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Tag: 1991

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1991 BMW M5

Last week I wrote up a gorgeous E34 540i/6 M-Sport that was listed just below $20k. Seems that most people thought the price on that was too high, despite the low miles and it’s owner being a long time BMW enthusaist. So, when I saw this ’91 M5 on Pelican Parts with a sale price about $2k lower than that of the 540i, I knew I had to write it up. I’m interested to see what ya’ll think of this deal, because while this car has nearly double the miles of the 540i, it has some Dinan bits, and it’s an M5. Is this car really so special that it warrants the price being within a months rent of a 540i with much lower miles?

Yes. Yes it is.

This is the E34 M5 we’re talking about here. This is THE Bimmer of the 90s. I acknowledge how cool the 540i M-Sports are, but I’m an enthusaist, and I’m the target audience for specialty models. The M5 is popular with everyone, and if you’re looking to get into a young timer classic, name recognition is important. There might be more costs upfront but the return on investment will be higher as well. Five or ten years down the road, when you’ve had your fun and are ready for something different, what would you rather be listing, an M5 or a 540i/6 M-Sport? The answer should be M5 every single time, that is if you’re into making some money on the deal. I’m not saying that isn’t possible with the 540i or any other specialty variants that were similar to a top dog car, but I know it’ll be harder.

Name recognition goes a long way and down the road when the bubble on 90s German vehicles bursts, you’ll want the well known hardware on your hands. I still don’t think the 540i I wrote up last week is a bad deal. What the seller wants is perfectly reasonable for a car of that class, with that many miles, no matter how old it is. This M5 on the other hand can command nearly the same amount with much higher miles because of its cultural cachet. Have I hammered home that the M5 is the better deal? Okay, lets get into the nitty gritty of what I like about this example.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 BMW M5 on Pelican Parts

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1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL

For me, the R129 Mercedes-Benz 300SL came one year too late. The US market was never privy to its predecessor, the R107 300SL, which was available with both automatic and manual gearboxes. This was always a favorite R107 variant of mine, its smooth 3.0 liter inline six seemingly more suited to this car’s size than a big V8. And of course, the available 5-speed manual was a huge attraction for me. Mercedes decided to take a little bit different direction for the 1990s and made available the six cylinder SL to North American customers, even with a manual gearbox option for a few years. This 300SL for sale in Illinois is a Canadian market SL with the 5-speed automatic gearbox in one of my favorite SL colors, Cabernet Red.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 300SL on eBay

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1991 BMW M5

While the E28 M5 only appeared in the US for one model year, BMW saw an opportunity in the marketplace for a high performance sedan and followed up with a second act, the E34 M5. The new M5 would follow the same formula as the car before, with a high-strung inline-6, 5-speed manual, tauter suspension and styling tweaks. A Touring variant would also become available for the first time. With just over 300 horsepower on tap, the M5 could sprint to 60 mph in just 6.4 seconds. This M5 for sale in New York is one of the lowest mileage examples we’ve seen of late and looks factory fresh, with exception of the switch to the Style 21 Throwing Star inserts.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 BMW M5 on eBay

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Couple of Swedish Coupes: 1987 Volvo 780 & 1991 Volvo Coupé

You wouldn’t know it from looking at the current product portfolio, but Volvo carried a bit of a staid image up to and around the turn of the millennium, with 90 degree angles and boxy styling ruling the day. The cars had their following though, with a reputation for safety and reliability unmatched by almost every other manufacturer in the world. Looking back on Volvo’s history, there were a few flash in the pan moments in terms of styling, such as the P1800ES, the 480 and these cars we see here, the 780 and Coupe. Essentially the same car, Volvo decided to produce an encore to the chopped top 262C, employing Bertone once again to have their hand at a two-door version of the 700 series. Just over 8,500 examples were produced from 1986 to 1991, with the final year seeing a name change to “Coupé.” We’ll start off this Double Take by looking at a 1987 780, with the venerable 2.8 liter V6 engine.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Volvo 780 on eBay

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1991 Porsche 911 Turbo

I’ll admit the market for a 964 3.3 Turbo perplexes me. At times they seem somewhat undervalued relative to the 930 that they replaced considering they feature nearly the same running gear, though with a redesigned body, and overall there are fewer of them given the much shorter model run. Much of this comparison only applies to the ’89 930 and the difference in value between an ’89 930 and a 964 3.3 Turbo comes down to the collector status of the ’89 as it’s the only year the 930 came equipped with a 5-speed manual. Yet, these 964 Turbos can be had for far less money than a comparable 993, which lately appear to have been catapulted into the stratosphere. I have long wondered how the relative markets of the 993 and 964 would play out. The 993 is the last of the air-cooled Turbos, yes, but the 964 is considered by many to be the last of the brawny, diabolical, Turbos since it remained purely in single-turbocharged rear-drive form while the 993 smoothed so many of the Turbo’s rough edges with its more sophisticated twin-turbocharging and all-wheel drive. Maybe it is only the 964 3.6 Turbo and Turbo S that will see enhanced values from these features, but overall it seems, at least for now, that the 964 3.3 Turbos might be flying a little under the radar.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Porsche 911 Turbo on eBay

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