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Tag: 2005

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Wagon Week: 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500 Estate

Wagon Week: 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500 Estate

Published May 6, 2015 by Andrew

When I first came across this listing I thought I had found an E55 AMG Estate at an incredible bargain, but after reading through the details (and a heads up from out trusty editor in chief) I found that this car is in fact an E500 wearing big brother’s name tag. I’ve seen E500 AMG Sports before but not ones doing a full on E55 impression. At first I was annoyed and was going to skip writing it up but then after thinking about the rarity of the Dark Green over Tan color way, the great sound of the AMG exhaust hooked up to any V8 and the low mileage, I decided this car deserves a helping hand in its search for a new home. The seller notes that it had  “very interesting prior ownership” and while that may sound ominous to some, I’m actually quite curious to know what it means. Maybe this was a Mercedes Benz exec’s weekend warrior, maybe the previous owner was a celebrity or maybe the car belonged to Guy Fieri. Hard telling not knowing I suppose, though I highly doubt it was the last option, I don’t think Dark Green is his color.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500 Estate on eBay

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2005 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG

Published February 26, 2015 by Paul

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AMG Mercs have always been among my favorite German performance machines (second only to Porsche’s). They are basically German muscle cars. In fact, since the golden era of American muscle died off many decades ago, I consider AMG’s to be the muscle cars of the 21st century. Furthermore, while they may be prohibitively expensive when new, these cars often go for a song on the secondhand market.

With only 12,000 miles on the clock, 493 horsepower, and 516 lb-ft of torque, this pristine SL55 could certainly give a new owner a ton of fun for a very affordable price. Furthermore, it is a rare Designo Espresso edition. While many may dismiss this as a mere appearance package, it adds an entirely different level to the interior. Standard SL55’s came with leather seats and leatherette pretty much everywhere else, such as the dash, door cards, center console, etc. This Designo edition, however, has very supple leather on practically every surface of the interior.

On the outside, the Designo Espresso edition wears a very attractive dark brown metallic paintjob. The two Designo paint schemes at the time (Graphite and Espresso) offered more metallic flake than standard metallic Mercedes offerings. This becomes particularly obvious when the sun shines on the surface just right…it really does look spectacular in person.

Click for details: 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG on eBay

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Tuner Tuesday: 2005 Porsche Boxster Ruf 3800S

Published January 27, 2015 by Carter

It seems like I’m often talking about what the best performance deal going in German cars is. That’s partially because I’m not partial to paying the “what’s new” tax on the biggest and baddest new car. Personally, I’d prefer to let someone else take the substantial depreciation hit and when it’s no longer new, swoop in for what’s still (to me) a pretty new car in good shape. The other part, though, is that I’m not flush with cash; perhaps if I had limitless resources I’d be at the Porsche or Audi dealership every other year signing on a new car. Regardless, there’s a huge contingent of our readership that I believe is in a similar situation to me – hence why we tend to look at older, more affordable (most of the time) models that represent good value, performance or collectability for a more modest investment. That brings us to the car at hand; in this post’s case, a 2005 Porsche Boxster. 2005 was early into the 987 production, having replaced the 986 in 2004. By most peoples’ measure, the 987 was a better looking car, mimicking many of the styling cues of the 997 as the 986 had mimicked the 996. Performance was also improved from some new motors, including an upgraded 3.4 liter engine in the S producing nearly 300 horsepower. That motor, however, did not appear until 2007 – meaning the top-tier S model in 2005 still had the 3.2 from the 986 sitting in the middle of the car. That motor was good for 276 horsepower, which by no means was a small amount. For some people it simply wasn’t enough though, and as expected German super-tuner Ruf offered the solution. The modified Boxsters went by the names of their engine displacement; in the 986, there was the 3400S, which was replaced by the 3600S. When Porsche introduced the 987, Ruf responded with the limited run RK Spyder and Coupe with a supercharged 3.8 liter flat six good for an astonishing 440 horsepower. That was in turn replaced by the 3800S, which it still available. With the newest edition of the 3.8 flat six producing over 400 horsepower (more than double what the Boxster had at launch), Ruf turned the entry level Porsche into a supercar killer:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche Boxster Ruf 3800S on eBay

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Soft Top or Hard Top? 2005 BMW M3 Convertible vs. 2008 BMW M3 Convertible

Published December 16, 2014 by Paul

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The M3 Convertible. A rather curious beast, no? Especially if one considers the M3’s original purpose of a tool by which to dominate DTM racing. However, there has been a drop top version of every M3 since the original E30, even if we didn’t see that one officially on US shores. With the change in nomenclature, we now have the M4 convertible to compliment the M4 coupe and M3 sedan. Each new iteration has debuted more powerful engines, advanced gearboxes and we even saw a new folding hardtop on the E93 M3, carried over to the M4.

These two M3s are for sale in New York and represent a definite split in approach to the fast convertible formula. First up, we’ll take a look at this 2005 E46 M3, which is armed with the rev-happy S54 inline-6 under the hood that everyone knows and loves mated to a good old row-your-own 6-speed manual.

Click for details: 2005 BMW M3 Convertible on eBay

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2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

Published December 12, 2014 by Rob

I imagine at some point people will wake up to the enormous performance value of the 996TT, but it seems we are not there yet. From its inception, the 911 Turbo always has been a diabolical car, difficult in its dynamics and threatening to send inattentive drivers into snap oversteer. As time wore on and the power produced from the 911’s turbocharged flat-six increased Porsche introduced twin-turbochargers, which helped reduce lag, and fitted the Turbo with an all-wheel drive system to help deliver power in a more controlled manner. Still, there remained sufficient power to overwhelm some and excite many. With more than 400 hp the 996 Turbo continued along the trajectory established by its predecessors, but now, because of its water-cooled engine and redesigned body, the love from many enthusiasts has been held at bay, leaving us with a performance bargain. The example seen here is a Black 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet, located in Georgia, with only 15,345 miles on it. The Turbo S was available only in 2005 as basically a 996 Turbo fitted with the X50 Power Package and ceramic brakes. For a performance value these are near impossible to beat.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet on eBay

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