I find options on cars very interesting, especially when they’re options that aren’t often selected. Every once and a while, I’ll sit down and build a car on Audi, BMW or Volkswagen’s configuration tool, all the while trying to figure out what will be the options that 20 years from now someone will pine after, or just even smile to see. Today’s S4 is a great example of just that; indeed, if you look at the window sticker, you’ll note that only two options were selected. One was the 10 Compact Disc trunk mounted changer; it was an option my 1993 V8 quattro had and in retrospect I can’t believe they got away with charging $800 for it – I’m reminded of the scene from The Wedding Singer. But that’s not the option I’m really interested in; no, what I find unique about this car is that it was specified to the no charge 15×7.5 Speedline-made option wheels with all-season tires. For a time, Audi even touted that its 15″ option wheels offered better ride quality than the competition’s huge 16″ rolling gear. It was a rarely selected option, and it’s even more rare to find the car still rolling on those wheels 21 years later:
Tag: Turbocharged
Everyone wants a perfect car, let’s be honest. But I often feel that I could accept a reasonable amount of flaws to have a car that I felt completely comfortable driving. Make that car a classic Porsche, and you’d still be talking big bucks, right? Well, not so fast – if you look around, you can still get some remarkable deals on 944 Turbos, one of the best driving cars from the 1980s. Present that car in the rare shade of Nautic Blue with tan leather, and you’ve got one heck of an understated looker with performance to back up the badge. Would you drive it?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1987 Porsche 944 Turbo on eBay
7 CommentsIf you walked up to a stranger on the street and said “would you buy a 1991 Audi with 227,000 miles for $6,000”, I’d guess nearly every response would be a hearty laugh. But then, if you asked the same question but instead of the Audi and $6,000 it was a 1970s Porsche and a million dollars, you’d probably get the same laugh. Car valuations are so difficult, because within them lies desirability, condition, and sometimes childhood dreams. I still remember the James Bond movie where the baddie-turned-goodie-but-still-baddie was whisked away from the border guards tucked in the back of a 1991 Audi 200 20V quattro. I was, at the time, a teenager and didn’t really have much of an idea what the 200 was at that point. When I finally bought my Audi, I understood a bit more – it was a luxury sedan with the heart of a World Rally champion, a car whose dual nature few could manage at the time. High speed Autobahn cruiser? Check. Quiet, civilized luxury car? Yes, that too. Spirited on back roads? That could be said about the 200, but so could it about the BMW M5. What set the Audi apart at that time was the combination of the turbocharged engine with the quattro all-wheel drive system, allowing this performance to occur in just about any condition. That made the quattro a ski-trip vehicle as well. With handsome looks, the lightly flared 200 was also a racer, competing in the North American IMSA series as doing quite well for such a large, production based car. While not quite the jack of all trades, one can appreciate what a special package the Audi 200 20V was, and still is:
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 1991 Audi 200 20V Quattro on eBay
10 CommentsHaving just embarked on a summer road trip, my thoughts wandered while driving towards fuel economy. My MINI Cooper S certainly does well enough, but sometimes you want something a bit more suited for cruising. Which is where this Mercedes-Benz 300TD comes in. It’s not the fastest car out there, but once up to cruising speed, it’s a capable motor with the range and reliability of diesel power and a good amount of carrying capacity. This particular 300TD for sale in California has been converted to run on biodiesel and is a two owner car, having lived its live out in the western US.