Tri-Magnum Trike, Volvo 1800ES Shooting Brake, Buick Super Estate Wagon: Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness

Welcome back to Mercedes’ Marketplace Madness! As you know, I love picking up dirt-cheap cars and motorcycles and then telling you lovely readers about the dumb things that I do with them. Since I’m shopping all of the time, I always have an evolving list of vehicles for sale. Here’s what I’m obsessed with lately.

I missed a week thanks to the Chicago Auto Show, but now I’m back on track. This week, I’ve decided to look for some vehicles that I perhaps normally wouldn’t. There’s a Hummer in here somewhere.

Here’s what I’m looking at this week!

1967 Chevrolet C10 – $18,000

The first generation of General Motors’ C/K line of trucks launched in 1960, replacing the Task Force series trucks. In Chevrolet’s naming scheme, “C” denotes rear-wheel-drive while “K” means four-wheel-drive. Second-generation trucks were launched in 1967 and Chevrolet says that “Action Line” trucks added comfort and convenience features to make the C/K line to better fit the types of customers that were buying them. The body was given a new design, too. Chevrolet mentions some fun facts from when this line was introduced, like the fact that a gallon of gas was $0.33 ($3.18 today) or that a whole house was $24,600 ($237,252 today).

This lovely C10 is described as being in dependable driver condition and it was given an amateur restoration in the 1990s. New parts include a thermostat, starter, spin-on oil filter adapter, belts, and hoses. Power comes from a 327 cubic inch V8. From the factory, this engine made 177 net HP and 283 lb-ft net torque. Shifting is done through a three on the tree. It’s $18,000 on Facebook Marketplace in Maple Park, Illinois with 90,000 miles.

1952 Kaiser Traveler – Make Offer

Late last month, our Jason wrote about the Frazer Vagabond/Kaiser Traveler, a car that turns into a truck. It’s a vehicle that I didn’t know about until that article, and amusingly, even the seller of this one says that people don’t know what it is. I highly recommend that you read that post, because it covers everything that you need to know about this car. Here’s a snippet from the article:

The Frazer Vagabond/Kaiser Traveler were built from 1949 to 1951 and were designed to be comfortable six-passenger sedans that could convert into what is essentially a pickup truck. And, unlike a lot of modern SUVs with hatches and folding seats, the Vagabond/Traveler wasn’t just playing around about this truck business, they meant it, with load space comparable to a pickup and access nearly as good. Plus a wood-slat-covered load bed!

The seller says that this 1952 Traveler is in good condition and it’s clean after a restoration from some point in its life. Power comes from a 226.2 cubic inch straight-six making 115 HP. This was about $2,088, or about $25,000 when new. Today? The seller in Minneapolis, Minnesota is looking for offers.

1973 Volvo 1800ES – $18,999

Here’s a car not just famous for its looks, but for its ability to go the distance. Irv Gordon famously drove a Volvo P1800 over 3.2 million miles. This is a variant on that car, but with shooting brake style. Volvo says this car was important to its history:

Planned in Sweden, designed in Italy, unveiled at the car show in Brussels, built in Britain and a huge success in the United States, the Volvo P1800 is Volvo’s most internationally renowned model.

In 2011, this remarkable people’s favorite turned 50. It was in 1961 the P1800 entered production and it reached showrooms after four years of careful planning and development; remained in production until 1973. From a sales perspective, the P1800 played a modest role for the company, but from an image viewpoint, it played a far bigger role than any previous Volvo model. Few, if any, subsequent models have matched it image-wise.

Volvo notes that this wasn’t its first time trying out the sports car concept. From 1955 to 1957, the automaker marketed the Volvo Sport, a plastic-bodied sports car. It was such a failure that just 67 units were sold. Volvo President Gunnar Engellau called it “Not a bad car, but a bad Volvo.” However, Volvo recognized that a sports car could help sales, and it enlisted consultant Helmer Petterson to help design the car.

The selling dealership for this one says that it has a lot of original parts, but the interior has been given a restoration. Power should be coming from a 2.0-liter four making 125 HP. It’s $18,999 by Unique Auto Ltd. in Escondido, California with 39,999 miles.

[Update: This car is a substitution of my original find. If you want to know the scary vehicle that was originally here, click this and read the Editor’s Note.]

[Editor’s Note: I used to have a 1968 P1800S and absolutely loved that car! Someone should buy this one if only to get rid of the ridiculous Continental-style spare tire setup it has.  And that hood ornament. – JT]

2009 Victory Vision – $5,979

Victory was a short-lived motorcycle manufacturer compared to the competition. Back in the 1990s, Polaris Industries–then best known for personal watercraft, snowmobiles, and ATVs–decided to see if the motorcycle market was worth entering into. The company got its start making snowmobiles and constantly expanded into new powersports. Having just launched its personal watercraft in 1992, the company started looking at where it wanted to go next. In 1993, Polaris conducted research and found that there was more space in the cruiser market.

