Welcome back to Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness! As you know, I love picking up dirt-cheap cars, motorcycles, and campers, then telling you lovely readers about the dumb things that I do with them. I’m always looking for the next deal, but most of the time, I’m left empty-handed. At the same time, I love building a list of cars, trucks, and motorcycles that I would buy if I had the money to buy them.
Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness turns the long lists of vehicles I’d love to buy into something for you all to enjoy. Some of them are cheap and some of them are not. Some of the vehicles I find are purely window shopping for everyone but maybe Beau.
This week, I’ve challenged myself to find neat vehicles all for under $10,000. It’s a return to my roots of cheap stuff that doesn’t break the bank. As such, you will not find a single vehicle on this list above that. Yet, everything runs and I’ve even managed to snag some imports.
Here’s what I’m looking at this week!
1990 Dodge Ramcharger – $8,000
The 1970s saw a rise in large truck-based SUVs like the Chevrolet K5 Blazer, Ford Bronco, and the International Harvester Scout. These SUVs boasted style, practicality, and off-road prowess. Introduced in 1974 and riding on a shortened version of the Ram’s platform, the Dodge Ramcharger offered Mopar fans an off-roader with seating for up to six and up to 440 cubic inches of V8 power.
This Ramcharger comes from the SUV’s second generation. Notable changes include a permanently affixed welded-steel top and more rear legroom. Power comes from a 360 cubic inch fuel-injected V8 making 193 HP and 285 lb-ft torque. This goes through an automatic transmission to reach the rear wheels.
Sadly, this unit is not a 4×4. Normally, I’d search for the best version of a vehicle I could find. I’ve noticed that the vast majority of Ramchargers for sale for under $10,000 have cancerous rust problems. This one is said to have rust on its rear quarters, but it presents better inside and out than most in this price range. It’s $8,000 from the seller in Oswego, Kansas with 213,000 miles.
1950 Chevrolet Styleline Business Coupe – $9,500
As Hagerty writes, in 1949, Chevrolet overhauled its lineup, updating its vehicles to a modern post-World War II look featuring design elements like pontoon fenders. The marque sold Special and Deluxe models of vehicles in a variety of body styles. Of those, you could get them in Fleetline or Styleline. Deluxe models represented the higher end of Chevrolet and prices varied based on body style or options.
For 1949, Chevrolet advertised Deluxe models as having a series nameplate on front fenders, stainless steel moldings and trim, rear wheel covers on coupes and wagons, striped cloth seats, a light for the glovebox, a clock, an ashtray, and a cigarette lighter. Chevy touted the vehicle’s good ventilation that made the car “breathe.”
Back in March, I showed you what $26,000 buys you with a cherry red 1949 Chevrolet Styleline Deluxe. Today, we have a 1950 Chevrolet Styleline Business Coupe for less than half of that price. According to Hagerty, Business Coupe models represented the cheapest of the line and could be had for as little as $1,300 in 1950.
This Business Coupe is apparently an older restoration and there appear to be minor mods such as the rear bumper no longer being chrome. Power comes from a 216.5 cubic inch six making 92 HP and pushing it through a column-shift manual transmission. It’s $9,500 from the seller in Davison, Michigan.
2010 Jaguar XF Supercharged – $8,500
Here’s a way into a fast cat without breaking the bank. As Car and Driver reported in January 2007, Jaguar’s sales were falling, cash was bleeding out, and its then-owner, Ford, was considering selling the brand. Something had to change. In 2007, Director of Design Ian Callum worked with Head of Advanced Design Julian Thomson to create the C-XF concept car. That car was a preview for the big styling change to come for the brand.
Gone were Jag’s classic designs. Instead, the marque aimed for serious sex appeal. The production XF hit the road in September 2007. At the vehicle’s release, Jaguar said: “This is the beginning of a new era for Jaguar.” Later in the release, Jaguar said that the XF is the first of a new sedan design language for the brand and that it has a coupe-style roofline.
