Press "Enter" to skip to content

German Cars For Sale Blog Posts

This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.

2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 6-speed manual

Published December 16, 2014 by Paul

$_57 (1)

It’s been some time now since the drama that led to Saab’s demise transpired, leaving intellectuals everywhere scratching their heads when it comes time to purchase another new car. The cars from Trollhättan were always favored by those who enjoyed taking the road less traveled; leading the company itself to launch a media campaign in the mid-1990s entitled “Find Your Own Road.” While the marque has been revived under the brand National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the lineup merely consists of a rehash of the old 9-3 sedan. Before the original Saab took its last breath, we were gifted one pretty midsized luxury sedan in the form of the 9-5.

This car was barely one year old by the time Saab was on life support, with only a few examples of the even prettier estate version produced. Nevertheless, a few thousand made their way to our shores, some even equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox. With a parts network still in place and an active enthusiast scene, you can have one of the last big Saabs to roam these roads for the price of a new Honda Civic.

Click for details: 2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 on eBay

Read Our Post2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 6-speed manual
9 Comments

Tuner Tuesday: 1988 BMW M3 S52

Published December 16, 2014 by Carter

I’d like to try a social experiment if you’ll allow me; I’d take an E30 M3 listing and say absolutely nothing about it. My hypothesis is that it wouldn’t matter; the car would still generate lots of comments both positive and negative, outlining both the strengths of the E30 and the rapid appreciation of the market. The convergence of factors that has resulted in the M3 market as we see it today is the evolution of not only a naturally occurring timeline coupled with a increase of personal wealth vis-a-vis the ownership group juxtaposed with those who actually ponder ownership. This, in turn, can be viewed as in part the skeuomorphic racing details of the M3 coupled with the natural analogue interface of the E30 chassis. Immersion in the marketplace has resulted in datafication as we try to quantify the various appeals of the models and even sub-models, while the scalability of the marketplace seems to utilize fuzzy logic – models constantly morphing in and out of vogue as the relative price of ownership fluctuates. Modularity in the E30 platform has not helped but convoluted the matter. Coupled with the emergence of internet fora the M3 is the first truly viral car. The rapid influx of various examples in order to take advantage of these previously stated confluence of factors has resulted in, ironically, crowdsourcing in an effort to elicit an explanation:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1990 BMW M3 on eBay

Read Our PostTuner Tuesday: 1988 BMW M3 S52
13 Comments

Motorsports Monday: 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit Swallowtail

Published December 15, 2014 by Carter

There are very few race cars that I instantly fall in love with. A vast majority of them I see as very cool or with unique aspects, but often I’m left feeling as though I would do something – or many things – very different than the builder. But the moment I laid my eyes on this Rabbit, I fell instantly in love. Now, truth told I had already been thinking about an early Volkswagen race car – this time around, my thoughts lingered on some of the Scirocco SCCA racers. Hunkered down with all-too-awesome gold BBS magnesium wheels and a deep air dam, they just look spectacular to me. That feeling instantly transferred to this Rabbit. One of the earliest imported to the U.S., it’s the desirable Swallowtail model which looks much closer to the original Giugiaro design than the later U.S. built examples. There’s something that’s so pretty, so delicate about the early Golf/Rabbit design. It was refreshingly different from what Volkswagen had produced up to that point, but it was also purposeful in its design. With light weight and a dose of sport, these early Rabbits paved the way for what would become the performance arm of Volkswagen, centered around the A1 based GTi. But even before the GTi hit these shores there were plenty of racers that saw the opportunity to race the Rabbit on a budget. This early build was competitive right through the 1980s; in fact, I bet with the right driver it would still be close to the front today:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit on eBay

Read Our PostMotorsports Monday: 1975 Volkswagen Rabbit Swallowtail
5 Comments

Motorsports Monday Budget Racers: 944 v. 325is

Published December 15, 2014 by Carter

Let’s be honest; going to the track is a bit of an addiction. Few make it out the other side without having at least contemplated heavy and expensive upgrades to their cars. The symptoms of the illness vary from patient to patient, but most exhibit similar characteristics; starting with a somewhat sporty road car, the owners quickly engage in a series of modifications that will make them “faster”. These modifications nearly always degrade the everyday usefulness of your road-going machine, and ultimately no matter how much you modify a street car, it will still be a compromised design. You simply can’t create a track weapon that is road-legal without some compromise. The result, then, is bobble-headed enthusiasts driving their barely-suspended, over cambered and too loud cars around looking – let’s be truthful – a bit of a fool. What’s a smarter option? Well, if you really want to drive faster on track, you find a slow car that someone has already made into a racer. First off, you’re getting into a more pure track car. They’re not road legal generally, so all of the goodies that make life bearable on the street are gone making them lighter. If the build was done right and well, you’re probably saving a lot of money, too. But the real benefit of getting a slower car is that you’re doing more of the driving – ask any racer, and most will say that extracting maximum performance from a slow car is more rewarding than allowing the computers in your GT-R to obliterate the pavement for you. Two of the most popular German cars to hit the track in are here today – the venerable E30 in 325is form, and the iconic Porsche 944. Which will hit the finish line first?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 BMW 325is on eBay

Read Our PostMotorsports Monday Budget Racers: 944 v. 325is
1 Comment

1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Restomod

Published December 15, 2014 by Rob

Backdating an air-cooled 911 to resemble one of its much-beloved long-hood brethren has become quite popular and it’s always a joy to see the various ways in which builders choose to pick and choose from the 911 parts bin in order to create these special cars. The nature of the 911 market means these are never an inexpensive proposition as sourcing the car from which to create the build can itself set you back quite a bit. When done well a builder can affect quite a transformation and produce a car the details of which force us to pause over every angle to get a sense of just how everything has been put together. The car we see here, a 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe backdated to resemble a RSR, certainly is not perfect, but it possesses the vintage look of an early 911 combined with the softer curves of the more modern designs and has just enough detail without coming across as over the top.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Restomod on eBay

Read Our Post1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe Restomod
Comments closed