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Month: September 2016

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Miserly M: 2011 BMW 335d M-Sport

Okay, so diesel has a bit of a bad reputation right now. For an enthusiast, that’s not necessarily a bad thing – and when you weigh the advantages it offers it can be quite compelling. For sure there is mileage; a friend of mine daily commutes in an A3 TDi, and despite a relatively heavy foot he returns a pretty reliable 40 m.p.g.. That’s impressive. But surveying the real world results of BMW’s diesel offering seems to suggest that it doesn’t return much better mileage than our N52 gas motor, which is inexplicably capable of 30 m.p.g. on the highway at reasonable speeds. But what BMW’s first U.S. offering of a diesel in the 3-series does offer is some sport. You see, while M3 owners will shout all day about horsepower numbers, the 335d’s weapon is being pushy. The S65 may be a legendary V8 already, but it only is able to twist with 295lb. ft of torque. In contrast, the 335d offers a bit more in the M57 turbo diesel – a total of 428 lb.ft of torque, with horsepower numbers that nearly match the N55 at 282. Equipped with the M-Sport performance options, this is about as close to a diesel M as you can get:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 BMW 335d M-Sport on eBay

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Feature Listing: 1970 BMW 2800CS

In the movie Eight Mile, Eminem’s character was engaged in a rap battle. Stick with me, this is going somewhere. Challenge after challenge fell to Eminem’s funny yet cutting commentary in response to attacks on his character and upbringing, but when it came to the final he had to go first. There was an awkward pause where it seemed as though he’d choke, but then in a brilliant stroke of cunning, Eminem launched a barrage of insults – on himself. By taking away the enemy’s typical weapon, there was no response but to accept that he was just a great rapper. “Here, tell these people something they don’t know about me” Eminem taunts as he hands the mic to his opponent.

So, let’s discuss the 3,200 lb elephant in the room. Being an E9, this 2800CS has had rust. It also has a branded title, thanks to an accident in its history at a time when the value of these cars was fairly low. But do you know what? The previous owner and the seller combined efforts to keep this beautiful classic going. It’s been upgraded and attended to, and while it still has needs it is far from a project to run away from. This is drawn into sharper contrast as its replacement, the E24, has been steadily gaining value. Seemingly heading towards the cusp of being unaffordable for many enthusiasts, the highlights of the 6 series are shared with its predecessor; shark-like nose, a beautifully low waistline that elongates the silhouette, a sweeping roofline that it just perfect in execution. In fact, with so much attention focused now on snapping up E24s before they too become unobtainium, it’s the perfect time to consider this E9:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1970 BMW 2800CS on eBay

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1980 Audi 5000 Diesel – REVISIT

When I saw this 5000, it looked familiar to me even though we rarely cover C2s. But when I read the ad, I was sure I’d seen it before. While we try to produce fresh material with every post, once in a while a truly special or unique alumnus of our pages resurfaces. In this case, it’s a quite rare Type 43 Audi 5000 Diesel. Originally, this car was written up at the end of 2013; now, nearly 3 years later, it’s back from a seller in Tennessee, have traveled only apparently 200 more miles and with a $1,000 price drop to $8,995. What’s perhaps even more spectacular is that they stole my words for the advertisement copy, only replacing “New England” as seen below with “Tennessee”. While it was good for a laugh and I’ll choose to chalk the plagiarism up to a backhanded compliment, this remains a very impressive and rarely seen specimen:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1980 Audi 5000 Diesel on eBay

The below post originally appeared on our site December 14, 2013:

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1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster

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Not much needs to be said when we feature a 300SL, whether it be Gullwing or Roadster. Both extremely stunning in their own right, these are cars that don’t require any explaining or justifying now that examples are regularly selling for over $1,000,000. But today’s car actually comes in just slightly under the seven-figure mark. This W198 isn’t a barn find or a basket case either. So let’s check out this beautiful 1957 roadster for sale in California and find out why it’s so “cheap”.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Roadster on Hemmings

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1986 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL

When the W126 S-class first appeared in the US in the early 80s, the most powerful gasoline model available, the 380SEL, proved a bit of a disappointment. The 3.8 liter V8 engine produced a relatively paltry 155 hp, prompting wealthy American buyers to go to the trouble of importing the more powerful 500SEL from Europe. These cars, initially unavailable in the US, were powered by a 5.0 liter V8 which produced a much more respectable 240 hp. In fact, the gray market demand for the 500SEL turned out to be so strong that ultimately Mercedes-Benz of North America relented, and began officially bringing them to the US from 1984-85 (in 1986 they were phased out in favor of the 560SEL). Still, Euro 500s remained an attractive proposition: making roughly about the same power as the US 560s, they had slimmer bumpers and more attractive glass headlights. That may explain why this ’86 Euro-spec model was imported to the US in 1987, by a high-level German banker no less.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1986 Mercedes-Benz 500SEL on eBay

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