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Author: Nate

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2002 BMW M5

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Ah, the E39 M5: the humble king of supersedans. Plenty of followers have come out with more tech, more power, and more luxury, but none have found the perfect balance that made the E39 M5 astonishing when it came out and still eminently desirable today. Its 394hp shocked when released, but it was backed up a chassis and 6-speed transmission equally ready to brawl. It’s a holistic package that gets blown away on paper by today’s sedans bordering on or exceeding 600hp and yet still represents the platonic ideal for many enthusiasts.

This example in Texas has a lot going for it. 75k miles is right in the middle of the 50-100k wheelhouse for these cars, enough to protect it from cream-puff prices but not too many as to worry about big maintenance. Le Mans Blue over Caramel is a lovely combination, but my association of this BMW interior with a friend’s E36 M3 would make me long for that car’s Estoril exterior as well. It looks to be in just about perfect shape inside and out, but even then the price looks a bit high.

Click for details: 2002 BMW M5 on Fall Creek Motorcars

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1987 BMW M6

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As cool as I think the sharknose E24 M6 is, it never quite grabbed ahold of me the way the E28 M5 does (hence my purchase of the latter). Despite sharing the heavenly S38B35, something about the way most E24s sit comes across just a little too soft, more Lexus SC400 than Ferrari 550. Well, today’s beautiful red M6 changes all that with a lower stance and beautiful – if very 80s – gold BBS 3-piece wheels. Something about the red, chrome, and black bits seem to all come together perfectly on this car, pulling me in like no E24 before it.

Click for details: 1987 BMW M6 on eBay

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1990 Volkswagen Vanagon Adventurewagen Syncro

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An old friend emailed me the other day for advice on getting his own adventure van. We ran through the whole gamut of options, from the classic Westy to Sprinters to Ford Sportvans to Transit Connects. We had some good discussions examining various priorities and rationales, and he had a hard time envisioning shelling out $35k for a nice 25 year-old van, even if Volkswagens are clearly the most stylish and sentimental choice. So, we looked at some other options and kept the discussion going.

Then this van came onto eBay, and I was right back in a puddle of Vanagonlove. The High Tops have grown (no pun intended) on me a lot recently with even greater sleeping and storage space than the standard Westy. They still have a small-van footprint, but bring big-van capability, especially with Syncro. This van has had some very interesting modifications, most importantly a turbocharged Ford Zetec conversion by well-known Van converters Bostig mated to a rebuilt transmission. You could spend days reading the aggressive arguments on forums debating the pros and cons of different engine swaps – 1.8T keeps it OEM+, Subaru has the most power potential, the Ford has the most parts availability, and then there’s the one guy in the corner shouting “911S! 911S!” I move on as soon as people start saying THERE IS ONLY ONE GOOD OPTION, as it seems like all can result in awesome vans as long as the work is well-done and holistic. All of this to say that I have no issue with a Ford engine in a Vanagon and see it as a reliable, reasonably efficient way to more power.

The other modifications are not nearly as contentious or involved as the motor swap, but they do contribute to creating a unique and attractive van. The interior has been swapped out for that from a top-of-the-line Carat, creating an OEM-plushness the Syncro never received. One of the coolest and most resourceful modifications is using the passenger-side jump seat mounts to hold the stove and fridge combo but leaving it detachable, so it can be placed outside the van under the awning when camping. Genius! Other aesthetic and mechanical bits abound, from the always-lovely (and trendy) South African grille and headlights to big brakes and Emu shocks. A very tidy and sorted package that, despite hot bidding even as I type, is way below normal Syncro Westy prices.

Click for details: 1990 Volkswagen Vanagon Adventurewagen Syncro on eBay

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1989 Volkswagen DoKa Syncro Turbodiesel

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Just a little late for Halloween, today’s examination of my new favorite eBay seller’s offerings is quite the pumpkin. Another low-mileage DoKa Syncro, this one also has a factory 1.6-liter turbodiesel churning out a whopping 70hp, 16 more than the naturally-aspirated 1.7-liter diesel. When you’re counting horsepower by the dozens as opposed to the hundreds, 16hp can make quite a difference! With just 37k miles, it should still be making close to that amount. The oil-burner is a nice addition to the real meat of this T3 that makes it exceptional: the 4WD and truck bed. No matter how many this New Jersey outfit imports, DoKa Syncros are going to remain extremely rare in the US. The color and condition are both outstanding, and the impeccable black undercarriage completes the Halloween (or SF Giants?) theme. As usual with this seller, there is no reserve, so have at it, people! You too could have the near-twin of Grandpa’s Adventure Truck.

Click for details: 1989 Volkswagen DoKa Syncro Turbodiesel on eBay

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1994 BMW 850CSi

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Both new and now as it gains modern classic status, “reasonable” has rarely been an adjective that comes to mind with the BMW 850CSi. Yet compared to the prices we’ve seen for nice, low-mileage examples over the past few years, this silver V12 M-Powered megacoupe is exactly that. A 50k-mile 850CSi was looking for mid-$60ks less than two months ago, while this June, Classic Driver was looking for almost $90k for one with 30k miles. That makes this two-owner, well-documented and maintained example extremely reasonable at $48k. Yes, it’s a lot of money, but these are quickly gaining more respect as collector cars beyond their baseline megaluxury and performance. With a 6-speed and 375hp out of twelve cylinders, that’s still a lot for less than $50k.

Click for details: 1994 BMW 850CSi on eBay

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