Seconhand Saint: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8/9 (2003-2007)
Posted: February 21, 2012 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 2.0, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 350, 35R, 400, 450, 4G63, 5, 500, 6, 600, 700, 8, 800, 9, 900, advice, all, awhp, bargain, boost, Buying, cam, Car, consumer, controller, Drive, Evo, evolution, GSR, guide, hand, High, Intercooler, IX, Lancer, manual, Mind, Mitsubishi, MIVEC, motor, MR, Over, owned, Performance, Pre, Rally, recaro, RS, saint, seats, second, secondhand, speed, T67, turbo, Used, VIII, wheel, whp Leave a comment »
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
These days the Evo is one of the most respected cars on the road. In stock form it is one of the ultimate rally bred, point-to-point missiles money can buy, and Evos that are modified easily have the potential to give Ferrari owner something to worry about. Yet despite their hardcore performance they are also just normal Japanese sedans on the surface, making an Evo one of the best overall daily drivers out there. Obviously all of this makes these things quite a hot commodity on the secondhand market, so lets look at the details. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: Ferrari 456 GT/M
Posted: January 31, 2012 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1992, 2003, 436, 442, 456, Automatic, bargain, beauty, Car, Ferrari, gated, Gran, GT, GTA, hp, Italian, M, manual, Mind, motor, Over, owned, Pre, saint, Seconhand, shift, speed, Style, supercar, Turismo, Used, V12 2 Comments »
Ferrari 456M, by Philipe Collinet
Ferraris really are their own breed. There are other cars out there that may offer similar, or better, performance, but none can match the allure, the prestige, and the pedigree of a true prancing horse. Obviously most Ferraris are far too expensive for most people to afford, but there are a few that have dropped into the realm of possibility for those who cannot write off six figures for a car. This is the Ferrari 456, a member of the Gran Turismo lineage that stretches back to the legendary 250 GT. When it was introduced for the 1992 model year, the 456 was the first worthy Ferrari GT car since the 365 cars ended production in the 1970s. It was a breath of fresh air after the dreadful 400/412 line finally was put out of its misery after 15 years of production. Now they can be had for a reasonable price. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2011 VW CC VR6 Executive
Posted: December 1, 2011 Filed under: TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 280, 3.6, 4, 4motion, all, AWD, bargain, CC, consumer, Coupe, design, Drive, German, hp, Impressions, information, L., Mind, Motion, motor, Over, Passat, Sedan, specs, Style, Test, V6, Volkswagen, VR6, VW, wheel Leave a comment »
VW CC VR6 Executive
I will always remember the first time I saw the Volkswagen CC at the 2008 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The Bugatti Veyron Gran Sport had just been unveiled and was on display near the Concept Lawn, naturally drawing vast amounts of attention from everyone. While I was in the crowd I looked to my right and noticed a very sleek sedan with a lonely VW representative, it piqued my interest so I went to have a chat. I was then informed that this was the CC, a new sedan coming out that was based on the Passat, but targeted toward a more special market, following in the footsteps of the Mercedes CLS. Ever since then I have had a great love for the CC because it defies the boring trends of the auto industry. The other day I finally went in to try one out for myself to see if it drives as well as it looks. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: BMW M6 (E63)
Posted: November 30, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 200mph, 5.0L, 500hp, Amazing, bargain, BMW, button, buyer, Car, consumer, Coupe, Drive, E63, German, Gran, grand, GT, info, Luxury, M, M6, manual, Mind, motor, Over, owned, paddle, Pre, rear, saint, secondhand, sexy, shift, Showcase, sound, touring, Transmission, Turismo, Used, V10, wheel Leave a comment »
BMW M6
