One of the most asked questions of “car” people, second to “What kind of car should I buy?” and “How much do you think x will cost to fix?” is, “What would be the best car to buy for my [new driver] kid?” And I have a standard list of cars I cut and paste and send to people, and they just go buy Camrys anyway. The tables, however, have turned, and I’m faced with a child (yes, CHILD) who is at 18 months until she can legally qualify to get a driver’s license. And who, like her dad, can’t wait.
Our affliction for old Audis is colored by rose-tinted glasses, and brought into high-definition clarity with 20-20 hindsight. A 5000S, Ur-S4, or Coupe Quattro? Sure, back in the day they were junk fixable only at the dealer. But today we have the power of the Internet. Compound that with the fact the horrible cars have mostly fallen off the road – or landed in Craigslist backwaters like Olathe, Kansas – and only the nicest examples show up for sale on enthusiast sites like Audifans.com. Continue reading
We have written a lot about the Mercedes W126 S-class (you know, when we get around to writing at all!), but for me that’s largely because they are among the best luxo-barges ever produced. Modern enough to offer an excellent driving experience, and old enough that they’re not entirely bogged-down with technology certain to strand you in some catastrophic symphony of warning lights. Besides, they are so completely logical in their engineering and design – my Dad always referred to his as fitting together like a Chinese puzzle – that even incompetent hack mechanics like me can wrench on them. This pretty 1985 500SEL in Fort Worth, Texas comes with a little bonus surprise of its own. There weren’t many options available on U.S. market cars, but this car has one of the coolest ones. Find it here on eBay with a buy it now price of $9,995 or best offer.
At TTS, we miss Pontiac. From the early days of motoring through the GTO and Firebird Trans Am – and with their attempts to transcend General Motor’s worst days of badge-engineering – Pontiac tried to build some level of excitement into their brand. The history is well-documented, but the exclamation point you should remember about Pontiac’s time as a manufacturer was the G8 sedan, a rip-snorting V8 hooligan in a decent Men’s Wearhouse suit. Continue reading
I’ve been considering returning to a two-door as my daily hack. Almost five years ago, my grumpy lower back immediately complained about installing our newborn son and his car seat into the rear compartment of my 1991 BMW 318is. A four-door was in order, and we soon found our rusty-but-trusty 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320. Now, said munchkin is able and (usually) willing to climb into his car seat by himself. The Benz is just fine for now, but it can’t hurt to consider a replacement that might need some work before being pressed into daily service. Continue reading
Change is in the Air…..
There’s change afoot here at TTS. No, neither of us has gone transgender, and yes, it will include some more frequent posting. This once-a-quarter pattern isn’t really working for us, although traffic has remained remarkably substantial. The internet is a fascinating place. First off, if you’re not following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, please do! You’ll find more frequent tidbits through those outlets than on the official blog, although this remains our home of homes. But all that’s not what I’m really here to talk about, either. This is first and foremost a car blog, and as such the interesting content is about cars. So brace yourselves, folks, as there are changes coming to the TTS fleet!
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2 Comments | tags: 124.036, 500E, 996, 997, Alfa Romeo, AMG, AMG Hammer, Aston Martin, BMW, E39 M5, German Cars, Grey-market, Mercedes-Benz, Miata, Porsche, Porsche 911 | posted in Commentary, Fleet Update, Totally That Stupid