Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Following on to the 1999 BMW Z3 2.8 Coupe we saw earlier in the week, here’s a car at the other end of the E36/8 production run spectrum, the 2002 M Coupe. Enthusiasts know these are the ones to get, as the late model M Coupes are packing the desirable S54 engine. This example for sale in New Mexico is one of the few made without the sunroof, sure to please those looking for a track day hero.
This is a first: I have never seen this color on any Porsche let alone a 911. Here we have an Apricot Beige 1989 Porsche 930 Cabriolet, located in Cleveland, with Mahogany leather interior and just 21,575 miles on it. Apricot Beige was only offered for two years and this is the only year it would have been available on the 930. So we have a final-year 930, meaning it has the 5-speed transmission rather than the 4-speed the 930 had borne for its entire existence, and a rare exterior color only available during that final year. While the color isn’t likely to garner the widest appeal since its fairly obscure and doesn’t fit into most people’s typical preferences, the combination of these details should draw attention. I think that this is a Cabriolet actually helps this color as the contrast with the interior stands out more and on a Coupe I don’t know if it would look quite as good. It certainly would fit the personality of the 930 even less so than it does here.
There is depreciation. Then there is German car depreciation. Then way on another planet there is Maybach 57S depreciation. If you walked into one of the 42 United States Maybach dealers in 2008 and took home the car pictured above, it would of cost you a little north of $400,000. Now a short eight years later you can take home that same car pictured above for $63,800. It’s fully serviced and ready to go as well. Not some kind of click-bait photo tricks where you see a cheap listing on eBay that just shows the front of the car only to find out the rear end has smashed in by a cement truck at 55mph. If you are still interested in this 57S located outside of Albany, NY, then let’s try to break this one down rationally.
VAG’s decisions on who would be able to shift their own gears have always been a bit confusing, but the period of the 3.2 VR6 is really where this came to a head for U.S. customers. In 2004, Volkswagen brought their hottest Golf (finally!) to our market, featuring the singing VR6 in 6-speed manual only form with the R32. Great, but Audi offered the same platform in slinkier TT 3.2 Quattro form. However, fans of manual shifting were overlooked as Audi opted to bring the top TT here only with DSG. This carried over to the A3 model range, where you could get a 3.2 quattro but only with the DSG box. When it came to the next generation, VAG opted to change this formula. As it had been a fan favorite, you’d assume that the R32 would retain the same layout. But no, Volkswagen removed the manual option and the Mk.5 based R32 became DSG-only. So that would hold true in the bigger budget, typically more tech-heavy TT too, right? Wrong, as in the 2nd generation, Audi finally opted to allow buyers to select a manual in either Coupe or Roadster form:
What is your tolerance for risk? That’s the question you need to ask yourself if you’re thinking about buying a cheap, high mileage German executive sedan. The used car market is littered with them: cars whose values have fallen so far off a cliff that they can now be had for a fraction of their original price. This E38 740iL is one such car, on sale for just $3,800. Let that sink in for a moment: a mere thirty eight hundred dollars (EDIT: it’s listed even cheaper on their website at $3,100). The yuppie bike store a few blocks from my house sells bicycles that are more expensive than that. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? Sure, the asking price might simply turn out to be the cost of entry into money-pit hell. But on the other hand, if you go in with your eyes open, and especially if you can turn a wrench yourself, this could be a great deal on a cool car that lets you live out your Transporter fantasies on a shoestring budget.