Original goals for the XF called for an aluminum spaceframe, but Jaguar had to work with the resources it had. Thus, the car rode on the Ford DEW98 platform that underpinned its S-Type predecessor. The Holy Grail XF is the Jaguar XF S Sportbrake, but you aren’t finding one of those for under $10,000.
Consider the XF Supercharged. Power comes from a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 good for 470 HP. Sadly, no manual transmission, but I’m not going to complain with a 4.3-second time to 60 mph. The seller of this one provides rather crummy pictures, but what we can see seems decent. Its title is also clean without reported accidents. You can get it for $8,500 from the seller in Erie, Colorado with 127,000 miles.
1974 DAF 66 Combi – $7,110 – $8,204
Here’s a weird classic car with the first mass-market CVT! I’ll let our friends at the Lane Motor Museum explain:
D.A.F. is a Dutch company that began in the late 1920s as a garage. After WWII, the company started manufacturing commercial vehicles. The economical situation and the success of D.A.F. trucks made it possible for Hub Van Doorne to realize his dream of producing a luxury car. He wanted to develop a car that was affordable by the average person. In 1958, the D.A.F. 600 was introduced. It was produced with a step-free variomatic transmission, a fully automatic system using a centrifugal clutch and v-belt drive with a limited-slip differential. With only a forward-and-reverse lever, the D.A.F. was one of the easiest cars to drive of its time.
The DAF 66 was introduced in 1972 as the successor to the DAF 55. This would be the last four-cylinder car to wear the DAF name. DAF 66 variations included a coupe, a sedan, and this, the Combi. Power comes from a 1.1-liter straight-four making 53 HP. The auction house notes that some rust repair is needed on the rear.
It’s expected to sell for between $7,110 – $8,204 when the hammer falls on the Classic, Sports Cars & Youngtimers te Eibergen auction on July 12 in the Netherlands.
1989 Honda Transalp XL600V – $5,000
The Honda Transalp is a motorcycle that is engineered for good road manners while also being able to take you anywhere you want to go. Honda called the motorcycle a “new concept touring bike” and while it wasn’t a new idea, it certainly predated the popularity of today’s sporty adventure bikes. It’s a bike designed to be capable off of the road, but comfortable on it, from Honda:
The XL600V TRANSALP, which debuted in 1986, was popularised as “a mid-size sports bike that offers all-round enjoyment from city to highway, from mountain passes to dirt roads, and as the first Honda dual-purpose bike to feature a fairing that enhances comfort at high speeds, it is a comfortable way to enjoy long tours on a grand scale”.
Compared to an Africa Twin, a Transalp is supposed to be smaller, a bit more road-friendly, and a bit softer. The Transalp has endured through four generations and while Americans currently cannot go to their Honda Powersports dealer to buy one, there is a Transalp on the way for the American market.
That said, you could buy one of the first Transalps right now. This 1989 model comes with a 583cc V-twin making 50 HP. The seller doesn’t say much other than calling the bike well-maintained and that it gets only ethanol-free fuel. It’s $5,000 from the seller in Vancouver, Washington with 37,500 miles.
1947 Nash 600 – $9,000
The Nash 600 often gets credited as being America’s first mass-produced unibody car. Now, it’s certainly not the absolute first unibody car, and depending on who you ask, the Nash wasn’t even the first American unibody car. The Lancia Lambda had a unibody nearly 20 years earlier and the Opel Olympia beat the Nash by a handful of years as well.
Before the Nash, there was the Chrysler Airflow, which as Mac’s Motor City Garage notes, used more modern construction techniques with metal stampings instead of hardwood braces. The occupants also rode lower as opposed to on top of the frame. But it technically wasn’t a unibody car. The service manual calls for a separate ladder-style chassis that bolted onto the bottom of the body. There was also the Lincoln Zephyr, which also had a frame, but it was welded on rather than bolted on.
In 1941, George Mason was president of the Nash Kelvinator Company, and the company’s founder, Charles W. Nash, was board chairman. Mason reportedly envisioned a midsize car with a lower price and a novel method of construction. Nash pinched Ted Ulrich of the Budd Company for development. At launch, Nash advertised the 600 as weighing 500 fewer pounds than a car with a frame and that you could drive the Nash some 600 miles on a 20-gallon tank of gas, the equivalent of 30 mpg. That 600-mile range claim is where this car gets its name.
