Welcome to Craigslist Crapshoot, our weekly search for the most bizarre, awesome, and/or terrible vehicles that the online classifieds has to offer.
Scammers are always trying to separate you from your money, and one of their primary trolling grounds is Craigslist. Last week we went trolling for the trolls and came up with some good fodder for fun. We’ll see the pie in the sky in just a sec, but first we have to discuss this week’s special edition quest.
If you think the concept of the fancy pickup truck is a modern conceit then look up the 1955 – 1958 Chevrolet Cameo, which offered car-like features and style in what was otherwise a work truck. Special editions of pickups, whether fancy or functional (evidence the Ford Ranger Sasquatch) have ever since been de rigueur, and that’s what we want this week: the most special special edition pickups we can find.
As always, we want your finds to go down in infamy and not in the site’s spam filter. Since we’ve changed commenting systems, you may need to update your commenter account. Make sure you have a Disqus account – they’re free and easy to get – and then comment away.
Got that? Good, now let’s see some scams!
A few years back my father in law sought to replace his older Jag XJ-S with its more modern analog, an XK8. He was still looking at the used market, and as such he came across what’s one of the most common scams phony-baloney sellers pull. That was the offer of a temptingly priced XK8 that was said to be in Denver, and demanding a quick sale because the owner was being deployed to the Middle East and didn’t have anywhere to store the car. Boo hoo, right?
My Father in Law offered to fly to Denver to view the car, and if all was as promised in the ad, he’d buy it and drive it back to LA. Ah, but that didn’t work for the seller. Instead, he wanted to have the car shipped to LA for viewing, and all my wife’s dad had to do was put the asking price in an escrow account for the seller’s security. When I got involved I showed my father in law that the pictures in the ad were from another ad, and that the escrow business the seller was proposing was shadier than a prison tat.
If you’re not careful, you can get scammed and sometimes we let our excitement overcome our better judgement. In the end, my Father in Law bought a car in California from a seller that was happy to meet and display the car as needed. Hopefully people looking for cars like the Dodge Dakota found by ptschett will be so lucky. Similarly, those looking for an Escalade like the one offered by Alff (already flagged for removal) will have better opportunities elsewhere. Harry Callahan gave us a sketchy “theft recovery” BMW 335i with a salvage title, and mrh1965 offered up a Ferrari 458 that if its ad is to be believed could be driven off for only $99 down. Yeah, okay.
Instead of picking out one scam over the others, I’d like to take the opportunity to anoint you all winners this week, and I am confident that none of us will be taken in by such crooks as you are all expert detectives in spotting the scams. Now, let’s go get us some specials.
Craigslist Crapshoot
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44 responses to “Craigslist Crapshoot”
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How about a 1994 F-150 SVT Lightning, with 213,000 miles? Mostly stock except for a CAI, and a set of headers. It looks nice, but I think the seller’s a little optimistic, at $8,500:
https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/6003387367.html
https://images.craigslist.org/00F0F_kd2drDiTMjk_1200x900.jpg-
Let’s try an uploaded picture:
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2a721417d8f6524896d7bfe0598274aa10a204947a3f5ee95cc4fd14b95aa310.jpg -
That interior is nice.
The Lightnings I’ve seen have ratty interiors or they are $15k trucks.
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2003 F150 Boss 5.4. Even though it’s hideous, it appears there were less than 500 made, and a factory built, supercharged, limited edition vehicle has got to be worth something. The owner thinks that something is $15.7k. I don’t know if that’s a fair number or not.
https://images.craigslist.org/00W0W_kiLhqlMZuBI_600x450.jpg
https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/cto/6021332098.html-
The Lightning would be better, since they used a beefed-up version of the E4OD transmission used in the Super Duty.
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Not sure why my pictures aren’t showing up anymore. 🙁
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In my recent experience, if Disqus doesn’t process the image immediately (which is to say while the comment is still being written), then there’s an excellent chance that either the image won’t show up for several minutes/hours/days or it won’t show up at all. On rare occasions this can be fixed by editing the comment but usually not.
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I’ve found the best fix for this is to save the image to your computer, then upload it with the “Upload Images” icon that shows up in the lower left corner of the dialogue box.
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Also the link needs to end in .jpg That seems to work most, but not all of the time.
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I sincerely hope this “1908 Ford” pickup is a one-of-one edition:
https://images.craigslist.org/00505_2TWbb6sP3nm_600x450.jpg
https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/6024948332.html-
Late ’70s – early ’80s Suzuki wheels.
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As the ad says, it was “built right.”
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I think they meant: “It was built, right?” Punctuation makes all the difference.
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I’d be impressed if there was a single component that dated from 1908. Perhaps it is a typo and should be 1980?
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I fear the error in this case is not typographical.
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I dislike everything NASCAR and even I kinda want this truck.
