Dan Crouch BlogSports Car and Motorcycle Enthusiast, Web Consultant, and Niche Publisher.

Colt has previously listed his 944 Turbo S Silver Rose on my blog and now he has another outstanding German sports coupe to list: His 1988 BMW M6 on Autotrader.com:

quote from his ad:

Metric Mechanic 3.7L and System 300 exhaust ~330hp with 30K miles on the engine (147K on the car), SplitSecond MAF fuel controller, Dinan Chip, Dinan Cam Gears, BBS RK wheels, SS brake lines, UUC Short shift, Bilstein Sport struts, Suspension Techniques springs, BMPD strut bar, Kenwood CD/AMP/Infinity speakers, Sirius satellite radio, Zimmerman drilled rotors, PBR pads, painted calipers, new battery, light tinting of rear windows, new front spoiler and fog lights, new factory leather on seats and door panels, A/C fully operable, heated seats Fully maintained with comprehensive maintenance records since new- all synthetic trans/LSD/motor/brake/PS, always garaged, I drive 100 miles roundtrip on the freeway- so all highway miles, no accidents; needs nothing until next scheduled maintenance. Also have Frank Fahey track pipe with factory muffler and misc spare parts: old front spoiler, idle control valve, fan clutch, Dinan Stage 1 suspension, original radio, etc. Enthusiast owned- selling to make room in the garage

Check out the price on the Metric Mechanic 3.7 S38 motor. Yeah that's ten grand; not to mention installation. At $17k, this M6 is looking like a really good buy for the e24 enthusiast.

Good luck on the sale Colt!

dc

Forgive me: I'm guilty of cheating on this blog with a number of other blogs. But before we get too far ahead, let's get caught up on some great looking German Cars and Rare Sport Bikes that have been listed for sale over the past several weeks.

Beautiful 1983 BMW e21 320i For Sale in Oregon - Paul went so far as to say he was almost considering buying this car himself, but was instead inspired to continue the work on his own classic BMW after seeing Richard’s car! Considering he’s only asking $3200, someone should snap this up cheap!

1983 Alpina B9 #312 For Sale in Florida - The $14.5k buy-it-now option seems like a pretty good deal. There are very few real Alpina’s in this country anyway, and this one still has almost all of it’s original details. While I’m not an experienced collector, I have to imagine that 5-10 years from now, this car will have appreciated considerably. Then again, with over 100k miles and an approachable entry price, maybe it would be better to enjoy immediately. Can you imagine the response at your next BMW club day when you roll up in this?!

1985 Honda VFR400 NC24 - First things first, this is not an 85. According to this Wikipedia article, the NC24 wasn’t introduced until 1987, and this bike definitely sports all the important features of the later NC24 model. But when I first saw the listing as an 85, it made me wonder if the 25 year rule works the same way it does for classic cars in the U.S. - no import or registration issues with models not previously imported. Anyone know for sure? Also, was there a Rothmans edition of the NC24? It’s a cool bike for $3500 either way though!

Irish Green Porsches for St. Patrick's Day - As you can probably gather by now, I think the 912 is definitely the better value; especially at $15k! Of course a 912 is not a substitute for a 911. But it’s also not to be dismissed as anything less than a fantastic sports car. Add the fact that this one has an expensive rebuilt motor assembled with such focus and dedication, you can tell that this car is at least 85% of the experience of a 911 of the same era.

Two Very Low Mileage M3’s, $60,000 Each! - Not to play that overused ‘economy’ angle yet again, but these seem like high prices to me in today’s market. On the other hand the owners clearly know the rarity of their cars and are counting on educated and wealthy buyers. Who knows when we’ll see examples like these for sale again.

1986 GSX-R 750R Limited (GSXR750 RG) - Don’t you just love homologation specials?! The very best of everything and no expense spared. And when they’re nearly 25 years old and never raced, AND hardly even ridden, they’re truly a rare find. This one is currently at $12k (appears reserve has been met) with about 4 days to go.

1988 BMW e30 M3 in Diamondschwartz - The owner even has a picture of him doing a compression test on the motor. Assuming the car needs a few things here and there and you had to drop two or three grand into it right away; could be a a really nice car in a pretty desirable color.

Lovely and Original Alpine White 1991 BMW e30 M3 For Sale with 64k miles - You know me, I’m a sucker for low miles. Make sure the maintenance has been tended to with a thorough pre-purchase inspection by a qualified BMW technician. This car is already over $17k, reserve not met. With 3 days to go, make your predictions!

1993 Honda CBR400RR For Sale in San Fran Area - It has the all important title, but with that kind of mileage is $5k too high? Leave a comment with your experience.

Porsche 996 Prices are Dropping - It’s no secret the 996 is not one of my favorite Porsche 911’s. That said, I’m a big fan of the Boxster of the same generation; and when the the 996 and Boxster suddenly share the same price point, well let’s be serious, which would you really rather have? My thoughts exactly.

