E30 is the new 02 – 1988 BMW 325is

September 18, 2013

It’s probably no revelation to anyone reading here that BMW’s E10 series of cars (2002s, 1600s, and their derivatives) are rising in price. And it’s probably also no surprise that while the E10’s successor, the E21 (sold in 320i and 320is form in North America) is not so prized by enthusiasts due to a less-than-exciting driving experience, that car’s replacement was a great comeback for BMW. The E30, initially released as the BMW 318i, soon sprouted a 6-cylinder engine and a 4-door version, as well as a touring (station wagon) version not sold in North America. You can find today’s 1988 BMW 325is listed for $3000 in west San Jose, CA.

1988 BMW 325is left front

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What Happens When Retro Gets Old? 1992 Mazda Miata

September 18, 2013

The 25th anniversary of the Mazda Miata is just around the corner. Think of the compact roadster competition at that point – the costly, long-in-the-tooth, over-luxified Alfa Romeo Spider, the wedgy MR2 available with T-tops, and what else? Triumph, MG, Fiat, and Jensen Healey had all disappeared in the past 10-15 years. So things were looking pretty bleak for the affordable sports car, until this came along – the 1990 Mazda Miata, introduced in late 1989 to long waiting lists and crazy dealer markups. Since then, they’ve been quite successful, and you can find an example of the first generation car for pretty short money. One example is this 1992 Miata for $2995 at a consignment lot in Santa Clara, CA, just near San Jose.

1992 Mazda Miata left front

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The ICEPU – 1972 Mazda B1600

September 17, 2013

In North America, talking about early 1970s Mazda pickups will include an assumption on the part of most car nuts that you are talking about the Rotary-Engined Pickup, known as REPU among its fans. Due to their competition history, and being the only rotary-engined pickup ever built, they have a relatively high survival rate (for an old compact truck) and are prized by fans. But what many of those people may not know is that Mazda also sold a standard internal-combustion engined pickup, the B-series, which lasted until 2009 as a badge-engineered Ford Ranger. The second generation model was introduced in 1965, and this 1972 Mazda B1600 is available in Clackamas, OR, with the opening bid at $1200, no bites yet, and 5 1/2 days to go.

1972 Mazda B1600 left front

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