We’ve posted a few W124 tourings recently, noting the high esteem in which these old wagons are held. A functional and solid mode of transportation for well-to-do families of yesteryear, plenty of these cars have been kept by their original owners well into old age (or passed down to their kids), because people often just can’t bear to part with them. No surprise: like all Mercedes cars from the era, these were built to last forever. This particular example is a 1991 Euro-spec diesel sourced from France. Not only does that make it quite rare  – 300TDs were only ever offered in the US for one year, in 1987 - it also comes equipped with some features not usually seen on US-market cars. And the good news: it’s already here, for sale in Florida.
German Cars For Sale Blog Posts
When considering the Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible and it’s Halloween disguise replacement, the Cabriolet, I was at a bit of a loss to explain its general lack of popularity. It wears much of the same DNA as the very popular, universally lauded, and VW market darlings of the moment GTi and first generation Scirocco. Yet it is often dismissed as too soft, too heavy, too weak on performance, and too girly. This is strange, since it’s not the removal of the top that dynamically changes it much. You don’t look at a R107 or Porsche Cabriolet and think ‘Wow, those drapes they’ve put on top have really made this car feminine.’ I guess ultimately it’s probably like the difference between the two Mercedes-Benz Formula 1 drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Underneath, the share 99% plus of the same DNA. They’re both intelligent, well spoken, dynamic and ruthlessly, take-no-prisoners fast on the race track. Yet when it comes down to it, the crowd loves the plucky underdog Brit, while the cold and calculating German seems a bit of the villain. Silly, right?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit Convertible on eBay
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I don’t think BMW has produced an attractive 7-series since the E38, offered between 1994 and 2001. Sure, later versions of BMW’s flagship sedan are more impressive in other ways: larger, more powerful and more technologically advanced. But they aren’t what I would call classically beautiful. The E38 on the other hand, with its conservative, angular styling, graceful proportions and purposeful stance, is an extraordinarily handsome car. Because of depreciation, you can pick one up for relative pennies these days. For example, I wrote up an early model 740iL a few months ago advertised for just $3,800. But a car that cheap is bound to have expensive repair needs lurking beneath the surface. In truth, if you want a nice E38 that is mechanically sound, you have to spend a bit of money up front to save on potentially exorbitant costs further down the road.
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2001 BMW 740i Sport on Bimmerforums
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While the move from the B2 to B3 chassis brought many changes to the small Audi lineup, it was also very much a case of ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss’. Some of the features of the 4000 were gone; you could no longer opt to lock the center differential, for example, since the manual locker had been replaced by a more sophisticated Torsen unit. You could still opt to engage a rear differential lock, but electronics overrode that at 15 m.p.h.. That change was indicative of movement in the marketplace and where the B3 was aimed – slightly more upscale from the B2. Interior quality was greater, and production was broken into two categories as it had been in Europe. Selecting the top-range 90 quattro got you nicer BBS wheels, color matched bumpers and mirrors, a sportier raised spoiler, a better leather interior and wood trim. The downscale 80 would channel more of the outgoing 4000, with savory Serret Velour and a more plastic-heavy interior. They even opted to keep the same Ronal R8 wheels as the old model early on, and the subtle rear spoiler was a near copy of the B2. The more basic 80 was closer in performance to the 4000, too – the luxury and safety items of the B3 meant more weight, and the 90 tipped the scales at nearly 3,000 lbs. Mechanically identical, the 80 quattro was about a hundred pounds lighter and anyone who has driven 80s normally aspirated Audis knows that 100 lbs. makes a difference in performance. Motivation for both was the same NG-code inline-5 that was seen in the last Coupe GT Special Build models, meaning 130 horsepower and 140 lb.ft of torque – smoothly adequate, but certainly never overwhelming. As with the 1988 5000S I looked at the other day, these models came to market at a time of crisis for Audi, and consequently few were sold. Audi’s best year of sales for the B3 quattro twins was 1988 when just over 3,000 were sold – only a handful more than the outgoing 1987 4000CS quattro, and rare for a new model. This Stone Gray Metallic example is one of the few that come to market and looks like one of the better ones we’ve seen:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1988 Audi 80 quattro on eBay
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The W124 platform E500 - the product of a joint venture between Mercedes and Porsche – has established itself as a firm favorite among enthusiasts lusting after brawny, fast German steel. Hewing close to the late 80s/early 90s super-sedan recipe - big engine, understated exterior, room for four to travel in comfort with effortless rapidity - these brutes have been rising in value of late, with asking prices on mint, low-mileage examples reaching into the $30k plus territory. Over the summer, Paul and I saw a couple of 500Es hanging out at Katie’s Cars and Coffee, the same place, in fact, where a week later a 380SL would rather infamously collide with a Ferrari 458 Speciale. I hadn’t seen a 500E in the flesh for a while, and I was struck by just how muscled and hunkered-down they look. At the time, Paul said to me that “hunkered-down” is exactly how they feel to drive too. I have to take him at his word; sadly I haven’t had the pleasure.