1985 Yamaha RZ500 with Clean U.S. Title - Wouldn’t hurt to have a description on this listing, especially with the high opening bid of $12,500. This one is a bit higher than other RZ500’s listed on this blog, but the pictures sure do look good! 4 days left, bid now!

Not 1, Not 2, But 3 Wes Cooley Replica GS1000S Suzuki’s For Sale! - $4900 doesn’t really seem that bad for such a cool and historic bike. I got up close and personal with a GS1000S at the Barber Motorsports Park Museum earlier this year, and it was a standout for sure!

Stay tune for some more sweet news about where I've been hanging out other than on dancrouchblog.com...

dc

Alex alerted me to this beautiful BMW CSL on Craigslist earlier today. We both remarked how awesome this car is but wondered if the Batmobile's actually fetch $130k. Take a look for yourself at this 1973 BMW 3.0CSL on Craigslist:

quote from seller's listing:

This beautiful 1973 BMW Series 2 Batmobile is 1 of 57 of which ONLY TWO were produced black!! The other is parked in a museum in Europe. All parts are the original parts, with only 46,397 original miles on it! This is a one time oppurtunity, check this baby out! It has a 4 speed manual, 3.2L all original!!! and this beauty drives clean! The interior still looks like new and has no weather damage or stains, it's super clean. The wing kit is still brand new wrapped in bubble wrap sitting in the trunk.

After doing some brief digging on the Sports Car Market website, they have two CSL's in their auction database. One that went for $154k at auction and another that sold on eBay for $73k, both in 2006. With this car's super low, original miles, $130k may not be that outrageous. As they say, it's only original once...

Thanks for the submission Alex!

dc

Porsche 356 "Outlaw" customs were practically invented by the Emory's, and here's a chance to own the real deal! Check out Rod Emory's 1953 Porsche 356 on The Samba:

quote from the listing on The Samba:

This is a unique opportunity to own a piece of history and a very cool car. Rod Emory's 1953 Coupe has been set up as both a Street Outlaw and a Vintage Race Car. Currently Rod is freshening the car up for the new owner. It is not yet determined if the new owner will want it with the 1300 cc Hot rod motor or a bigger 912 engine. Another option is if the new owner will want disc brakes drum brakes. The Paint has some patina and ships in the nose. If you buy it you have the option of a fresh paint or the patina.

This car will be available and set up for street or as a vintage racecar. It will be ready and completely freshened up for May Delivery. I require a 50% deposit and then the balance due at delivery. Call Rod with details 971-241-7017 Shipping will be extra. $85,000.00

I was already a fan of Emory Motorsports from reading articles in magazines and seeing their cars at work at PIR. And after a visit to the Parts Obsolete show last summer, I'm a total believer in the quality and history of their work. One lucky buyer is going to snag a serious piece of history!

dc

Back from the dead, I'm wrapping up a little vacation to Georgia to see my buddy FastEddieGTi for his birthday. Having just ate an enormous steakhouse burger from the Vortex in Atlanta (kick ass burgers!), I have some downtime to catch up on some blogging chores while my food digests!

Without further ado, here are the catch up links to GermanCarsForSaleBlog and RareSportBikesForSale:

1993 Honda NSR250 MC21 SE For Sale - At only $5500, this would be a cool addition for the track or the weekend backroads!

Low Miles 1988 BMW M6 For Sale in Montana - $22.5k sounds like a pretty good deal with this kind of mileage, and documented maintenance and upgrades. And the blue on gray with the M5 rims… Yum!

1985 Yamaha RZ500 For Sale in San Diego - At $7900, this falls right in line with other RZ500’s listed previously.

2001 Porsche Carrera Cabrio - Too Cheap to be True? - So why the skeptism? 996’s of any variation start in the high teens, and those have at least twice the mileage of this car. But heaven forbid this is the real deal… well I just can’t believe it is, but it’s fun to imagine.

A Pair of Ducati 900SS Superlight’s For Sale - These are pretty rare bikes and I think it’s an interesting opportunity for a prospective buyer to consider a well worn example or the museum piece.

1993 Ducati 888 SPO: Yep Another One!! - With a $10888 asking (clever), this is one of the more expensive triple eights to be listed on this blog. While most Ducatisti will agree this where they should be, I think this seller may have a long wait before finding a buyer considering what other examples here in the states have been going for.

Two More Titled MC 21 NSR250 Honda’s For Sale in California - Judging from the pictures alone, I like the Rothmans replica better from the point of aesthetics alone. For around five grand, neither one seems like that bad a deal considering they both have titles!

