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Month: February 2018

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Orient Red Metallic 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe

Here we have a car engaged in a little bit of an identity crisis. I find it a little perplexing, but let me get to that later because beyond that disjunction it’s actually a rather interesting 911 Turbo. This is an Orient Red Metallic 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe with 53,795 miles on it. It’s fitted with the Turbo Aerokit along with a pronounced front lip spoiler, factory options that are kind of divisive in their appeal, but nonetheless are fairly rare. The interior also has a wide array of maple wood accents and leather fittings. Those options bring with them a level of elegance that seems somewhat at odds with the exterior options. It’s all very much racer on the outside and grand tourer on the inside. But which does it want to be?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Orient Red Metallic 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo Coupe on eBay

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1987 Porsche 944S with 15,000 Miles

It’s no great revelation that values of the transaxle Porsches are all over the place. I looked at two of the most expensive you could buy recently with the twin low-mileage Turbo S Silver Rose examples:

Double Take – 25,000 Miles Total: 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S Silver Rose

In impeccable condition, it was no surprise that the asks were out-of-reach for nearly all enthusiasts. On the other end of the spectrum sits the lowly 924; you recently had your choice of either of these very clean examples for about $4,000, both special in their own way:

Face Off: 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo v. 1988 Porsche 924S Special Edition

But I have to say, the one I covered recently that bothered me the most was the $20,000 ask for the 1988 944 Special Edition, or “Celebration”, model. Sure, it had one of the coolest interiors offered by Porsche in the period, though it’s soundly outdone by the Silver Rose.

1988 Porsche 944 ‘Celebration’ Special Edition

But I just can’t wrap my head around why you’d want to pay a premium for one. For the 924S Special Edition, it makes sense, in a way. The delta between normal and SE values is small and there are tangible performance gains for the Special Edition. But the Celebration was effectively just a loaded 944 with a neat interior. Surely, there must be a better option?

There was.

Alongside the appearance package offered on the regular 944, Porsche introduced the “Super” 944. The new M44/40 double overhead cam motor upped power output substantially to nearly 190, but outside of the subtle “S” badge on the rear and the embossed “16 Ventlier” on the side trim, there were no signs of the performance gains under the hood. There was a substantial change, however, to the base price, which cut the middle ground between the ~$32,000 944 and ~$40,000 Turbo at around $37,000. I always felt like Porsche’s pricing versus power gains on these models seemed a little too convenient; you got the impression that they could do more with the model, but didn’t want to tread on the 911’s toes. Apparently, so did buyers at the time. The 944S failed to sell as well as the normal 944 or the Turbo, with about 8,800 imported over the short two year production cycle before it was replaced by the even more potent and better looking S2. Few appear today like this 15,000 mile Zermatt Silver Metallic one does:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Porsche 944S on eBay

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Roll the Dice? 1988 BMW M5

The M5 might not have been the original super sedan. It wasn’t even the first hot 5-series. But just like the GTI is synonymous with the hot-hatch segment, the M5 became the standard by which all other super-sedans were judged the moment it rolled onto the scene in 1985. Power seemed other-worldly; 280 plus horsepower from the race-derived M88/3 hunkered down with beefy suspension upgrades and huge (for the time) alloy wheels linked with a limited-slip differential. At a time when “fast” cars had 180 horsepower, BMW’s first M-offering in the sedan range might as well have been a space ship.

BMW promised limited production for the U.S. market, too – and, indeed, only 1,200 were produced for the U.S. with the slightly de-tuned S38. Unfortunately, that was 700 more than BMW had promised to make, and that led to a lawsuit. It also wasn’t very long before the M5’s power reign was eclipsed; first by its replacement E34 model, then by the whole range of new V8 models emerging on the market, from the 1992 Audi V8 quattro to the 500E. Values quickly fell as these old-looking (even when new) boxy rockets fell out of favor, and they remained there for quite some time.

But recently there’s grown a much greater appreciation for all things 80s M, and though the E30 has grabbed the headlines as the market star, outside of the M1 it is the E28 M5 that was brought here in fewest numbers. Even fewer have survived, and finding clean, lower mile examples can be tough. It can also be very, very expensive – Enthusiast Auto Group currently has four great ones on offer, but the lack of listed prices is an indication of some of the market volatility. Hagerty now values condition 1 cars at $98,000, and even poor examples are quite pricey. So is there room in the budget to improve upon one that’s listed at a bargain rate?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 BMW M5 on eBay

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Polar Silver 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6

I don’t know that this 911 model needs much introduction. It’s a much loved model by writers and readers alike here at GCFSB and I always feel a certain elation when I see another one come up for sale. For those not entirely familiar this is the 964 Turbo 3.6. We might say it’s what the 964 Turbo was supposed to be from the beginning, but it took a few years to come to fruition. It’s not quite the pinnacle of 964 Turbos since that is reserved for this car’s successor – the ultra-rare Turbo S – but I think for many the Turbo 3.6 itself is one of the holy grail cars. And while not cheap you can have one for far less money than a Turbo S. Heck you might be able to have three for less money than a Turbo S!

Here’s an excellent looking example, painted in the fairly rare color of Polar Silver. It’s located in Ohio and sits with 54,960 miles on it. The best part: it’s one of the best prices I’ve seen for a Turbo 3.6 in quite some time.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Polar Silver 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo 3.6 on eBay

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2005 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Coupe

A couple weeks ago I featured this Speed Yellow 2005 C4S Coupe. It appeared to be an exceptional example of what is a generally unloved model. I stated in that post that I think bright colors really work in the 996’s favor when it comes to maximizing the attractive qualities of its exterior. However, not everyone wants a brightly colored exterior and Speed Yellow is about as bright as they come. Also, as much as I liked that C4S it was very expensive with a price well into good 996TT territory.

Here I hope to remedy those two problems. This is the same model 911, from the same model year right at the end of 996 production, so you get what is for me a better looking 996 and the sort of usability that always has made the C4S a worthy candidate for daily driver duties should that be your desire. Obviously it’s nearly the polar opposite in color. I’ll admit I could do without the tint, especially of the rear lenses, but otherwise where a Speed Yellow 911 will turn every head, this black one should allow you to cruise by (mostly) unnoticed. At 20,086 miles, the mileage is still quite low but it’s priced almost $20K less. That’s a lot of money for Speed Yellow and a few less miles.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Coupe on eBay

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