Polaris felt that cruiser frames were a bit too soft and the bikes had brakes that weren’t that great. Victory Motorcycles was born in 1998 with the V92C, a 1507cc cruiser with a unique look. In 2000, Victory started looking into the luxury touring market. The Visteon Vision was displayed at Sturgis in 2001, getting production approval in 2004. The Victory Vision hit the market in 2008 with a wild look, adjustable rear suspension, and tons of storage. Victory boasts great handling and ample stopping power from three-piston calipers mashing down on 300mm floating rotors. And its 1731cc V-twin put down 92 HP with 109 lb-ft torque.

These cruisers are built for the long haul with features (depending on the year) like heated grips, heated seats, and a motorized windshield. Additional goodies include options like a GPS system, a CB radio, a satellite radio, an MP3 player, a helmet communication device, and more. If you get a later one, you’ll find cruise control, ABS, and linked brakes. I can’t speak of how these ride, but I’ve seen many with over 100,000 miles.

It’s unclear what features this 2009 Victory Vision has, but it appears to be in good shape with 28,005 miles for $5,979 on Facebook Marketplace in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

2006 Porsche Cayman S – $24,298

The Porsche Cayman S was launched in 2005 in the 2006 model year. Derived from the Boxster, over the years the vehicle has often been called a Boxster infused with 911 traits. In fact, there’s no shortage of articles comparing the Cayman to the 911, and both owners and reviewers alike love how the little sports car handles. Even back in 2006, MotorTrend proclaimed: “Behold the Porsche 911’s greatest threat: its own, brand-new brother.” The publication was so impressed with how the Cayman drove that it pushed back a little on Porsche’s notion that the Cayman wouldn’t steal a single 911 sale.

In the magazine’s testing, the vehicle had quick turn-in, seemed to pivot around the handbrake handle, and performed a slalom test at a similar speed to a Carrera GT. It seems, then, that a Cayman is a way to get much of the fun of a 911, but without the price of a 911.

This Cayman S sports a 3.4-liter flat-six making 295 HP and 250 lb-ft torque. That’s paired with a manual transmission. It’s $24,298 by Texas Cars Direct near Dallas, Texas with 110,000 miles.

2004 Maybach 57 – $64,900

There’s a phenomenon that I’m fascinated with, and it’s just how far a luxury car can depreciate from its original MSRP. My 2006 Volkswagen Touareg V10 TDI had a starting price of $67,750 and I picked it up in 2021 for just $5,500. That’s steep depreciation, but I found a car that lost at least $240,600 from when it was new. This is a Maybach 57, a car that originally stickered for $305,500, now for just $64,900.

That’s still a lot of dough, but you’re getting a lot of car, even today. Maybach traces its own history to 1900 when the technical director of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) Wilhelm Maybach developed the Daimler Motorized Carriage with his friend Gottlieb Daimler. The focus of this vehicle was more function rather than luxury. The marque continues his son, Karl Maybach, followed in his dad’s footsteps at DMG, starting as a trainee before becoming a founder of Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH (Aircraft Engine Building Company) in 1909 with his father. In 1919, he built his first car, the W1. Between 1921 and 1940, Maybach built opulent cars, catching the attention of the rich from stars to emperors. Maybach then produced engines for Nazi Germany in World War II, but didn’t return to building cars after.

Daimler picked up the Maybach name in 1960, using it for special edition cars. Maybach as a brand finally returned in 2002 with the 57 and 62, the numbers denoting vehicle length in decimeters. The Maybach 57 was the smaller one, measuring in at 18.7 feet long. Power comes from a Mercedes-Benz M285 5.5-liter twin-turbo V12 making 550 HP and 663 lb-ft torque. It rides on the Mercedes W140 platform and features more wood and cowhide than you can handle, plus a navigation system, adjustable suspension, two separate climate control systems (making for four-zone climate control), cooled seats, adaptive cruise control, rearview camera, 14-way power rear seats, soft close doors, power trunk, and more.

What I’m getting at here is that this old Maybach still has more features than many new cars. It can be yours from Ferrari Lake Forest in Lake Bluff, Illinois with 20,823 miles.

1996 Tri-Magnum – $6,999

Have you ever wanted a Morgan 3 Wheeler, but thought it should look like it came out of 2015’s Hill Valley from Back To The Future Part II? Well, a man named Robert Q. Riley has the ride for you, some assembly required. Riley designed products in the 1960s before opening his own firm in the 1970s. There, he started exploring what his site calls alternative vehicles.

