Press "Enter" to skip to content

Month: September 2015

This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.

1974 Porsche 911S Targa

1974 Porsche 911S Targa

Published September 5, 2015 by Rob

Even though I’m very familiar with it I still find it somewhat jarring to look at the market for a 1974 Porsche 911S versus a 1973 911S. The reasons are all fairly clear: the new design with impact bumpers remains less appealing to many collectors and the engine suffers from too many restrictions necessary to meet the more stringent emissions requirements of the day. With time I can’t help but wonder how much that gap will close. A recent article on the 911 market has suggested that as collectors become increasingly likely to have been born after the introduction of the impact bumpers then the first issue will become less of a hurdle for these cars to overcome and we could then see those values rise. Obviously, that may never be borne out and the engine will always be what it is. But we do frequently hear from owners of the mid-year 911 that when maintained properly they can make for excellent machines just as any 911 does. And at the moment some of them can come at quite a discount. The example we see here is a Bitter Chocolate 1974 Porsche 911S Targa, located in Sacramento, with 146,604 miles on it and on offer with no reserve.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1974 Porsche 911S Targa on eBay

Read Our Post1974 Porsche 911S Targa
Comments closed
1997 Audi Cabriolet

1997 Audi Cabriolet

Published September 5, 2015 by Carter

The Audi Cabriolet might be the least popular modern Audi made in the used market. Considering the number of unpopular, or at least notoriously unreliable (correctly or incorrectly) Audis out there, that’s saying something. For one, I think it’s unjust, but I think it’s understandable. First off, the B4 Cabriolet only came to the U.S. with one engine configuration; the venerable 2.8 V6. That’s not much of a surprise, though, since nearly every Audi sold between 1993 and 1997 had that motor. But there was no all-wheel drive option, unlike the two models that replaced it (The B6 cabriolet and the TT cabriolet) – nor was there a manual option, which at very least was available in the sportier TT. On top of that, the B4 chassis was quite old by 1995, and Audi decided to retire it. Though refreshed in 1992, it was ostensibly the same chassis that had been introduced in late 1986 in Europe with the B3. Despite that, and the introduction of the new B5 A4 model in 1996, Audi had the B4 Cabriolet soldier on until 1998 in the U.S. market. As such, it’s often discounted as a soft, unreliable and old package when there were newer, flashier – and importantly for some, faster options such as the BMW M3 convertible. Yet, every time I see an Audi Cabriolet, I can’t help but stare a bit. Just like the Audi 90CS quattro Sport I wrote up a few weeks ago, it’s a lovely design; handsome and striking, yet understated and special looking. That was especially true of the late run Cabriolets with the optional 16″ Speedline-made “Competition” wheels. Add the optional and additional cost Pearlescent White Metallic and select the Wine Red interior, and this is a rare – and classy – package on a budget:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1997 Audi Cabriolet on eBay

Read Our Post1997 Audi Cabriolet
1 Comment
2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion Variant with 46,000 Miles

2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion Variant with 46,000 Miles

Published September 4, 2015 by Carter

Does the Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion Tiptronic make any sense as a driver? Not really. If you want something as quick, a chipped 1.8T will easily keep up and is available as a manual. If you want something as luxurious, for much less money than this example you could get into a very pretty, bigger, and all-wheel drive Audi A6 quattro Avant. And if you had to have a Volkswagen Passat with 4Motion, the V6 model represents most of this car minus a bit of grunt, but what it lacks in power it makes up for in reliability and cost of bills compared to the W8. But shouldn’t we celebrate that Volkswagen even offered us this car? It’s easy to forget that this was top of the heap in 2003 for VAG wagons; the B5 S4 was out of production, and even then this car made more power than the twin-turbo V6 did stock. The B6 S4 was yet to be introduced, and while the engine in that one was a screamer, you’d need to wait another year to order one. On top of that, we often lament as enthusiasts that we didn’t get the top-spec model; not true of the W8 Passat, which minus a few minor details was the same car offered in Europe. A little over a decade later, most are heading the way of the dodo; this is likely to be a car you seldom see anymore in just a few years. There are a few devoted fans, but few who will contemplate taking on a complicated, one-off motor like the W8 as a daily driver. But what if it appears to be nearly new?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion Variant on eBay

Read Our Post2003 Volkswagen Passat W8 4Motion Variant with 46,000 Miles
3 Comments
1995 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

1995 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet

Published September 4, 2015 by Rob

This car doesn’t exist. Or I should say, this model doesn’t exist, since the car clearly does. Porsche never officially produced a 911 Turbo Cabriolet for either the 964 or the 993 models and while such minor inconveniences as non-existence rarely dissuade certain well-heeled Porsche enthusiasts from asking the factory to make one anyway, this car has not come about through those means. Rather this one came about through many hours of labor and a thorough dip into the Porsche parts bin by an owner who simply wanted to improve his 911. Earlier this week Carter presented another take on how someone might arrive at a 993 Turbo Cabriolet and while that car’s development appears to have been somewhat, shall we say, unfocused, this build seems well thought out and carried out with a good deal of care. For starters, it began life as a 1995 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet, which makes for much better starting material than a 1977 911S Targa. Add in a 993 Turbo engine, widened rear bodywork, upgraded suspension, Turbo brakes, wheels, and sport seats and you have something fairly comparable to how we’d have expected a 993 Turbo Cabriolet to look and perform had Porsche chosen to produce one. With more than 124K miles on the clock this isn’t a garage queen only shown at special events, but rather an enthusiast’s dream made reality that is frequently enjoyed.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet on eBay

Read Our Post1995 Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet
2 Comments
1988 Volkswagen T3 Pritschenwagen

1988 Volkswagen T3 Pritschenwagen

Published September 4, 2015 by Nate

$_57 (4)

The VW DoKa, ubiquitous in Europe but rare in North America, is a unique and funky approach to trucking. It’s not powerful, but it can carry 5-6 people and a light payload out back, making it well-suited for small business owners or amateur project enthusiasts. With a little over half of a Vanagon present, DoKas cut a familiar shape, just with a truncated rear. The Pritschenwagen (flatbed) models, with their significantly longer bed and just two doors, look much more like the cab-forward trucks produced by most Japanese manufacturers.

This clean white example can have folding sides or be a full-on flatbed lined with LineX to handle whatever your project is that day. Almost as endearing as the rarity and funky shape are the two checked option boxes – rear window defroster, fair enough, but also a power driver-side mirror! Isn’t that the easier one to reach? It’s like my grandma’s 1994 Subaru that didn’t have a passenger mirror because it was an “option.” With just 73k miles, it’s a sharp-looking worker with just enough flaws to keep it reasonable.

Click for details: 1988 Volkswagen T3 Pritschenwagen on eBay

Read Our Post1988 Volkswagen T3 Pritschenwagen
Comments closed