21k: Desperante: 1998 Panoz Esperante Race Car

The Panoz Esperante was the Corvette competitor that Ford never built. The American-made two-seat sports car uses a Mustang drivetrain, firewall, Cobra independent rear suspension, brakes, and gauges with a European-grade luxury interior. That interior is gone, as is the excellent Mustang drivetrain. The former is replaced by a fire supression system and twin Recaros. The latter, by a supercharged LS-series V8. Consider it Daniel Craig's take on James Bond: an Ivy League graduate who's just looking for a good, old-fashioned bar brawl. Find this 1998 Panoz Esperante racer for sale in Jefferson, GA for $21,000 via craigslist.

Thursday Twister: Manual Only

Welcome back to another edition of DT's weekly quiz show, the Thursday Twister where we ask the questions that Katie Couric can't because she is choking on a peanut m&m.  This week's twister subject is to find the rarest of rare -- the crown prince of unicorns-- the cars built after 1990 that were only available with a manual transmission from the factory.

10k: Adult Instead of A Dolt: 2007 Mazdaspeed6 Turbo

From the letters to the editor dept:  "Hi DT, I need a 4-door family car that goes fast, but I don't want to be tarred with the flatbrimmer brush by buying an Evo/STi -- halp, what do I do?  -Sleepless in Scranton.  DT: Sleepless, the first thing you need to do is move out of Scranton, that should help your sleep disfunction immensely, second the answer is easy...get yourself an Audi S4...this  2007 Mazda Mazdaspeed6 (I never know it if should be called a Mazda Speed6, or Mazdaspeed6 or Mazda MazdaSpeed 6 or...??) offered for $10,888 in Monrovia, CA via craigslist.

5k: Brown on Brown: 1979 Plymouth Volaré Duster

This next feature isn't going to be big if you (a) can't remember the '70s, (b) didn't like the '70s, (c) don't enjoy driving slow/horrible cars, or (d) actually owned one of these cars in the '70s.   Not only did the Dodge Aspen/ Plymouth Volaré win the 1976  Motor Trend "Car of the Year" prize, but it was so totally plagued by quality defects (and recalls) that it almost caused Chrysler to go bankrupt. Find this 1979 Plymouth Volaré Duster offered for $3,900 in San Dimas, CA via craigslist.

Seller Likes Fords: '87 Merkur XR4Ti, '88 Thunderbird TC, 90 Taurus SHO

By and large, people tend to be creatures of habit, specifically when it comes to stocking their garage with vehicles from a particular manufacturer.  Sometimes when the habit gets out of hand, the seller needs to thin the herd, and today's seller is offering a trio of late '80s Fords for a decent price.  Find them here: a 1987 Merkur XR4Ti for $6,900 CAD ($5,731 USD), a  1988 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe for $7,200 CAD ($5,981), and 1990 Ford Taurus SHO for $7,000 CAD ($5,814 USD) all located in St John's Newfoundland, Canada via Kijiji.ca. Tips from Grumbling by Lotus.

Mid Week Match-Up: Best Turbocharged Car

It's Wednesday, so that means it's time for another edition of Daily Turismo's better than playing naked twister with a randy octopus game also known as Mid Week Match-Up! Today's search is for the best turbocharged car for $5k-$10k.  Go forth and search!!

10k: Raw Class: Morgan 3-Wheeler replica

For awhile, it seemed that Morgan's position on the modernity spectrum could only go one way: the wrong way. Then they unveiled the brazenly steampunk 3-Wheeler. Lauded for its stalwart mechanical charm, it unfortunately cost about as much as a Caterham with options. But at 1/4 of the price, this well-built replica is ready for a new dapper gent stuck on a forgotten vehicular formula. And it's here to replace your penny-farthing for your weekly haberdashery visit. Find this Morgan 3-Wheeler replica for sale in Newbury Park, CA for $10,000 via craigslist. Tip from Sean S.

10k: Turbo Chicken: 1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am

 The Pontiac Trans Am with the 301 PonchoTurbo V8 under the hood has the remarkable distinction of being the last vehicle sold with Pontiac's V8 that was born in 1955.  The Poncho V8 alone makes this next vehicle worthy of feature, but the incredible thunderchicken on the hood seals the deal -- it's like somebody offering you a cup cake and you discover it's filled with bacon flavored custard.  Mmmm, mmmm.  Find this 1981 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am Turbo offered for $13,900 near Reno, NV via craigslist.  Tip from Andrew M.

10k: LT1 6-Speed Swap: 1983 Volvo 760 Sleeper

The Volvo 700 series was an executive class sedan/wagon built as a replacement for the aging 200 series, but it was actually outlasted by its younger brother.  The 700 was eventually morphed into the 900 series which was the end of the line for Volvo's rear-drive family cars. What this means today is the 760/740 is a great candidate for all kinds of V8 swaps and today's blue sedan is no exception.  Find this 1983 Volvo 760 with V8 Swap here on eBay offered for $8,900 buy-it-now or make-offer located in Cary, NC with 6 days to go.

