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Author: Carter

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1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S

1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S

Published July 15, 2015 by Carter

Though I’ve recently posted two low mileage white 944s, neither for me is better than this to me. The 17,000 mile creampuff 1983 was certainly impressive, especially considering how few good condition 1983 come to market. But at $15,000, I’d probably look for an admittedly less perfect but good driver-condition 944 Turbo. So what about the ridiculously low mileage 1988 Turbo I looked at last week? Certainly that would fit the bill – or a lot of bills, considering the reported $40,000 asking price. No, a few things were off; I’d rather have a car with moderate mileage that I wasn’t afraid of driving, and if I was going for a turbo it would either be an early car with Fuchs, or a much preferred “S” example. And of the later Turbos, I can say without any hesitation this is my favorite; the “Silver Rose” 1988 Turbo S was stunning not only in performance, but in looks as well. The light pinkish grey exterior was set of by polished and forged Club Sport wheels that alone were a huge upgrade over the late Phone Dials in my opinion. Under the hood the boost was turned up; now churning out 247 horsepower, this was the hottest hatch you could get in the 1980s. To help keep it under control, the M030 adjustable suspension and 928S4 brakes were added to the package. But aside from all of the technical and exterior appearance bits that made the ’88 special, it was the interior that was really the pièce de résistance. The special pink gradient plaid interior was, and still is, the most amazing interior you could get in these 944 Turbos to me. Today, if you’re looking for a collectable 944 Turbo – or 944 at all – look no further:

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1986 Audi 5000CS Quattro

1986 Audi 5000CS Quattro

Published July 15, 2015 by Carter

People who have owned Audis have stories about their Audis. Those that love them have stories about conquering snowbanks, hundreds of thousands of miles accrued, or the extreme value they provided in the used luxury market. Those that hate them recount the countless times they broke down, or the semi-ridiculous nature of those breakdowns; the steering rack fell off, all of the electrics died at once, or they rusted before they were even purchased new. In the world of used Audis, there just doesn’t seem to be any ambivalent middle ground; people love them, or hate them. While I fall into the hippie love-fest for most 1980s Audi products, I’ll admit that I have my fair share of horror stories that would probably scare off less devoted fans. I owned two big-body Audis; a 1989 200 quattro Avant, and a 1993 V8 quattro. In many ways, the 1989 was identical to this 1986 5000CS quattro underneath and outside, but the 200 had several updates to the interior. But the horror stories? Sure, there are plenty of those. There was the time on the Mass Pike outside Sturbridge – leaving a toll booth, the car was running great and I gave it the full boot out of the gate. Full out to redline, grab the next gear and right back on it – I must have been making an impression on the people as my land yacht wagon aimed its nose decidedly at the moon. When I looked in the mirror to see how impressed they were, I saw nothing – except white smoke. Lots and lots of white smoke. I pulled over to see that an oil feed line to the cooler had popped off and I had emptied the sump as quickly as the pump could pump at redline. Sweeeeeet. Then there was the time I looked at confused at the voltage gauge which read over 14 volts. Then it read 11. Then 14 again. Then over 14. I was over a hundred miles from home, and the subsequent drive home required me to steadfastly keep my eyes on the gauge and balance the electrical load by turning on and off all of the electrical items (which still worked) to keep the alternator from blowing up the battery. How about the time that the brakes stuck on; a common problem with collapsing brake lines that don’t allow the pressure to release. Driving down 95 in the low speed lane at 50 m.p.h., my wife turned to me and asked why I didn’t speed up a little bit. “I’M AT FULL THROTTLE”, I frustrating replied. Then there was the time on the way to a winter driving school that the car threw an alternator belt on 24 North and I had to drive back to a friends house at 4 in the morning with no lights. And that doesn’t even begin to recount my stories of the V8 quattro…these are the sort of stories that build character in enthusiasts or drive them away completely. And when you’re talking about the Type 44, most have been driven away; a complicated car which was hated so much thanks to bad press in the 1980s, Audi nearly withdrew from the U.S. marketplace. To say that finding a 5000CS quattro in the condition of this car today is rare is an understatement:

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Tuner Tuesday: 2006 BMW M3 Dinan S3-R

