Press "Enter" to skip to content
Warning!
We have 15 years of archives. Links older than a year may have been updated to point to similar cars available to bid on eBay.

Year: 2017

This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.

1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V

I can say with utter confidence that I’ll never own a Scirocco II. Here’s the weird part – I’m not exactly sure why.

It’s not as though I don’t appreciate the design, though how it came about is somewhat suspect. Volkswagen canned Giugiaro as the replacement designer for the exceptionally beautiful and unique first generation car, moving in-house to Karmann for the second go at the Golf-based sport coupe. The result looked suspiciously like Giugiaro’s Italdesign Asso di Fiori from 1979, though – the car that became the Isuzu Impulse. Two years later, and Viola! the Scirocco II debuts from Karmann with a near identical shape. On top of that, the mechanicals continued to be based upon the first generation Golf, while the A2 series went upwards in refinement. To me, because of the short wheel base and long overhangs – especially highlighted with U.S. spec bumpers – the second-generation Scirocco has just never looked quite right. The visually similar Audi Coupe was better balanced both in design and driving characteristics, and ultimately there wasn’t a huge price gap between them. A 1986 Scirocco 16V, with a few options, was yours for about $13,500 – only about $2,500 shy of the basic Coupe GT. But the performance nod went to the later 16V version of the Scirocco.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Volkswagen Scirocco 16V on eBay

1 Comment

1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe

It isn’t always easy to tell if a car is a worthwhile example. Sometimes sellers just don’t do a great job of showcasing what they are selling and we’re left to piece together the details to develop a fuller picture than what we are provided. On the bright side, that also can lead to better pricing as fewer buyers/bidders show interest in the car.

I think the first part of all of that applies to this car. Whether the second point also will apply won’t be known until auction end, but at the moment it appears to be the case as well. Here we have a Quartz Grey Metallic 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe, located in Florida, with Tan interior and 79,500 miles on it. The pictures provide a somewhat incomplete picture, especially of the interior, but as I look at it I can’t help but think it looks in really nice shape.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe on eBay

1 Comment

1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC

Earlier this week, I checked out one of the nicest W126s I’ve seen in a while with a 1987 560SEL. Today, we have another 1987 560, although this one is the brother car, the SEC. These big body coupes have been shooting up in value of late, but they are still well within reasonable range to grab at a decent price if you wish. Of course, color and condition are the biggest factor in what these sell for, but if you can find one that is well looked after and doesn’t carry a crazy price tag, then it is not a bad way to spend your money. If you are lucky enough to run across an example as nice as this C126 for sale in California, then I wouldn’t sleep on it at all.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC on eBay

6 Comments

2001 Volkswagen Eurovan Westfalia Weekender

I’ve always been intrigued, and a little confused, by the Volkswagen Van. I first learned to drive on a neighbor’s T2, and I grew up in a period where vans were as cool as it got. Vans were ambulances. Vans were campers. And vans even carried the A-Team. Sure, the GMC Vandura wasn’t a Countach, but to kids in the 1980s it had nearly as much impact, fool!

But it’s not the appeal of these vans that I find confusing at all. The first thing I find hard to follow are the various trim levels. Especially when it came to the T3 and T4 models, things get a bit complicated. You could buy, for example, a Wolfsburg Edition Vanagon in the 1980s and early 90s. This was not to be confused with the Westfalia model, which was notable for having the pop-top. However, there was also a Weekender model, which sometimes had a pop-top but didn’t have the camping accoutrements of the Westfalia. That these were further available in two- and four-wheel drive made things even more confusing, and then – of course – there was a Wolfsburg Weekender for a short period. I don’t even know what came in that model. Well, I do, actually, but the point remains that it was confusing.

The switch to the T4 was pretty revolutionary. Gone was the antiquated rear-engine layout, and cylinder count went up to five as Audi’s 2.3 liter motor was massaged into 2.5 liters with a short stroke for lots of torque in the new Eurovan. These came to the U.S. starting in 1993, and there were two configurations – the Eurovan and the Multi-Van (MV for short). The difference was the seating configuration, in that the MV had rear-facing seats behind the captain’s chairs and a table in the middle. Easy, right? Well, then there was the Westfalia model. Volkswagen hadn’t forgotten how successful the T3 was with the pop-top, so a new aerodynamic folding roof arrangement was added to the MV. But here was the catch – the new Westfalia didn’t have the camping gear, but instead was effectively the same as the previous Weekender. It was called the Weekender, too. The full campers were only converted by Winnebago and based on a lengthened chassis. These started being produced in 1995 and replaced the Westfalia in the lineup but were not called Westfalias. Winnebago produced an extra-fat and extra-expensive camper, too – the Rialta – which was half VW and half short bus. The Westfalia, and the pop-top Weekender, disappeared for a few years.

The next big change in the lineup was one more cylinder for the 1997 model year, as the narrow-angle 2.8 liter twelve-valve VR6 replaced the inline-5. Power was up a bit (but only just at 138 horsepower) and was accompanied by a light restyle outside. Further changes came with the reintroduction of the MV Weekender in 1999 following the all-but-disappearance of the slow selling and ridiculously priced Winnebago, and finally, more power in 2001 with the 24-valve VR6. Despite upping power with dual cams, adjustable intake and double the valve count to net over 200 ponies (46% more power than the prior VR6!) Volkswagen also substantially cut the price – nearly 20% – of the T4, meaning the late models are probably the ones you’re going to find since they sold in greater numbers. Out the door, a GLS model sold for about $26,500 – nearly exactly the same sticker price as my Passat, but with much more space and utility. Move up to the MV, and you needed to pay about $3,000 more – but you got the folding bed, curtains, removable seats and flip up table. Another $3,500 paid for the pop-top Westfalia model, which now included screens, dual batteries and a refrigerator in addition to the signature pup-tent roofline.

Now that I’ve hopefully helped you (and more likely me) to sort the lineup a bit, let’s take a look at the second thing which confuses me in the VW Vans – the pricing. Here’s one of the more desirable models in the T4 lineup – a 24V VR6 MV Westfalia Weekender, and this one is no reserve:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2001 Volkswagen Eurovan Westfalia Weekender on eBay

1 Comment

1994 Porsche 928 GTS – 5-speed

I said previously that I’d try to pay a little more attention to the Porsche 928 so that’s what I’m trying to do. In truth I’ve featured this 928 before so technically this is a revisit. However, I wanted to shine a brighter light on it than the standard “hey look this one’s back up for sale.” It’s been nearly a year since I featured it and that’s usually long enough to revisit something in depth, but mostly this comes down to price and my own love for the color.

This is a Slate Grey Metallic 1994 Porsche 928 GTS, located in Texas, with Grey interior, 82,500 miles on it, and the 5-speed manual transmission. I know grey is supposed to be a boring color and I don’t think I’d call Slate Grey exciting, but I do love it as an exterior color. It just looks really good. There’s not much more to it than that. Regarding the price change: when I first featured this 928 it was priced at just under $130K. Manual or not that’s a lot of money, especially for a 928 with almost 90K miles on it. The price now has been slashed substantially to a much more reasonable $82,500. I think we can work with that.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1994 Porsche 928 GTS on eBay

3 Comments