Enthusiasts Blogging Our Favorite Classifieds
The low mileage, mint condition Volkswagen Dasher Wagon we featured for a second time in November of last year has reappeared once again. They don’t get any better than this, so if you want to help clear your mind of recent emission scandal and reminisce about the good old days, this would be a good VW in which to do it.
It’s rather amazing to think it’s been over 20 years since the W124 Mercedes-Benz ceased production. The lines of this car are timeless, in my opinion. The W124 also set the template for the E-class model lineup for years to come. Sedan and estate variants were mainstays, while the E-class coupe and cabriolet transitioned to the CLK moniker for about a decade span only to return back to the E-class coupe and convertible recently. Fast versions have been ever present, as well, beginning with the legendary 500E/E500 in 1992. But we’ll focus on the estate variant today, and this final year E320 Estate for sale in Florida is a looker. With only 85,000 miles on the clock, this Brilliant Silver beauty is bound to make some discerning family happy.
Growing up, I never really understood the appeal of wagons, or “estates” as we called them in England. The triumph of sensibleness and practicality over style, they didn’t seem particularly cool or desirable. Instead, they were for posh people in the countryside who owned big dogs. But as I’ve gotten older, and particularly since I moved to America, something has changed. Not only do I find myself needing to carry around a lot more stuff these days, but wagons have become, well, cool. No longer the staple of the staid upper classes, they’re for the person who needs the extra space of an SUV or a minivan but says “f-that, I’m not ready to give up on life just yet.” And there are some seriously cool wagons around these days. On a recent trip home to London, the first sight greeting me in the car park at Heathrow was that of an F11 530d M-Sport, B8 S4 Avant and an E63 AMG estate, all lined up next to each other. It’s as if somebody was trying to make a point.
The E39 Touring, already a fairly handsome car, looks especially good when specified with the M-sport package, as here. This particular 540i represents the top of the range and not only has it been blessed with M exterior styling and sport suspension, as an added bonus the current owner has gone to the trouble of retrofitting a 6-speed manual transmission from an M5, turning this into a quick, capable and seriously cool longroof.
I see B6 platform A4s all the time in DC, often driven by young people in their mid to late twenties. I tend to assume that many of them are hand-me-downs from wealthy parents who live in the affluent suburbs. When equipped with all-wheel drive, these cars make for competent year-round daily drivers ideal for the mid-Atlantic climate, and they still give off that expensive, German vibe even though by now they are relatively inexpensive to buy. But while the overall design remains attractive, I think the standard models can look a bit plain. If, like me, you prefer the sportier looks of the S4, but don’t want to deal with the possibility of the $8k timing chain job that afflicts the 4.2 V8 motor, the next best thing is a regular A4 equipped with the Ultrasport package. Available as a factory option, this added S4-style door blades, revised front and rear bumpers, sports suspension and 18″ multispoke “celebration” RS4-style wheels. So equipped, the ordinary looking A4 is instantly transformed into a sportier, more aggressively styled car. The USP package was available on both sedan and wagon models, and for today’s post I’ve written up one of each.
On a recent visit to London, I stopped through the Audi showroom on 75 Piccadilly. Sitting front and center was an RS6 Avant, a beastly estate which has become quite a popular family conveyance for the monied classes in the Big Smoke. Somehow, over 550 horsepower seems a bit ludicrous in a town where you’ll be getting nowhere fast. But where did all this horsepower madness start? Well, right here with this car. The RS2 Avant. This special Audi was produced in the same factory that brought us that other GCFSB favorite, the Mercedes-Benz 500E/E500. This particular RS2 Avant for sale at 4Star Classics is a rare right-hand drive example, one of less than 200 so equipped.