Tuner Tuesday: 2006 BMW M3 Dinan S3-R

Published July 14, 2015 by Carter

My ongoing search for a clean E46 M3 continues, and despite the relatively high number produced it does indeed seem more difficult to track one down than it probably should. Early cars are typically more suspect, with many owners, dubious modifications and higher miles. Additionally, my criteria for getting into an M3 is admittedly limiting. The car must be a manual gearbox, and given that I have a preference for some of the more expressive colors like Laguna Seca Blue and Phoenix Yellow, that seems to be more difficult. But in my search I happened upon an unexpected gem that threatened to turn my head from the Crayola-toned early examples; for the most part, I’ve ruled out the later M3s because they demand higher asking prices and there seem to be less in wild colors. This car stood out for not only being the last model year of the E46 M3, but also because it was a ZCP car. Though I’ve sworn I’d never voluntarily buy into another black car, the ultra dark midnight blue hue of Carbon Black Metallic is compelling enough to consider. Add low miles, careful ownership and some discrete modifications from the best in the business to the recipe and this appears to be one of the nicer E46 M3s on the market.

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1983 Porsche 944 with 17,000 Miles

1983 Porsche 944 with 17,000 Miles

Published July 14, 2015 by Carter

I have mixed feelings every time I see a low mileage car. I’m always impressed that someone could resist the desire to drive a car they clearly loved very much. If they’re in good condition, I marvel over the amount of care necessary to sustain quality interior and exterior for, in this case, 32 years. But I also get a little confused; if it’s a high dollar exotic or special edition car being kept as a collectable, I guess I understand. But randomly will appear normal examples of slightly less than ordinary cars with nearly no miles accrued. Why? Why did the owner of this Porsche 944 buy it and then drive it only 500 miles a year? If the 944 is generally an unappreciated car, this is one of the lesser appreciated in the 944 run; an early car with stamped suspension and the same dash found in the 924, it’s one of the 5,500-odd reported imported for the 1983 model year to the U.S.. It’s not the first model year, nor is it a special edition. But the low mileage survivor is presented in pretty impressive condition, and that makes it quite special today:

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2015 BMW M3 Individual

2015 BMW M3 Individual

Published July 13, 2015 by Carter

While purists in part decried the death of the naturally aspirated M3 at the same time that the new nomenclature for the coupe lineup was launched, I personally wasn’t too offended – in fact, I was a little excited. First off, being an Audi fan I was used to name changes – Audi redefined its market lingo three times in just a few years with the change from the 5000 to 200, then again to S4, and once more S6 between 1989 and 1995. So while I thought it was a bit silly that BMW had to introduce a new number lineup for it’s coupe 3 (which, incidentally isn’t always a coupe…), I’m not going to fault BMW for choosing a new market strategy. But the real reasons I was impressed were the changes to the drivetrain and, I suppose it should come as no surprise, the colors offered. The change to the twin-turbocharged S55 didn’t produced much more horsepower than the S65 V8, but it did produce a lot more torque – something BMW was happy to showcase with a series of advertisements showing the new F82 sliding around a series of parked classic M3s. That forced induction was good for a 110 lb.ft boost over the naturally aspirated V8, starting below 2,000 rpms. You could go on and on about the technology that’s been incorporated into this engine – all of which is cutting edge and really impressive – but the chart that I find really amazing is to compare the relative power output versus efficiency of the S55 to the previous generation M3s. What’s staggering is that not only is this car the most powerful, it’s nearly able to match the fuel consumption and emissions of the 2.3 liter inline-4 from the E30. It produces well over double the horsepower and torque of the S14. That’s technology working on your side, and that’s amazing to consider. We really are living through a very special period of automobile performance if you’re able to partake; here’s a car that puts out numbers close to a legendary 427 Cobra in terms not only of power output, but acceleration as well; but it stops and turns better, too, can carry 4 (maybe 4.5?) adults in comfort, gets better fuel mileage, is better for the environment, works in all conditions and guess which one you’d rather be in a crash in.

Getting back to my original point, though, the F8x also introduced a few new colors that look amazing on the new BMWs; continuing with the theme of track-named colors, Yas Marina Blue is gorgeous, Sakhir Orange Metallic is pretty vivid, but the introduction of Austin Yellow Metallic is the one that got me. It looked an awful lot like my favorite E46 tone, Phoenix Yellow, and really makes the new M3/4 a knockout. Of course, for some those color options weren’t enough, so continuing in the theme of the last few BMWs I’ve written up, here’s one that and individual turned over to Individual:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2015 BMW M3 on eBay

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