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Automotive German Cars For Sale Ramblings

2021 Stable Update: Total Refresh with Triple Nineteens!

I’m not exactly sure how this happened but we ended up filling all the spaces in the driveway with 2019 model year vehicles.

We started with a replacement for Shana’s X5 in November of 2019:

2019 Toyota Tacoma Limited in Quicksand!

2019 Toyota Tacoma Limited Quicksand

When we added up all the receipts and deprecation on the X5, we were at nearly $400/mo in the 6 years we owned the car. While not a waste, it was to maintain a modern-classic that wasn’t appreciating in resale; in fact quite the opposite despite the pile of receipts to keep it as perfect as we could.

Suddenly our eyes were open to the value of a new car in the same budget range. With the killer lease rates fueled by the extraordinary resale of the most popular car sold in 2019, we acquired the Tacoma Limited for very little. We’ll probably take advantage of the high resale and sell privately when the next generation is announced — and get a new one.


Later during COVID, I sold the 1993 Ducati 750SS:

It ended up with a well known Corvallis Ducati enthusiast and I couldn’t be happier. I owned it for 13 years but I hadn’t really ridden any bikes in the past 5 years. Check out these 750SS SuperSport archived posts for a tribute to this fine motorcycle that provided so many memorable miles.

Getting back in the saddle: 2019 KTM 390 Duke

2019 KTM 390 Duke

Riding less than 500 miles in the past several years has made me rusty. But this sharp and stylish lightweight is just what the doctor ordered. It’s light, punchy, and incredibly easy to enjoy at all speeds under 100mph. It won’t be long before I endeavor to acquire something with adult horsepower and size. In the meantime, this is a super fun toy to enjoy at a whim and inspiring tons of confidence to make up for lost time.


Back in a Volkswagen: 2019 Golf R!

I also sold the Z4M in late spring last year. At the time I had saved up for a long time and figured it was time to get a Porsche or similar limited edition German special. It’s a silly promise to my younger self to acquire the sportscars I never thought I’d obtain. But the COVID market proved to be very spicy with plenty of competition. 48-72hr market-to-sale turnaround times on the cars I was shopping was suddenly commonplace. Several cars slipped through my fingers during this 8 month search and I’ll detail some of the runners up in a future post. It was very frustrating to say the least!

Then after a leisurely and scenic drive on a late fall day (COVID boredom), we followed a blue mk7.5 Golf R heading back into town. It was definitely the facelifted mk7.5, super clean and detailed. Stunning to be honest. It was one of those moments when we were both staring at it and knew it was time to get back into a Volkswagen. Our 9th in fact.

Soon after, this super low mileage Golf R appeared at Audi Wilsonville and I acted as fast I could to get it.

2019 Golf R white

This has ended up being the best choice for us during this challenging time. Values on enthusiast collector cars have increased sharply this past year and competition in the marketplace has been fast and fierce. In the meantime, I’ve been blissfully ignorant of new car offerings the past 5-10 years. While I knew what a Golf R was, I was highly skeptical of the 2.0L Turbo 4 cylinder and hefty entry price. Cue stereotypical revelation: after a short test drive, I was won over almost instantly! This really is a brilliant hot hatch and it’s everyday appeal will be hard to replace after owning two roadsters the better part of the past 10 years.


It took me a while to realize it, but somehow we’ve ended up with three 2019 model year vehicles, and to be honest we couldn’t be more happy – which has been good during these unprecedented times. Having the right ride for every spare moment has been a wonderful escape from reality.

dc

Categories
Automotive Classifieds of Interest German Cars For Sale Ramblings

Two 90’s Modern Classic Convertibles for Under $15k: What’s the Worst that Could Happen?

I still haven’t replaced the M Roadster, but as you may have guessed, I’ve been looking at ads almost nonstop since it sold. Our local market within 300-400 miles hasn’t turned up much in that time that I considered a must buy. And when I contemplate long distance spotting’s, not only does the cost of shipping come to mind, but of course the uncertainty and anxiety of buying remotely — without seeing it in person. I know a PPI is usually available by a nearby shop, but another expense to factor in.

Maybe all that this hesitation demonstrates is that I’m not ready to be a committed collector yet. But here are two interesting examples that have popped up for sale (nearby for once), and with asking prices well below my budget for the next enthusiast car in the driveway. Maybe I can be a pretend collector and enthusiast in the meantime as I soak in the details of these two contenders.

