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Clean, low mileage, 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC

The 560SEC was not a common car to begin with, as just a little over 5,000 were produced for the 1989 model year. In total, during its entire production run, almost 29,000 were produced. Considering Toyota makes over 400,000 Camrys a year, this kind of gives you a perspective on just how rare these W126 coupes are. Finding a clean one these days proves to be quite a challenge, however, there are still some out there. Take for instance this example, which has evaded the harsh Northeast climate, advertised in Hemmings Motor News:

1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC on Hemmings

The seller notes:

1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC, Desert Taupe mettallic / Creme beige leather. FLAWLESS, only 48,000 documented miles. Spectacular original paint, clearcoat, glass. Impeccable interior, carpet, wood trim. Fully sorted by obsessive owner and his German born Mercedes (only) mechanic. NEW: A/C compressor, condenser (conversion to R134), water pump, valve cover gasket, brakes (rotors & pads), wheel bearings, tires, alignment, sway bar linkage, window regulators, steering shock, headrest guides. All electronics work perfectly including orginal Becker radio, sunroof, seatbelt extenders, antenna. Remote locking, alarm, 6 disc CD changer. Beautiful!

I haven’t seen one of these for sale with under 50,000 miles for a while, so $22,900 seems pretty fair, especially if it as well documented as the seller describes. This is a lot of car for the money, especially considering this was the most expensive Mercedes-Benz for sale in 1989.

-Paul

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Posted by paul in Mercedes Benz | January 31, 2010 | No Comments »

Nicely upgraded 2001 e39 M5

Hi Everyone – We’re doing an e39 M5 theme week starting next week but this one was going to get away so I wanted to get it up asap.  Here’s a little preview of some awesome e39 M5s to come!  Have a great weekend!

I’ve found a nice private seller, 2001 Carbon Black over buttery Caramel M5 on eBay. It looks and sounds like it’s been cared for and has some really great upgrades to make this M-car more enticing.

Recent maintenance on this Bimmer includes: transmission fluid, differential fluid and new pinion seal and axle seals that were done at 61,000 miles, fresh Castrol Syntex every 4K, new spark plugs, 4 brand new BF Goodrich KDW2s, ect.

To spice things up the owner has also added over $17,000 in upgrades and modifications.

Take a look:

I LOVE the e39 M5. Let me just get that out in the air.  The first time I drove one I was at Make a Wish event at the New Hampshire International Speedway.  One of my good friends worked at a BMW dealership and brought one down to give track rides to the kids.  At the end of the day he asked me if I wanted to take it for a quick spin before he took it back to the dealership.  2003 Jet Black e39 M5…take a guess to my response?  “HELL YEAH!”

I wish I could say that I ripped around the track in an M5 but in reality I took it for a pull on route 106 and did some back roads.   Everything that I had read about the M was true:  the acceleration was vicious, the handling was nimble for a 4 door sedan let alone any car, there was ample grunt in every gear…the whole package felt so coherent.  The e39 M5 is the most solid feeling and best performing car I’ve ever driven and I WILL own one within the next 5 years.

-Ben

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Posted by Ben in BMW | January 29, 2010 | 2 Comments »

1976 Porsche 911 V8 Custom 993 Turbo Body

Here is an interesting Porsche 911. A 1976 with a 993 turbo body kit and a built 350 Chevy stuffed in the back. Perhaps stuffed is not the right word as it doesn’t do justice to the amount of quality work that appears on this vehicle. Judging from the description the seller seems to be a straight shooter, which I like to see in car listings.
This car has a lot of time and parts put into it. The list of modifications is well done, purposeful, without being over the top. The seller claims there is 243 hours worth of work in the paint and body work alone. With 350+ horsepower and weighing only 2550 pounds it is good thing it has a full cage.
This car does look like serious fun and it will be one of a kind.

Here is the list of equipment:

Body: European 993 Turbo S body kit. Correct details down to the left hand wiper conversion. Need I say more?

Electrical: Early Porsches are not known for electrical engineering excellence. That is why I rewired the whole car with a modern Painless Performance racing fuse block using standard ATC type fuses. Everything is fused and I have even installed a Flaming River cut-off switch. Don’t forget the aircraft style starter switch…nothing but the best.

Interior: The interior was stripped down to bare metal (floor pans were perfect) and then sealed with a truck bed liner. Lightweight custom aircraft grade door panels covered in black leather with “Porsche” embossed. Did I mention the guy who has done interiors for Jay Leno did this interior? Race seats, 5-point harnesses, SCCA roll cage, and RS style pulls is just the start.

