Posts Tagged ‘Feature’

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

(more…)

Oddly Bland – 1989 Nissan Maxima

March 26, 2016

Back in the late 1980s, Nissan’s Maxima moved from being a mushy competitor to the “best” GM had to offer, to a car they promoted as the 4DSC or four-door sports car. Gone were the first and second-generation cars’ Toyota Cressida-mimicking styling and talking-car phonograph system, replaced by sportier contemporary styling and an optional 190hp VG30 V6 engine starting in 1991. While the lower-spec (non-SE) cars retained some of the plushness of their predecessors, there was nothing like the tufted pillow-top seats available on earlier cars. With that stunning introduction, let’s take a look at this 1989 Nissan Maxima RHD for sale for $2900 in Broward County, FL.

1989 Nissan Maxima RHD interior

(more…)

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

(more…)