TTAC Forum Crapwagon ReCrap: Get Shorty, Or Italian, But Not Both

Chris Tonn
by Chris Tonn

If you haven’t noticed — and judging by the lack of comments, I’m guessing you haven’t — things have been picking up a bit over at the long-dormant TTAC Forum. I’ve been posting a near-daily “Find of the Day” in the Classic and Collector Car forum. I’m trying to highlight the interesting, cool, and weird stuff I find as I tread the crapwagon-infested waters of eBay, craigslist, classified sites, and other forums.

There is plenty to look at. Just this week: A rusty Bronco; an oddly-shortened Chevelle; a ’90s-vintage Alfa Romeo Spider; a Porsche 944S; and a Buick Reatta ragtop.

Today, I happened across this sad-looking Ford Bronco on eBay. Nearly thirty years in a barn will not be kind to any car. At $5,500, though, there might be enough to salvage from this heap.

Early yesterday, I spotted this Chevelle, also on eBay. From my admittedly-limited knowledge of drag racing, I’d think a longer wheelbase would be advantageous. A short wheelbase would be better for autocross. So, explain to me, why?

On Wednesday, Craigslist beckoned with this 944S. The 16 valve, naturally aspirated engine gives performance close to the Turbo, without the maintenance headaches the forced-induction motor seems to require. I want this car.

I’d forgotten that Alfa imported the old Spider to the US through 1993. This one came over as the Miata was hitting the shores. The Alfa has more timeless looks, but the Miata will be easier to keep running. Which reminds me. My ’91 Miata needs to be driven again…

Quite likely the nicest Buick Reatta left in the world, even if the car sits on its original 25-year-old tires. It’s not like the Reatta driving experience induces canyon carving, but this is a serious hazard in an otherwise nice example of a car few even remember existing.

So, come join us in the forums, and tell me what you think of these cars and more!

Chris Tonn
Chris Tonn

Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.

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  • CanadaCraig You can just imagine how quickly the tires are going to wear out on a 5,800 lbs AWD 2024 Dodge Charger.
  • Luke42 I tried FSD for a month in December 2022 on my Model Y and wasn’t impressed.The building-blocks were amazing but sum of the all of those amazing parts was about as useful as Honda Sensing in terms of reducing the driver’s workload.I have a list of fixes I need to see in Autopilot before I blow another $200 renting FSD. But I will try it for free for a month.I would love it if FSD v12 lived up to the hype and my mind were changed. But I have no reason to believe I might be wrong at this point, based on the reviews I’ve read so far. [shrug]. I’m sure I’ll have more to say about it once I get to test it.
  • FormerFF We bought three new and one used car last year, so we won't be visiting any showrooms this year unless a meteor hits one of them. Sorry to hear that Mini has terminated the manual transmission, a Mini could be a fun car to drive with a stick.It appears that 2025 is going to see a significant decrease in the number of models that can be had with a stick. The used car we bought is a Mk 7 GTI with a six speed manual, and my younger daughter and I are enjoying it quite a lot. We'll be hanging on to it for many years.
  • Oberkanone Where is the value here? Magna is assembling the vehicles. The IP is not novel. Just buy the IP at bankruptcy stage for next to nothing.
  • Jalop1991 what, no Turbo trim?
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