$12,500: 1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL 40th Anniversary Edition for $12,500 with 83k miles

1997 Mercedes-Benz 500SL Anniversary Edition

rare find, 40th Anniversary Edition, 500 made (imported 250 to US), looks new, runs great, crimson metallic ruby red, parchment leathers seats, chestnut wood dash, never wrecked, all options, new soft top and lifts, separate hard top, 81,000 miles, 12,500, garage kept, never driven in winter, excellent maintenance upkeep

Once upon a time, I test drove a 97 500SL Sport in Portland with almost the exact same miles and a mountainous stack of receipts. It was in truly amazing condition inside and out, and I didn’t buy it for the mere $10,500 then asking price because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to afford to keep it in that shape. It didn’t deserve my ownership. I have regretted making that adult decision for years though. I routinely check the R129 listings around the web and wonder if I should pull the trigger now as they’re just starting to appreciate but still very affordable to attain. Of course these do require a significant amount of maintenance and care to stay in nice condition, but the asking price is barely over $10k to start and already has a new top and hydraulic top cylinders (an expensive and expected cost of doing business with an R129). After owning the W202 C43 AMG of roughly the same period, and enjoying the hell out of it with minimal expense during the two years of ownership, I’m thinking it’s worth budgeting several thousand a year in maintenance and repairs to get one of the best built cars of it’s time.

{if you’ve ever contemplated R129 ownership, this video should do the rest…}


$13,500: 1991 Mazda Miata M Edition with 25k miles

Greetings everybody here’s your situation if you had a bad 2020 make up all for it with this 1991 Mazda Miata hardtop convertible with only 25,000 original miles garage kept four-cylinder manual transmission British racing green rare color combination runs and drives like a dream everything functions clean title time capsule piece

NA Miata Hardtop BRG

If you’ve read this self-indulgent post this far, you are likely the kind of person who has driven, or even owned, an NA Miata in the past and longingly appreciated it as one of the most affordable, best executed, and graceful sports cars of it’s time. How many sports cars in this price range can claim that in the past 30 years of ever expanding safety and emission standards?

This particular example isn’t the nicest I’ve seen but it meets the criteria of being local, low miles, and cheap. You can spot comparable or better examples on Bring A Trailer routinely for about the same price, and being what it is, I’d feel a lot more comfortable about a long range purchase if that’s the best we could do.


One more to consider?

No Reserve: 2002 Porsche Boxster S 6-Speed, 113k miles, sold on Bring A Trailer for $10,250

Another obvious contender in this modern classic segment is the 986 Porsche Boxster S, like this one that sold a few weeks ago on BaT. Definitely an easy car to find in the same price range and condition, many even with the hardtop. This example has more miles than I’d usually consider but was well represented and a fair sale price. But if I’m honest, the one time I test drove one I was really underwhelmed. The journals of the time all basic said the same thing because the 996 Porsche 911 of the era was really the one to have with an appropriate 315hp on tap from the start compared to the Boxster’s 240hp. On the other hand, if one comes up in your backyard at a good price, you should check it out and see if you feel the same way.

Closing thoughts

During this world-wide pandemic I’ve been finding it difficult to pull the trigger when I consider I could be taking advantage of someone’s misfortune or the fact that I’m lucky enough to still hold a rewarding career job that affords me such leisurely considerations. But at this price point I tend to allow myself the opportunity to consider one of these on a Thursday night after work. After all, in 2020, what’s the worst that could happen?

dc

Categories
Automotive Classifieds of Interest

Loaner Car: 1984 Honda CRX

2019 Toyota Tacoma Limited QuicksandOur Tacoma was recently loaned out and without any other cars at the moment, Julie was kind enough to let me borrow her CRX for a few days to get around.

Turns out they reviewed the 1984 Honda CRX on Motorweek back in 1983 or 84, and it’s exactly the same spec and colors as my loaner car:

Julie and I went up to Portland to get her a Honda Civic in February 2011. We wanted a 90’s Civic HF, the super economy model, but even by 2011 these were in high demand because they really were 50+mpg cars. Unfortunately we ended up looking at 3 cars that morning, none of which were HF models, and all were in terrible condition and repair. Embarrassingly so in fact. But we decided to get a late breakfast and take a quick look at Craigslist for new entries before leaving town. That’s when we spotted her CRX for less than half of what were planning to spend. A quick test drive revealed it was by far the nicest car we had seen that day and we quickly paid the asking price, leaving with the same car she drives everyday nearly 10 years later.