Is This The Cheapest Alpina For Sale in the U.S.? 1984 BMW Alpina 2.8 B6 For Sale - Now I’m sure “Big Ron” is a reputable guy and all, but I don’t expect this car to be a real B6 considering it’s condition and thorough listing on Craigslist. But if it is a Euro car, and it looks like it could be, and it has Alpina pieces, it’s probably worth that much in parts anyway. Could actually be a really cool basis for a project car. And heaven forbid it’s a real Alpina… It’s probably the cheapest Alpina for sale in the country.

1994 Honda CB400 Super Four - Now granted that’s 47,845 miles and no title. But with all the 2 strokes that have been showing up with titles, surely it can’t be that hard to pull off. This would be such a cool in-town commuter bike!

1990 Ducati 851 Loaded With Expensive Upgrades - It’s sacrilege to even suggest it, but parting this bike could probably turn a tidy profit. Of course that would be a shame because this bike looks so well sorted, and for $5k it’d be a real pleasure to the ride balls off of it!

1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 For Sale in New Mexico - I’m having a tough time trying to decide between a Boxster and a 964. My thinking lately is that there are far more Boxsters than 964’s, and that 964 prices might be more stable over the next couple years as a result.

4 Special Edition Ducati Race Replicas For Sale Right Now - I’m really not knowledgable about the values of these bikes. But they are obviously collector examples that will command some premium in the market. Which one would you pick as best value?

1991 Honda NSR250 MC21 For Sale in Vegas Baby - These are getting cheap enough that it’s getting harder and harder to make excuses about why there isn’t one in my garage. Obviously with the sheer numbers of 2 strokes listed on this site, you know I’m a fan. Talk me out of a gray market 2 stroke… or can you at these prices?

2001 M Coupe For Sale in Virginia - 27k miles and an asking of $24k? What could possibly be wrong with this car? I like all the modifications, but they do tend to devalue a car in the eyes of enthusiast buyers. And it also has that terrible two tone interior, red and black leather. But at this price, I’d consider it a bargain purchase and have the leather dyed!

1991 Suzuki RGV 250 VJ22 For Sale in California - $6k doesn’t sound too bad, especially considering it’s plated. And are those Arrow pipes? Yum!

BMW 2002 with Dual Webers, 5 speed, LSD, and Genuine Alpina Wheels - For the asking price, and the pile of rare parts that come with it, this could be a great little driver, a potential fixer-upper, or maybe even a weekend racer project. In any case, it’ll be a load of fun!

1984 Volkswagen GTI For Sale: Clean, Original, and Affordable - As a long time MK1 and MK2 VW fan, I’d have to say it’s been since high school since I saw a Rabbit GTi this clean and original. While $4500 may seem like a lot to some, good luck finding one this nice for less.

Looks like we were right in assessing this e30 M3 I listed in September as a great buy -- because it's now listed in Seattle for over $6k more!

Check out the new listing for this 1991 BMW e30 M3 for sale on Craigslist:

quoted from CL ad for archive:

For sale is a very rare car in excellent condition! Only a few hundred M3s were imported to the US during that last year of production. The car is very stock with only a few modifications. Here's some basic info about the car:

Mileage: 118000
Color: White (Alpinweiss II)
Interior: Black Leather
Engine: 2.3L S14

Add-ons:
Korman chip for better mid-range performance
E36 OEM BMW Business CD Radio
Short Shifter
Staggered wheels (bought for over 1500$ on eBay!)

Recent jobs done on the car:
Front Right Wheel bearing
Complete tune up:
- wires
- spark plugs
- coil
- air filter
- ignition rotor
- distributor cap

Defects:
Scratch on the hood
Crack on the dash (a dash can be bought for 100-150$ and is rather easy to install)

I checked the engine and it has perfect compression on all 4 cylinders. Also it doesn't leak any oil at all. The mechanics on this car are really in an awesome condition. The tires on the original wheels are practically brand new. The ones on the car have some wear but can go for lots more miles. The brakes are almost new as well. The accessory belts should be replaced soon. I already have them and I was planning on replacing them in the summer. It's a real easy job if you have some DIY skills. The car just passed the emission test with flying colors which also proves that the engine is in excellent health and very well tuned. As for the body it is in very good shape. No rust at all. The interior (other than the crack in the dash) is in perfect condition.

Pictures:

http://s136.photobucket.com/albums/q183/tcheb/M3/

http://s136.photobucket.com/albums/q183/tcheb/M3_2/

I am open to offers.

I like how he's even recycling the previous seller's pictures!

