Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
As I continue on my van kick, today we’ll look at a couple of clean Eurovans that have a lot of life left in them but won’t break the bank. Maligned as the lamer, less-fun, front-engined descendent of the Bus and Vanagon. They’re a heck of a lot more authentic and European than the Routan, that’s for sure.
The first option is from the final year of the Eurovan, and it comes in the great, Estoril-esque Techno Blue.
Without going any farther into detail, I’m aware that the title alone will leave several of you disagreeing with me. Perhaps everyone will. But at the very least, in my mind I really think that the first generation Audi TT is a future classic. It’s hard to look back at the 8N Volkswagen Golf-based with complete objectivity, but if you go all the way back to when this car was first designed – 1994 – you can start to see why there’s an important legacy to the Audi TT. In many ways, it revolutionized Audi’s lineup. There was simply nothing like it before; even the much-loved Quattro was really a carefully re-crafted sedan. But the TT looked bespoke with a slinky body hiding the rather pedestrian underpinnings. Then there was the all-wheel drive system, which introduced the first Haldex all-wheel drive to U.S. customers. Truth told it was mostly front drive and these TTs don’t have the best driving experience that an Audi has ever provided, which I’m sure some detractors will immediately point towards since Audis in general aren’t known as supreme driver’s cars. But to me, the A8, A4 and TT all worked together to save Audi for us here in North America. They created a buzz about the company; for the first time since 1980, they were once again on the cutting edge of German design and desirability and they haven’t looked back since. They made a lot of these TTs so there are plenty to choose from, but this one really stood out to me:
In last week’s 10K Practical Performance Edition, a question arose of what was the best ‘Bahn burner for under $15,000. My immediate answer was the Audi S8. It might not be as powerful as the E39 M5 or a slew of Mercs that are available for around the same amount, but the combination of the all-aluminum engine and space frame gives the large executive a smaller feel on the road – and with 360 horsepower, it’s no slouch. It’s also got a great all-wheel drive system; quattro purists don’t love the electronic differentials, but truth told on the fly they work reasonably well and you don’t have to muss and fuss. This isn’t a rally car, anyway. But it is a great looker – the interior and exterior are a beautiful combination of style and presence that few others match. There just aren’t any awkward angles on the D2 in my mind. So, today I’ve rounded up a few examples with the help of our reader, John. Ranging from a first run 6-speed through a last of the D2 2003 model, which would be your color?
The BMW 2002 might just be the quintessential German race car. A squat 2-door sedan, it’s chunky looks match well with wide tires in a lowered race stance. The upright nature gives the driver great visibility, while short overhangs mean there’s not much to bash you and you judge where the front of the car is well. The engine is simple but effective; a torquey inline-4 that can be turned up for more juice if you’re willing to spend a little – or a lot. Of course, the manual gearbox and rear drive are enthusiast favorites. Plus, the 2002 wears the appropriate German national racing color – white – so well, it’s sometimes almost cliche but still looks great. The M-colors, though not age appropriate, always suit the design well, and of course you can just slap a set of Minilights on there. Our friends at Fast In Fast Out have a reoccurring Monday theme on Minilites, and my submission for the most frequent but never overused application of them is the 2002:
Recently I’ve several times bemoaned the death of the fast Audi Avant on U.S. shores; one of the culprits that helped to hasten that demise was unfortunately this car. It’s not really that it’s consumer’s fault that this occurred; after all, Audi did offer a manual, twin turbocharged fast version of the Allroad alongside the S6 that made the lack of inclusion of a manual an odd choice. Plus, out of the box, the Allroad arguably had more bling with the air suspension and nifty color contrasting trim that was all the rage amongst wagon manufacturers in the late 90s/early 2000s. We’ll blame Volvo for starting that popular trend, though. Regardless, the Allroad was substantially more successful in regards to market share than the S6 Avant; no surprise, then, that it was killed off to the U.S. market after a shockingly short run with not many sold. A decade on, though, the S6 offers a rare opportunity to get into a fast Audi wagon on a budget. Many of the pitfalls of the Allroad and other period Audi wagons didn’t appear in the S6; the neat but fragile air suspension was replaced by steel springs, and unlike the Allroad and A6 4.2s, the engine in the S6 was a cambelt driven V8. Long term, they’ve proven to be more reliable than the rest of the 2000s Audi V8s that have chains instead. The S6 got some unique features too, such as the grill, 8″ wheels and door blades that gave it a slightly more stately and classic appearance than the rest of the A6 lineup. The result is that you can grab one of these fast and unappreciated Audis for a song today:
