The US versions of both the E23 and E24 were stuck with the DOT-mandated bumpers that spoil their looks, in my opinion. A simple solution? For the E24 it is easy; the “88.5” refresh not only brought body-color bumper caps, changing the aesthetic and making it much more palatable, but you also got the punchier M34B35 to boot. The downside? Most are automatics. How about the E23? when in Euro guise, it’s a completely transformed car, suddenly tighter, leaner, and meaner. Again though, most were autos. Today two came up that fit the styling criteria, but both are manuals! And for good measure both are also wearing Alpina wheels. Sharp!

There aren’t a ton of photos to review on the E23, but it’s got some trick bits in addition to the big dollar wheels – the M5 front sport seats, a Nardi steering wheel, a BBS front spoiler, and (if you’re into that) a lot of sound equipment. It might not be for everyone but looks like an affordable way to get into a fun classic BMW that will stand apart from the crowd. It appears that if you are clever and lucky, you could grab this one for the opening $15k bid.

The E24 is a lot more stock, and I think the Alpina wheels are replicas. Like the E23, it’s got some other period-style mods like a MOMO steering wheel, some Recaros (it appears), and a Bav Auto front strut brace stand out, but it’s also got H&R springs.

Like the E23, there’s a lot to like and the car looks great. This seller is also looking for a lot more at $37k. While that’s not unheard of for an 88.5, it is pretty unusual for one to go that high. Maybe for just the right person, though, this one is the car they’ve been looking for.

-Carter

The post Shark nose, 5-Speed, Alpina Wheels! 1985 BMW 735i and 1988 BMW 635CSi appeared first on German Cars For Sale Blog.

While not the fastest or the prettiest car Volkswagen ever made, the GTI represents the ethos of VW’s 1980s philosophy of cheap, fun-to-drive, and eminently practical cars for consumers. As they did when new, the first generation GTI also represented a car which gave much faster cars a run for their money. True, the 90 horsepower under the hood won’t scare a supercar. But what this car lacks in straight-line performance it more than makes up for in value.

Over the past few years we’ve watched the fan-favorites and driver’s cars from the 1980s increasingly price themselves out of the range of most enthusiasts. The esoterics are also forged in unobtanium today, and while there was a period where you could snap up cheap 80s products in Europe and import them, they’re going away, too. Sure, the M3 and 911 led the charge, but today a clean 190E 2.3-16 or Quattro will set you back some serious bucks. And then when you do get one, you need to worry about collector insurance, expensive and hard-to-source parts and whether you bought in a bubble.

The solution is still the giant-killer GTI. Find a clean one, and you’ll have a car that can be driven at 10/10ths still today and generate plenty of smiles, yet is relatively cheap to buy and very cheap to run. You’ll get thumbs up just like the 911 driver will. Maybe even more, honestly, because when was the last time you saw an A1 cruising around?

Okay, this one isn’t a looker. But stick with me, because it’s worth it…I think. I like the BBS wheel update, though an earlier design like the RA would work better in my eyes. It appears to be all there outside but clearly needs some cosmetics.

Inside looks better, with good-condition upholstery and only a few hanging wires under the semi-warped dashboard. Something funky happened to the left bolster on the passenger seat, but otherwise it looks serviceable. But the asking price is $9,500 – why so high?

AH HA! Under the hood is where the money and time were spent here. Talk about a sleeper! This one has a 1.8 16V with dual Webers and a rebuilt 2Y 16v-specification transaxle. Add up the parts here and it’s easy to believe the seller’s claim that they’ve got 12k into it.

Granted, to get this one to really be a stunner you’ll have to probably double that amount – brakes, suspension, and cosmetics aren’t cheap. Still I think if you got it right you’d not be upside down in your investment; a sorted 16V’d GTI would be a hoot to drive and hard to replicate for much less than the asking price here unless you sourced and did everything yourself.

-Carter

The post 1984 Volkswagen Rabbit GTI appeared first on German Cars For Sale Blog.