While I thought this car was a fantastic buy at $12,300 the first time, I'm not so enthusiastic about $19k. It's not that I'm opposed to someone making some money on a good buy, but a big part of me is disappointed a real e30 M3 enthusiast didn't land the car the first time. Maybe one will this time...

dc

Renault Turbo 2 fans rejoice, for there is another stateside example for sale and it's a beaut! Take a look at Jeff's 1984 Renault T2 For Sale:

quote from Jeff about his car:

Here is my R5 with the new wheels installed. It runs and drives perfectly and looks great. It has approx 42,000 kilometers and would be a great addition to any collection. I would like $35,000 with standard wheels or $37,000 with both sets. A good friend of mine bought his 84 in blue a year ago for $48,000 on the East coast and I have to say although his is nice, mine is nicer.

Thanks for contacting me Jeff, and good luck with the sale -- the car looks fantastic!

Contact Jeff about his T2 For Sale

And here is an older post with some good links on further information on the Turbo 2 from Renault.

dc

New Years Day I took a trip down to the Sports Car Shop in Eugene. My close friend Paul works there and the owner, Bob, approached me about pictures that they needed for a couple of the incoming cars. One of the cars is a 2006 Jaguar S Type R:

I'm a 'prosumer' quality photographer with only a little gear in my bag. But considering the equipment, I'm okay with how these turned out. Especially this close up of the leaping cat and Jag badge. I made wallpapers out of these in 1680 and 1152 resolutions:

This is quite a striking car in person. I didn't get any seat time in the car, but the specs speak for themselves: (Edmunds.com)

The standard engine is a supercharged 4.2-liter V8 rated at 400 horsepower. A six-speed automatic transmission sends the power to the rear wheels. Performance is exemplary, with a 0-to-60 time of just 5.3 seconds, according to Jaguar, and an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

I'll be going back down to shoot outdoors later this week. I'll get details then regarding price, miles, etc... Stay tuned!

dc

Looks like the NSX market isn't immune to the recession either. A scan of NSX Prime Marketplace (the place to surf NSX anything online) a year ago and you would've been hard pressed to find any NSX for less than $28-30k. There are at least 3 right now for less than that and with decent mileage. Both of these stood out to me because of the color combination's, decent mileage, and the somehow reasonable looking $25k price tags.

First up is this Black on Ivory NSX For Sale in San Diego:

quote from seller's NSXPrime listing:

Black/Ivory

5 speed
72,044 miles

Only mod is Flowmaster Exhaust, but it still looks stock with the original tips.
A/C Head Unit was replaced a few months ago.
Clean Title. Runs strong. Selling because it doesn't get driven enough.
Extra set of Stock 1991 Wheels+Tires Included.

Next is a Silver on Black NSX For Sale in Florida (I presume):

quote from seller's NSXPrime Listing:

1991 Acura NSX
5 Speed Manual transmission
Not in snap ring range
68,000 miles
Only 467 sebring silver cars ever produced!
Car has only ONE OWNER before me. It has never been in an accident.
I trailered the car to PA at the end of 2007.

All original with the exception of
-new koni adjustable struts (originals ones included)
-custom exhaust
-8000k philips HID (self installed)
-window film
-upgraded chrome wheels from 00 model (original ones included)

No issues except
-climate currently only blowing on high, needs hvac rebuilt
-super tiny ding on lowest part of front right fender
-front spoiler is scratched, I will include a new one, but you install.

Service Records
-When I was reviewing the records I left it outside overnight during a rain storm, all of them blew away and I had to go hunting for them. I believe I lost about 20 pages.
-engine serviced, timing belt and water pump around 55,000 miles
-clutch and transmission rebuilt around 45,000 miles
-lots of other work, 90% of work done at Acura of Pompano Beach / Rick Case Acura.

Buyer will have one choice of
1. chrome wheels currently on the car.
2. solaris silver wheels nearly perfect

I would soooo love to have an NSX in the garage. Even though a collision would bankrupt me, the rest of the package is so well balanced and reliable. As prices come down, it's even easier to justify the thought. I'd go with the black one for the great color combo, but that's getting a bit nit-picky as both are beautiful. I wouldn't kick either one out of bed for that price!

dc

I had never heard of this hardtop option before, but check out this really cool aftermarket option from Zeintec. It's called the Zeintop and by removing a couple panels from your early first generation Boxster, it fits in place like a hard top but also incorporates a hatchback design that utilizes the stock trunk area. The result is remarkably similar in design and look of the much newer Porsche Cayman.

And according to this thread on Pelican Parts, there is a promotion offer right now that prices the top at around $3k! Mix in a low miles, second hand Boxster like this one, and viola, a budget Cayman for around $20k:

quote from seller's Craigslist posting in San Francisco:

1998 Porsche Boxster-17,500mi-Original Owner-Very Clean - $15500 (saratoga)

[...]

This white, 1998 Porsche Boxster is offered with less than 17,500 miles. I’m the original Owner of this beauty and kept the Boxster in the garage. It is an instant classic. Its extremely clean. Enjoy the thrill and excitement of your new Boxster.

As most readers have noticed, I'm watching used Boxsters and this sure looks like a really interesting option!

dc