1999 Volkswagen Sedán Clásico - a.k.a. the Mexican Beetle

The VW Beetle was appropriately withdrawn from the American market in 1977, and the following year production ceased in Germany (except for the convertible version which was produced until 1980). The auto industry continued moving forward with modern designs and advanced safety features, while the Beetle trudged on relatively unchanged in markets like Mexico and Brazil. These cars are illegal to import to the US because of their primitive safety features (automatically retracting seatbelts were optional until 1999, and they had no airbags). This one's here legally, though, and for sale on eBay for $12k or best offer.

Since being discontinued in 1978, Beetle fans worldwide have independently imported Mexican Beetles. The car didn't meet US safety standards anymore, so some people have placed newly-produced Beetles on old floorplans and registered them as the year of the chassis. This one is registered as an assembled vehicle (like a kit car) so it probably had it's drivetrain shipped to the US seperately from the body and chassis, which is perfectly legal since the car sans motor and transmission isn't considered a motor vehicle when it crosses the border.

The benefits of the later Beetles include fuel injection, disc brakes, electronic ignition, catalytic converters, and anti-theft systems. They had some cosmetic changes as well, and the interior was improved and somewhat modernized. They were built until 2003, when the Beetle no longer met Mexico City's emmissions requirements. It has been attempted to get the 2000 model and the 2003-built 2004 Ultimate Edition placed on the US "Show and Display" eligibility list, but the petitions were rejected.

This one has a power retractable roof option, and the seller claims it was restored back to like-new condition and has just 40,000 miles (though the odometer was replaced, so you have to take the seller's word for the 40k miles). It's located here on eBay in South Carolina.

UPDATE 1/13/10: This Beetle went unsold, but has been relisted a few times over, and is still for sale on eBay for $12k or best offer. Current listing here.