Time to consider another Audi icon – the Coupe Quattro. Of course, it was quite hard to follow the original act, but in Europe alongside the RR Quattro 20V was the all-new B3 generation S2. Performance was about par between them, but they had intensely different characters. The new car was safer, quieter, more round, and a lot more practical – while the original Quattro had always looked like it had a hatchback, it was the successor that actually had one.

Of course, in the U.S. we didn’t receive the S2. The Coupe Quattro made due with a thoroughly upgraded 2.3 liter DOHC 20V motor – the 7A. Deep in the middle of the recession and not fully recovered from Audi’s 60 Minutes debacle, the very expensive Coupe Quattro sold slowly. A total of approximately 1,700 of them were imported at over $30,000 each. Considering the cost, the performance was rather soft; the heavy Coupe sported only 164 horsepower. Though smooth and reasonably quick on the highway, off-the-line performance was lackluster. Still, though the internet fora would have you believe otherwise, the performance between the U.S.-spec Coupe and original Quattro was pretty similar.

Options on the Coupe were limited to the Cold Weather package, 8-way power seats, and Pearlescent White Metallic paint – two of which are seen here on this Pearl ’90. 1991s also had the upgraded glass moonroof rather than the early steel panel, though they lost the infamous “Bag of Snakes” tubular header early models carried. 91s gained rear sway bars and are also the rarest of the bunch, with only 364 sold in the model year and 58 traded as leftovers. However, it’s this ’90 we’re talking about, and this one not only looks great – it’s supposedly still with its original owner:

From the seller:

1990 Audi Coupe Quattro 20v. My husband purchased this car brand new in Santa Cruz in 1990 and he loved it.

One Owner Vehicle.

Original condition with the following upgrades:
– 2Bennett Audimotive S2 5×112 Wheel Hubs & Wheel Bearings Replacement
– 2Bennett Audimotive Stage 2 FRONT & REAR Brake System
– 2Bennett Audimotive Wheel Spacers Studs & Nuts
– 2Bennett Audimotive Rear Sway Bar Upgrade
– 2Bennett Audimotive S2 Suspension & Drive Train Bushings Replacement
– 2Bennett Coil Program Suspension System, Shortened Shifter
– 2Bennett Audimotive BBS RX II Wheel Replacement – 2 Part 17″ Wheels

Other:
– 125k Miles (tmu)
– 2.3-Liter, 20 valve, Fuel Injection, Inline-Five
– Five-Speed Manual Trans
– Full Time Quattro All-Wheel Drive
– Locking Rear Differential
– Original Pearlescent White Metallic Paint
– Graphite Leather Upholstery
– Sunroof (Power Tilt and Slide)
– 8 Way Power-Adjustable Front Seats with Driver Memory
– Automatic Climate Control
– Cruise Control
– Bluetooth Stereo Installed
– Original Factory Cassette Stereo Included
– Manufacturer’s Literature
– Owners Lifetime Records
– Original Window Sticker
– No Smoking cigarettes etc. in car, ever.
– 2014 Award First In Class, Audi Club North America
– Smog Certificate 4/2024

More pictures posted here:

I am happy to take any more pictures you request. Wire transfer and you will receive a clear California title. I will assist if you want the car shipped but that is up to you and after your funds have cleared.

Outside, the BBSs look great and the five-lug swap definitely opens up some options for other wheels should you not like them. It makes the Coupe look more grown up for sure. Otherwise condition appears to be very good. Inside the owner swapped in a strange choice – a late-model base B4 steering wheel, from what I can tell. Not the choice I’d have made, but again an easy change.

It’s pretty rare to see these cars at all, nevermind a documented one. Is it worth a 2x premium? That’s hard to say, though these now “classic” Audis have gained a lot of value over recent years.

One thing is for sure – you won’t see many like this kicking around.

-Carter

The post Single-Owner 1990 Audi Coupe Quattro appeared first on German Cars For Sale Blog.

