By Mike Musto

RideLust.com

Over the last few years values in the collector car market have gone up and down more times then Oprah’s scale. Cars that were once in the six-figures are now in the five-figures with more market flux to come. Buyers who are new to the market can easily become confused and it is very easy to get taken advantage of by sellers who are less than honest.

I get e-mails constantly inquiring as to what cars to pick up as future collectibles. I also get asked my opinion on what the best bang for the buck is amongst these automobiles. After doing a bit of research, I’ve put together a list of automobiles that I would classify as having “future collect-ability”. These are cars that can be purchased right now and are priced between: $8,000 – $20,000.

1. 1983-1984: VW Rabbit GTI
90 hp / 106 ft-lbs tq. 1.8-liter 4 cylinder, Top Speed: 114 mph

What you are looking at here is the first real hot hatch to be brought into the United States. Even though it only had 90 hp, the high-revving GTI was a total blast to drive. It was quick, handled great and looked the business with its signature grill and wheels. Good examples can be had for between: $8,000 – $10,000.

See the rest of the rides on my list at Ridelust.com

By Rich Truesdell

Automotive Traveler

Vacationers wanting to get away and business people traveling to their next meeting over the next several weeks shouldn’t get too upset if they have to drive off the rental lot with a less than desirable make and model. At least they’ll have a car, and it probably won’t be a Toyota.

Last week the four largest rental operators in North America all announced that they would stop renting Toyota vehicles that could be affected by sticky accelerator pedals. So what percentage of the vehicles at the nation’s major rental companies are Toyota cars and trucks? And how will the nation’s travelers feel in the long run about picking up the keys to a Toyota at the rental counter? Read more at Automotive Traveler

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

Photo of the Day is giving me the opportunity to use some photos from my stash that weren’t quite right for the caption contest.

If you have a photo you want me to post, PM me or shoot me an e-mail!

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

Added to the floor mat recall list… Get your cars to your dealers, CarDomainers. Note that the Vibe is on the list because it’s the platform and assembly line twin of the Matrix.

2008-2010 Highlander
2009-2010 Corolla
2009-2010 Venza
2009-2010 Matrix
2009-2010 Pontiac Vibe

If you’re not on the list, check this great shot of Kupecky’s 2010 Vibe!

By Katherine Helmetag

Atomicalex

I never expected it to get this bad, but Toyota has issued a stop sales memo and will be stopping production of its seven largest sellers due to the accelerator pedal problem. This unintended acceleration problem does actually appear to be due to a problem in the electronic throttle control loop, instead of the floor mat positioning as reported earlier. If you drive one of the affected vehicles, please make sure you know where neutral is and how to shift into it. The safest thing to do if your car experiences an unintended acceleration event is to put the gear selector into neutral, brake or coast to a controlled stop in a safe location, and turn the car off. Keep your local dealer’s number in a handy place in the car, and call them to advise them of the problem. Official press release after the jump.

Continue reading "Toyota to Suspend Sales, Stop Production" »

By Speedhunters

Car Culture At Large

Natural progression or a fluke? You can’t open a ‘pic of the day thread’ on a random forum without getting confronted with cars that have a killer stance. Normally you would see cars like a Impreza or Evo and of course the S-chassis cars. But we can’t forget the little guys, like this Toyota Yaris or Vitz as it is known in other countries.

This particular car has its roots in Indonesia and is rolling round town on a set of 20″ Weds Kranze Bazreia wheels. There isn’t a lot of info about the car itself but I did spot a few items that aren’t standard. Continue reading at Speedhunters

By Jeroen Willemsen

By Ben Schaffer

The Real JDM

Check out this super old school 60 series Toyota Crown with a swapped 1JZGTE VVTI engine from a JZX100 Mark II. Modern twin turbo incline 6 power in an old school cruiser like this must make for a fun combination! This car was sold recently in Japan for a little under $40,000 and was produced by C&Y Sports of Japan.

Continue reading "Old School JDM Weekend Treat" »

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

We definitely had some strong opinions in this week’s eBay Motors Showdown, but the Bronco started strong and finished strong, winning by more than a 2-to-1 margin. Stay tuned for another match-up next week!

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I don’t always agree with Peter De Lorenzo but this week I’d say he’s spot on. I especially agree with  his take on Honda. Check it out–Three Troubled Brands: Shocks Linger in the Aftermath of the Detroit Auto Show.

By Rob Einaudi

Editor-in-Chief

I’ve been wanting to put an early Bronco up against an old Land Cruiser in an eBay Motors Showdown for a while now, but was having trouble finding auctions that were priced close enough–Land Cruisers just seem to command more money at the end of the day. Well, I think I finally found a decent match. This 1972 Ford Bronco has been nicely redone and this 1973 Toyota Land Cruiser appears to be in very good original condition. So, which would you choose?