Stereo: You should be listening to the glorious sounds of V8 torque behind you. If not, a Sony CD player with auxillary input (think IPOD, or SAT radio) with 280 watts should suffice.

Engine: Race bred Corvette 350 V8 with a healthy cam. Blueprinted, balanced, forged crankshaft & connecting rods, and even painted to match the car. MSD racing ignition system, rev limiter, FlowMaster 40’s, Custom headers, everything Jet Hot coated to the tips in chrome.

Drivetrain: This is what separates the men from the boys. I have a Renegade Hybrids 915 racing 5-speed transmission with the sought after 8:31 ring and pinion. But wait, it gets better… It is a true MAGNESIUM cased tranny with solid Billet inserts and modifications. Only 100 pounds dry! (I know, I shipped it out Fed Ex) The engine is only running 350+ HP and 375+ Torque. This tranny is built to take 450 HP+. Extra tall 1st and 5th gears, 930 bearings, and 930 diff. cover. It has been purpose built from the start with one thing in mind: put the horsies to the pavement! Wevo short shift kit, Redline Fluid and topped off with a chrome Porsche shift knob.

Clutch you ask? Why sure – it is a KEVLAR clutch and custom pressure plate. Why Kevlar? It simply is the best. It takes a long time to break in (500 miles) and must be done carefully. Trust me, after the coin I dropped, it was broken in by the book and you will enjoy my restraint for years to come.

How do you stop such a beast? I was hoping you would ask. I installed a complete Boxer Motorsports racing brake kit. This is often referred to a “Big Red” brake kit. The rotors and pads are actually common racing “Outlaw” and “Hawk” parts – easily sourced, if needed. I also rebuilt the master cylinder and upgraded to stainless steel brake lines. It wouldn’t be complete without the ATE Super Blue racing fluid. I was convince I would need a brake “bias adjuster” to properly set up my car. However, the system was so perfect right out of the box that it was not needed. During the prescribed break-in ritual for the brakes, I performed numerous hard stops, terrified my neighbors, and then returned home to shoot rotor temps with a laser thermometer – 250 degrees. They were not even breaking a sweat. The brakes are simply one of the most gratifying aspects of this car.

Suspension: Since the V8 is actually 50 POUNDS LIGHTER than a 930 turbo motor, I was forced to modify the suspension. The 30mm hollow core racing torsion bars held the car too high. Solution = more racing components. Each corner of the car is fully adjustable. It is currently set at 20% lower than European ride height. Did I mention the car only weighs 2550 pounds? It has the power to weight ratio of a rocket. All new polygraphite bushings, tie rods, ball joints, front strut brace, bump steer kit as well as any other component that can be replaced. The Porsche dealer then spent SIX hours aligning the car to my specs – and I was there the whole time. The car handles absolutely fantastic with instant feedback. Want to hang the tail out – no problem. Flip the car around a corner – yes. It stays flat, level, and begs for more. You will become a better driver just by testing this car.

Wheels & Tires: The wheels and tires you see are BRAND NEW with ZERO miles. I had some comments on my old wheels (see video link). To show everyone that this is truly a “no holds barred, cost no object project” I bought all new 19″ rims AND tires. They are mounted, balanced, and FILLED WITH NITROGEN. The STICKERS ARE STILL ON THEM…for now. I may take the car out and put a few miles on them. However, I have averaged less than 500 miles a year, so don’t expect many miles, if any.

Protection: Ah yes, you want to come back to the car where you parked it. No worries here – there is a fully functioning FM remote paging alarm with a ridiculous range and a full vehicle display.

The seller even includes a video of the car so you can hear it fire up. The idle is pretty lumpy you can tell it has a hot cam.

The seller is looking for $45,000 plus, and I find this hilarious, a 12 pack of Rolling Rock “to help drown my sorrows when you peel out of my driveway and I never see her again!”

~Evan

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Posted by Evan in Porsche, Race Cars | January 29, 2010 | 2 Comments »

For Sale: MK4 R32 with 16k miles

Found this ultra low mile 2004 R32 on the Vortex for sale.  Finding low mileage and unmolested MK4 R32’s has become quite challenging.  These cars are so much fun to drive and do so many things well that it can be difficult to keep them off the road.  As the price point lessened many R32’s ended up in the hands of less than discerning owners who fitted all kinds of aftermarket garb to cheapen what in stock form is an excellent vehicle.  I prefer the look of the MK4 R32 and the availability of a manual transmission to the newer version.  This car with 16k miles and stock appearance  looks like the choice for those in the market for the perfect used R32.

