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One of the most interesting things I want to see in the next 5 to 10 years is what happens to the cars that were extremely expensive when new and offered a ton of things, but no one really wants anymore because they’ve become very dated. It is tough to compare that the to path the cars of the ’70s, ’80s, and now ’90s because they were all relatively straightforward in what they were and now are. Something like a 1992 S600 Coupe or 1993 BMW 850Ci was at the top of the food chain in the mid-’90s, but as soon as something new came out, they were dumped for the latest and greatest. Now 20 years later people are clamoring for clean examples of those because sometimes the the latest isn’t necessarily the greatest.
Case in point, a 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL63 AMG. At the time, this and the CL65 were the top of the range big coupe in the Mercedes lineup and had everything and more when it came to a car. Extreme power and the best tech, but now there are much faster cars and the tech isn’t really the best anymore. The thing is, this car isn’t bringing back feelings of nostalgic for probably anyone. These cars burn fast and hot, then are forgotten about given all the other ways we can spend a pile of money on a fun car. What does that do for prices of these? Straight down.
Sometimes just for fun I go back and look at concept cars for production models just to see how much had to be changed for whatever reason. The first-generation Porsche Boxster is an interesting example of what started as a really progressive design with some homages to years past, only to be changed significantly because of production requirements and cost control. Go look at the working 1993 concept, and the exterior had shades of 550 Spyder while the interior had some really wild features such as little three-fan blades as blower fans. I totally get why something like that didn’t make production as it would have been extremely expensive to produce, and even more expensive to fix after they broke twenty minutes after leaving the dealer lot from someone sticking something in them. What ended up in production is a design that was still fresh for the mid-1990s, but an interior that was watered-down considerably. Still, it is tough for more to argue about this Boxster as this car literally saved Porsche from dire financial straits, along with the Cayenne.
Now that we are nearly almost 25 years from the launch of the Boxster in 1996, are these becoming classics that will be looked at the same way we now look at the 914? Tough to say.
Maybe just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Porsche’s paint-to-sample and Exclusive options programs has given us some real gems over the year, but every once in a while we get some real odd balls. Today’s 2008 911 C2S is bordering on that. This 997.1 is finished in the same green as the GT3 RS which isn’t the worst thing ever, but it is what happens on the inside that takes it to the limit in my eyes. Wait until you see for yourself.
All of a sudden it’s March! You know what that means. Four more weeks of winter for us in the northern part of the country and then we’ll maybe start thinking about spring. In all seriousness, hope springs eternal when the calendar turns and we’ll be preparing for car season. What better way to kick it off by looking at a Mercedes-Benz convertible with a supercharged V8 with nearly 500 horsepower?
This 2003 SL55 AMG up for sale in Arizona is finished in the classic Brilliant Silver Metallic, but when you open the doors you get your hair blown away with a red leather interior. Personally, I love it. I love even more that it has just 14,000 miles as well.
About a month ago, I came across a really nice 2002 Porsche 911 Turbo painted in Orient Red Metallic with just 9,900 miles on the odometer. Of course, it looks like it sold for $55,100, which I thought was a good buy, but then was relisted shortly after and was only bid to $44,000. Such is life trying to sell an expensive car on your own in 2020. As luck would have it another 996 Turbo in Orient Red popped up for sale, although this one has 72,000 miles and is a 5-speed Tiptronic, not the the 6-speed manual transaxle. What does that do for the price? Not much it seems.