The BMW M6 is a legitimately proper Grand Touring car by all modern standards. There is no compromise, or sense of it being outdated because it was only discontinued in 2010. It also did not change much at all over it’s lifespan so the ones from 2006 are just as good as the ones from 2010. Because of this, M6s did not hold their value well at all, and they are becoming more and more affordable for normal people. Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG, S65 AMG, S600 (2003-2006)
Posted: November 30, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 493, 500, 600, AMG, bargain, BiTurbo, brabus, cruiser, German, hp, Limo, Luxury, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, Mind, Mind over motor, motor, Over, Performance, S-Class, S55, S600, S63, S65, Saints, Saloon, secondhand, Secondhand Saint, Sedan, speed, Supercharged, turbo, Twin, V12, V8, W220 Leave a comment »
Mercedes S55 AMG
Ah, Mercedes-Benz. Just the name brings up thoughts of expensive country clubs, upper-class attitudes, and feelings of being in the 1%. Their flagship sedan, the S-Class, has always been a leader in its market since the 1970s, and despite the high entry price, still sells itself better than the competition. The previous-generation W220 was the one that brought this fantastically flashy flagship into the 21st century, and now some of the most powerful ones (namely, those with some sort of forced induction) can be had for a fraction of their original value. For reasons that shall be discussed later, we’re going to focus on the S55 and S600, as the S65 is significantly harder to find even today. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: 2002 Audi A6 4.2
Posted: November 17, 2011 Filed under: Road Review, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 2002, 300, 4.2, A6, all, Audi, autobahn, AWD, bargain, C5, cruiser, Drive, hp, Leather, Luxury, Mind, motor, Over, owned, Pre, Quattro, review, Saloon, Sedan, Test, Used, V8, wheel, wood 2 Comments »
2002 Audi A6 4.2
A few years back I helped my buddy Tony find his Audi A6 4.2. The Audi A6 has always been a solid car over the years, in all of its variants. Tony had originally wanted the A6 2.7T, but after finding 3 examples that all had blown turbos he decided to go for the V8 model. We found a clean A6 4.2 about an hour north of us, and that is the car that Tony bought, and the car you see here in this review. Read the rest of this entry »
Test Driven: Hyundai Genesis (3.8 and 4.6)
Posted: July 8, 2011 Filed under: Sports and Executive, TEST DRIVEN | Tags: 3.8, 4.6, bargain, Drive, Driven, Genesis, Hyundai, Korea, Korean, Leather, Luxury, Mind over motor, review, Sedan, Test, V6, V8, value 2 Comments »
The V8 Genesis I drove. Beautiful slate Blue over beige leather interior
On paper, Hyundai’s Genesis sedan is one of the best values available on the market. It is aimed at the likes of the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5 Series, Lexus GS, and Infiniti M however it vastly undercuts all of them on price. In fact the entire Genesis line begins and ends (with their top of the line 5.0 R-Spec) below the starting price of the most basic Mercedes E-Class. That’s correct, for around $2,000 less than a bare bones E350 with a puny 282bhp V6 you can have a 5.0L V8 with 429bhp in your Genesis, surely a serious value. So, on paper it all looks totally legit, but for me, the real question is this: is the Genesis a legitimate competitor in this segment as a car without considering its value for money, or is it just a car you would only buy if you wanted some luxury but couldn’t afford the real deal? Read the rest of this entry »
Secondhand Saint: BMW 8 Series (E31)
Posted: June 29, 2011 Filed under: Secondhand Saints | Tags: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 8, 840, 850, 850CSi, 850i, bargain, BMW, Cars, Ci, CSi, Division, German, grand, M, Mind over motor, series, touring, Used, V12, V8 Leave a comment »
BMW 8 Series
Quite simply the 8 Series is a legitimate Gran Turismo that can be had for the price of a Toyota Yaris. Lets see, boring econobox that can barely be considered a car or an epic, 150mph, V12, GT car that will make you feel like an utter boss every time you look at it? If fuel economy is your main concern go for the Yaris, but if you like living life in a more extraordinary fashion then this Bimmer may be just the ticket. Read the rest of this entry »
