Tag: 2005

Tuner Tuesday B Unique: 2005 Alpina B5

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Update 9/18/18: This Alpina B5, claimed (believably) to be the only one in the U.S., is now up on SecondDaily.com with a $22,000 Buy Now. At that price it would seem much more in line with the market!

In my mind, Alpina’s mystique has dimmed slightly over the past decade. Still capable of producing monsterously powerful luxury machines, the proliferation of options that are also insanely fast and luxurious has meant that the company’s original niche has become substantially more commonplace. And while it’s been awesome that Alpinas started being imported through BMW dealerships in 2007 and now offer several models to U.S. fans who can stomach the serious price tags, it also made them much less exclusive.

While products have widened over the past few years to include the 6-series, most of what Alpina sent to the U.S. market was based on the 7. The supercharged B7 was quite potent, but didn’t solve the problem of the E65’s looks all that much. Arguably, no amount of anything could do that particularly well.

But the B7’s supercharged 4.4 V8 was also available to Europeans in a (slightly) smaller package – the B5. Based on the E60, what would have started as a 330 horsepower 545i was transformed into a 500 horsepower, 500 lb.ft torque weapon. In typical fashion, Alpina revised the wheels and suspension, exhaust and interior, and of course added body kits to the E60. With 133 lb feet more torque than the V10 M5 produced and at a more reasonable 4,000 rpm rather than 6,000, the B5 could actually out-accelerate the M product. 0-62 was tested to arrive in 4.6 seconds, and the fun didn’t run out until you were just 5 mph shy of 200. Best yet, you could have this speed in a wagon!

Unfortunately for U.S. fans, the B5 and even more powerful B5S weren’t imported to the U.S.. Production of the B5 was limited to only 428 sedans, and the quite believable claim is that this is the only one in the United States:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Alpina B5 on eBay

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2005 Porsche 911 GT3

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Update 8/30/18: The asking price has been dropped from $94,995 to $88,995.

996 GT3 prices do seem to be going up. It was inevitable given how highly regarded these 911s are among the Porsche lineup even when we factor in that many still don’t like the styling. More modern GT3s will bring with them higher levels of performance, but the 996 is no slouch and its rawness relative to the newer models continues to garner them high praise. And even with higher prices they remain some of the few you can find under six figures.

The one we see here, a Guards Red 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 located in New York with only 21,164 miles on it, is one of the more interesting examples I’ve seen. Guards Red doesn’t seem especially common on any 996, let alone a GT3, and the details in the interior with deviated stitching and red gauge faces provide some nice contrast. I’m not a fan of the black wheels, but otherwise I really like the way everything comes together on this one.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 on eBay

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2005 Porsche Carrera GT

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The Carrera GT might be my favorite Porsche that I almost never feature. But I guess hypercars are like that. There isn’t much difference between all of the various Carrera GTs we see and there are always a few available. So it’s only the very interesting and special examples that attract my notice enough to post one. This one is proclaimed to be “the highest known invoiced Carrera GT sold new in the States” and that obviously attracted my attention. It’s also pretty eye catching, as just about any Carrera GT might be, so looking it over I felt like it was worth bringing to everyone else’s attention as well. I don’t know that any significant percentage of our readers might really be thinking of pursuing a Carrera GT, but even if it only serves as a nice break to the day – a moment to pause and look at something both beautiful and ferocious – then that’s good enough.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche Carrera GT on eBay

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Perfect Timing: 2005 S4 Avant

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We usually try to give plenty of time for readership to check out the auctions we link to. However, if you click on the link below you’ll find there’s only a few hours before this auction will end. Why am I writing it up?

Well, it should be pretty obvious. I like yellow cars, I like wagons, and I like Audis. Three checks there! This is a rare package, and I like rare, too. And before you start chattering about the BBK’s propensity to eat timing chain guides, this one’s already been upgraded. So it must have a million miles? No, they’re in check, too, at 112,000. Best of all, the seller is offering the car in a no reserve auction format and for some reason, bids aren’t outrageous yet.

