Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of Ben's Boss A4

If you act now, you can purchase the 2001 Audi A4 Avant in the picture above. If you want the whole car, as is, it will cost you $2,500. If -- for reasons we can't fathom -- you want the car without the front bumper, it will cost you $2,350. If you want that same car, but don't want the wheels, well, that paperweight will cost you $2,000. Strike all three important components and the aftermarket stereo, and this fine piece of German engineering is yours for the bargain basement price of $1,300.

The caption in the photo above is due to the fact that its owner, Ben, believes the car is "boss" and intimidates other basic transportation, like a Ford F-350. But don't make a play for it until you've seen the rear. Specifically, the plank of old growth timber that's posing as a bumper. According to that bumper, Ben's treasure is in heaven. Yours, according to Ben, is in Cincinnati. If you put $5 bucks in the tank, he'll let you test drive it, and if you swing by you can shake his hand. Now that's boss. Thanks for the tip, Carlos!


[Source: craigslist]

Those clever Hawkeyes don't need Xibit to pimp a ride, so here to represent Iowa pimps we have this 1988 Camaro IROC-Z, apparently inspired by a Sprite commercial. The great thing about any pimped piece of auto is that it sells itself -- all you need to do is see the car on the street and you know, as Paul Harvey said, the rest of the story. The "fresh 305, fresh tranny w/shift kit," TV, subs, lambo doors, is par for the track course. What really interests us about this car is the price: $9,900 or "comparable trade." We're fine with the cash -- what we really want to see is what kind of car qualifies as "comparable trade"? Thanks for the tip, Aaron!

[Source: craigslist]

Click to view more of the 1965 Lancia Flavia Zagato

Zagato's designs aren't for everyone. Just as well, because they're not available to everyone, usually costing a fair penny and produced in very limited numbers. This example, however, takes the love-it-or-hate-it approach to new (or rather, old) extremes. Lancia created just 626 examples of this Zagato-designed coupe between 1963 and 1967, of which only a few reportedly remain in good condition today. (It's not quite as rare as the Lancia Zagato we brought you a couple of weeks ago, but still a genuine collector's item.) This one was made in 1965, and after failing to sell on eBay, it has now been posted on the Seattle Craigslist, for sale in Ventura, California.

The aluminum bodywork may not be the prettiest at the ball, particularly with the stock steel wheels, but you're not likely to pull up next to another one at an intersection. Back in its day, it actually sold for double the price of a Jaguar XKE, and the seller claims it's worth twice the asking price. If you've got thirty grand and quirky taste, check it the photos in the gallery below and details on the eBay auction page.

[Source: Craigslist via CarScoop]

We always appreciate when folks can give it to us straight. Even if they've done something, um, regrettable, they can at least admit it, give us a no-bull explanation, and we can all get on with the show. Next up in the Please Relieve Me of My Mistake category is a gent in Seattle who got rid of his Ford Explorer for a Yamaha R6, only to realize that sportbikes weren't the must-have accessory he thought they were.

After buying it because it had shiny tires due to Armor All, laying it down in the parking lot at 5-mph, not having the desired effect on females, and putting just 3,000 miles on it, he has decided it's time for the R6 to go. It's possibly the only classified ad to include the word "douchecanoe", and the only R6 to allegedly come with side impact airbags, heated and cooled cupholders from a MINI Cooper, and a Wendy's Baconator coupon. Follow the link for your chance to purchase a piece of shattered dreams. The laughs you'll have while reading come free of charge.

[Source: craigslist]

It used to be that kids did the darndest things. Lately, a lot of kids seem to be more into wacked-out-WTF things, like a 17-year-old Manhattan high-schooler in Long Island, NY who was the ringleader in a scam created to rob folks looking to buy a Porsche.

The scam was quite simple and took advantage of folks looking for the too-good-to-be-true. The ringleader would post an ad on craigslist for a used Porsche -- in one case for a 2002 Porsche Turbo for $50,000 OBO, in another case it was for a 2005 Carrera GT that the "owner" had simply "gotten too old for." The siren-goes-off part of the ads was when the owner requested that potential buyers bring $22,000 for the down payment on the car.

Turns out that folks did show up with cash in their pockets. Upon arrival, they were set upon by six male teens who tried to rob them of whatever they had. The most the teen crooks were able to get at one time was $4,000 from one couple. On another occasion, two gentlemen apparently did show up with $22,000, but only lost $50 before they were able to get away. The perps have all been caught, but next time you see an ad for a car that seems like a steal, ask a lot of questions and leave the $22,000 at home. Thanks for the tip, Kenny!

[Source: Gothamist]

A guy in Washington had a 1996 Volvo 850R he wanted to sell on Craigslist. To make sure that he got noticed, he invoked the aid of Benjamin Franklin, a video game, a large Montana ranch and the Blue Angels -- just for starters -- to do it.

Anyone who's sold a high-mileage car that's been taken well care of and will run until the Apocalypse should appreciate the ad. You'll also appreciate his efforts to keep people from calling and saying, "Hmm. The miles seem high." Not only does he mention the fact that it has 218,000 miles nine times in the ad, but just to make sure, he writes, "If you don't know that Volvos go to like half a million miles without maintenance than your personal savior must be modern medicine and your ignorance would have been the death of you in the middle ages. DO not call if this is you."

But the car is still so fast it will "smoke the doors off of e30 m3's in econ mode." On top of all that, it's a bit of a chick magnet. This isn't cited as the reason for sale, but the seller got "sick and tired of getting hit on by milfs in their sexual prime because they think I'm some suave interwebs mogul as I am rearranging my golf clubs to fit more groceries in the massive trunk." Click the link to get the rest of the story on the Volvo born from space shuttles. Really.

Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[Source: Culture Garage]

A Ferrari on Craigslist? Yeah, right. Is it one of those nasty little Fiero-based abominations? No, it looks like an honest-to-badass Enzo. Wow. Of course, it's in LA! Would you expect this ugliest of Ferraris to show up on the Minneapolis Craigslist? Take your $1.9 million bucks and head over to Ferrari of Beverly Hills, because this car's got to go according to the seller. It's not often you see a Prancing Horse being disposed of the same way you'd unload a '72 Maverick. Do bear in mind that a Ferrari is the gift that keeps on giving – to the dealership service department, from your wallet. The entry price might be reasonable enough (note the joke), but the maintenance costs are horrendous.

Thanks for the tip, Paul!

[Source: Craigslist]

You can always find a little bit of everything on Craiglist. It's like the cool, hip, grassroots version of eBay. Jobs, cars, bands seeking musicians, that 1980s-style furniture that hasn't come back into vogue (yet) -- it's all there. Even a McLaren F1 GTR.

The car, which was a BMW factory-sponsored Motorsport race car driven by Nelson Piquet and placed 11th at LeMans, has been converted into street-legal spec for your driving pleasure. The 1996 racer is a mid-engine V12, and while we're not sure what the exact specs of this particular custom-built F1 are, its history would imply that it's hella-fast.

Thanks to Steve for the tip.