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This is an interesting follow-up on the 135i. For that car, I loved the condition; I wish mine was close to that nice and had 100k less miles than it does. But I’d much rather have the spec that my car is; manual, red interior, non-M Sport (so light headliner) – it really makes the car feel more special.
Where am I going with this? Well, for a bit over 20 years I’ve wanted an S8. Like the 135i, it’s not a perfect car, but it does a lot of things really well and is (in the grand scheme) pretty affordable as a “dream” car. Today’s example also has already had a manual swap to deal with one of the larger long-term issues of S8 ownership; the weak gearbox. Is the result perfection? Like the 135i…no; but it is compelling. Let’s take a look:
What’s the price for perfection? Well, it can vary a lot – just like the definition of perfection. Is the 135i the perfect car? Far from it; it has some funky angles, old tech, and is surprisingly heavy for how diminutive it looks. That said, it also packs a lot of punch; in either N54 or N55 guise, it’s got 300 horsepower, Brembo brakes, and is a hoot to drive on the road. These cars were priced in the high 30s when new, and really good examples have never gotten very cheap. Today’s car is a great example of that – probably one of the best-condition and original E82s in the US, with a scant 15,000 miles on the odometer. It was also ordered with the M Sport package. Is it perfection?
Well, they are here. One of the hottest and most anticipated Porsche models in a while. The 718 Cayman GT4 RS. For everything the GT4 is, the GT4 RS is at another level. You know the drill. The naturally aspirated 4.0-liter flat-six makes a peak 493 horsepower and 331 pound-feet of torque, good enough to pull down 0-60 runs in 2.8 seconds. Those are hypercar numbers in a Cayman. All at a starting price of $150,000. Of course, that is if you can get one, which of course you can’t unless you’ve been leasing loaded-up Cayennes every 3 years from your local dealer since they came out back in 2004 as well as buying everything else that has been offered to you without fuss. Then maybe you can get on the list. If that isn’t you, then here you go. All you need to do is send the money…a lot of money.
Crazy to think that the older 991-generation of Porsche 911 is now 10 years old. Time stops for no one and here we are. For myself, I loved and still do admire the 991. There is nothing conversational or risky about it, other than maybe it is a little large. However, cars growing in size aren’t exactly unique to Porsche, as every car has grown outside of the really niche models. If I had my choice, I’d have a 991 GT3 and call it a day, but for around $60,000 less, I’ll take today’s car: a 2012 911 Carrera S coupe.
Crazy to think that $20,000 isn’t considering a large sum of money for a car anymore, but it will still buy you a handful of really cool used stuff as long as you are okay with it being 20 years old. Hard to wrap my head around the fact that the R230 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is in fact that old, but thankfully it doesn’t look its age. Today’s car, a 2003 SL500 up for sale in Chicagoland, brings a whole lot of flash with its Mars Red paint, but thankfully you can drive away while still being under that $20,000 limit.