If you want a big, bad and bold manual wagon, ACT NOW!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Audi S4 Avant on eBay

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2005 Maybach 57

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Last week I was watching a video on the BMW i3 about how much they have depreciated. A few years ago, they were selling for around the $40,000 mark and now can be bought in the mid-teens. The author of the video went on about how much of an actual value that was but you have to take in the fact that they received some tax subsidies, a lot of them were leased and it is a fairly unique car to begin with that not everyone can own because of its limited range. Because of all that, prices have tanked. Of course, the whole time I’m thinking that the i3 has absolutely nothing on the Maybach when it comes to depreciation in terms of actual dollars. I examined this topic a few years ago with a 57S and figured it might be time to revisit the mid-2000s monsters of eating your money in a 2005 57 located in Texas. Here is a hint at what I found: not much has changed.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Maybach 57 on eBay

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2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe

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This is a long time favorite of ours at GCFSB even if pricing has moved them beyond what made them a favorite. Nonetheless the 996TT remains a heck of a performance machine and even with values creeping up there is still a lot of value to be found with these cars. To put it simply: the trouble now is that they have begun to creep much too close to the price of a 997TT, at which point I think most will choose the 996’s successor. For those who might prefer 996 styling (I promise they do exist) or for those with some collector interest the final model year of these seemingly unloved Turbos can make for a nice option.

In 2005 Porsche gave us the 911 Turbo S. It was a car quite similar to the previous 996TT when equipped with the X50 Performance package and PCCB. But like with most any Porsche if you put an ‘S’ in the name then it attracts more attention. Numbers were somewhat limited, especially the Coupes. For reasons I’m not all that clear about, most of the 996TTS that were produced were Cabriolets. Many of those were equipped with Tiptronic S rather than a 6-speed manual. So what see here, an Arctic Silver Metallic 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe with manual transmission and 47,153 miles on it, doesn’t come around all that often.

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

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Arancio Borealis 2005 Porsche Carrera GT

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We don’t really do revisits of previous posts all that often anymore. It’s easier simply to update links as auctions or sales come back around. However, there are exceptions. There are always exceptions. Certain cars deserve a second look. In some cases they have actually been off the market for a little while. With this car, both situations apply. This is a 1 of 1 Arancio Borealis 2005 Porsche Carrera GT. I featured it a couple years ago when it was first offered for sale. The price – $1.99M – was spectacularly high, but this is a spectacular car in as eye-catching a color as you are likely to find. It never sold and now the owner figures he’ll try again.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: Arancio Borealis 2005 Porsche Carrera GT on eBay

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2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe

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I sort of don’t know what to make of this 911. I like the look. I was drawn to it immediately. I like the model itself: a 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe with around 85K miles on it. Originally it was Seal Grey, now it wears a red full-body wrap. In general terms, the model itself is a fairly desirable one when considered for performance per dollar. But as should be entirely apparent it isn’t original. Nor are its modifications of the sort that I would think would really attract other buyers.

So I’m curious. I’m curious where bidding will take it. Like just about any modified car of this sort, in order to reach its asking price the right buyer – someone for whom these modifications are just right – will need to come along. Could you buy a similar 997 and perform these modifications and come in under the asking price? Probably not. Could you find a less expensive Carrera S Coupe that remains unmodified and is a lot of fun to drive? Certainly. It all comes down to what these modifications mean to you.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera S Coupe on eBay

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2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe

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This 911 brings with it a nice confluence of attributes that should make it quite desirable. Assuming, of course, you’re seeking out all of those attributes. Here we have a 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupe located in Knoxville. It has the desirable 6-speed manual transmission and has done 61,419 miles. It also is equipped with the very rare Turbo Aerokit. We saw this aerokit recently on a standard 996TT and on that car it created quite a juxtaposition between the exterior and interior aspects of the car. On this Turbo S, there is no juxtaposition. It’s full menace and the aerokit simply provides an additional dose of aggression. In all black it may not turn heads, slipping by almost unnoticed, but for any driver it’s sure to leave an impression.

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

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2005 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Coupe

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A couple weeks ago I featured this Speed Yellow 2005 C4S Coupe. It appeared to be an exceptional example of what is a generally unloved model. I stated in that post that I think bright colors really work in the 996’s favor when it comes to maximizing the attractive qualities of its exterior. However, not everyone wants a brightly colored exterior and Speed Yellow is about as bright as they come. Also, as much as I liked that C4S it was very expensive with a price well into good 996TT territory.

Here I hope to remedy those two problems. This is the same model 911, from the same model year right at the end of 996 production, so you get what is for me a better looking 996 and the sort of usability that always has made the C4S a worthy candidate for daily driver duties should that be your desire. Obviously it’s nearly the polar opposite in color. I’ll admit I could do without the tint, especially of the rear lenses, but otherwise where a Speed Yellow 911 will turn every head, this black one should allow you to cruise by (mostly) unnoticed. At 20,086 miles, the mileage is still quite low but it’s priced almost $20K less. That’s a lot of money for Speed Yellow and a few less miles.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Coupe on eBay

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