Riley has drawn up a number of designs from a backpack helicopter to a recumbent bike and a 125 mpg hybrid car. There’s also a kit-built van that turns into a rolling tent, a kit-built hovercraft, and even a 1-person kit-built submarine. Riley’s site is now dead, but you can view it through the Wayback Machine for an adventure. The Tri-Magnum was available in kit form from the early 1980s and plans were technically still for sale before the site shuttered sometime in 2017. Here’s how Riley pitched the machine:

With 80 hp and a 1,200-pound curb weight, Tri-Magnum has a power-to-weight ratio of 15 pounds per horsepower, which equates to a 3,500-pound car with a 233-hp engine. Built on a Honda Gold Wing, a GL1800 for example, power-to-weight ratio comes in at about 10 or 11 pounds per horsepower – or roughly equivalent to a 3,500 pound car with 350 hp engine. And if that’s not enough, there are lots of add-ons that will increase power output, including turbochargers.

The original Tri-Magnum was built around a Kawasaki KZ900 motorcycle. However, the Honda Gold Wing, especially the model with the Tri-Magnum built by Dan Hoffineelectric reverse, is an even better choice. The Gold Wing’s 6-cylinder opposed engine as smooth as any automotive engine, it develops maximum torque at a comparatively low rpm (best for automotive application), and it’s more fuel-efficient that the original KZ900 engine. The chassis consists of a stripped motorcycle, minus the fork and front wheel, which is then attached to a VW Beetle front suspension assembly using a simple framework. The motorcycle drive train is used as is, including its lightweight and efficient 5-speed transmission.

He goes on to talk about how the cabin is made to look like a fighter jet, and the Tri-Magnum is designed to understeer in a turn.

This particular Tri-Magnum was built by an airplane mechanic in 1996. While they followed the build instructions, some liberties were taken. For example, the donor motorcycle was a 1978 Kawasaki KZ1000 police bike. That gives it a 998cc inline-four making 88 HP. It’s fed from four carbs and steered using components from a 1994 Volkswagen Beetle. The Tri-Magnum is $6,999 on Facebook Marketplace in Cutler Bay, Florida with 10,000 miles.

1949 Buick Super Estate Wagon – $59,900

The Buick Super was introduced in 1940. A full-size car, production lasted until 1958, with a lapse during WWII in 1943 through 1945. These cars featured art deco styling alongside other General Motors vehicles like the Series 70 Roadmaster, the Oldsmobile Series 90, and the Cadillac Series 62. In 1949, the Super rode on a shortened GM C platform and Buick advertised these cars as having roofs tall enough to allow rear passengers to wear hats and still have plenty of headroom. Buick also advertised an improved heating system with a blower that allowed heated air when stopped, and at speed, ducts placed at the front would scoop up rushing air and blow it all over the cabin based on how you’d set the air vents.

The Super Estate Wagon has interior door trim finished in mahogany with the exterior finished in maple and northern elm. There’s enough seating for six and the brochure advertises using the wagon to sleep in as a feature.

This one has a few changes, such as the factory eight-cylinder (which got as large as a 322) for a Buick 455. That’s bolted to a turbo 400 and a rear end from a 1991 Caprice. You get a leather interior, 12V electrical system, and even Bluetooth. It’s $59,900 by AP Vintage Motors in Statesville, North Carolina.

2009 Hummer H3T – $20,500

 

Hummer was one of those brands that polarized car enthusiasts. Some loved the huge SUVs while others couldn’t understand why they existed. I think I found one Hummer that’s worth taking a look at. In fact, when you really dig into the numbers, the short-lived H3T was a great truck that came too soon. Fellow off-road truck lover David Tracy actually wrote about this at the old site:

I’ve never driven the H3T, but I can tell you straight-up that right now, as this mid-size truck craze gets fiery thanks to the new Gladiator, ZR2 Bison, and 2019 Ford Ranger, the H3T is looking cooler than ever. Arguably cooler than any mid-size truck on the market today.

It also had available front and rear lockers, bigger tires than anything in the segment sans the new Gladiator (which also has 33s), a 4:1 low-range in the transfer case, 4.10:1 axle ratios, and phenomenal approach and departure angles at 38.7 and 30.6, respectively (at a low 20.2, the breakover angle is about the same as the new Gladiator’s). Not to mention, the H3T with the optional 33s had over 10 inches of ground clearance, which bests everything but the new Jeep Gladiator.

Later, David talks about how you could get one of these trucks with a 5.3-liter V8 making 300 horses and 320 lb-ft torque. But what you may really want is this one, which has 3.7-liter five making 242 ponies and 242 lb-ft torque. Why would you want less power? Because you could get it with a five-speed manual, which this one has.

Really, the Hummer H3T appears to be an off-road beast. You can get this one for $20,500 on Facebook Marketplace in League City, Texas with 98,300 miles. Somehow, this was the cheapest one that I found that wasn’t trashed.

That’s it for this week! Thank you for reading.

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