Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Another week usually means another S-Class from me. Today is no different with a 2006Â S … 350? Wait, they made a S350? For the United States? Yes, they did and that’s what we have here today for sale in Florida. So this is just a regular S-Class with a V6, right? Not quite. So lets take a look at what makes this W220 so different.
If you’ve been following my posts here on GCFSB for the last seven years or so, you’ll know I’m a fan of obscure vehicles. These days, the sight of an M-badged BMW or Porsche 911 does little to excite me, as they seem all too ubiquitous in the urban environments I frequent. It’s no surprise then, at a recent cars and coffee, it wasn’t the fast German machines or Italian exotics which grabbed my attention. Rather, it was a mint Citroën SM sitting in the corner of the parking lot that caught my eye. It had been years since I had seen one of these French grand tourers and it was a design that looked as good in 2016 as it did when it debuted over 45 years ago. The BMW 318ti is not nearly as exotic as the Citroën SM, but it’s not something you see that often on the streets these days. This one for sale in California is saddled with an automatic gearbox but makes for a nice alternative commuter that you could have some fun with on the weekend.
I always get a bit of a chuckle at the keyboard warriors who love to denigrate manufacturers for not offering the full European catalog to U.S. customers. Really, you’d buy a RS6 Avant if it was offered here? You and what bank account, Mr. Sittinginhisrentedapartmentstealinginternetfromtheneighbors? Manufacturers need to live in the real world, and in the real world of the United States, while there is in fact a market who would purchase top-tier cars like the RS6 Avant, the reality is that the vocal majority of enthusiasts barking about how they’d snap them up like hotcakes would – at best – be hoping to buy a lightly used one downstream. At worst, these super wagons would only become affordable after ten years, at which point their complicated systems would render ownership prohibitively expensive for most. So, they kick tires, simultaneously ruing that such options aren’t available to them while secret thankful that they don’t have to put their money where their mouths are. We don’t have to look back far to find why this market departed the U.S., because when we were afforded the option to buy these cars, we found them unaffordable. Witness the very expensive W8 4Motion Variant 6-speed:
The Oak Green Metallic 1980 Porsche 911SC Coupe we featured back in August remains up for a no reserve auction. Before you wonder how that makes sense (shouldn’t a no-reserve auction result in a sale?), the seller has been dealing with multiple auctions won by non-paying bidders. So let’s hope this one can finally have a true chance at selling. The overall asking price is a little high when we consider mileage and condition. There are certainly areas that need work, but if the price can move a little closer to the mid-20s rather than $30K then it should make for a reasonable opportunity at getting into a classic 911.
This just feels like a Sunday car. Porsche’s 356 has the sort of vintage style and charm that makes for enjoyable cruising and certainly would serve as a capable machine for relaxed oceanside or mountain driving. Would those drives necessarily be spirited? Perhaps not, but then you may be better suited to something outside of the vintage car world to meet those purposes. This particular 1965 Porsche 356C Coupe sits in an excellent Bali Blue over Red color combination and as one of the later 356 productions is about as modern as one of these Coupes might come.
