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Month: September 2014

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10K Friday: A44ordable Audis – 5000CS quattro Avant v. 5000S quattro v. V8 quattro v. 100 quattro

The Type 44 Audi was an impressive advance for German automobiles, a huge leap forward for Audi in a new marketplace – but also nearly the cause of its demise. It was an aerodynamic, futuristic sedan when both BMW and Mercedes-Benz seemed to be producing cars stuck in the 1970s. It was the blueprint for most modern luxury sedans from not only German companies, but many of the advances were copied by the Japanese, Italians and Americans for their large sedans. Yet, by 1990 Audi nearly pulled out of the American market thanks to some creative journalism from 60 Minutes, who in their effort to prove Audi was at fault for some unintended acceleration cases nearly killed off the company entirely. In part as a result of their efforts, it’s become quite rare to find clean examples of them today – but it’s also because they were such good, long-lived and solidly built machines that few have lower miles today. While I recent featured a few 20V turbocharged examples in the 20V Turbo comparison, today we’ll look at a few of the lesser appreciated examples, starting with a clean 5000CS quattro Avant in Canada:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Audi 5000CS Quattro Avant on Hemmings

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1994 Porsche 911 Speedster

It feels like it has been a while since I’ve written about a 911 Speedster, but as prices for these models have steadily increased I’ve become even more torn about these models. I understand why prices for the Speedster have skyrocketed; they are relatively rare and reach back to Porsche’s earliest history. Still, I can’t help but feel that as these become ever more exclusive, ultimately they are destined to rarely, if ever, see the light of day, and never truly fulfill the basic goals of the original 356 Speedster to which they harken. C’est la vie. The 964 Speedster is my preferred variant over its slightly younger sibling the 3.2 Carrera-based 911 Speedster, and they also tend to sell for a little less money. Granted, those monetary differences can be small and the 964 Speedster appears to have quickly caught up within the current market. Here we have an example from the final year an air-cooled Speedster was produced (unless your name is Jerry Seinfeld and Porsche built you a 993 Speedster): a Black on Black 1994 Porsche 911 Speedster, located in San Jose, with 19,342 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1994 Porsche 911 Speedster on eBay

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2001 BMW 750iL

$_57 (3)

Mercedes has made an interesting tack, reasserting themselves as the kings of luxury and letting sporting dynamics become secondary. BMW is making interesting inroads in the green department and still produces very sporting cars, but like many automakers, their mission has become muddled. There was no question about where the E38 7-series sat in the hierarchy of the big boys though, bringing the most sporting looks and dynamics to the full-size luxury sedan segment. While the 740i may be the sportiest choice, the 750iL brought V12 power and presence to the party. They may be highway dominators, but today’s example has covered less than 50k miles and comes heavily optioned, including the excellent and Shadowline-including Sport Package. With a detailed and extensive maintenance history, this is the way to go if you’re interested in the 750.

Click for details: 2001 BMW 750iL on eBay

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You Thought It Couldn’t Get Worse: 2008 Porsche Cayenne 185″ Limo

So often with modified cars we decry the loss of a prime example of a highly desirable car in stock form. Of course, there are exceptions; original Ruf and AMG cars, Alpina and Hartge BMWs and even the occasional Treser is pretty neat. But generally outside of that the modifications don’t do much in terms of desirability to the market at large; people really seem to prefer stock examples. Despite that, when it comes to a generally unloved model, I’m willing to bet that no one will cry much for the loss – witness today’s 2008 Porsche Cayenne. While the facelift generation Cayenne is generally perceived as a visual improvement over the original design, I can’t say that there are a tremendous amount of enthusiasts that really get super excited about them. That’s especially true of the entry level 3.2 VR6 model; whether it’s true or not, it feels like it’s a lot more Volkswagen than Porsche, and I for one think the Touareg is better looking. Consequently, I let out an audible laugh and cheer when I stumbled across this 185″ stretched limousine version of a 2008 Cayenne:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2008 Porsche Cayenne Limo on eBay

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1977 Porsche 911S

It feels like lately we’ve come across 911s from this vintage quite a bit more frequently. I’m not sure if this is a case of sellers hoping to take advantage of the “rising tide raises all boats” phenomenon or if we’re just taking notice of these cars more frequently. Either way, here we have another example from the era spanning 1974-1977, this time a dark brown (perhaps Chocolate Brown?) 1977 Porsche 911S, located in Charlottesville, VA, with Cork interior and 93,043 miles on it. This particular example has some modifications to the engine and the interior of which any interested buyer will need to take account. With that said, I find the interior modifications to be particularly well done, providing both a functional and also attractive cockpit. While modified cars can be tough, if the other modifications have been executed with equal care as the interior, then that should provide some comfort about the performance of the car.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1977 Porsche 911S on Craigslist

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