Low Mile MK4 R32 for Sale

“I have every receipt for this car since I bought it from Jonathan here on the forums in August of 2006 with 9,900 miles.

I cannot provide detailed pictures as the car is in storage about 15 miles away from me for the winter, but I wanted to put this thread up to garner interest. If an interested buyer wants the car before March, I’ll pull the car from storage.

Since taking ownership, I’ve put just under 7,000 miles on the car. Do the math…that’s 2,000 miles a year on average.

-Stored every year from November 1 – March 15
-Full clear bra on the front end since day one
-No accidents or paint work
-Still has delivery plastic on dead pedal (no, I’m not kidding)
-Paint still looks brand new
-Interior still smells brand new
+ I had a small wear mark on outer bolster of driver seat reconditioned
before putting it away in November. Interior looks brand new.

Details:
2004 Tornado Red R32 with Optional Leather
- 16,700 original miles
- 6-speed
- 241hp 3.2L VR6
- Haldex AWD, etc

Mods:
- Fully loaded APR Tuned ECU
- K&N Panel Filter
- Not even flapper modded
(Flapper mod has been done by me with an IV clamp so it’s 100% reversible)
- R32 monster mats front, GTI monster mats rear (full set now)
(I no longer have the R32 carpeted mats*)

This car is literally no joke. Only things I need for it to go back to 100% complete and stock are Tornado Red mirror caps and mint Aristos/rubber, but these will be done before the sale.

I’m not kidding when I say this car needs ABSOLUTELY nothing. Brakes still are literally brand , exterior and interior are still in brand new condition.

I’M IN NO POSITION WHERE I HAVE TO SELL THIS CAR. I will accept my asking price and asking price only for me to part with it. Yes, this will take a very particular buyer who wants a literally brand new 2004 R32 in 2010.”

$25k is quite a sum for a used MK5 R32, for a MK4 it is unheard of.  No doubt the car is beautiful with low mileage that would be difficult to match.  The seller senses this and states that he is looking for a special buyer that is specifically looking for this car in this condition.  A daunting challenge but if the seller is patient I am sure he will find someone who would be willing to pay a premium for this R32.

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Posted by Aaron in Volkswagen | January 28, 2010 | 2 Comments »

A Tale of Two 951’s

Used Porsche 944’s have been a great sports car value on the used car market for some time.  These boost happy cars are just as comfortable on the track as they are in traffic.  As time goes on finding clean and unmolested examples has become a bit of a challenge.  Here is a look at two excellent examples from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Porsche 944 Turbo for Sale:

“Rare 1986 944 Turbo. Immaculate condition. 44,000 miles. Looks and drives like new. Newer tires and clutch. 30k maintenance done. Garaged most of its life. The paint is original and brilliant. The dash and leather seats look new. Everything works. I hate to part with it, but my work situation requires a bigger car.”

Modified 1987 Turbo for Sale

“1987 PORSCHE 944 TURBO – $10,900
Only 80,290 miles! Arizona car. Major service done at 80k. Beautiful Alpine white with a black leather interior, factory LSD, adjustable Konis, lowered and aligned, Ice cold R12 AC, perfectly maintained, never wrecked or raced, no rust, very nice paint and very clean interior (non smoker) always garaged, K26-6 turbo with Autothority MAF and chips, brand new Porsche “Big Reds” brakes up front and brand new 19” ROH wheels and Falken tires. I have receipts and maintenance records.  With the exception of the performance enhancements only Genuine Porsche parts have been used and all maintenance and repairs have been done by Porsche Service Centers.  Here are the codes for this car:

Option Codes: C78 220 341 418 437 454 650 946, Paint Code: L90E.

Mechanically it is in excellent condition. Power sunroof, power mirrors, central locking, power seat, everything except the cruise control. No smoke, does not use oil, no header cracks or exhaust leaks and no oil leaks. Idles, shifts and runs like a Porsche should.
Cosmetically there is some small rock chips associated with normal driving on the front bumper cover and some small cracks in the dash pad, the rest of the interior is mint. Glass is perfect, no dents or dings, the paint is showing its age but still show worthy and shiny.”

