Warning!
We have 15 years of archives. Links older than a year may have been updated to point to similar cars available to bid on eBay.
Now that the summer is drawing to a close, we inch closer to another year where the clock moves one year ahead on the 25-year import rule for those who live in the United States. For certain cars that were built early in the model year like September and October, this is a big difference marker. What I mean by that is if you are looking to import 1998 model year, that doesn’t mean you have to wait until 2023. If that door sticker says “09/97” but it is a 1998 model year, you are good to go. But remember this could also work against you if it is made several months into that current model year.
Today’s car isn’t that case quite yet, but it is getting there and the hard work of getting it on North American soil is already done. Yes, this is 2001 Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Estate up for sale in British Columbia at a still somewhat reasonable price. Although, what if I told you there was a way to bring this thing in the US legally right now?
If you are feeling déjà vu, you are on to something. Last month I checked out a 1998 Mercedes-Benz S600 7.0 AMG and now a month later, we have the brother 1998 CL600 7.0 AMG. It is probably safe to assume these both came out of the same collection, and believe it or not, this one checks in with over 100,000 kilometers on the odometer. Long live the M120!
“I don’t think it is necessary to explain to those who understand.”
That’s the only description from the selling dealer for today’s car. Granted, that was translated from Japanese, but it is the general gist of it. If you know you know, if you don’t, this isn’t the car for you. The iconic W140 Mercedes-Benz S600 punched out to 7.0 liters by AMG Japan and equipped with a bunch of other little special touches. In terms of 1990s sedans, this is up there. The price? Well, if you have to ask…
This E34 Alpina sold for $26,000 on 1/10/2022.
It’s hard to imagine being the bottom of the totem pole at Alpina, but the 3.5/1 might just be that car. In part that’s because the E34 lineup was so robust, featuring the cool 3.0 Allrad and the Learjet-channeling BiTurbo. When BMW ceased the production of the M30, V8 powered 310 and 340 horsepower 4.0 and 4.6 models replaced the inline-6. In comparison to those headliners, the 254 horsepower B10 3.5/1 seemed like an article more suited for the corner of page 2. However, consider for a moment that the B10 3.5/1’s power numbers were nearly identical to the contemporary super-saloon S38-powered E28 M5 when it was launched and it helps to restore some clarity to the impressiveness of the products rolling out of Buchloe. Today chassis number 520 of the 572 3.5/1s produced is up for sale in Indiana:
Seemingly out of the no where, the 964 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 has turned into quite the valuable asset – if you want to call them that. Just this month we saw two black Carrera 2 examples sell for $124,000 and $123,456. Outliers in the grand scheme of things? Sure. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t be the start of a trend or sellers thinking their rose has finally bloomed and asking for prices in line with that. Case in point, this Japanese-spec 1992 Carrera 2 finished in the wonderful Wimbledon Green Metallic. It even has some extra fun stuff like Cup 1 wheels and the factory sport seats. The price? Well, if you were in on those black examples, you’re in the right ballpark.
