Survivor Cars

Not all barn finds are rusty! Here are the very best unrestored classics:

Snow White: 1982 Mazda 626

Every winter I hear the same nagging voice in my head (other than the one that’s normally in there) that tells me I should have moved to the dry, sunny southwest after high school. Rust-free vehicles are a rare… more»

Cape Cod Camper: 1969 Ford F-100

Classic trucks have been steadily gaining in popularity for a long time.  If you follow the hobby, you have seen over-the-top restorations sell for six figures and even less desirable models piquing the interest of collectors.  Entry level hobbyists… more»

George Barris’ Stable: 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS

Should it come as any surprise that George Barris’ personal car was just as off-the-wall as his creations for customers? Truthfully, this 308 GTS is actually quite tame compared to some of his creations, but taken as a whole,… more»

31,000 Documented Miles: 1981 Mercedes 500SLC

While we try to avoid the high dollar cars on Barn Finds – especially in restored or over-restored condition – the survivor-grade examples are worth making an exception for. While still priced a tad aggresively, this 31,000 mile 1981 Mercedes-Benz… more»

Mint Narrow Body: 1983 Mitsubishi Starion

The Chrysler Conquest / Mitsubishi Starion twins are rare to find in any form these days, but particularly so in the earliest iterations like this 1983 turbocharged example. Known as “narrow bodies” for coming before the widebody-look fender flares… more»

Old Lady Owned: 45K Mile 1991 Chevy Blazer

Much like the low-mileage Acura Legend we posted last week, there’s something about preserved cars and trucks from the not-too-distant past that make easy arguments for daily driving a survivor like this 1991 Chevy Blazer. These used to be… more»

Drive Home Survivor: 1968 Corvette Big Block

I love the resume of this Big Block: 47,000 miles, stored most of its life, 4 speed Muncie Rock Crusher transmission, redline tires, and all the factory originals still intact. And it’s a drive-away runner, found here on Craigslist,… more»

Green Machine: 1974 Chevrolet Nova

Here’s a driver with a little 1970’s hot rod flavor. Some college boy would have called it his green machine. It’s got the stance with those Craiger style wheels and the ladder bars showing just a bit of menace…. more»

Unbelievable Survivor: 1981 Chrysler Newport

The 1980s were a funny decade, and not always ha-ha funny – with over-the-top “fashions“, music, and car makers scrambling to downsize in the name of better MPG. This 1981 Chrysler Newport is unabashedly holding onto another decade, another… more»

Brown and Velour: 1986 Nissan Maxima Wagon

Front-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, that debate has waged on longer than paper or plastic. Most car makers switched to front-wheel drive and now a few of them are switching back to the rear wheels providing the traction as… more»

Little Chugger: 1982 Mazda B2200 Diesel

When 75 hp is just too much for you, check out this 58 hp 1982 Mazda B2200 Diesel. This little oil-burner is in Damascus, Maryland, just northeast of the nation’s capital. It looks like a pretty nice one –… more»

Nicest in the US? 1976 Lancia Beta Coupe

“One of the nicest in the county” is how the seller of this 1976 Lancia Beta Coupe describes this car, and I don’t know if maybe they aren’t right, as they say in Noblesville, Indiana where this beautiful car… more»

One-Family Owned: 1985 Subaru GL Hatchback

A front-wheel drive Subaru seems like such an odd concept to most of us, especially those of us (you, not me!) who are under 30 years old or so. Most people that age have grown up at a time… more»

$3,500 Truck-Truck: 1968 Ford F-100

Sometimes a person just wants a truck-truck. Not a new four-door, four-wheel-drive, four-latte-holding, never-driven-anywhere-but-the-freeway posh commuting truck, but a truck-truck. One that you can throw stuff in the back of and not worry about scratching the box. This 1968… more»

The Price Of Documentation: 1978 Cadillac Seville

In the collector world, we tend to put a lot of stock in documentation of a car’s originality and/or history, but how much monetary value does documentation add? The seller of this—admittedly very nice, very low mileage—1978 Cadillac Seville… more»

38K Miles From New: 1991 Acura Legend

We don’t often have reason to feature survivor-grade mid-90s cars, but this 1991 Acura Legend demands an exception be made. These were from the wonderful years at Acura when they sold over-engineered vehicles that were both fun to drive… more»

Barn Finds