well done, and more importantly to me the paneling and interior look to be in great shape.
There are a couple accidents on the record, which is probably why this one’s only at $4,200 at time of writing. Of course, I’d always want to see complete service records and ensure the accidents were properly repaired before actually pulling the trigger on something like this. Still, this is to my mind one of the coolest classic SUVs around, and not just because it had a stint on Breaking Bad.
Please do let me know what some of your favorite cars and trucks are (and wherever you find them) below! We’re all in this together, so we may as well do what we do best and geek out about our favorite modern and classic cars.
Speaking of classics:
