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2013 Volkswagen Golf R

Following on the heels of the R32 from yesterday, one other issue I personally have with paying big money for a Mk.4 Golf is that you can get a newer, faster, and more practical model for around the same money – or much less. Take, for example, this 2013 Golf R.

In 2012 Volkswagen brought the U.S. the spiritual successor to the Golf Limited – the Mk. 6 Golf R. Gone was the VR6, replaced by the more potent and tunable 2.0T that could now be specified with a manual and all-wheel drive, and importantly in 4-door guise. Did I buy one? Nope, because this German wonder rang in at a shocking $36,000 with options. For a Golf, mind you. But once they started hitting the used market, to me they became more appealing. Unlike the R32, they dropped in price. And they still came in great colors, like today’s Rising Blue Metallic.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2013 Volkswagen Golf R on eBay

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2004 Volkswagen R32

The Mk.4 GTI lineup got progressively better from its introduction through the early 2000s and culminated with the U.S. finally getting the Super Golf. All-wheel drive was nothing new to the hatchbacks, as they’d had it in the normal run starting in 1986 and it was offered pretty much straight until today. But for U.S. customers, models like the Golf Rallye, Golf Limited, and VR6 Syncro models were forbidden fruit until the fourth generation of Golfs.

In late 2003, the model with so much promise was finally added to the U.S. lineup. The underpinnings were shared with the Audi TT, which meant a transverse engine utilizing a Haldex hydraulic controller to drive the rear wheels. Power came from a double-overhead cam 24 valve narrow-angle VR6. Displacing 3189 cubic centimeters, it generated 237 horsepower and 236 lb.ft of torque and for the first generation it was mated solely to a 6-speed manual transaxle. Outwardly there were a few clues that it was more potent than the contemporary 20th Anniversary GTI; revised front and rear bumper covers with dual exhaust and gaping intakes. The wheels were the same 18″ OZ-made Aristo wheels from the 20th, but the calipers were painted blue and matched with rotors a full 1.3 inches larger than the GTI. As with the signature model for performance in the hot hatch category, the R32 received larger anti-roll bars and 1BE sport suspension, good for a 1″ drop. Tires were meaty 225-40-18 ZR-rated rubber. All of these things helped to keep the weight of the R32 in check, and there was plenty of that to manage. The addition of heavier-duty running gear, two more cylinders and all-wheel drive meant that the R weighed in a full 3,350 lbs – about two full-sized adults north of a GTI. It was more powerful, but it wasn’t really much quicker in a straight line. Of course, it had great torque and even greater noise, along with the mystique of being the head honcho around the VW scene. Consequently, the R32 has maintained near-cult status since new and examples still demand a serious premium over the rest of their contemporaries from Volkswagen:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2004 Volkswagen R32 on eBay

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1991 Audi Coupe Quattro

This B3 sold for $4,150 on May 13, 2022.

Time to consider another Audi icon – the Coupe Quattro. Of course, it was quite hard to follow the original act, but in Europe alongside the RR Quattro 20V was the all-new B3 generation S2. Performance was about par between them, but they had intensely different characters. The new car was safer, quieter, more round, and a lot more practical – while the original Quattro had always looked like it had a hatchback, it was the successor that actually had one.

Of course, in the U.S. we didn’t receive the S2. The Coupe Quattro made due with a thoroughly upgraded 2.3 liter DOHC 20V motor – the 7A. Deep in the middle of the recession and not fully recovered from Audi’s 60 Minutes debacle, the very expensive Coupe Quattro sold slowly. A total of approximately 1,700 of them were imported at over $30,000 each. Considering the cost, the performance was rather soft; the heavy Coupe sported only 164 horsepower and though it was smooth and reasonably quick on the highway, off-the-line performance was lackluster at best. Still, though the internet fora would have you believe otherwise, performance between the U.S.-spec Coupe and original Quattro was pretty similar.

Options on the Coupe were limited to the Cold Weather package, 8-way power seats, and Pearlescent White Metallic paint – two of which are seen here on this Tornado Red ’91. ’91s also had the upgraded glass moonroof rather than the early steel panel, though they lost the infamous “Bag of Snakes” tubular header early models carried. ’91s also gained rear sway bars and are the rarest of the bunch, with only 364 sold in the model year and a further 58 traded as leftovers. This one is probably more of a project than most would want to take on, but let’s take a look:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Audi Coupe Quattro on eBay

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1991 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL

Hard to believe the newest W126 Mercedes-Benz S-Class is over 30 years-old now. Hard to say these aged great as it is pretty clear these were a product of the 1980s, but in terms of quality, tough to argue. You won’t find much that is falling off these cars unless you find a 500,000-mile example, which there are many, and they have no real signs of inevitable decay like some much newer models. As long as you treat them well, they will return the favor and be happy to do so. The pinnacle of the chassis, the 560SEL, still to this day brings crazy money when the miles are right. Today’s example, a 1991 up for sale in Phoenix, has some miles, but the price seems to be relatively reasonable for the condition.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL on eBay

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1976 Mercedes-Benz 250

Recently I had a chance to catch up with a friend, who since I had last seen him had purchased a classic Mercedes-Benz. After months of getting it polished up and running right, his 250 was proudly on display at an event that he drove hours to get to. I got to go for a ride in it, and immediately the smells, sounds, and experience of a classic Mercedes-Benz all flooded back; there really is something special about these cars.

The 250 was one of the six-cylinder models on offer as part of the 1.9 million produced in the W114/W115 series. Designed by the legendary Paul Bracq, the W114/W115 is a handsome design that channels all the right classic Mercedes-Benz qualities. It really does look like a scaled-down 600. Though the overall production number is really high, numbers in the six-cylinder configuration are much lower; today’s car should be a W114.611, which was produced between 1973–1976 and was powered by a 2.8-liter M130. About 11,500 were made in this run, and this model year was the end of the run for the W114 – as ’77 saw the W123 introduced. Let’s take a look:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1976 Mercedes-Benz 250 on eBay

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