This 1947 Nash 600 is powered by a 172.6 cubic inch flathead straight-six making 82 HP sending power to the rear wheels through a three-speed manual. It’s unclear if this engine is original or if it’s rebuilt, but the seller says the car is an older restoration. It’s $9,000 from the seller in Pompano Beach, Florida.
1991 Citroën BX14 TGE – $6,900
Despite my self-imposed price ceiling this week, I was able to find a sort of weird French import. The Citroën BX was an important car for the brand the incredibly successful car helped solidify its position in what it calls the upper-middle-class market. From Citroën:
Launched in 1978 under the codename “XB”, the Citroën BX project set out to create a modern, unconventional vehicle with an emphasis on innovation. BX was to be a transverse-engine vehicle, lightweight to ensure good acceleration and low fuel consumption to help with cost savings. Like all top-of-the-range Citroën cars of this era, the 5-door hatchback BX was fitted with a hydropneumatic suspension system to ensure comfort and impeccable road holding.
The first vehicle of the PSA era, BX was developed with the help of CAD (computer-aided design), state-of-the-art technology at the time, to help to perfect the design and dynamism of the car. Engines were taken from PSA group’s bank of powertrains, with powerful engines from its earliest release (62 bhp and 72 bhp 1360 cc, 90 bhp 1580 cc).
Citroën approached the famous Italian coachbuilder Bertone to design BX. The designer Marcello Gandini then proposed an original shape that stood out in the automotive landscape of the time. The cockpit was also striking, with a CX-inspired dashboard featuring characteristic equipment such as satellite controls on either side of the steering wheel and the backlit tachometer.
The selling dealer, Classic Auto Mall, says this Citroën BX14 TGE has the aforementioned hydropneumatic suspension with three settings. It’s said to be in working order. What doesn’t work is the radio. Apparently, there are a few electrical gremlins to track down that keep the air-conditioner and turn signals from working properly.
[Editor’s Note: Why is the hood badge upside down? – JT]
Aside from those problems, the car is said to present well. There is no rust and the interior looks similarly great. Power comes from a 1360cc four making 71 HP driving the front wheels through a manual transmission. It’s $6,900 from Classic Auto Mall in Morgantown, Pennsylvania with 113,000 miles.
1969 Wards Riverside 175 – $3,500
This adorable motorcycle is another two-wheeler from those times when you could buy a foreign bike with a domestic name slapped on it. During the 1950s, you could buy a Kaiser Henry J rebadged as an Allstate. Sears also rebadged Puch and Gilera motorcycles. Well, Sears wasn’t the only store schlepping rebadged captive import motorcycles. Montgomery Ward had its own rebadging going on. During the 1950s, the retailer sold Motobecane mopeds and during the 1960s, Montgomery Ward took Italian Benelli motorcycles and rebranded them as Wards Riverside. Basically, Sears and Wards were willing to sell you just about anything if they thought you would buy it.
Here’s a quick primer on Benelli, which exists today as a brand under the umbrella of China’s Qianjiang Motor Group, itself a brand of Geely:
The story of Benelli Motorcycles goes back to just past the turn of the 20th century. Six brothers, one story. Six men for a legend to become reality. It was the spring of 1911 when Teresa Benelli, widowed, invested all her family’s money to establish a workshop, hoping to ensure a stable job for her six sons, Giuseppe, Giovanni, Filippo, Francesco, Domenico and Antonio “Tonino” Benelli. At the beginning it was only a service garage, where spare parts for cars and motorcycles were made. But the six Benelli brothers had a much higher ambition, building motorcycles. Eight years later, in 1919, the first engine was born, a two stroke 75cc applied to a bicycle frame, but this did not produce satisfying results. In December 1921 the first real Benelli motorcycle appeared, the “Velomotore”, 98cc two stroke lightweight bike presented in two models, Touring and Sport (125cc), followed in 1923 by a 147 cc version. This is the version Tonino Benelli started to win races on, which made the Pesaro company renown throughout Europe.
