On Friday, I wrote up a couple of affordable camper Vanagon options for us normal people, as some of the crazy, GoWestified examples cost more than the median yearly income in America. Well, let’s pretend the recovery has truly hit the 99%, because today we’re checking out one of those crazy but also-awesome Vanagons that has undergone the full treatment. It has a Subaru engine with over 50% more horsepower than the stock wasserboxer and sports a redone interior, exterior, and running gear, resulting in a van that is truly better than new. The color choices may drive some away, but where I’d give up the color and wheels, I really dig the bedlinered lower section, LED upgrades, and South African grill. I have friends living the “VanLife” right now, and every day I contemplate breaking out on my own adventure. If you’re in need of a few months of exploring roads and the depths of your self, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better vehicle than this green machine.
Tag: 1983
A few weeks back I looked at a Japanese market 1987 M535i automatic. It was a really neat car in many ways; all original, lower miles, great condition and a good color combination – plus, it was a rare to see model. Well, today the same import company is back and upped the ante with matching 1982 and 1983 Alpina B9 3.5s. These are much more desirable than the M535i; both are manuals and these were about as close as you could get to a M5 without actually buying a M5. They’re ultra-limited production models – only around 570 B9 and later B10 models were produced. They were very close to U.S. spec M5 power numbers, with nearly 250 horsepower on tap from the Alpina-modified 3.5 engine. Coupled with upgraded suspension, brakes and bespoke interiors and exterior spoilers – and those all-important Alpina contrasting stripes – they made one heck of a package:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1982 Alpina B9 3.5 on eBay
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The market has spoken, and the 1983 European-spec Porsche 928S 5-speed I wrote up back in August is still available having been relisted several times. Pricing has dropped $400 to just below $10,000 since August; surprising given the perceived lack of interest over that time. While there are some issues to sort overall this still looks like a pretty decent and rare Porsche to get into with 1980s 911 prices now rapidly heading up. What price would you pay for this neat bit of Euro goodness and would you keep the 944 Turbo alloys or run the original forged “manhole covers”?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1983 Porsche 928S on eBay
The below post originally appeared on our site August 10, 2014:
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The E21 is an underappreciated gem in the classic BMW market. While many of the prime examples we’ve seen for sale have been low-mileage survivors, they have also been demanding prices in the mid-teens, which is several orders of magnitude higher than what standard, stock examples cost. Today’s is a fun compromise, combining dramatically modified looks with some careful mechanical attention and all coming together for a fairly reasonable price. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but I like the cream exterior on shiny BBS deep-dishes. It’s a little too low, but that’s clearly the look the seller was going for. The big selling point for me is that the current owner bought good parts and has everything in working order – no mean feat for a 1983 BMW. With a slightly readjusted ride height, the silliness would disappear and this would just become one of the cleanest E21s out there.
Click for details: 1983 BMW 320i on eBay
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There’s just something about the W126 coupe that I find captivating. It’s not the most attractive Mercedes-Benz ever made, but the combination of the large body with the sweeping roof lines somehow works just perfectly. There were quite a few of these coupes made in several different configurations, and we’ve featured just about all of them. The last one I wrote up was the most rare; The 420SEC European model that officially never came to the U.S.. But while we’ve seen our fair share of 500 grey market imports and the “normal” 560SEC, it’s easy to forget it all started in the U.S. with the smaller motored 380SEC. Only around 11,000 of these early models were built; about 1/3 of the production of each the 500 or 560 models. A few decades on, they’re fairly rare to see but still a treat: