Help Me Find My Next Cheap Project Car

CTzens, I come to you today with hat in-hand, burdened by a wallet filled with funny green pieces of paper bearing the photos of former U.S. presidents. Most feature a chap named Franklin.

Last week, I traded my 1987 Mercury Sable SHO estate for a bunch of these bits of paper. You know the car—it’s the one I both loved because it was a cool sleeper, and hated because it was a cool sleeper. Still confused? Yeah, so am I. Of all the cars in my colourful car-ownership portfolio, it was truly one-of-a-kind. But, having owned far too many Ford Taurus SHOs to count over the years, it was time to move on.

I’m very happy to say the Sable SHO wagon is now enjoying a life in California. The new owner was bonkers to get it, so I filled up the back of the old estate with all the spare parts I had, drove six hours to Denver, Colorado, and met him at the airport. He promptly pulled out a wad of cash, jumped into the driver’s seat, and road-tripped it 1300 miles back home through the Rocky Mountains. I was sad to see it go, and admittedly a bit jealous of his epic trip through Colorado, Utah and Nevada. A tear might have been shed.

That is, until I started thinking about all the cool cheap rides waiting for me back in my western South Dakota home. There was a big problem though—once I got back and started calling on these rides, they’d all already found new owners. Bummer.

That’s where I need your help. I am ready to begin a new cheap car challenge, and since I absolutely love dispensing car advice and spending other peoples’ money, I’m thinking many of you love it as well. So here’s the deal:

I’ve got $5000 to spend on a new cheap car challenge. Keep in mind, that’s $5000 for the entire challenge, including maintenance. That means the cheaper the car, the more room there is in the budget for repairs (a necessity at this price point for sure) and more importantly, for mods (another necessity) because a cheap car challenge is nothing without some tweaks.

What am I looking for? Well, the book is open. I dig the oddball stuff, and it doesn’t even have to be performance oriented. I’ve been looking at rear-wheel drive drop tops—Mustangs and the like. But I live in rural USA, literally where they filmed Dances With Wolves, so out here pickup trucks rule the market. And hey, I’m not opposed to a truck if it has some fun factor. If I can’t go fast I might as well go anywhere, and there are some epic off-road adventures to be had in this part of the world. All things being equal though, I’d rather spend my time thrashing South Dakota’s scenic on-road byways. Yes, I once tossed a massive Ford F-250 diesel through Spearfish Canyon, but a proper V8 muscle car would be so much better.

Okay CTzens - can you help me find my next cheap car challenge? I’m in Rapid City, South Dakota and I’m willing to do a day trip for the right adventure. Post up your cheap car finds and help me find something to enjoy this epic countryside. It’ll be a hell of a ride.