The Most Digestible Crapwagons of 2015

Chris Tonn
by Chris Tonn

A new year has arrived, and with it the “celebration” of eight months with The Truth About Cars. As is custom, I’m looking back over the most popular pieces of the last year for easy clicks on a hangover day.

2006 Citroën C6


Certainly validating my well-honed Francophile eBay search is the forbidden-fruit Citroën C6 I looked at in May. Our friends at Jalopnik were lucky enough to drive this very car. I’m jealous.

2000 Porsche Boxster


Our next most popular Crapwagon was a cheap early Boxster. I argued that cheap Porsches are perhaps the most expensive vehicle one could ever buy.

2002 Lexus IS300


Next comes the beige. Quick followup on my BMW-fanatic friend and our trip to buy a Lexus: We got halfway into the five-hour drive and the seller called. He couldn’t find the title. My friend bought another BMW.

2000 BMW M Coupe


Fourth on our countdown, but number one in my heart, is a clownshoe. I’ve made no secret of my love for MGs — the BGT hatch especially — and the BMW M Coupe is the steroid-addled spiritual successor to the heavenly MG Sebring racers. Someday…

2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion


In July, the Passat W8 4Motion wagon was remarkably popular, or at least quite popular to hate. Oh, for the days when driving a Volkswagen was socially acceptable.

2014 Dodge Challenger SRT8 Off-Road


A really odd Crapwagon graced our virtual pages for Black Friday, and plenty of you took time out of rioting in malls to click this off-roadish Challenger SRT8. Them Duke boys best be gettin’ a vinyl wrap for this Chally.

1992 Volkswagen Corrado SLC


VW was all over TTAC this year. A couple weeks ago, this Corrado caught my eye, and apparently that of many of our beloved readers. It costs too much for what it is, really, but car lust isn’t always rational.

2000 BMW 540i


Just a week ago brought us our last car in this rundown: a poor-man’s M5. Looks like I was high on the final selling price as $5600 looks rather palatable.

I want to thank the Best & Brightest for welcoming me to TTAC. I’ve slowly grown to understand what this place is, and I hope my writing has grown to meet your expectations. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to reach out.

Now excuse me while I chug another coffee.

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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  • Kevin Jaeger Kevin Jaeger on Jan 01, 2016

    +1 This series by Chris is great. I love the mix of quirky niche collectible with insane affordable performance vehicles. It is not just entertaining but he keeps adding to my list of considerations for my next toy.

  • Corey Lewis Corey Lewis on Jan 02, 2016

    I think this series works because: 1) It's older cars, which is what we like here. 2) It's usually rarer stuff that's kinda obscure, which is the other thing we like. 3) Half the time it's German, so it gives us a chance to vent and rag on all the awful costs of old German cars.

    • See 3 previous
    • Wumpus Wumpus on Jan 04, 2016

      @Quentin Best guess is that any old M-series is going to be a moneypit. Too much hoonage and missed maintenance. The M-coupe may be the best of the lot.

  • Joe This is called a man in the middle attack and has been around for years. You can fall for this in a Starbucks as easily as when you’re charging your car. Nothing new here…
  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
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