Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
This is a refreshingly not-drab green Unimog, a long-wheelbase 416 model looking awesome in white on black with a convertible top. The paint makes it look significantly more modern than a lot of the Mogs we see, even though they were exactly the same for 25 years and look similar still. The aesthetics make me want it, but the auction starting significantly higher than similar models we’ve seen makes me want to stay away.
As much as the E30 M3 has become a wild vintage success story, and as much I’m proud of the E28 M5 for being a “buy now!” list-maker, the true David that took down Goliath when it came out and will continue to do so until the end of time is the indomitable Mk1 GTI. It looks right, it goes right, and for all the hype, it’s still available. Today’s has some highs and lows, low-mileage and lots of love being the prior, some cosmetic needs for the latter, but overall it is getting some extremely hot bidding because people know it is a diamond in the rough. With a paint job and some interior work, this would be one of those GTIs that is reaching above $10k. If the bidding stays low enough, the buyer will end up with a triple threat: a fun project, a legendary daily driver, and a great investment opportunity.
914s have been on my mind again for the first time in a long while. One of my first attempts at misguided car purchase was well before I even had my license, was a call to a guy on a forum advertising a $950 914 project. “Yeah, I’ll save and fix it up by the time I can drive!” I thought. “What the hell is my seventh-grader doing on the phone discussing buying cars!?” my poor mom asked. Well, the basest of Porsches seemed like a fun way to tinker, and the go-kart from Stuttgart had my mind working over time. Now again, I’ve been longing for a weight-free tossable treat, and some choice 914s in the area have them back in my consciousness. None are as sweet as this though, which had just one owner and covered less than 70k miles in the first 40 years of its life. A beautiful repaint and cared-for interior have it looking like a showroom example. There aren’t many out there like this and it’s going to command a commensurate price, but as vintage 911s rise beyond the reach of many, the 914 is still a quick and fun option available to most.
Tuner cars can be a scary proposition, with trails of work of unknown quality hiding in places you may not be able to see. At the same time, the lack of originality often drives the price down, meaning you could pick up a lot of fun for reasonable money. I’ve always loved the E36 sedan, and today’s example corrects the E36 M3’s most common complaint of lack of power. Someone put some serious miles on this car, and that leaves even more question marks. More investigation is need, as in “what’s a 90s interior look like after that mileage?” and “what does the E36 suspension look like after 100k miles of burnouts?” But maybe you don’t care, and seeing a 300+whp M3 sedan for the price of average E36 M3s is an open door for the next owner to continue exploring the badass sedan life.
The 535is provides a lot of E28 bang for your bucks, with the spoilers and much of the handling improvements of the M5 along with a lot more color choices and lower maintenance costs. The M30 is a beast that can go for Mercedes-diesel-type miles, and all the while you’re cruising in one of my personal-favorite car designs. Today’s is a well-used example that has been cared for enough to still be a good buy. The 80s-BMW price bug may hit these some day, but for now they’re one of the best bargains out there as the M-cars and the E30 “is” models become coveted and values are driven up.