Rare In North America: 1965 Isuzu Elf In Canada

Pre-1981 Isuzu products are rare in North America (never mind that the Bellel and Bellett were briefly distributed in the western US in the 1960s and the Bellett was locally assembled in Canada in the 1960s), and a first-generation Elf truck is not easy to find.

This is a heavily modified truck, with a Chevrolet V8, four-wheel-drive and a lift kit, but could still be restored by an Isuzu enthusiast. Being in Canada, it is not subject to the 25% "chicken tax" due to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Find it here in Hamilton, Ontario for $1200 CDN

Parking Lot Spot: 1989-92 Infiniti M30 (Nissan Leopard)

The Infiniti M30 was the Japanese auto industry's first try at a personal-luxury coupe for the US market, and being rear-wheel-drive on the R31 Nissan Skyline platform, was ostensibly an excellent alternative to the Ford Thunderbird, Cadillac Eldorado, Buick Riviera, Audi Coupe and Mercedes-Benz 300CE.

Its undoings were being narrower than Americans were used to, being the flagship of an unproven brand, having no options and no manual transmission option, and sharing more parts with the concurrent Maxima and 300ZX than with the Skyline, along with spotty distribution, and it remains a very rare car, with roughly 12,000 made for the US domestic market only. Infiniti never returned to the personal luxury market, only returning to coupes with a rebadged CV36 Skyline in 2008 as the sporty G37 Coupe.

This is one of only 3 known M30s in Eugene (one being a maroon coupe and the other being a black convertible). In 3 months of knowing this car's existence, I have not seen it move once. Perhaps I might make an offer on it, buy it and restore it at some point.

Previous Spot Revisited: 1984-85 Suzuki SJ410 Jimny

I first spotted this Suzuki here on April 4, 2013, but spotted it again in the same place. The racing stripes on the bonnet are gilding the lily a bit given that the 1000cc inline four is barely capable of normal freeway speeds, let alone racetrack speeds, and the J.C. Whitney Samurai hardtop looks out-of-place, but this would be an ideal restoration candidate between its condition and its rarity in the continental US. The outline of Hawaii on the back window may hint at where this came from, since unlike the LJ20 and Carry in the 1970s, they were only distributed on Hawaii and other US outlying islands.

Rarity: Japanese-Built 1989 Geo Metro XFi (Suzuki Cultus)

This 1989 Geo Metro XFi, one of very few to be built in Japan, is in very nice condition, it has some desirable options and upgrades like a passenger's side door mirror, rear hatch defroster, dealer-installed air conditioning (needs refrigerant) and LSi instrument cluster conversion, and has been cared for by a Metro enthusiast. The vast majority of hatchback Metros were built in Canada, making this car a rarity worthy of preservation.

A CD player stereo is included but is uninstalled (not installed by seller because the car has no rear speakers), and the owner needs to sell because they purchased a 1991 Metro convertible and also have 3 other vehicles.

Find it here in Oakridge, Oregon (near Eugene) for $3000 firm or part-trade

Deal Of The Decade: 1986 Honda CRX Si, $300

This front-yard find is advertised as a 1986 Honda Civic, but eagle-eyed car people will notice that it is a CRX Si (early CRXs were also badged as Civics, much like early Toyota Tercels were also badged as Corollas), and it is rare to find a CRX Si of any kind that has not been riced to death or hooned. This one looks restorable, could use some paintless dent repair, a going-over with a clay bar or compounding/buffing, some badge replacements and most likely interior TLC, it is said to need a cylinder head too, but between being a decent-looking early Si in stock condition and its price range, it is a very good project car. $300 doesn't buy much in the world of cars these days, especially enthusiast cars, but this Si has even more potential than the 1985 Toyota Corolla AE86 project also posted today and needs less work to be a functional car. A buyer's guide to the 1985-87 CRX Si can be found here, and gives an idea of what to expect with this car, and a forum for 80s Hondas can be found here for the lucky buyer of this car.

Find it here in Eugene, Oregon, (or go here if ad disappears)