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Month: November 2014

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1989 Porsche 930 Targa

In my write-up of the previous Turbo Targa we featured I mentioned that the only way to further the collector desirability of that car was if it were a 1989MY 930. Lo and behold, we have just such a machine here. To be fair, the previous Turbo Targa was very low mileage, while this one is nearing six-figures, so a market comparison cannot be made directly between the two, but as the only year the 930 came equipped with a 5-speed transmission the ’89 models have garnered a significant premium over earlier years. Stylistically the Turbo Targa is a reflection of the ’80s with wild lines and prodigious power. They are rarely the prettiest 911s as the tea-tray spoiler juts away from the Targa’s expansive rear greenhouse, but they still possess the ferocity of the 930 Coupe while providing a measure of open-top freedom. The example we see here is a Guards Red over Black 1989 Porsche 930 Targa, located in Texas, with 92,352 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1989 Porsche 930 Targa on eBay

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Roll the dice? 1988 BMW M5

There is something inherently appealing about buying an older car. If you’re willing to forgo the glam and glitz – and importantly, the warranty – of a new car it’s amazing the deals that you can get. A Volkswagen Phaeton is basically a Bentley underneath, and you can get a decent example for only $8,000 today, for example. Of course, in doing so you’re taking some risks – older cars are a great deal up front, but you’re buying something that has been used – so of course, there will be some issues. Or, in the case of really complicated cars, a lot of issues. For example, I can’t imagine what the used car market on the brand new S-Class cars is going to be in a few decades. They are going to be close to throw away cars because no one is going to be stupid enough to want to fix all of the massively complicated electronics on them as an independent and no one will be able to afford having the dealer fix them up. Back up a few decades, of course, and cars weren’t nearly as complicated so it’s at least easier on the surface to contemplate what was a cutting edge car with a lot of miles; in 1988, it didn’t get much more cutting edge or appealing than the BMW M5:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 BMW M5 on eBay

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1997 BMW M3 Sedan with 37k miles

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I unabashedly love the E36 M3 sedan, as I’ve repeatedly stated here. Some of it’s sentimentality, while there’s a newer undercurrent of practicality as they are one of the better performance values out there. We’ve seen some crazy prices for E36s, but those usually come in the Lightweight guise. Even ultra-low mileage M3s are usually sub-$20k, but today’s seller is trying to jump on the ///Mppreciation train and perfect E39 M5 money for his E36. I’m all for giving these cars the respect they deserve, but M3s with this mileage used to sit just under $15k, and last time I checked they were not E30 M3s (and they never will be).

Click for details: 1997 BMW M3 Sedan on eBay

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2010 Audi S4

The Audi S4, now in its 6th iteration, has been a perennial performance favorite of those who like the understated looks coupled with all-weather performance. And since the original, the S4 has offered a unique tuning platform; while the B6 and B7 were difficult to extract extra performance out of, the other generations have offered forced induction out of the box that allows for generous tuning potential for a real sleeper supercar slayer. 1,000 horsepower isn’t unheard of out of the legendary inline-5, but power numbers exceeding 400 seem to be almost commonplace for the C4 and B5 S4s. So when Audi launched the supercharged V6 model in 2009, the return to a smaller displacement forced induction powerplant immediately had me thinking that it wouldn’t be long until tuned versions appeared. The trick in buying a S4, though, is and always has been managing to find an unmodified one that is well cared for but also affordable. After all, for under $10,000 you can run out and grab any one of the first three generations – however, the less you spend up front, the more likely you’ll be dishing out of pocket in the future it seems. But as we get towards the newer generation of B8 you can get a car that is still quite new for a substantial discount over the original purchase price without (generally) the fears of abuse, neglect and immediate repairs that need to be undertaken. Compare this 2010 B8 S4 to a brand new 2015 model, and you’ll notice slight changes with the facelift; more attractive lights and some other minor changes, for example. However, with only 55,000 maintained miles on the clock, if you can get past the un-refreshed looks of the early B8 you’ve got a car that is nearly identical to new ones at the dealer but is only about 50% of the price:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2010 Audi S4 on eBay

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1993 BMW DTM M3 Tribute – REVISIT

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This completely redone 318is – replete with M3 parts including S52B32 engine and widebody kit – is back on eBay. It’s clearly taken a lot of work and isn’t a bad looking car (I’d say the wheels are the most glaring ugliness), but the seller is clearly determined to get his $30k out of it, as the price is exactly the same as when it was for sale 3 months ago. It’s a cool car, but unfortunately another example that one man’s expensive project does not make another man’s highly-valued dream car.

Click for details: 1993 BMW 318is/M3 on eBay

The below post appeared on our site August 31, 2014

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