1k: Seller Submission: 1981 Volvo 264 GLE Sedan

The Volvo 200 series was range of large sized boxy automobiles that established Volvo's (now defunct) reputation as a pioneer in passenger safety.  Large crumple zones fore/aft, 3-point belts, and 4-wheel disc brakes were standard safety features on Volvo's family sedan when new.  Today, a used Volvo makes sense as an inexpensive daily driver, and prices are cheap enough that you may as well get a good one.  Find this 1981 Volvo 264 GLE Sedan here on eBay currently bidding for $1,025 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go, located in Lebanon, OH.  Seller Submission from Walter.

10k: Stock, Original Owner: 1995 Acura Integra GS-R

The 3rd generation Acura Integra is so fully integrated into the sport compact scene that it almost seems strange to see one that is factory stock and not covered with illest stickers. The ride height seems comically high and the wheels look tiny...but...if you are going to experience VTEC-yo in an Integra, this is the best way to do it.  Find this 1995 Acura Integra GS-R offered for $8,600 in SF Valley Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

5k: Ain't No Wild Starion: 1988 Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R

 If you wandered into a Mitsubishi Motors dealer in 1982, you could find the Tredia (meh, unless it came with the digital dash, then at least you had something cool to look at while everybody else passes you), the Cordia (a 2+2 predecessor to the Eclipse and they are as rare as hen's teeth these days), and the Starion (a front engine rear drive 2+2 pony car).  Many years later the first two have faded into the scrap yards in your memory, but the Starion, with its turbocharged engine, rear drive setup and flash looks, persists.  Why?  Find this 1988 Mitsubishi Starion ESI-R offered for $6,750 in Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

5k: Jennered: 1987 Shebly CSX

The Shelby CSX was a Carroll Shelby hot rodded version of the Dodge Shadow that added a high power engine, stiffer springs/shocks, Shelby specific interior, and Shelby fiberglass composite wheels to what was otherwise an abysmal front driver economy car.  The CSX was meant to be a fun car for a twisty road or a track day, so this one, like all CSXs, was only available with a 5-speed manual gearbox.  However, this next CSX has pulled a bit of a Bruce Jenner.  Its had its transmission swapped into a stickless version and now its setup for the 1/4 mile sprint.  Find this 1987 Shebly CSX here on eBay currently bidding for $3,550 reserve-not-met with 1 day to go and buy-it-now of $5,999 located in Tomball, TX.

What Am I? Sardines

Welcome to another edition of DT's cure for the Monday morning blues -- What Am I? We find a random picture of a car and you get to guess what it is. Last week's GM LS2 in a Saab 9-7X was quickly solved by Scott Mackintosh, so back to oddly cropped pictures of almost unidentifiable cars we go.

10k: Montel Carlmino: 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Custom

The 6th generation Chevrolet Monte Carlo was indeed an odd duck.  It may have had NASCAR inspired looks but no one was going racing with an underaspirated V6 mated to the front wheels via a 4-speed slushbox.  Of course, there were special editions, the Intimidator, Tony Stewart, Dale Jr, and Pace Car editions -- although all should have been badged as pacemaker editions because only those going blind/deaf would ever consider purchasing such a thing.  Regardless, the boys at GM never created an El Camino edition, so it's been left to the guys with hacksaws and blow torches.  Find this 2004 Chevrolet Monte Carlo Custom El Camino here on eBay currently bidding for $13,200 with 2 days to go, located in Prescott, AZ. Tip from K2.

15k: Nicest One Around: 1997 BMW M3 E36

 I've often said that BMW's E36 generation M3 offers about the best bang for your buck in a performance sedan, and I'm going to say it again because I enjoy repetition as much as a woodpecker enjoys pecking wood.  It is also important to say this because someday the E36 M3 could go the way of the E30 M3 and soon offer one of the worst bang for your bucks.  If you are going to invest in an E36 M3, get the best one you can find...like this one with less than 50k miles on the clock.  Find this 1997 BMW M3 E36 here on eBay currently bidding for $15,900 reserve-not-met with less than one day to go.

5k: E28 M30B34 Swap: 1974 BMW Bavaria 3.0

The Bavaria was the name for the bigger engine version of what BMW internally called the New Six (E3 sedan, E9 coupe) for the US market.  It was eventually replaced by the E23 7-series, but for a few years (from 1968-1977) it offered a large executive sedan setup with a focus on fun for the driver.  Find this 1974 BMW Bavaria 3.0 with E28 M30B34 Swap offered for $7,950 located in Atlanta, GA via craigslist.  Tip from FuelTruck.