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In a modern manufacturing world where everything is calculated down to the penny and scaling is everything, it is a wonder we as consumers of cars actually were presented with some really low-volume examples. I’m not talking a few thousand or a few hundred, I’m talking just 50. Yes, somehow someone at Porsche convinced the production planners to make 50 identical cars, all in the same special color and specs, and just for the US market as well. You can go back and read about the 997 Club Coupe the last time I looked at one, but today I wanted to check out this example with just 6,200 miles on the odometer. I was really excited for this one, then I saw something that didn’t make sense to me. Let me explain.
There is certainly something about a G-Body Porsche 911 in a shade of green. The G-Body is arguably the most iconic shape of the 911 and certainly one of the most recognizable, so when you pair it with today’s color, Moss Green Metallic, it is a home run for me. Normally green makes up just 1% to 3% of total car production, and that is for both the car industry as a whole and for Porsche specifically. So if you feel like you don’t see a lot of green cars out there, you aren’t wrong. This 1986 up for sale in Italy is well into the “driver” category with over 100,000 miles, but that doesn’t mean it is going to come cheap. Nope, not at all.
I’m not exactly breaking any news here, but if you want an R129 Mercedes-Benz 600SL/SL600 at somewhat of a reasonable price, don’t sit around too much longer. The cream of the crop is already selling for a ton of money, and the very nice examples have quickly risen to a level where you really have to love these cars to spend the amount of money they are demanding. Thankfully there still are some not-so expensive ones out there on the market, but I think it is very clearly becoming a “you get what you pay” situation on them. Today’s example, a 2000 SL600 up for sale outside of Boston, sure seems to be one of those cases.
If you say “aging twin-turbocharged V12 engine” to any sane car person, they’ll probably reply along the lines of “You couldn’t give it to me for free.” They probably wouldn’t be too far off, but it all comes down to expectations going into something like that. Is it going to be cheap and easy? Probably not. Is it going to be a total disaster of Maserati Biturbo proportions? Hopefully not. In all seriousness, the Mercedes-AMG M275 engine is about the best you can ask for in terms of what they made and how much reward you get from it, which is 604 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. Much to everyone’s surprise and now delight, these engines have been proven to be anything but a rolling disaster. However, does that mean it is worth rolling the dice on one when the price becomes attractive enough? Let’s take a look with this 2008 with an impressive 80,000 miles on the odometer.
I know I’m not exactly throwing out a hot take here, but the 997 generation Porsche 911 Turbo seems to be aging well. It unmistakably looks like a 911 and doesn’t have odd or dated design elements like a certain prior generation. Inside it’s also a perfectly pleasant place to be. Yes, the infotainment system is not great, but as long as you aren’t using it for navigation, it is perfectly serviceable. Performance wise, still really fast with 0-60 runs in the high 3 second range. What isn’t to like? Well, it still is an expensive car both to buy and service, as demonstrated by the 2007 up for sale in North Carolina. I’ve purchased my cars for less than the most recent service bill. Come check it out.
