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Author: Carter

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Two Turbos or None? BMW 335i v. M3

Published January 17, 2015 by Carter

A few months ago at a gathering of friends, two BMWs were present – my friend’s E46 M3 and his acquaintance’s E82 135i. A bit under my breath, I mentioned to him that I still couldn’t get over how unattractive the 135i was compared to the M3. I may have said that the E82 looked a bit like a really poor quality bodyshop repaired a E46 that had been both in full frontal and rear crashes – poorly. But my friend countered that if anything, that 135i was faster and more fun to drive than his M3. Looking back, I paused, and thought “Could I?” The answer remains no in my book, but it does raise an interesting question – with E92 335i prices dropping within reach of the higher E46 M3s, which is the better choice?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2008 BMW 335i on eBay

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2003 Audi S6 Avant

Published January 16, 2015 by Carter

I stopped by my long-time mechanic’s just the other day to discuss some suspension repairs to the Subaru. This particular mechanic – Duarte de Costa at D&F Motorsports in Providence, Rhode Island – has been serving our family now for the best part of twenty years. He even came to my wedding. As our editor Paul said, “That’s when you know you’re into a guy deep!” To be honest, I wasn’t surprised that there was a family car there – Duarte bought my parent’s Allroad when they had enough of the repairs. But also on the lift was my father’s 1989 Porsche 944 Turbo with a headgasket failure. Parked sadly underneath it, though, was the Allroad, complete with collapsed suspension once again. By my count, it’s the fifth time in ten years that the suspension has had to be serviced. But it’s not alone; drive around Providence and you’ll see any number of Allroads bouncing around on blown airbags. It’s become so rare to see a nice one around here, you almost forget that they’re really pretty good looking cars. What’s inescapable for many, though, are the expensive repairs to keep the twin-turbocharged V6 and the active air suspension going. What’s the solution for a good looking Allroad then? Ditch both of those things and get the even more potent S6 Avant:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2003 Audi S6 Avant on eBay

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Wednesday Wheels Roundup

Published January 14, 2015 by Carter

I managed to track down some neat wheels for this week’s roundup – some of which I’ve never seen in their particular configurations. The first is the set of Rial Cobra wheels for Audi 4×108 – an interesting and slightly different look than the typical BBS RS. The second set is a similar Audi 4×108 bolt pattern set of Speedline wheels. The Work BMW wheels are a set that are more often seen on Japanese market cars, so they’re cool to see for BMWs. Similarly, the Ronal Turbo in early BMW configuration is rare to find. Lastly are the BBS RM500s; not the most popular BBS design, but a quite rare one. This set would work on some Audi, Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz models. Which is your favorite?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Rial Cobra 15×7 4×108 Wheels on eBay

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1967 BMW 2000CS

1967 BMW 2000CS

Published January 14, 2015 by Carter

If you like the classic BMW E9 coupe, odds are that you also think the earlier New Class Coupe is pretty awesome too. Granted, some don’t appreciate the more delicate look of the 4-cylinder big pillarless coupe, but most of the design features that Wilhelm Hofmeister penned into the 2000C and 2000CS were directly translated into the E9 coupe. That means, of course, that the design language was effectively the same for over twenty years until the last of the similar designs – the E24 – finally left production in 1989. Even then, the “Hofmeister Kink” remained a styling cue that was incorporated into the new designs from Munich. The 2000CS, though, held some unique details such as the front end which looked distinctly different than the models that followed. Shared with some of the New Class sedans, the dual beam lights hid behind a glass cover – something that wouldn’t occur again until the 1990s. But the profile was classic BMW coupe; a long hood and delicate A and C pillars with plenty of glass along with a sharply cut tail. Squint, and you can still see some details that are incorporated even into modern BMWs:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1967 BMW 2000CS on eBay

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Redefining “Beater” – 1995 Audi S6 – REVISIT

Published January 14, 2015 by Carter

After lingering and reappearing for some time at a nearly $7,000 asking price, the seller of this “beater” S6 has finally compromised and the car is now offered at no reserve. Our readers previously suggested it was a $3,500 car – bidding is currently around $3,000 with two days to go. How much will this winter weapon end up at?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Audi S6 on eBay

The below post originally appeared on our site September 15, 2014:

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