Power comes from a 175cc two-stroke single. I could not find exact power numbers, but the 125cc version was advertised as making 6.5 HP, so I’d expect this guy to be closer to the 10 HP range. This Riverside 175 was restored 15 years ago and has ridden only 100 miles since. The bike has largely been a showpiece. It does run and ride but apparently may need a little carb cleaning to be back to prime shape. It’s $3,500 from the seller in Charleston, South Carolina.
2008 Volkswagen Golf R32 – $7,990
My recent piece about the triumphant return of the Volkswagen VR6 engine has me thinking about the raucous Golf R32. Unfortunately, finding one of these for under $10,000 miles and in decent enough shape was a challenge. I found plenty of very rusty R32s, practical piles of R32s with salvage titles, and many more R32s with modifications that would make them impossible to register in some states.
Thus, I’ve landed on an R32 that isn’t perfect, but hopefully won’t immediate cost you a ton of money. This R32 has 190,199 miles and a CarFax that indicates minor front end damage 8 years ago, but it comes with a clean title, some service history, and at least visually, it’s not destroyed.
Volkswagen says what originally birthed the R32 was its engineers envisioning a model that performed even better than a Golf GTI. Those engineers then drew from the company’s rallying efforts to create the R32. Produced globally starting in 2005 (late 2007 for North America), this car comes from the Mk 5 generation of the Golf. Power from its 3.2-liter VR6 is 250 HP, and power reaches all four wheels through DSG automatic.
Sadly, subsequent R models would lose Volkswagen’s famous VR6. So, if you want that engine in a Golf package with all-wheel-drive without doing it yourself, a Golf R32 is probably the ticket. As Volkswagen says, it’s good for a sprint to 62 mph in 6.2 seconds, but you can have it only with the DSG.
Aside from the decent exterior, I chose this R32 because it’s one of just a few I found without a blown apart seat bolster, so it seems someone tried taking care of it. This car is $7,990 from Drive CLE in Willoughby, Ohio.
That’s it for this week, thank you for reading!
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Thank goodness I already spent my budget for a cool, 2nd car or I might have gone for that Citroen BX even knowing it has electrical gremlins.
I have to go with the BX… just because it was my father car for a while ( he tended to drive 90K kms per year so he was changing to a new car every year, and after several BX 19GTI he moved to a SAAB 9000 16v.
I drove it a few time and the most memorable one was when I got to drive in on Charade ( the day after I got my driving license ) former F1 track ( that was before it got butchered ), and in the middle of the longest straight I remember my father telling me calmly that I should consider slowing… I answered that I was not going fast, and got told to look at the tacho… I was at 150km/h+ and the Charade curve cas coming fast, so I definitely slowed. Since I managed to not crash during my two laps of Charade, I was allowed to fetch my grandmother at the railway station with the BX later that day.
OMG this DAF… My uncle, a professor of physics and chemistry, was not able to drive a car with manual gearbox. And since he was a little bit stingy, he bought a light yellow DAF 55 sedan, which emberrassed my two cousins a lot. Understandable. Later he ‘upgraded’ this to a Volvo 66, which was essentially the same horrible car, just with bigger bumpers (but he could say “Now I’m driving a Volvo!”).
I suppose times have changed because now when someone asks about my Volvo 66 I happily point out that it’s really a DAF.
Ooof! I looove the BX. Bertone! The vapourwave vibes. Wish they came up for sale in Australia.
That BX has been kicking around the states for the longest time. There’s an article about it in a local Maine newspaper from years ago. They were asking above $10k for it at one point! I want a BX very badly, but I’ll pay ~$7k for a low mileage mint condition one, rather than for one that’s been passed around with known gremlins
7k would get you a good one from france, not mint, neither low mileage. + The import. Anyway a better option than this.
I concur, 7 grand will get you a decent one straight from France. t might take some time to get it, but it can be done.
