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.
This site contains Ebay partner affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
If you say “aging twin-turbocharged V12 engine” to any sane car person, they’ll probably reply along the lines of “You couldn’t give it to me for free.” They probably wouldn’t be too far off, but it all comes down to expectations going into something like that. Is it going to be cheap and easy? Probably not. Is it going to be a total disaster of Maserati Biturbo proportions? Hopefully not. In all seriousness, the Mercedes-AMG M275 engine is about the best you can ask for in terms of what they made and how much reward you get from it, which is 604 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. Much to everyone’s surprise and now delight, these engines have been proven to be anything but a rolling disaster. However, does that mean it is worth rolling the dice on one when the price becomes attractive enough? Let’s take a look with this 2008 with an impressive 80,000 miles on the odometer.
Hard to believe we are here, or maybe not, but the best of the best 996 Porsche 911 Turbos are transacting for over $100,000. I suppose it was inevitable as rising tides lift all boats, but I didn’t see it coming this fast. Keep in mind I’m talking about the standard 996 Turbo, not the GT2 or GT3, as those are already well into their own categories of crazy growth. Still, would you take this over a classic 930 Turbo? I’m not sure.
It isn’t just enough to owner a six-figure Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG. Oh no. That is plebeian. You have to order it in a G Manufaktur paint choice for an $6,500. That’s a bargain compared to Porsche and Mercedes-Benz knows this, which is why they offer 14 of those G Manufaktur color shades. Today, we have South Sea Blue Metallic on this 2021 G63 AMG with a mere 832 miles. Great, right? Wait until you see the asking price on this one. Hold on.
For every bland S-Class that Mercedes-Benz produces to lease to some eye doctor in Ocala, Florida, every once in a while they’ll mix up something special for the ones in the know. Today’s 2008 S65 AMG is one of those. This is a “Designo Graphite Edition” that I did not even realize existed and probably wouldn’t believe either outside of seeing it listed on the window sticker for a cool $9,765. What is it? Graphite paint, Corteccia and Charcoal AMG leather, a heated steering wheel, matte natural oak wood trim, and an Alcantara headliner. All in addition to the loads of goodies that already comes standard on a 2008 S65 AMG. Add it all up and you’d find a sticker price when new of $210,265. Bonkers.
In terms of contrast between the 997.1 Porsche 911 Turbo and the 997.2 Porsche 911 Turbo, it is very clear – at least when it comes to comparing the cars with the gearboxes that only have two pedals. A few days ago we looked at the 997.1, it has a regular five-speed automatic transaxle with a traditional torque converter. It is slow, it is soft, and it sucks a lot of power. However the clouds cleared once the 997.2 came around and the Tiptronic box was replaced by the snappy seven-speed PDK gearbox. All of a sudden it isn’t a penalty to only have two pedals in the footwell; the 6-speed cars physically can’t shift faster than the PDK car. Yes, I know it isn’t all about 0-60 times and being the fastest, but PDK was a game changer for the 911 Turbo. Even better when talking about a 997.2 Turbo S, which is what we have up for sale today.