1998 FORD F150 F 150 NASCAR EDITION , 1 OF 3000 MADE / WE FINANCE!!! – $5495 (Gainesville)
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/236b8e0510908f7154e2c50d0d61bf8b84f3d389e54a3d12999550e19cc63bca.jpg-
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/481602b427ba3b704778d36c214b074c9001c7ab77ee2ce1db5d986e9468f4d7.jpg
Needs raised/outlined letter tires. Looks wrong on black walls. When I was a kid there was one running around near me. I remember seeing parked at the grocery store in the back of the parking lot. -
A surprisingly honest Craigslist ad: they admit that’s it’s basically a tape stripe package and has a stock F-150 engine.
Most Craigslist sellers would have put in some wording about the “high performance” engine without admitting every other F-150 has the same “high performance”.
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One of 3356, it wasn’t supposed to be a special edition, but it sold so poorly that it wound up being one-year-only.
The 2002 Lincoln Blackwood
https://images.craigslist.org/00V0V_cTobhnSEKxn_1200x900.jpg
https://ksu.craigslist.org/cto/6006036512.html-
There was a Blackwood that was being regularly street parked in Grandview for a while, a year or two ago.
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The number I’d always heard was 4,872, but a couple of sources, like Wikipedia say 3,356. A guy here at work has one.
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I was hoping to find a Midnight Express, but a Li’l Red will have to suffice.
https://images.craigslist.org/01111_ckipSEiDcjK_600x450.jpg
https://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/6003044287.html-
Didn’t find any hits on those here in the DFW area. A few years ago, I was seeing a cherry one nearly every day, on the way to work.
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Someone brought one a Red Wagon to Gateway Classics for their Cars and Coffee last month. Hadn’t see one is ages.
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Here’s a modified first-year Chevrolet 454 SS for $12,000 CAD (~$8,900 USD).
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDUwWDgwMA==/z/T1YAAOSwXYtYvsST/$_27.JPG
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/guelph/1990-454ss/1244717470?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true -
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1987 Ranger Bigfoot Cruiser. Missing parts. Complete Bigfoot second pic for reference.
Still hasn’t sold since the last time I used it…
http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/ford/171237-1987-ford-ranger-bigfoot-cruiser-edition.html
http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/uploads/photoalbum/1987-ford-ranger-bigfoot-cruiser-edition-1.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d4/ad/be/d4adbea2ec41516dc8c909953c5e600a.jpg-
This ’76 Courier Sasquatch that I’ve mentioned before is still available as well, although fittingly for a cryptid, it’s without any convincing photo evidence that I can present via Disqus:
https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/6029596140.html-
I assume this is what Mr. Emslie was thinking of when he referred to a Ford Ranger Sasquatch.
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I think he conflated the Ranger Bigfoot with the Courier Sasquatch. Happens all the time.
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SO cool. Why hasn’t this sold?
Think of the fun you’d have coming up with period Sasquatch graphics and stripes.
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Strangely small Bigfoot signage…
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This ’94 Centurion is kinda special. This one is 4×4 flavored and well seasoned at $2600.
https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/6032704149.html
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/b3ea45f3ce203dc55cfc2485b8a9016a215f905ca82ed7fcc92c31cd53af12c1.jpg-
If you pick a Centurion, go for an extraordinary one,
https://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/6026441634.html
https://images.craigslist.org/00I0I_dxV4GMI5HJC_600x450.jpg-
That’s truly epic. Looks like the best tow rig for most race teams that need to haul in luxury …
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Or horse people. Dreamer did a similar type of conversion for Dodge, and one of the options was a pair of water tanks that ran along the bedsides. You can lead a horse to water, but maybe only if you bring it.
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Won’t get much more special edition than a 430kW LSA powered HSV Maloo GTS… AUD$83k. Only 250 built.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/bd6926d6376d203cfe1b2d66defd644320cdbd4c760025bf7e64f65d0533f451.jpg -
GMC Gentleman Jim https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/6021392464.html
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It still has its floor mats!
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Not every day you see a Syclone come up on the list that is Craig’s.
https://fargo.craigslist.org/cto/5992692577.html
https://images.craigslist.org/00303_1Or1OlTwaKh_600x450.jpg -
When you want a Viper but have a boat. It’s a six speed as well!
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/8f617469d44451ea402a7f91268e0beb81039a18125d00077f047512df487eae.jpg
https://annarbor.craigslist.org/ctd/6012446948.html -
For when you want to feel the wind in your hair.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d00a11b8d5907bbdf050267a83f0584b900ab3edaa169dee8eddf84c12474e19.jpg
https://annarbor.craigslist.org/ctd/6012446948.html -
An ’86 Ford F-350 DRW crew cab updated to look like a ’96, outfitted in early ’90’s style to split the difference.
https://stcloud.craigslist.org/cto/5988626892.html
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/2b05e9e551d427363b9440e031235b1cc71094c0b04b6121a49883088ee7e9a1.jpg
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