Tag: estate

2004 Volvo V70R

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A few weeks ago I looked at a 1995 Volvo 850 T5-R wagon, one of the all-time great designs launched by the company:

1995 Volvo 850 T5-R Wagon

The Porsche-modified engine managed to channel an impressive 243 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. The downsides? Well, not only was that particular example expensive, it was front-drive only and equipped with an automatic transaxle. Of course, move forward a generation and there was an even more potent possibility if you like fast five-doors; the V70R. The V70R had 300 horsepower driving all-four wheels through a transversely mounted turbo five, along with heavily bolstered sport seats, Brembo brakes, and an Öhlins adjustable suspension. And yeah, you could get a six-speed manual. A vast majority of these cars were used quite heavily as intended, but still are appealing to consider in the used market:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2004 Volvo V70R on eBay

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1995 Volvo 850 T5-R Wagon

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As we’ve said before, a few select marques and cars get a pass when it comes to these pages, and one of my favorite exceptions is Volvo wagons. The Sultans of Square went a bit bonkers with turbocharging over a few generations; the 240, 740, 850, and V70 all had relatively high-performance turbocharged versions of their sibling sedans that were both practical and pulse-quickening. But when it comes to the top of the heap, the 850 T5-R and its replacement, the 850R, must certainly be in contention.

Launched around the same time Volvo was curb-hopping its Estate version of the 850 in the BTCC (replete with inflatable dog in the cargo area), the T5-R took a page from the Audi RS2 and E500 book and turned to Porsche to up the ante. Fiddling with the engine tuning resulted in 243 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque, and was met with a stiff suspension, 17″ wheels, and interior and exterior tweaks. Like the RS2 with its famous (and often mistakenly called Nogaro) RS Blue, the T5-R’s signature shade was T5-R Yellow. These were quick in period and are still pretty respectable today, though the quite limited production numbers mean you might need to look to other markets to find one:

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1995 Volvo 850 T5-R Wagon on eBay

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2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 Estate

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Your dollar doesn’t go very far if you want a Mercedes-Benz station wagon. I’ve expanded on the value of the wagons in the past, and that seems to be holding true in almost every example. However, if you really want a long body with a three-pointed star, you can find a good buy if you search hard enough or adjust your standards low enough. This 2006 E350 Wagon up for sale Tennessee is a little bit of both.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2006 Mercedes-Benz E350 Estate on eBay

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2013 Mercedes-Benz E350 Estate

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Death, taxes, and Mercedes-Benz wagons holding their value. Few things in life are guarantees, but those seems to be a couple of them. Why people gravitate towards the W123 and W124 Estates is pretty self explanatory, but what really surprises me every generation after than seems to be following this as well. The general rule I’ve always gone by is that all things being equal, the cost of the sedan + $10,000 = cost of a wagon. Seems crazy for some extra cargo space, but the results don’t lie. I thought maybe this wouldn’t hold true for newer examples as Mercedes-Benz now offers eight (!) different SUVs in its current line up and just one wagon, but nope, still a premium. Worth it? Maybe.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2013 Mercedes-Benz E350 Estate on eBay

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2006 Mercedes-Benz E500 Estate

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Station wagon, estate, avant, whatever you want to call them, they are still popular. How did I come to that conclusion? Well, take a look at basically any German vehicle that is offered in both sedan and wagon and you’ll see that the wagon transacts at a higher price tag on the used market. This is especially true when it comes to high performance models like an Audi RS or AMG. A lot of that has to do with having your cake and eating it too, along with the exclusivity, as high performance wagons are made in extremely small numbers. However, even in standard base models, the wagons are still bringing premiums over sedans. Today’s car, a 2006 E500 Estate up for sale in California, follows that trend. Who says wagons are uncool?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2006 Mercedes-Benz E500 Estate on eBay

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2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG Estate

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Hard to believe it has been over a year since the last time I looked at a Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Estate. Time flies when you’re having fun I suppose, but I came across this 2005 up for sale in California that caught my eye immediately. Its really not any different than every other E55 Wagon I look at, but I thought it would be interesting to see where the market is at on these cars now that we head into 2020 and Mercedes-Benz is thankfully still gracing us with AMG wagons that are fast enough to put most exotics to shame. So are these still commanding strong money? Or are they starting to soften just a little? I think I have one of the answers to that question.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2005 Mercedes Benz E55 AMG Estate on Rennlist

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1992 Mercedes-Benz 300TE

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Who says you can’t go home again? It seems like now more than ever the demand for nostalgic cars is thriving. Not just the really good stuff, but seemingly average cars that are extremely clean literally have people flowing in waves to check out and ultimately buy. Maybe because the 1980s and 1990s seemed like a simpler time, or because cars from that era literally were simpler. Combine that with the cars we lusted after growing up suddenly become available again and we don’t want to let this time pass us by. That leads me to an example of that, a 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300TE with just 18,000 miles. Either you grew up in one of these or wanted to grow up in one of these, the want for them is now strong even though it is a seemingly nondescript car in every way. Maybe that is a good thing?

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300TE on eBay

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2007 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate

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Last week Carter took a look at a US-legal C5 Audi RS6 Avant that in terms of “super wagons” is right up there, and now that they are over 15 years-old, serious collectible vehicles. Thing is, you don’t get these amazing long bodies without some serious creative engineering and doing things like twin-turbocharging an already big V8. Mercedes-Benz is never one to be outdone, so they jumped into the game with the first-generation E55 AMG Estate and then went nuts on the W211 chassis with the supercharged E55 and 6.2 liter V8 E63. Today’s car is is the latter E63 that is just 1 or 62 examples produced for the 2007 model year for the US market. However, just like the RS6, big power means big issues, and judging by this car’s history, the E63 is not immune to that.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2007 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG Estate on eBay

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2006 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG Estate

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I don’t think a lot of people saw this coming, but the Mercedes-Benz AMG estates from the mid-2000s are firmly holding their values. The results don’t lie, none have traded hands under the low $20,000 range that I can find and most are above $30,000. Great news if you own one, maybe not so great if you want to buy one. Although if the values keep holding strong, I guess buying one isn’t the worst idea ever as you are basically parking your money. However, there is another way to get your big V8 AMG wagon fix if you don’t want to pony up $30,000.

The only W203 worth buying, the C55 AMG, actually was made in wagon form in 2005 and 2006. They didn’t make many of them, less than 2,000, and exactly zero came to the United States. Not exactly a common car to find and even less so as it is rumored a lot of them went to Japan and other Asian countries. However, you can still find a handful for sale in Germany at any given time and they actually look pretty darn cool. We just have to wait until 2030 to import one to the United States. Canada however, get your chequebooks ready!

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2006 Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG Estate at Mobile.de

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2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate

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Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, depending on how you look at it, Mercedes-Benz has only graced the United States market with one AMG estate car. Thankfully, it was more than one generation starting with the S211 E-Class and continuing with the S212 and now up to the current S213. Of course, we got AMGs in every SUV, including a R-Class for whatever reason, but when it comes to regular estate cars, the E-Class was it. No C-Class estates, no CLA shooting brakes and certainly no CLS shooting brakes either. Even with the multiple generations of E wagon AMGs, good luck finding one for a reasonable price as even the most desolate ones still bring close to $30,000.

Today, I came across a really nice W204 C63 AMG Estate up for sale at one of my favorite dealers in Europe that is as clean as all the other cars I feature from them. This 2009 painted in Palladium Silver Metallic has all the right lines and curves to keep that aggressive AMG stance and have future classic written all over it. I just wish they brought them stateside.

CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2009 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Estate at Auto Leitner

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