Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
Picking up the reins from the very basic E21 315 model that was introduced some 40 years ago, the E30 316 was the entry-level model for the the newly introduced chassis in 1983. While the model introduced new styling, the basic 316 carried over the 1.6-liter M10 from the 315 model as a very basic entry-level edition.
There’s an appealing simplicity to these early no-frills cars, and this one has already been imported. Let’s take a look:
There were a lot of reasons to be skeptical about the most recent B3 Coupe Quattro I posted:
In fairness, though, they were nice cars and quite competent, and though they’re not my personal favorite Audi, they have quite a few fans for a good reason. I felt we needed to resurrect our respect for the model, and wouldn’t you know that a worthy example turned up right away?
I’m not exactly breaking any news here, but if you want an R129 Mercedes-Benz 600SL/SL600 at somewhat of a reasonable price, don’t sit around too much longer. The cream of the crop is already selling for a ton of money, and the very nice examples have quickly risen to a level where you really have to love these cars to spend the amount of money they are demanding. Thankfully there still are some not-so expensive ones out there on the market, but I think it is very clearly becoming a “you get what you pay” situation on them. Today’s example, a 2000 SL600 up for sale outside of Boston, sure seems to be one of those cases.
2021 can’t close without me taking a look at an Audi S8. The last one I took a look at was just over a year ago, and it was a doozy:
Since then I’ve looked at both LWB and SWB A8s recently, but no S8s. Well, as luck would have it, a 2002 popped up for sale. It’s fairly common Light Silver Metallic outside, but inside we’ve got the optional partial Alcantara seats. It looks to be in good and mostly original condition, so let’s take a peek:
If you say “aging twin-turbocharged V12 engine” to any sane car person, they’ll probably reply along the lines of “You couldn’t give it to me for free.” They probably wouldn’t be too far off, but it all comes down to expectations going into something like that. Is it going to be cheap and easy? Probably not. Is it going to be a total disaster of Maserati Biturbo proportions? Hopefully not. In all seriousness, the Mercedes-AMG M275 engine is about the best you can ask for in terms of what they made and how much reward you get from it, which is 604 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. Much to everyone’s surprise and now delight, these engines have been proven to be anything but a rolling disaster. However, does that mean it is worth rolling the dice on one when the price becomes attractive enough? Let’s take a look with this 2008 with an impressive 80,000 miles on the odometer.