After mostly driving the Tacoma since last Thanksgiving, piloting this tiny car is quite the contrast. But it is absolutely hilarious. You are always the smallest car on the road and you sit so low I swear you could reach past the steering wheel and touch the pavement in front of the car. No power steering or brakes actually makes it really easy to understand the car’s capabilities. And the first to second gearing, combined with the super low weight of 1,800lbs, still makes it really fun to whip around town under the speed limit.

Her car shows a mere 160k miles now and is a real time capsule being nearly all original. It was a fun time machine for a few days. Thanks Julie and Nick!

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Categories
Automotive Classifieds of Interest Corvallis German Cars For Sale Motorcycles Oregon

Empty Nest: All my enthusiast cars and bikes are sold!

I’ve been a little radio silent since stating I’d try and make a comeback on this site, but I find it’s hard to be inspired during the pandemic. Shana and I take this situation very seriously and we’re both lucky to be able to work our career jobs from home — and I’m truly grateful. But when COVID-19 first hit I thought we’d be working from home a few weeks, maybe a couple of months. Five disciplined and socially distant months later, Oregon is starting to show signs of turning the tide from our first major surge in cases. Even still, it’s pretty clear at this point that life isn’t going to return to normal anytime soon. I’d even go so far as to speculate that we’re likely to see another surge nationally as the winter months set in — but I hold out hope that I’m wrong.


Credit: KGW

Since late March when we were all sent home, I’ve slowly been clearing the stable. I had been thinking about a fresh start on all moto fronts for nearly a year but wanted to wait for spring to get started for best values. My experience has always been that April and May hit the enthusiast buyer sweet spot after a cold winter and sale prices seem to spike early on. While there was some early bargains on the market due to COVID-19, the analytics on both my enthusiast buying sites showed there was more collector marketplace activity than I expected this year. I figured I might as well try to turn over my collection after observing these trends and in the end if for no other reason: to avoid boredom and look forward to shopping again soon!

I started with the sale of the Z4 M Roadster. The market for these models is currently way undervalued compared to the e46 M3 CSL that it shares most of the suspension, braking, engine and drivetrain with. The M Coupe typically commands another $10k over the M Roadster as well. On the other hand this is partly what compelled me to purchase the Z4 M Roadster in the first place as an amazing value then and now. Luckily a very happy father and son agreed, snapping it up pretty quickly for about what I paid for it 3 years ago, then $21k. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t missing it, but what I’m really missing is the convertible sports car, not so much for the awesome 330hp beast that it was.

Next up we sold the 2003 BMW X5. This was a car Shana always wanted since it was new and I had always wanted to get it for her. 6 years ago we found a perfect one in Medford with just 55k miles and we happily bought it for $15k. A little over market at the time but it was by far the best example we had seen in a 300 mile radius. 6 years later the resale plummeted and we ended up selling it for $6k with 100k miles on the nose. It felt like a bit of a gut punch but after averaging out the deprecation and maintenance, it only ended up being about $300/mo. I like to think of it that way anyway as almost any repair on the car was at least four figures and sometimes those came several times a year.

Replacing that vehicle for Shana was a tough choice but we decided we didn’t want to pay that much again just in maintenance. After several out of state trips in 2018 and 2019, we realized most rental cars had far more everyday features that we enjoyed more than having the best SUV BMW ever produced (and the associated cost of ownership). Enter our 2019 Toyota Tacoma Limited in Quicksand:

It’s definitely no BMW, but it has plenty of the everyday features we love and it’s been very helpful already in the first year as a pickup we can put to use.

Back to my stable, the Ducati 750SS was next on the block. I’ve loved owning this bike but it is rarely ridden now. Even during the pandemic when it was used as a housebound pain reliever, I ended up returning home thinking it was time for something new. For starters something fuel injected that wouldn’t be as worse off for sitting long periods without loving care. A great local guy I know from the enthusiast motorcycling circles in Corvallis bought the bike soon after listed and has great plans for it alongside his 900SS/Superlight and other Duc’s in his own collection. Thanks Bert!

So what comes next? We’re still in semi-lockdown to some degree with COVID and I have some time on my hands. But for once I’m entering the off-season with a wad of cash on hand and ready to pounce on a listing that I would usually groan, “if I had the money it would be mine”. This time it will be, and with COVID and a sketchy economy on the horizon, it might be a great time to act. Let’s see what happens next!

dc

Categories
Automotive

2006 BMW Z4M Roadster Walk Around and Exhaust Clip

I shot this with a Canon 80D by hand a few nights after bringing her home. More to come!

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