The second hand market in France is cheap compared to the US one… unless you go into Iconic fully restored to pristine condition 40+ years old cars. But daily driver cars in their juice ( as we say )…
This should give you an idea :
https://www.leboncoin.fr/f/voitures/brand–Citroen/model–Bx
Yeah, I check out Spanish sites because there’s no language barrier for me and they have plenty of ports as well.
That’s quite a batch this week! Those Dodges are the last great value in “old” trucks, and the actual pickups are even cheaper. I’d love to put that one in my fleet.
I was stunned to see one of those Honda Trans Alps up at Road America a couple weeks ago. That is a very pretty bike! Definitely smaller than the Africa Twin, which I like.
I love the price cap on this!
The Transalp is a lot of motorcyclist cred at a fair price, and those engines are indestructible. I appreciate the European entries, makes me want to find a cheap apartment in Liege or something.
Too bad someone stole the sweet plastic hubcaps off of that BX! Non vented plate wheels are also rare and fun, but seen to much on old worn out beaters over here..
Very cool car, and not slow at all with the fuel injected manual 1360 ccm engine. It’s a lot lighter and aerodynamic than one might think. But to paint “sport” on it is stretching it a bit… I love the big extra trunk handle – erhh I mean spoiler. Just go so well with those sharp Marcello Gandini lines!
Owned several of those wonderful cars some years ago. Would love one again, now they are nearing out local 35 year low tax rules (DK).
Upside down Citroën logo is a typical “rebel” fun thing to do. The front hood is (also) of some strange fibreglass/plastic composite material, so the logo pops right out without rust or galvanic corrosion.
This car is a straight piece of shit, from being a 2nd gen uninteresting base model, to the condition of it, i just don’t understand how some people bother to import shit cars like that when you can get beautiful interesting version in great condition, and i’m not saying that it need to be top end to be good, but if you go base, for the sake of style, at least get a first gen.
I would not be surprised to find out it’s coming from the NL, they like to export shit.
I would love a 2nd gen 5 speed manual base model in red. Yes all the rattling plastic of the 1st gen is fun and quirky, but I think the overall quality was better on the late ones.
As risky as it sounds, I’d still consider the Jag. My biggest impediment is I have nowhere to park it. For me, it would be a pure hobby car.
When I think of all the BX’es I’ve seen go through my friends’ hands, with buying prices between 400 and 1000 euros (or the equivalent of) thirty or so years ago, the one listed here makes me shiver.
While it was a successful model and a good seller, the BX, in most of its variations, was nothing to write home about. It’s comfort, despite its oleopneumatic suspension, was not impressive neither. It does have the different levels (including a high ground clearance mode), like most Citroens with OP suspension, which is a plus. The suspension was quite easy and cheap to fix in France, mileage might vary in the US 🙂
There were a few interesting models (any of the mothels with more than 100hp, which would be the 1.6gt and the 1.9 and 1.9 16v – that one with 160hp but with a quite harsh suspension), the diesels were not bad, the 4×4 was interesting.
But this 1.4 is really, really not the one to get. Also not to forget – we’re talking a hyper, hyper assisted (like on all Citroens) braking system, with the typical Citroen braking pedal feel (it doesn’t have much movement, if any, it’s like a pressure-sensitive haptic thing before haptics were invented), 165×14 tires, and no ABS in everything but the very last production years. Emergency braking with Citroens was an art.
And all in all, a CX version 2 or an XM would be a much more interesting choice (at least they had the legendary Citroen comfort).
One good thing on that 1.4 though – while carburated and barely having any electronics at all, it does have some gizmo that cuts the engine when it overheats. I had to drive one for 1000+ miles throughout Europe exactly 30 years ago, and it was and adventure (like – repairing hoses with duct tape and fetching water for the radiator from streams adventure), and the first night it overheated maybe four times – each time a big orange light went on and the engine cut immediately. It didn’t get damaged.
