Press "Enter" to skip to content

Tag: 2011

This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.

Motorsports Monday: Porsche 911 GT3 Cup v. Cayman S

Published January 26, 2015 by Carter

For German car fans who love racing, it doesn’t get much more exciting than Porsche’s long history of endurance racing. Indeed, Porsche’s venerable 911 seems intrinsically linked with racing – undoubtedly, part of its mystique. However, true factory racing Porsches have always been pretty expensive when new and still are so. Watching yesterday’s coverage of the 24 Hours of Daytona had me cringing as the multi-hundred thousand dollar Le Mans class 991 Porsches took each other out, attacked Opossums and exploded crankcases. It wasn’t a great day for Porsche at a track where the company has had an impressive string of successes. So, today I decided to take a look at two racing Porsches as an homage to their first rate engineering, their enduring appeal and incredible performance:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2014 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup on eBay

Read Our PostMotorsports Monday: Porsche 911 GT3 Cup v. Cayman S
Comments closed

2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 6-speed manual

Published December 16, 2014 by Paul

$_57 (1)

It’s been some time now since the drama that led to Saab’s demise transpired, leaving intellectuals everywhere scratching their heads when it comes time to purchase another new car. The cars from Trollhättan were always favored by those who enjoyed taking the road less traveled; leading the company itself to launch a media campaign in the mid-1990s entitled “Find Your Own Road.” While the marque has been revived under the brand National Electric Vehicle Sweden, the lineup merely consists of a rehash of the old 9-3 sedan. Before the original Saab took its last breath, we were gifted one pretty midsized luxury sedan in the form of the 9-5.

This car was barely one year old by the time Saab was on life support, with only a few examples of the even prettier estate version produced. Nevertheless, a few thousand made their way to our shores, some even equipped with a 6-speed manual gearbox. With a parts network still in place and an active enthusiast scene, you can have one of the last big Saabs to roam these roads for the price of a new Honda Civic.

Click for details: 2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 on eBay

Read Our Post2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4 6-speed manual
9 Comments

Price Fixing? BMW 1M Roundup

Published September 28, 2014 by Carter

BMW followed the age old recipe for the 1M and enthusiasts responded. Put a big engine in a small car, flare the arches a bit and slip on some wide rubber but keep the price in the range of mere mortals. What’s not to like about the 1M then? Well, they didn’t make many – 740 were imported, making it more rare than the previously rare E28 and E24 M models. That created an artificial demand right out of the box, and unfortunately these cars hit the market at the same point that the European collector car market really started taking off. That means that these cars have suffered effectively zero depreciation since new – rare for any car, but especially for the small sport sedan market. In fact, not only have they not depreciated, you could have bought one of these cars new in 2011, drove it moderately for the past 3 years, and you could have sold it for a profit today. The 1M, in all of its 335 horsepower twin-turbocharged goodness, hit the market at around $47,000 in 2011 – add a few options in and you were around $50,000 for most. Available in only three colors, these limited production cars have a cornered market and are piggybacking on the value increase of the 1980s M-cars – the spiritual predecessors of this car. Today, there are no less than 7 1Ms on Ebay, mostly in the $57,000 range. It seems almost like price fixing – we often see a wide spread of values even on very similar cars, but these 1Ms are all around the same price regardless of color, miles or number of owners. Which is the one you’d want?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 BMW 1M on eBay

Read Our PostPrice Fixing? BMW 1M Roundup
11 Comments

Modern Classic? 2011 Audi R8 V10 Spyder

Published August 21, 2014 by Carter

When judging future collectables, it’s sometimes hard to predict what will be a classic and what won’t. But, it’s a safe bet that halo cars in general will remain the most valuable. Audi re-introduced and re-imagined itself to the world with the introduction of its first halo car, the Quattro. Almost 30 years later, Audi once again re-imagined itself, thanks to acquisitions such as Lamborghini. Whereas the original moved turbocharging and all-wheel drive to the masses, the R8 instead took supercars to a new tier. A celebration of their many wins at Le Mans by the race car of the same designation, the R8 was initially powered by the spectacular 4.2 FSi V8 from the RS4. Later Audi developed its own version of the 5.2 V10 whose sound channeled the original Quattro, and the final development was the introduction of the Spyder model. With slightly revised bodywork – including the removal of the polarizing “blade” the coupe has – the R8 V10 Spyder is a compelling alternative to the 911 Turbo Cabriolet and truly offers supercar-level performance at a relatively budget price:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 Audi R8 Spyder on eBay

Read Our PostModern Classic? 2011 Audi R8 V10 Spyder
Comments closed

2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0

Published March 24, 2014 by Rob

As the 997’s model run slowly wound down Porsche released a variety of special models that showcased both its history and also its engineering and racing prowess. One of those cars is the car we see here: a 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0. The GT3 RS went through a constant evolution during the life of the 997, debuting with the 3.6 liter flat-six found in the standard Carrera and GT3, then enlarged to 3.8 liters with modified suspension, and finally the 4.0 liter 500 hp flat-six of the car we see here that featured further modifications to the body and suspension in an effort to reduce weight and improve overall performance. Needless to say, these were serious cars designed to showcase the limits Porsche could push the 997 chassis, without being a full-on race car. Only 600 were produced and with a price approaching $200K they weren’t cheap. But as a final send-off for the 997 the GT3 RS 4.0 was a fantastic display!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0 on Autotrader

Read Our Post2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 4.0
5 Comments