Old cars and trucks for sale on craigslist

They say Texas is a whole 'nother country, and with a size that's as large as France and Switzerland combined (as well as a population topping 29 million), only Alaska is geographically larger. For those looking for a fresh project car, that can be good or ba d, depending on where you are. There are an enormous number of vehicles in Texas, and they are in no hurry to leave town. That's because Texas is the fossil fuel capitol of the country, and Texans love their cars.

Texas Bound

We recently made a deep dive into all the major Craigslist sites in Texas, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso. We aimed to find the 10 best project car deals for $5,000 and under, with a loose year range between 1960 and 1985. We performed the same search two weeks ago for California Craigslist sites here and found a bonanza of cool junk, so we thought, how 'bout Texas?

Rust Free? Not So Much.

It turns out Texas, though larger than California, has fewer of the cool cars we'd like to find in rust-free condition. Nevertheless, not everybody can just ditch work for a week and haul out to the West Coast for something like this. Sometimes you've got to work with what you've got (i.e., Gulf Coast rust); you could do worse than the Lone Star State, with much of the western half subject to a protective, arid environment much like California's.

Create a Better Craigslist Ad

One thing, however, that seems universal between all Craigslist sites is that the cheap cost for posting drives a lot of questionable ads with poor photos, little info, and cryptic contact info. Even with sellers on the up and up, there's a lack of solid facts—the kind you need to commit an entire day to checking a car out. This is a lesson to sellers that if you really want to sell for the max amount, it pays to put higher-quality/quantity photos and more details in an ad—or risk frustration on the part of everyone. Let's see what Texas was offering up the week of January 21, 2021! (Don't forget to check out all the extra photos in the gallery too.)

1982 Lincoln Continental Mark IV Asking Price: $1,950

Cisco, Texas, is where this Givenchy Edition Lincoln Mark IV hails from, and you can bet it spent much of its 91,000 miles floating over the I-20 interstate in air-conditioned comfort. These early-'80s luxury boats are at low ebb from a valuation standpoint, and if you find one in decent shape for a good price, now is the time to buy one. This one needs some work to get running, but we are encouraged by the straight sheetmetal. Our biggest concern isn't really the non-driving condition (302ci/AOD driveline combos are a dime a dozen), but the smashed driver-side turn signal lens will be extremely difficult to replace irrespective of the part's price. (See the ad here.)

1976 Buick Skylark Coupe Asking Price $2,200

We love field finds, and this self-described one (Smithville, Texas) looks the part with a well-weathered patina. What puts it on our radar is the X-body architecture (the same as Chevy Nova). It runs but forget the born-with 3.8L Buick V-6—go with a cheap small-block Chevy, add a Holley Sniper nitrous kit, swap out the rolling stock, and hit the sideshow. Pretty much all Camaro/Nova suspension pieces will bolt right in. If you stare at the grille and headlights long enough, you'll see a 1972 Malibu face. (See the ad here.)

1969 Buick Riviera Asking Price $2,500

We're on the fence with this one (El Paso), but because of its ultra-sexy shape we're inclined to recommend it from a dare-to-be-different perspective. If the interior wasn't so thoroughly thrashed and if the rear hadn't been hit at the gas tank filler neck area, it would be a slam dunk. We like the big 430ci Buick mill, sweet styling, and straight sheetmetal (except for the rear bumper) on this big, beautiful gal. If you can get the transaction price down to $1,000 or even $1,200, pull the trigger. (See the ad here.)

1976 Chevy Malibu Classic Asking Price $3,300

Located in the Albuquerque, New Mexico, area but listed in El Paso's Craigslist due to its larger market, this colonnade-style GM A-body is always going to get our blood pumping. Chevy made millions of these in the day, and many parts are still plentiful due to them sharing mechanicals with so many other cars. It needs a better driver-side fender, and there's bad rust under the vinyl top, but everything else looks present and accounted for. These cars are still relatively common, so getting it (or another like it) under $2K is doable. (See the ad here.)

1964 Ford Thunderbird Asking Price $3,800

When Ford retooled the Thunderbird for 1964, it had the unfortunate distinction of debuting a few months before the groundbreaking Mustang, with which it shares much of its styling vocabulary. Make no mistake, this T-bird (El Paso) is packed with quality luxury touches that would never be seen in cars of this price ever again. Well undervalued in our opinion (an opinion not shared with the market), the 1964-66 T-bird is a lot of fun for the dollar. With this one's trim and interior mostly intact save the slightly ripped upholstery, this running West Texas project has potential. (See the ad here.)

1975 Dodge Dart Sport Asking Price: $3,800

If you're a Mopar person and you're on a bare-bones budget, then a compact A-Body is your go-to vehicle. If that's the case, this 1975 Dodge Dart Sport (Pecos, Texas) may be your lucky number. The seller goes into good detail describing some small problems that car guys won't find troublesome (gauges not working, fender ding), but there's not so much as even a stain on the upholstery. Forget about the baby-poo paint; buy it now or consider offering over asking price if there's competition. (See the ad here.)

1965 Mercury Comet Caliente Asking Price: $4,000

The Mercury Comet was the sibling to the Ford Falcon and older cousin to the Mustang, meaning the important mechanical bits (engines, trans, driveline, suspension, brakes) are common available—save model-specific trim and sheetmetal. If you don't mind driving a four-door (these are getting more popular every day), then this perfectly aged 1965 Comet Caliente (Pleasanton, Texas) may be just your thing. It is without a doubt the typical old lady's car, and there is literally not a scratch or a dent on it. Patina like this one's is to die for so if you grab it up, for Pete's sake, don't paint it! (See the ad here.)

1975 Cutlass Supreme Asking Price $4,500

We're on the GM A-body colonnade bandwagon again with this 1975 Olds Cutlass. Like the 1976 Chevy Malibu listed above, this one has an unrealistically high price, but perhaps that's our fault for drubbing these cars into readers' heads for the last 10 years. The interior is shot (forget about finding any Olds brightwork for '73-77 models) and the repaint does not hide past bodywork sins very well, but it is one of the most bitchin body styles of the 1970s, and for the die-hard Olds guy, this could be your lucky day. (See the ad here.)

1966 Chrysler 300 Convertible Asking Price $4,800

Full-sized luxury models from the 1960s don't command the same price as midsize models or even compacts from the same era, which is strange given their original sticker price. It's understandable, though, given their complexity, limited numbers, special trim parts, and relative low performance. That said, we've seen similar cars like Matt Delaney's '67 Imperial restored to perfection, so we hold out hope. This Chrysler 300 convertible just north of Waco has most of its trim and interior pieces, and rust looks limited to a few patch panels. Since good 383 Wedge/727 Torqueflite cores are worth $1,500 all by themselves, take the plunge on this big C-Body. (See the ad here.)

1966 Ford Mustang Coupe Asking Price $5,000

Everybody loves a Mustang, and this one from Hutto, Texas, looks like a great starting point for someone who knows these ponycars well. The seller has done a lot of the work, stripping and uncovering the modest rot that has occurred, so you won't be buying a pig in a poke here, but there is work to be done. We like that he's done the research and laid it out clearly in the ad, which you can see here. Good 289-powered Mustang projects are getting harder to find, so we don't think the asking price is terribly high, but the lack of a title might give you some negotiating room.