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Month: July 2020

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2003 Mercedes-Benz S500

Red is a funny color when it comes to cars. Coupe or sports sedan? Sure, looks great. Full-size luxury sedan or SUV? Are you out of your mind? Even when it is offered on a SUV, it is usually in a much softer red that borders on burgundy. Same with the full-size sedans, a soft red. However, sometimes you do find the rare luxury sedan finished in the brightest red you can think of and it catches you off guard. Wouldn’t you have it, this is exactly what we have today in the 2003 Mercedes-Benz S500 I found up for sale in Poland. It is literally called “Magma Red” and isn’t shy about it. The thing is, I’m not sure if I like it just because it’s different or because it actually looks good.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2003 Mercedes-Benz S500 on Klasyka Gatunku Poland

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1977 BMW 530i

Being an Audi fan, I’m aware of what a bad reputation can do to cars. In the 1970s, Audi gained a reputation for unreliability and poor electronics; perhaps justified, considering the many stories that people have about early Audi 100 ownership. However, it’s a haunting reputation that nearly 40 years on they’re still trying to shake. It looked as if by the early 2000s they had done so, but now a generation on, the cars from the Y2K generation have their own problems and have bred more discontent generally from enthusiasts on the outside looking in. The result is that it’s damn near impossible to find a nice condition Audi from the 1970s, and in just a few years we’ll see the same thing with 1990s Audis, too.

Where am I going with this, considering this is a listing for a BMW? Well, the early E12s had their own problems, but notably that was an issue in the U.S.. That’s because to meet U.S. market regulations, the E12 was made slower and more ugly. Large 5 m.p.h. bumpers were fitted, and compression on the M30 was dropped to meet lower fuel standards. Additionally, to burn off hydrocarbons to meet emissions regulations, the 530i was fitted with thermal reactor manifolds. They did as their name suggested, though the reaction unfortunately many times was with the internals of the engine – warping heads and frying valves. It was a debacle which spelled the death of the 530i, reborn as the 528i in 1979. Coupled with rust issues that this generation BMW had, it’s now quite hard to find an original U.S. spec 530i. Yet here’s a lovely one with some nice mods:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1977 BMW 530i on eBay

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2020 Porsche 718 Spyder

With the launch of the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, we were also offered a topless version with the 718 Spyder. We’ve seen the Boxster Spyder before, but never like this. This Spyder was developed under the guidance of Porsche GT boss Andy Preuninger from the GT department, thus making it a real “GT car,” just not badged as such. It literally is just a Spyder version of the 718 GT4 with the same suspension, engine, and tuning, just with the little folding top similar to that of the GT3-based 991.2 Speedster. So if you want a GT4, but also want the open-air feeling, here you go.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2020 Porsche 718 Spyder on eBay

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1998 BMW Z3

In the realm of unappealing BMWs, the Z3 might just take the cake. Sure, it’s partially rescued by unusual body styles or a big motor in the case of the Coupe or the M editions. But for a standard Z3, there seems to be little appeal. It was not the best built car from BMW, it was certainly not the best looking car they’ve made, and in the case of the four-cylinder models, you didn’t have much in terms of performance, either.

Here we have a ’98 Z3 1.9. Under the hood was the 138 horsepower M44, and since the Z3 wasn’t exactly the feather weight of the original Miata, it resulted in pretty average acceleration. It would wisk you to 60 mph in just a hair under 10 seconds, and hitting 100 would take the best part of half a minute. It did return nearly 30 mpg on the highway, but then my 135i does that too, and it has a bit over twice as much horsepower. Heck, go easy on the throttle and the M3 will return almost 30 on the highway.

But if you want a budget convertible, the Z3 is a solid German option. First, you could get a manual. Second, they’re cheap to fix and cheap to run. There were a lot of them, too, so used parts are available. And this one is presented in a pretty neat color – Violett-rot 2 (328) with some good options. Is there hope?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1998 BMW Z3 on eBay

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Evergreen Forest IV: 1999 BMW M Coupe

The Golf R Color Spektrum wasn’t the green hot hatch you were hoping for? Well, here’s a potential alternative that’s a lot cheaper – and probably more fun, though certainly not as practical.

Evergreen is certainly a polarizing shade, but it’s also one of the neater and more rare tones offered on the Z3 Ms when they were released. Because it was unique, BMW often chose it to run as its press fleet – and that seems to be the case with this car. One of a claimed 27 Evergreen M Coupes with an Evergreen and black Nappa leather interior produced, this one is also claimed to be the first made in this combination, and is claimed to have been used by Motorweek in their test of the model. Whether you want to sit in the throne once occupied by John Davis is another matter, especially when you couple it with its subsequent history:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1999 BMW M Coupe on eBay

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