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Month: February 2018

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Double Take: Grand Prix White Carrera Targas – Which 5-speed Will You Have?

Double Take: Grand Prix White Carrera Targas – Which 5-speed Will You Have?

Published February 20, 2018 by Rob

If you find yourself desiring a classic 911 from the ’80s you’re immediately presented with a few decisions. The first of which, while seemingly the most straightforward, can actually present the biggest quandary: which model do you get, the 911SC or the 3.2 Carrera? Both are great and their similarities in design and performance are such that either model should fulfill your desires. But let’s say you’re set on the 3.2 Carrera. You want the improved performance and slightly more refined feel. You still have one more decision to make: would you rather find one of the earlier models (1984-1986) utilizing the long-standing 915 5-speed transmission or a later model (1987-1989) with the newer G50 5-speed transmission? It seems a minor detail, but the transmissions do make a difference. Most drivers find the G50 to be the nicer shifting of the two and it is a more stout transmission to begin with, a point that certainly could make a difference 30 years from new. However, the G50 also is heavier and typically the prices for the later Carreras, in part because of that transmission, tend to be higher. If you’re thinking strictly about adding one to a collection the G50 probably is the one to get. For a driver? It’s not so straightforward.

Generally speaking, unless you’re very patient most of these decisions will be made for you since you’re typically best off by buying the best available option from these years. A well sorted 911SC is likely to bring you more joy and fewer headaches than a 3.2 Carrera with some issues. Sometimes, however, the options are such that you really can have your choice and, in fact, in our case here your choice really is distilled down almost completely to the different transmissions.

Here we have two Grand Prix White 3.2 Carrera Targas with pretty similar mileage, pretty similar asking prices, and seemingly very similar condition. Both also are located in the same general region of the country. The only real differences are the interior color and the model year. Let’s proceed in chronological order and begin with this 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa, located in Miami, with Burgundy interior and 103,000 miles on it.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1985 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa on eBay

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1994 Mercedes-Benz E320

1994 Mercedes-Benz E320

Published February 19, 2018 by Andrew

I was thinking the other day about another daily driver and what it might be. It is not that I am unhappy in my Mercedes-Benz W116 and W123, but on these cold days I just wish I had a little more creature comforts and a heater that was a little stronger than just enough to keep my teeth from chattering. Naturally, the W124 came to mind and specifically the face-lifted E320. They are still relatively inexpensive to buy, they are ergonomically flawless, simple enough to maintain at home and reliable enough that you won’t be scared to death to drive it everyday in fear of something happening. When I saw this 1994 painted in Midnight Blue pop up for sale outside of Philadelphia, the gears in my head started turning. But once I really got a close look at this W124, I wasn’t about to jump on board just yet. At least not for this specific example.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1994 Mercedes-Benz E320 on eBay

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2007 Mercedes-Benz S600

2007 Mercedes-Benz S600

Published February 18, 2018 by Andrew

A few weeks ago I looked at the W220 Mercedes-Benz S600 and explained that while it might be tempting to play with fire on one of these fickle V12 beasts, you are almost certainly setting yourself up to get burned sooner or later. Probably sooner. So naturally today, I wanted to check out the next-generation of the V12 S-Class, the W221 S600. Quality and materials-wise, these were a massive improvement over the W220 with almost-new everything and generally improved as much as they could. But notice I said ”almost-new everything” as there is one major thing that was carried over from the W220 S600: the M275 V12 engine. Is it still worth taking the plunge to get your twin-turbo V12 fix while enjoying a deep and supple message from the drivers seat? Surely, time and Mercedes engineers heal all, right?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2007 Mercedes-Benz S600 on eBay

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1989 BMW 635CSi

1989 BMW 635CSi

Published February 18, 2018 by Carter

Just as Rob’s first 911 experience was a Targa and he consequently always has a soft spot for them, my formative BMW experience was my father’s first foray into German automobiles. I was a young teenager when he purchased a 1982 633CSi. Coming from a family that had otherwise had only Toyotas, the 633CSi looked, felt and went in exotic ways I could never have imagined. The tactile sensations remain with me; the bark of the exhaust, the smell of the leather, how unbelievably small and uncomfortable that rear seat was.

He later followed up the 633 with a 1985 635CSi. Though outwardly the only change was larger wheels and the front air dam with integrated spoiler, it felt much more modern. I didn’t know it at the time, but of course that’s because it was – underneath, the E24 had moved to the E28 bits and that really did make a difference when you drove the two back to back. But BMW wasn’t done updating the dinosaur from the 70s quite yet.

1988 saw a host of further upgrades to the chassis even as its planned successor 8-series was completed on the drawing board computer. Inside the car got an airbag steering wheel, while outside saw revisions to the headlights and bumper caps. But the bigger news was under the hood, where the M30B35 replaced the B34. Moving from the 3.2 to 3.4 motor between the 633 and 635 change had netted only 1 more horsepower for the shark, though it did have more torque. However the newly updated 3.4 really did up performance a few ticks. Now with 208 horsepower and 214 lb.ft of torque, the last of the E24s were the best non-M you could buy in terms of luxury, performance and drivability. It’s no surprise, then, that they’re also generally the most valuable outside of the M range, and this 1989 has been offered with no reserve to the delight of many bidders:

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1981 Porsche 911SC Coupe

1981 Porsche 911SC Coupe

Published February 18, 2018 by Rob

The 911SC remains one of my favorite Porsche models. It played an important role in the 911 establishing itself as the premier sports car in the Porsche lineup and without it this iconic rear-engine performer may have gone the way of Porsche’s many other former models. It also presents good value among the air-cooled line. While they played an important historical role, their relative simplicity has kept values down compared with some of the other models. So you can still get a good classic 911 in original condition without spending too much.

Or those values can allow you to follow another route. The 911SC becomes a canvas to build the 911 of your own. Along with the 3.2 Carrera these are the most commonly modified Porsches we see. However, unlike the Carrera, which builders tend to use as their foundation for building pretty highly priced back-dated 911s attempting to replicate the heroic Carrera RS of the past, the 911SC can be found in a wider variety of builds and generally much lower prices. It seems regardless of where they end up the 911SC keeps those values lower.

That’s more or less the situation with this 911SC. The owner bought it a couple years ago and began to transform it. The overall look is quite different, but it still maintains the basics that make it identifiable as one of these ’80s 911s. I’m not sure the price is quite right, but it’s not nearly as egregiously high as many of the Carrera builds we see. I think it provides a point we can work with.

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