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.
This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
I have several times bemoaned the fact that, until recently, Volkswagen opted to not bring the 4-door Golf R32 to the United States. However, what they did offer for fans of utility was the Audi A3 3.2 quattro. It was a very expensive luxury counterpoint to the Golf R32 that we often feature, and with effectively the same running gear performance was nearly identical. They’re fairly rare to come by, even in comparison to the pretty rare Golf R32 – most likely due to the hefty premium that Audi charged which put the 3.2 A3 squarely in line with even more commodious options like the A4 2.0T quattro Avant. Once in a while they do pop up for sale though, as a stealthy silver one has today – just in time for the inclement weather in New England:
Okay, call it wishful thinking, but as the “white stuff” descends on New England I think it’s a great opportunity to look at a the perfect winter car – an all-white Volkswagen Cabriolet. By perfect car, of course I mean it’s the perfect car to hide in a snowbank and dream of a warmer climate. Plus, the wheels are affectionately known as “Snowflakes”! In all seriousness, these Cabriolets soldiered on long after their Mk.1 brethren had been replaced by the second generation Golf. It wasn’t necessarily laziness on the part of Volkswagen, but a testament to the lasting appeal of this not-so-cheap but cheery convertible. Of course, if you were “Daddy’s girl” in the 1980s you were probably destined for an automatic version of today’s triple-white “Molly Ringwald” edition Cabriolet, but thankfully this example has an more fun to drive manual:
While the E24 6 series coupe, like the one we featured yesterday, had staying power in the lineup, its replacement, the 8 series, led a bit shorter of a life, especially in the US. Designed to compete with the newly introduced Mercedes SL in 1990, it fell short of expectations and went rather unnoticed for a number of years. These grand tourers were a bit more complex than their forebears, especially when equipped with the V12 engine, which led some to shy away from them. Recently, they have started to make a comeback with enthusiasts and priced have started to climb just a bit. There are plenty of needy, high mileage examples out there for cheap but this low mileage V8 engined 840Ci for sale in Florida is not one of them.
Apparently destined to taunt me into the New Year, the string of Pearlesant White Audi V8 quattros that we’ve run now adds up to four. Unlike the last few 3.6 V8 quattros I’ve written up, today’s example is the later run 4.2 V8. In addition to a healthy bump in horsepower and torque, the 4.2 received a host of upgrades including a transmission cooler, the return of badges both front and rear, S4-spec Girling G60 twin-piston brakes, and those great BBS wheels that debuted on the 1991 models. There were other subtle changes, such as some reworking of the dashboard, the updated climate control system out of the C4 chassis and a revised exhaust. The package combined to make a stealthy all-weather luxury machine that very, very few people bought. Reportedly less than 200 of the 1993 model year were imported, and well short of a thousand of the 4.2s ever made it here at all over their brief three year run in the U.S. Like the early 3.6s they suffered serious depreciation and few survive in good condition today, but if you can look past some dirt there is a lower mile example in Minnesota awaiting it’s next owner:
When you are basing it on a style level, the BMW E24 6 series is my favorite car to wear the Roundel badge of all time. Whether it’s an early 633CSi or M6, these coupes always drew me in. Their aggressive snout and perfect proportions still look good to this day. M6 prices have been creeping up in recent years, but it’s still possible to get one of the lesser versions for a decent bargain. This 635CSi for sale in Washington state has yet to break 70,000 miles. Coupled with the switchable automatic transmission, this is a good coupe for someone seeking more of a cruiser than an outright perfomer.
