24 hours of Lemons: Reno-Fernley, Going for Broken

As entered:

I'm tired of all these pre-built race cars at lemons. Fuck fast, I'm looking for utility. I want a Lemons car I can drive the kids to school in.

It started with a simple craigslist search: "Turbo Minivan".
The stars must have been aligned. Within a week, a stripped 1989 Plymouth Voyager Turbo showed up less than 5 miles away.

It wouldn't run. The previous owners were a bunch of jokers. It was stripped, nonfunctional, and covered in stickers for performance parts which are not actually installed on it. They'd cut off the exhaust pipe with a sawzall and installed all the finest cheap orange performance parts from the impulse aisle at Kragen. The gas tank was attached with bungee cords. We told them that if they got it running we'd take it. Ten days later they got desperate to dump it.

It's covered in graffiti and we had to push it onto the trailer. We paid $100. We got it to run.

It's a complete basket case. But it burns rubber and it SOUNDS AWESOME, and we want to race it. Bad.

As it is a van, a Mystery Machine theme is a moral imperative.

(Costumes included.)

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Original craigslist ads:

Posted 1/14/2009 and again on 1/22/2009

'89 plymouth voyager TURBO minivan FAST!!! (palo alto) $500

from craigslist SF bay area | cars & trucks - all search for "minivan turbo"

Up for sale is my project turbo minivan intended to be completed as a 9 sec minivan. Dont believe me that this is possible? check out turbominivan.com

The body of the minivan is not pretty as me and my team did not care as it was intended for race only. We completely gutted the interior to just metal to save on weight. It only has the two front seats right now.

We cut the exhaust right after the downpipe. MIND YOU IT IS LOUD!!! SOUNDS SWEEET!!! Set up now will NOT PASS SMOG however it is registered with current tags till april of this year. It is street legal. Title in hand.

The good:
We performed a complete tune up:

-Fresh oil / filter (Synthetic blend)
-New ignition coil
-New spark plugs
-New spark plug wires
-New distributor cap
-New distributor rotor
-New fuel filter
-New fuel pump
-Rebuilt radiator / coolant flush
-Much more....

The bad? Looks rough...not currently running, needs to be trailered/......but has serious potential. This vehicle is not for a soccer mom and is not a grocery-getter.

$500

Pics upon request!

Thanks...


Posted 1/30/2009:

89 plymouth voyager TURBO minivan (palo alto) $250

from craigslist SF bay area | cars & trucks - all search for "minivan turbo"

This van is not currently running due to an electrical or fuel issue. Started and drove two weeks ago....dont know what happened?????

Let me tell you the van looks like shit. Was intended for racing..interior has been gutted. These vans can be made to beat corvettes!!!!!! check out www.turbominivan.com

Please help me out and tow it away

Four Hours later on 1/30/2009:

89 plymouth voyager TURBO minivan PRICE REDUCED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (palo alto) $120

from craigslist SF bay area | cars & trucks - all search for "minivan turbo"

This van is not currently running due to an electrical or fuel issue. Started and drove two weeks ago....dont know what happened????? PRICE REDUCED!!!!!!!!!!! MUST PICK UP TODAY!!!!! $120

Let me tell you the van looks like shit. Was intended for racing..interior has been gutted. These vans can be made to beat corvettes!!!!!! check out www.turbominivan.com

Please help me out and tow it away