From utterly rare American delights to painful glitches in the Matrix, many of us Jalops love discovering one-off weirdos of any kind. Much like the long-sitting Excalibur Phaeton pictured above. These strange pieces of work are typically found during inordinately long sessions browsing Marketplace, Craigslist, AutoTempest, and other “secret” sites (so as not to give away all the good, cheap places to buy things). And every once in a while, during a late-night search, a white whale emerges.
In a landscape filled with all sorts of rust buckets and daily-drivers turned throw-away junkers, it’s not always easy to find the strange cars. Something that even your car friends will either appreciate with deep respect or at least it’ll leave them perplexed. If you can stump a group of car people as to the make and model of your ride, even better. The weirder, the better. So, weird car friends, what’re some of the best weird (or oddball) cars you’ve seen for sale recently?
My choice? A first-gen mini truck
My entry could’ve been the delightfully strange 1961 Electric Shopper I shared with you earlier this week. I felt like that was cheating, though, and at Jalopnik, a larger number of weird cars is always better. So as an alternative offering, I present to you this 1962 Daihatsu Hijet mini truck for sale via Craigslist. As with most precious weird car finds, I may regret my choice to share this little gem. I’ve not put together plans to purchase it, though, so it’s yours to enjoy.
Being a 1962 Hijet makes this a first-generation of the little kei truck. And the price isn’t terribly off-putting despite the fact that it’s not running, and hasn’t in six years, according to the listing. That said, the truck is all-original outside of the battery (which leaves me with questions about the tires). Everything about it is quite simply delightful, down to what appears to be a wooden framework that used to support a cover for the bed of the truck. Would it need work? Of course. But the novelty of the driving experience seems totally worth it. See? I’m justifying it already.
I’ve shared mine; now it’s time to share yours. What weird (or oddball) cars have you spotted for sale in your most recent car browsing? If the car in question takes explaining or justifying, even better — just a preview of what your life would be like if you bought it.