If you were in the market which would you buy?  The low mile and stock example or the lightly modified car with higher miles.  Typically I would go with the modified car, with the Big Reds and bigger wheels I bet this 951 really hugs the road.  However, even with the brevity of the ad and the sub par photography the red 951 is something to behold.  I am pretty sure I saw this car at a local dealership this summer, at the time the car had 40k on the ticker and was priced at $15k.  It looks as though the buyer had a change of heart, assuming nothing has changed this car is a steal.  It looks as good today as it did when it rolled off the showroom floor.  You can’t go wrong either way, but if it were my money the red one would be coming home with me.

~Aaron.

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Posted by Aaron in Porsche | January 27, 2010 | 9 Comments »

1963 Porsche 356B Cabriolet Race car

Flying the Gulf colors, this vintage racer’s paint almost looks too clean to take to the track.

The car comes with known history back to 1965 and $136,000 in receipts. The blueprinted engine has less than an hour on its current build. The Solex carbs and JE pistons setup has the engine bumping out 171 horsepower.

As the owner says, with all the history the car has racing it should be well sorted and the documentation should help keep that way.

A pretty and pure racer.

The buy-it now price is a steep $59,500.

~Evan

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Posted by Evan in Porsche, Race Cars | January 27, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Moby Dick 1991 Porsche C2 Turbo Strosek

Staying in line with my favorite Porsche traits that I outlined in my last post, we have a 640RWHP 1991 Porsche 911 C2 Turbo.

I’ve always HATED the Strosek “squinty-eye” look but for some reason it doesn’t look too awful on this white C2.  Besides the body kit we have:

full suspension update with fully adjustable H&R red springs, giant factory” big blacks” brakes, new fully built 930 turbo powerhouse, complete MOTEC injection system, fully programmable via laptop, giant hybrid K29 Turbo, adjustable boost controller, C2 n/a intake plenum, giant blow-of valve, custom massive intercooler, full custom exhaust with headers, k&n, recent $6,000 service which included an upgraded race clutch, all four new tires, high speed performance alignment, oil change, all work done by Don Jackson Porsche…3,000 miles on this motor since rebuild, 3.4 Mahle pistons, heads were done by Ollies, cc chambered, ported, polished, entire engine was balanced and blueprinted, has standard crank for longevity, 964 cams, a very hybrid K29 turbo with clipped veins on intake side.

According to previous owner, Moby Dick is making 500 horsepower on low boost and is capable of 800 crank horsepower on high boost settings with race fuel.  The seller mentions that the car has been dyno’ed and dragged where it put down 640 RWHP at 21 psi and ran an 11.4 quarter mile at 3,800 feet elevation.  He also believes this Turbo C2 should be dipping into the 10’s.

Some say less is more. Some say bigger is better.  Regardless, it’s tough to dislike a 600hp, RWD, 964 Porsche.  Oh, and the Buy It Now price is less than a 2010 base model BMW 328i.

-Ben

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Posted by Ben in Porsche, Strosek | January 26, 2010 | 2 Comments »

1979 Porsche 930 Ruf mods

I’ve been holding off on posting a Porsche for a couple weeks now.  I’m very picky when it comes to my favorite German marque.

Being that this is my first Porsche post, I wanted to make sure that it hit all of my requirements. Air-cooled – check, turbo – check, coupe – check, go-fast mods – yes please, oh and it’s in my state as well?  Perfect.

What we have is a 1979 Porsche 930. As many of you may know the “930” denotes a 911 with a turbocharged engine .  This boosted flat-six was rebuilt less than 6,000 miles ago by PCA tech out of Exotic in Plaistow NH who “specializes in race car engines”.

The list of upgrades includes:

3.4L pistons and barrels
Updated chain tensioners and covers
964 grind cams
K27 turbo
New OEM exhaust less then 1000 miles ago
4 piston, 917 brakes, stainless steel brake lines
Fresh clutch cable
Short Shifter
Updated A/C compressor
Fresh Bilsteins all around
All seals and bushings in suspension/drive train have been checked and replaced

H-5 head lights
New windshield as well as fresh window seals all around
Fresh carpets
Custom center console
New headliner
Stereo is Alpine 3DE-7985S CD changer
Alpine MRV-F302, 4 channel, power amp
17” Ruf, 9” front and 10” rear                                                                Bridgestone Potenza S-02 pole position tires

I’ve always dreamed about owning a 930/964.  Seeing that this is a local car, I’m going to try get out of work early to take a better look…and beg for a test drive.

