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Month: February 2015

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1983 BMW 635CSi Euro-spec

Published February 19, 2015 by Carter

Perspective is an interesting thing. This came to mind when considering this E24 for several reasons. First off is how some people like certain perspectives of cars more than others. For me, the best angle of the E24 is the 3/4 rear shot, which accentuates the flowing roofline, the subtle drop in the trunk, and tucks the long hood in just slightly while not masking it. It makes the car look both elegant and aggressive. However, to this car’s seller, the best perspective is clearly the front as there are no less than seven pictures of the front of the car but effectively none of the side or rear that are at all meaningful. Now, perhaps that wouldn’t matter much to a perspective buyer of this European specification 1983 635CSi if the price were quite aggressively low. Instead, though, it is quite aggressively high, which brings me to my second point about perspective. That is, how much a car is worth is really a perspective of both the seller and the buyer. It would seem that amongst more rare models, the initial attempt at pricing generally seems like a Hail Mary – a hope that someone, somewhere will say “That’s the car that I want, regardless of price” and ante up. Obviously, what a car is worth to the seller in terms of either sweat equity or sentimental value does not necessarily equate to market value for a buyer except in rare occasions. So, let’s consider today’s 635CSi:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1983 BMW 635CSi on eBay

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2004 BMW 330i ZHP Dinan

Published February 19, 2015 by Paul

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Age, as they say, is but a number. And so it goes sometimes with cars that we come across here at GCFSB. We’ve seen some vehicles with well over six digit mileage that stagger the mind with their immaculate condition. Such is the case with this 2004 BMW 330i ZHP for sale in Massachusetts. This car has passed the 150k mile mark but looks as crisp as when it left the showroom. Chalk it up to one fastidious owner who follows the folks over at ZHP Mafia, a site dedicated to the performance package offered on E46 sedans, coupes and convertibles for a few years.

Click for details: 2004 BMW 330i ZHP Dinan on ZHP Mafia

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2001 Audi S4

Published February 19, 2015 by Carter

An interesting thing is happening for me with the B5 Audi S4. Even when it launched, I considered the B5 too complicated, too heavy and a bit too boring in the design. Is it a handsome looking car? Sure, but to me it wasn’t quite as special looking as the wider fendered C4 and V8 quattro models had been. Performance was good but not outstanding, and I openly criticized the new S4 as barely being the match for the already out-of-production E36 M3. So when power was upped substantially in the new B6 V8, on paper it was a better car. It seemed less complicated, more of a muscle car that was practical. But recent events in the used B6/7 market – the fear of timing chain guides – have changed the discussion. On top of that, many of the issues that the B5 platform experienced are being worked on by an enthusiastic community with market support. It’s something that hasn’t really previously occurred in the Audi market, but getting these older cars to run better (and without check engine lights constantly ablaze) is suddenly of interest in light of the problems with the later V8s. On top of that, clean examples of the S4 are already starting to dry up, since many dropped in value so quickly or weren’t maintained properly. Has the time of the B5 S4 finally come again?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2001 Audi S4 on eBay

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1968 Porsche 912 Coupe

Published February 18, 2015 by Rob

I have always had a particular fondness for the 912 and a part of me wishes Porsche would offer such an alternative now: a lower-cost, lighter, no-frills, four-cylinder version of the 911 that could be pushed relatively hard without needing the wider spaces of a track. I recognize that is an unlikely reality given that Porsche’s brand fits much more squarely in the upper tiers of cost and luxury, but I can always hope. Because of this I tend to keep my eye out for a 912, which is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Like any other early Porsche, 912 values have moved up and even though this has been at a much slower rate than we see with the 911 it is in part because of the 911 that the 912 has become much more prized. With a nearly identical appearance, but a 1.6 liter flat-4 rather than the 911’s 2.0 liter flat-6, the 912 provides interested buyers a 911 alternative at a much lower cost, which has always been its purpose. Here we have a Green 1968 Porsche 912 Coupe, located in Maine, with 76,000 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1968 Porsche 912 Coupe on eBay

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1986 Mercedes Benz 500 SEC Convertible

Published February 18, 2015 by Andrew

One of the reasons I enjoy writing about cars, especially used ones, is that they remind me of a certain era. They often take me to a place in my head where I can imagine that vehicle in a particular setting and what kind of world surrounded it. A 1996 Audi A6 Avant makes me think of a Bavarian family on their way to a mountain getaway, an E30 M3 of a group of young Brits headed to the track for the weekend, an E39 M5 of a well heeled man racing across town to an important meeting. My love of cars has always been tied to the stories they have to tell or ones that they make me imagine when I come across them. I think that’s probably why I was drawn to the batshit crazy vehicle you see before you. This Mercedes is completely ridiculous on first glance, a rolling testament as to why money can’t buy you class.

But then a funny thing happens after you stare at it for awhile. You stop laughing and start wondering why the hell anyone would drop over a $100k building such a garish ride. Suddenly it’s not so funny anymore and you want to get to the bottom of this mystery. Was the person who paid for this mentally fit when they signed the papers to have Marque Motor Coach Builders cut the top off a W126 500 SEC? Did they loose a bet with a friend who had them paint it canary yellow? Did they grow up in culture where brown and yellow are the colors that represent the height of luxury? So many questions we’ll sadly never know the answer to but alas, such is the nature of many used vehicles. What I think we can assume happened here is someone had some extra money burning a hole in their pocket around the end of the year and in an altered state of consciousness decided to blow said money on a custom convertible I’m going to henceforth refer to as “Big Bird”.

Click for details: 1986 Mercedes Benz W126 500 SEC Convertible

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