Some interesting and rare-spec cars caught my attention this past week, so I figured I’d share! How about this RS6 to start? The pinnacle of the C5 was, of course, the twin-turbocharged all-wheel drive version you see here built by Audi’s skunkworks, quattro GmbH. With assistance from VAG-owned Cosworth Engineering, the resulting BCY motor cranked out a peak 444 horsepower at 5,700 rpms and an impressive 415 lb.ft of torque between 1,950 rpms and 5,600 revs. The body, brakes, wheels, and suspension were all upgraded by quattro GmbH, with plenty of technology to transfer the power to the ground and keep the RS6 planted. Though it was saddled with an automatic transmission only and tipped the scales at a massive 4,050 lbs, the tenacious all-wheel drive, computer programming and massive power resulted in a 4.4 second 0-60 sprint, besting both the contemporary M5 and E55 AMG. The RS6 had 14.4″ front brakes, dynamic ride control, and meaty 255-section Pirelli P-Zeros to control that speed. Lowered ride height, flared sills and fenders, giant gaping intakes and exhaust, and signature honeycomb grills set the stage for how these cars have looked since.

This particular one has a host of high-dollar upgrades, with Dinan forged wheels, Bilstein coilover suspension, upgraded engine tuning, a Wagner intercooler, and Milltek exhaust. The cost of the parts alone when new add up to the $15,000 asking price.

While I’m not the biggest fan of the newer Golf’s styling, it is a great example of that honeycomb grille I just referenced. And in Pomelo Yellow Metallic…I think it changes my mind a bit! This one is also a 2022 GTI Autobahn, which means in addition to the 241 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, this was the top-spec model below the R, hitting your wallet at nearly $40k when new.

Inside you’ve got a nice splash of color with tri-tone seats and a ton of tech. This example has already covered a lot of miles but is still very new and has a steep discount over the sticker price.

Back in time a bit with this 924S that has undergone some neat upgrades and refurbishment. Highlighting the mods are the European-specification front and rear bumpers, which really help to slim down the look of the underloved US 924S. It’s also got 924 Turbo side skirts, 944 Turbo wheels, and a 944 rear spoiler for a subdued improvement over stock.

The interior has also been refreshed, leaving a nice-looking driver for the next owner. The asking price of $15k seems pretty reasonable considering the more turn-key nature of the work that’s been done if you like the look.

Rare-spec alert! This is an ’08 M3 sedan, which is rare enough to begin with. In fact, only 2,080 manual pre-LCI M3 sedans were imported to the US. Only 282 in total were imported without navigation, and 501 without a sunroof. Add those traits together, and without even getting into the also rare color combination of Alpine White and Fox Red, this is a hard-to-find combination. As a result, it won’t surprise you at all to know it’s not cheap.

If you’re looking for a modern classic though, this one ticks a lot of the right boxes and has some nice upgrades, like the LCI taillights and Competition Package forged wheels.

Which modern classic is your favorite?

-Carter

The post Caught Our Attention! GTI, RS6, 924S, M3 appeared first on German Cars For Sale Blog.

A few neat ones popped up and caught my attention this week, so here’s the roundup! How about this slick RoW 968 in Riviera Blue? Before you get too excited, it’s a Tiptronic. But it’s also a wacky spec, with blue Porsche-script upholstery, no sunroof, and 17″ Cup wheels.

Neat! Not so neat is the asking price – the dealer is looking for $60k, while the car bid to the low 20s on BaT a year ago.

Talk about rare! 90 20V sedans are rare full-stop. This one also has the optional Pearlescent paint and color-matched BBS wheels, and it’s claimed to be an original-owner car. Just as they had with the development of the 10V Turbo for their top tier products, Audi’s work on the Group B, Sport and later RR 20V Quattro (along with the creation of the original S-series cars soon after) trickled down into the rest of the range, but only in a very limited fashion. The 7A 2.3 liter 20V motor was the beneficiary of that racing work, and it was at the time a pretty impressive unit. Out of 2.3 liters, Audi squeezed a very reliable 164 horsepower with a screaming 7,200 RPM redline. While it’s true this was down on peak power to racing motors like the M3’s S14, the adding of the second cam and a modern EFI engine management also yielded nearly 160 ft.lb of torque.

