Archive for the ‘Feature’ Category

E32 Double Feature – 1990 BMW 735iL and 1990 BMW 750iL

March 29, 2016

Old luxury cars are in this kind of limbo, which many of them don’t survive. They’re too passé to attract the attention of their wealthy first owners. Tossed aside when the next new thing comes along, they move down to aspiring types who want to project the image of their first owners for less money (or, you might argue, sensible types who can’t stomach the idea of absorbing the double-hit of costly depreciation and maintenance). For round three, they’re fully depreciated to three or four percent of their inflation-adjusted new price. Of course, you’re not getting 100% of the original car – mileage figures are often solidly into six digits, and all the luxury amenities have suffered from use and environmental degradation – but if you budget thoughtfully, an older luxury car can still be a compelling proposition for someone on a modest budget. So first, let’s take a look at this 1990 BMW 735iL for sale for $3500 in Port Charlotte, FL.

1990 BMW 735iL left front

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Duroplast – 1978 Trabant 601S Kombi

March 28, 2016

After the wall fell in 1989, the Trabant became the butt of many of those automotive jokes repeated in those moments when a good joke doesn’t come tom mind – the ones about doubling the value by adding a tank of gas, warming your hands on the rear defroster, and so many more that aren’t worth repeating. But put yourself back in East Germany in the 1960s: the pre-war looking Beetle was the most popular export, with its old-fashioned rear-mounted flat-four engine and lack of a proper trunk. Meanwhile, your half of Germany’s people’s car had modern styling, a lightweight body, front-wheel drive, and independent suspension. And with only half the displacement of the Beetle, the two-stroke twin punched above its weight, putting out 27hp to the Beetle’s 40. So now you probably want one of those charming relics of the Soviet era in Germany, and fortunately there’s this 1978 Trabant 601S Kombi for sale for $4500 in Hollywood, FL (also available at auction with no bids and a $3750 starting bid).

1978 Trabant 601S Kombi left front

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Hondaihatsu Goldjet – 1989 Daihatsu Hijet with Goldwing Engine

March 25, 2016

There’s something fun about the idea of a tiny little van, shorter than most compact cars, that’s able to transport six people. Nobody said anything about comfort, but who doesn’t like a Fiat Multipla or its immediate successors? Sadly, the same people who drop six figures on a German bus with too many windows have caught wind of those, so you’ll have to do the usual and be a bit creative about other options. With the rolling 25-year EPA and DOT exemptions, combined with their sale in this continent as off-road maintenance vehicles for large commercial properties, quite a few of the Japanese 550cc Kei vans are slipping into North America. That said, if you don’t like the power in such a tiny van, and don’t have the means to get a hot-rod Kei engine out of one of the sportier variants, what choice do you have but to find a wrecked Goldwing and scavenge its 1800cc flat six, as seen in this 1989 Daihatsu Hijet with Goldwing power for sale for $4000 in Port Saint Lucie, FL?

1989 Daihatsu Hijet right front

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