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Tag: 1989

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1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe

Published November 12, 2014 by Rob

I get a little irrationally giddy when a ’89 Carrera pops up on auction with no reserve. Granted, the seller in the example here set the starting bid high enough to functionally serve as a de facto reserve, but still it is always nice to have a chance to see how the values for these cars play out without wondering whether a sky high reserve will impede a sale. The value of a G50-equipped Carrera has risen substantially over the past year and while we’ve seen those numbers plateau slightly over the past couple months, we are still at a point where everyone wants to capitalize upon a good market. That tends to leave driver-quality cars in a precarious position where it is difficult to determine the proper value. These are either undervalued due to a lower investment status or overvalued as prices for the whole range shoot up. But if a well-maintained example can be found, as this Guards Red 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe appears to be, then a wider range of buyer should be satisfied.

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To Force or Not to Force? 1987 944 Turbo v. 1989 944 S2

Published November 9, 2014 by Carter

For some time, there has been an ongoing conflict in my head. All of me agrees that the Porsche 944 is a pretty awesome car; great looks, handling and performance in a bargain package with classic Porsche reliability and build quality. But I fight with myself over just which of the Porsche 944s I prefer. Some days, the forced induction Turbo captures my imagination; there’s been a 1989 Turbo in my family now for two decades and it’s a wonderful car. But I have to admit that it’s not been without its problems, and while it’s a cool package it seems almost too predictable as the “go to” “cheap” Porsche. Should it be criticized for being a spectacular performance bargain? That may not be fair, but just like the BMW E30 represents a good balance of performance and practicality, it’s sometimes just too popular for me. What’s the alternative? Well, the 944 has its own answer: the 944S2. Visually, the two are nearly indistinguishable to most non-enthusiasts. But the driving experience is quite different; the M44/51 turbo motor is legendary as a tuning platform and offers typical ’80s lag-prone explosive launches, while the M44/41 big 3.0 16V motor has seemingly effortless torque at your disposal but loves to run up the tach as well. Stand on it in a drag race, and the Turbo will win – nearly a second faster to 60 miles per an hour and 5 m.p.h. faster on the top end. But if you’re a clever S2 driver and catch the Turbo slightly off-guard, you’ll be right with them – and the S2 isn’t about drag racing, it’s about making a better all-around driver. So the S2 is the better choice? Well, perhaps – but then there’s the mystique of the Turbo model. Who doesn’t want to say they own a Porsche Turbo, really? Today I have an example of each – which will be the winner?

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1989 Volkswagen Transporter Turbodiesel Panel Van

Published November 1, 2014 by Nate

I normally write up trucks and vans with an eye on how they could be used or repurposed as a do-all traveler for camping, biking, and exploring. Westfalias remove some of the imagination, as they were created for exactly my kind of adventuring. Today’s black Transporter panel van presents the yang to last week’s Westy Hightop yin, cutting the Vanagon’s great lines to their essence by removing most of the windows and doing without any add-ons. The clean, all-business exterior continues in the cab, while the rear area shows the scuffs and bare bones of former commercial use. I am truly in love with the look of this van, and while my mind runs wild thinking of a bed and Porsche motor retrofitted in the rear, the 41k-mile, 52mpg diesel makes it an eminently practical van as is.

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1989 Volkswagen Golf GL

Published November 1, 2014 by Carter

Boy, this is a trip down memory lane for me. My second car was very similar to this 1989 Volkswagen Golf in many ways; mine was also a base model with air conditioning, cloth interior with manual windows and Titian red. There were some important differences; I had a 1986 Westmoreland Golf which had CIS injection rather than the later Digifant electronic injection this car has, mine was a 4-door instead of two and when I bought it, it had somewhere around 190,000 miles on the clock. On paper, this is pretty much the car I would have liked to have; a lower mile, clean example of a basic transportation with flare – the Volkswagen Golf is a great hatchback that looked and functioned miles better than most of the competition at the time.

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1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet

Published October 29, 2014 by Rob

As the model that brought the 911 into the future, the 3.2 Carrera is one of the most important models Porsche produced. Compelling arguments certainly could be made for its predecessor, the 911SC, as well, but either is an excellent choice. The 911s of the mid-70s were relatively disappointing. Redesigned with impact bumpers and engines choked by emissions equipment, there were definite questions to be asked about the direction of the car. The SC came along and breathed new life into the model, but Porsche still questioned the long-term viability of the car, viewing the 928 as its model for the future. As the SC neared the end of its model run the Porsche brass had either to commit to the 911 or invest in other models. Obviously, they committed to the car, the 3.2 Carrera was produced and the 911’s future was secure once again. These are fantastic cars that have seen a serious uptick in value over the past year and examples like the one we see here, a Guards Red 1989 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet with only 26,529 miles, are becoming extremely hard to find. This comes from the last year of 3.2 Carrera production just as Porsche was introducing its new model: the fully redesigned 964. As the last of the classic 911s, these are sure to remain well loved and should make for excellent investments.

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