So why does everyone claim that this car was underpowered? Weight. The luxury-oriented B3 was most popular in Coupe form, where at 3,300 lbs in 1991 it needed a diet. It was 30 horsepower down on the BMW, and weighed 500 lbs more, with a more frontward weight bias. A performance car this did not make, and the result was that the expensive Audis leisurely gained speed. Despite the near 50% power increase over the outgoing Coupe GT, a stock B3 Coupe Quattro shared near identical 0-60 times and cost $10,000 more.

But if you were a clever buyer, you could get slightly better performance out of the 4-door variant of the naturally aspirated double overhead cam inline-5. That’s because concurrent with Coupe production, the motor and drivetrain was offered in the slightly lighter 90 quattro 20V.

Inexplicably this one has no full-frame photos that really give us a good look at the condition, but it has some needs from what I can see. Still, it’s mostly original and appears to be in good overall shape.

Like the B3, the Corrado has always been a car I’ve been fascinated with and considered owning. When it launched in the late 1980s as a replacement to the ancient Scirocco, the Corrado was (once again) Volkswagen’s attempt to appeal to the Porsche crowd. With the supercharged G60 motor that may have been somewhat farcical, but when VW dropped the narrow-angle 2.8 liter VR6 into the nose of their 2-door coupe it became more of a reality. Though on paper it didn’t have much more power, the VR6 was better suited to the design and weight of the Corrado. Zero to 60 plummeted nearly a second and top speed went up to a then-impressive 137 mph. But it was the all-around flexibility of the motor that proved the winner; torquey at low revs yet happy to head towards the redline, the Corrado finally fulfilled the promise of being a budget P-car.

Unfortunately, there was a price to pay. The base price for a Corrado in 1992 was nearly $22,000. Add a few options in and you were paying more than you did for a Porsche 924S four years earlier. To put it into even more stark perspective, the base price of a much quicker, nicer, more efficient, better cornering, better braking, more technologically impressive, and significantly safer GTI today is only $32,000 some 32 years later; correct for inflation, and you understand how expensive these hot hatches were. As a result, Corrados and especially the SLC have always held a cult status and higher residual value than the rest of the lineup. Today’s market loves them, as well.

This one has some light, but in my eye not beneficial, mods. 20K seems like all the money as a result. For example, BaT had a similar one with (arguably) much better mods sell for $18k recent. Maybe there is room for negotiation?

The B4 Cabriolet is also another car I’ve always loved. Saying that you like the Audi Cabriolet is like saying you thought Jar Jar Binks was the best-developed character in the Star Wars pre-boot.

Put aside the typical top-down motoring bias and stereotype. There were more reasons to single out the Cabriolet. They were soft. They came to the U.S. in automatic only. They were powered here exclusively by the yawn-a-minute 2.8 V6. Inherently it’s not a bad motor, and it had more punch than the inline-5s did (barely). But inspired it’s not. And to top it all off? Perhaps that could have been remedied if they were available with quattro, right? No, FrontTrak only. That was Audi’s lame attempt to make the basic front-drivers sound like they had some cool system. Nope, this was a one-wheel-drive wonder. So that’s lame-on-lame action when you’re considering an Audi.

So this is Rocky V, or The Sum of All Fears, or that horrible ninth season of the X-Files. But I have a guilty pleasure. No, I still haven’t watched “X-hibit C” above because why on Earth would I do that? But I do really like the Audi Cabriolet. I can logically admit its many shortcomings, and yet every time I see one I’m drawn to the shape. To me, it’s just a pretty car, even if I can’t fully describe why it’s a pretty car. Even when the ad is lazy, the pictures are horrible, and the car has obvious needs…I…am…drawn….to…..click……

This late-model example benefits from some of the sport equipment, like the Votex 16″ wheels and three-spoke steering wheel. Both dressed up the basic formula. Yes, it’ll need work. But hey, it’s also only $3,900!

Which bad decision would you make?

-Carter

The post Caught our Attention! 968, 90 20V, SLC, Cabriolet! appeared first on German Cars For Sale Blog.