-Ben

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Posted by Ben in Porsche, Ruf | January 26, 2010 | 2 Comments »

1983 Volkswagen Scirocco Wolfsburg GT With Only 4700 Miles!!

I am a long time Scirocco nut. I had a ratty 77 that I beat up thoroughly in high school (class of 92). It took tons of abuse, but the willing little 4 cylinder and light weigh was a lot of fun for a kid my age to be driving back then. But my car was a heap compared to the MKII a friend’s older brother owned. It was black with black striped interior. And it was lowered on Momo rims, low profile tires (when 50 series was considered low profile!), an Alpine CD player and huge subwoofer in the back. It was one of the nicest modified cars at our school without a doubt. I even remember my Dad, who frowned on modified cars typically, remark, “That is a beautiful car. A high school kid owns it?!”

Seeing how nicely preserved this car is reminds me of that MKII from high school. The black on black is of course very familiar (though his seats were no where near as awesome as these leather ones!), but also because you just don’t see well preserved Scirocco’s anymore. Anywhere! And with only 4700 miles, this one takes the term survivor to extremes under the circumstances. These were all passed through the hands of high school kids, several times over, and each one wanted to modify it — ultimately killing most of them.

Check out this

quote from the eBay listing:

INCREDIBLE survivor – totally original and un-molested with only 4700 miles – absolute time warp car!!!

Original 1983 1/2 Wolfsburg Edition Scirocco with 4700 original miles. Quite possibly the finest example anywhere!

The car was purchased new in July of 1983, driven very little, and then stored for the majority of the past 26 1/2 years. The mechanic for the owner took care of and stored the car for the majority of this time up until about one year ago. The first owner had the euro headlights installed at the dealer. At some point in 1985 the GTI snowflake rims with their original set of Pirelli P6’s were put on. It also appears as if the original factory OE radio was replaced with an OE BMW factory radio out of an 83 320i. I am including an original used Heidelburg radio with the car. The orig factory 13″ rims are available with the car along with the original window sticker, factory manuals and all the OE literature on the BMW radio along with its security code & the factory OE headlights.

[...]

The car is a literal “all” orig in every way, time warp. Never hit or damaged, never repainted anywhere. The only flaw is on the right side of the hood near the windshield where something hit it and left about a one inch crack in the paint. The leather interior, headliner, and carpet are in incredible condition and still smell like a new car. No cracks or fading whatsover. The dash, door panels, headliner, every inch of rubber on the door seals are impeccable in every way.

The last Scirocco I saw in person that was this nice was Josh’s 84 that we posted here last year. That was a really fine example. This is ridiculous. And I know not everyone reading this is going to believe it, but there are 19 bids on this car totaling $8600 — and the reserve isn’t met with 2 days remaining! Clearly there are some collectors out there who remember the car as fondly as I do; not to mention an owner who isn’t letting this one go easy!

dc

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Posted by Dan in Volkswagen | January 25, 2010 | 4 Comments »

2 E28s for the price of 1 on eBay

Hooniverse led me to this eBay ad, selling a 1984 533i with a Dinan turbo system.  I love E28s with their could-only-come-from-the-80s styling.  Whether it’s the best looking 5 series is a matter of personal preference, but the negative rake on the front and rear and the pronounced Hofmeister kink reek of good times with 80s junk bond money and listening to Genesis.  I can’t quite wrap my head around the Dinan work on this one… 400 hp out of a 533i?  Terrifying.  The bonus here is that if you bump into something, it comes with a running parts car!  I like the 535is a lot with its M5ish body kit, and free is a great price, even if it has an automatic.

The Dinan car looks to be in good condition inside and out, though the body kit from the 535is/M5 would make it much sexier without losing much of its sleeper status.  The engine bay is amazingly clean, though 183k miles on a turbo engine, even the solid M30, is a lot.   The 535is looks fine if a little rough, also having worked its way pretty far up the odometer.

This is not going to be a work-free purchase.  That doesn’t mean it’s a bad one; if you’re prepared/experienced for some E28 maintenance, this could be an awesome find.  I can’t help thinking the Dinan car would be better served if it were advertised by itself, as I spent more time confused by the weird 2-for-1 deal than in awe of a 400hp E28.  Also weird, though cool, is the option to choose what wheels come on the cars (go for the BBSs!).  Weirdness aside, they’re cool cars that could give someone a fun time, though they sit on eBay at $8,000 at time of writing with no bids and 2 days remaining.

-NR

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Posted by Nate in BMW, Dinan | January 25, 2010 | No Comments »