A BX with electrical issues….. that’s worth a £100 at best 🙂
Mate bought my gramps BX when we stopped him driving for safety. Was ok for a few months, then the suspension and brakes failed at 70mph on the M40. He was dam lucky to glide it into the hard shoulder
When I was about seven years old, I remember being wowed by the ‘magic’ suspension. The way it gently brings itself up to ride-height when you start the engine is cool. As if the car is getting ready to be driven.
It is magic, till it dawns on you that on most but the first model DS’es a suspension going up when starting the car meant that it had sagged in the first place 🙂
On most later ones (BXes included) it was not supposed to go down, unless left parked and not running for a long time.
A car that sags within minutes of cutting the engine off was a nice thing to look at, but that left the passengers (or worse – the driver) unable to open the doors when parked by a curb – should the car drop down all the way, the doors went below the curb line and would be blocked by it.
So Citroen made it so the car would stay “up” for as long as possible once the engine was stopped. On a suspension it good condition, I believe that meant days or weeks.
> Launched in 1978 under the codename “XB”, the Citroën BX project
Such a stealthy code name, I wonder Bletchley Park could have cracked it.
Holy cow that Nash is ugly. It looks like a 1950’s JC Whitney catalog vomited all over the car!
But the hubcaps are Fucking Amazing!
There’s something wrong w/ you if you think that’s ugly
I like when this is kept under a dollar total.
From time to time, I’ll give myself challenges when I search, like “manual SUVs under $5k.” It’s fun.
Of course, every once in a while, you get reeeeeeally tempted….
I have asked my family to buy me the Citroën as a birthday present. As a young adult of the 80s it speaks to me and cries out drive me while blasting Plastic Bertrand.
I’m always psyched when the new Marketplace Madness drops, but I gotta say, personally I find a list of sketchy weirdos like this a lot more interesting than some old classic in perfect condition for $50,000. Great stuff!
Now that is one hell of an amazing lineup. I am extremely impressed.
Love the wheels on that Ramcharger.
Yeah, that’s the first thing I noticed, and my favorite detail of this edition of MMM.
That DAF is just charming as all get-out. I’d happily give that one a good home.
I’ll warn you that in my experience it’s hard to stop at just one.
1990 Dodge Ramcharger – $8,000
“It’s $8,000 from the seller in Oswego, Kansas with 213,000 miles.”
This here is the real headline.
________________________
Launched in 1978 under the codename “XB”
*proceeds to name it Citroën BX*
Oh, those sneaky French! You fooled me!
Well, with the badge upside down, maybe this one is a nëortic XB…
I always look forward to Friday and the opening of the Mercedes Marketplace!
Off topic, I think this may have been covered in the past on some other website that I have forgotten about, but the ‘business coupe’ is an interesting piece of automotive history, especially how it played into early to mid 20th century American economic development and mobility. It would make a great deep dive topic.
Just sayin’
You are right it was a great story when they did it awhile back and at the previous location.
That BX has been for sale for a while. They’re neat cars, but I think the low spec on this one makes it harder to sell. I recall this one came from somewhere like Bulgaria?
That price is truly insane. I’ve owned a couple (a 1.9 diesel and another 1.8 turbo-diesel) that I inherited from my dad. About 2 decades ago before they all turned to rust or got junked in Europe, you could find nice, low miles examples for about $500. A BX GTI (rare model) would cost about $1500-2000
There’s no universe where a BX is worth $6,900 today. Or ever. Except maybe a rallye model.
There are enough American Citroen fans who like the BX that if they could buy a BX GTI for $2000 they would be vacuumed up in like a week. (I sure would.) There are a fair number of cars that in Europe are just dirt-cheap old cars that no one cares about that have enough of an enthusiast following in the US that they would sell for a lot more here. It’s nonetheless the case that for many of these cars, the cost of shipping one to the US pushes it over its expected US-market value.
Exactly. Price is always related to rarity. Rarity is often a relative quality.
Came here to say this… I came across this a year+ ago on Hemmings. Until recently it was north of 9000. Crud! At under 7k, I can think of fewer reasons not to buy this. I don’t know exactly why, but I’ve loved the BX since I first saw one.