Diego’s AutoHunter Picks

If you had a wad of cash in your pocket, ready to buy a car, would it be challenging if you had more than one vehicle from which to choose? That’s the problem I’m having now (well, not having a wad of cash is another problem) while looking at the below four AutoHunter Picks.

Of course, there are other AutoHunter vehicles from which to choose, but would you favor any of them over these? Go through the AutoHunter and tell us which four you’d single out for the week.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28
While everyone in high school wanted a Camaro, I looked elsewhere. But with old age comes wisdom, and the Camaro Z/28 is a mighty mouse among giants. No one is going to say it’s a winner at the drags, but I do remember reading the Car and Driver article that claimed no car had more mechanical presence than the Z/28 (along with the 426 Hemi). For that reason alone, I’m dying to drive one.

This 1969 Camaro Z/28 has been documented by renowned expert Jerry McNeish, so we know it’s legit. A previous owner reconfigured the pony car from Fathom Green with a green interior into Burgundy with black/white houndstooth. Though relatively stock, several subtle upgrades seem to have been made for reliability. If you enjoy driving your muscle, this is a good one.

1968 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible
Though I prefer the C2, I can only imagine how wild the C3 looked when it was introduced. Underneath, they cars are mostly the same, so there are no surprises other than sitting in one for the first time and appreciating the driving position. Plus, it’s hard to argue against a red Corvette convertible with a manual transmission and tons of presence.

This 1968 Corvette convertible has been within the same family for 41 years, which always has some appeal. It features the standard 300-horsepower 327 paired with a four-speed manual, both numbers-matching. The hue has been changed from Silverstone Silver to red, and the original Gunmetal interior has been replaced with a more conventional Black.

1974 BMW 2002tii
I remember a lot of European cars were appearing on the roads with black trim updates which, to my child’s eyes, looked better – witness the Porsche 914, MGs, or this Bimmer. Today, I realize that these cars were federalized to meet new bumper requirements, among other things. You may feel otherwise, but these Bimmers didn’t wear the bumper scarlet letter as poorly as most American cars.

The tii designation of this 1974 BMW 2002 means it’s equipped with fuel injection, adding a dose of reliability for an old car. Like the Corvette above, this one’s been owned for quite a long time, in this case 49 years. Fine features include sunroof, four-speed, and a number of subtle upgrades that make for a nice driver, such as Epsilon wheels, rainbow gradient Recaro seats, and blueprinted engine, among other tweaks.

1955 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina
In the early days of hardtops, they were given special designations. In Pontiac’s case, the Catalina was the hardtop of a specific model. Not until 1959 did the Catalina become a proper series, and Pontiac did away with giving a proper name to the hardtop body style. Of course, 1955 was the advent of an all-new Pontiac complete with V8 and style that defied the librarian stereotype of its precursors.

This 1955 Star Chief Custom Catalina features classic 1950s colors with a matching interior (which includes leather trim) that’s been reupholstered. The Strato-Streak 287 V8 is backed by an automatic transmission, like most of them, with emissions exiting through a single exhaust. This was the year that Pontiac performance got its start, crescendo-ing with dual quads in 1956, Tri-Power and fuel injection in 1957, and the 389 in 1959.