2009 Black G8 Gt V8, 7k Miles, 1 Owner, Clean Carfax, Excellent! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

'We're not a hedge fund': Porsche plans to curtail speculators and flippers

A sizable number of speculators view cars as an investment. Rare or unusual models are quickly snapped up and either parked for years or flipped for a profit. Cars from automakers like Porsche and Ferrari are more prone than others, and at least some people behind these models are getting a bit tired of it. While it's difficult to police what goes on after you sell a car, Porsche has some plans that might curtail the problem before it starts. Andreas Preuninger, the head of GT road-car development and the man behind the new 911 GT3, spoke to Car and Driver at a recent event. "I personally like to see my cars being used," he said. "That's what we build them for. They are just too good to be left to stand and collect dust." One recent example of this rampant speculation is the 911 R. While the special manual-only model sold for $185,950 when new, used versions were selling for nearly $1.3 million just months after it went on sale. While the car is a masterpiece and an instant classic, a good number will be parked and simply used as art and not the rolling testaments to the man/machine interface they were intended to be. The concern over valuations has become so fierce that some owners are upset that Porsche is offering the new 911 GT3 with a manual transmission, fearing that it may hurt the value of the 911 R. "When I said we're not a hedge fund, I'm talking to those people who are yelling at us for offering the manual transmission similar to the R," Preuninger said. "But if there are people wanting to buy cars like that, then as a company we should try to fulfill that, to meet that demand." It seems Porsche is keeping a close eye on who is flipping cars. Since there is often far more demand than supply with certain models, the German automaker has a name for every car before it's built. Buyers with bad reputations might not even make the wait list. Related Video:

Burt Reynolds' old Pontiac Trans Am replica sold for $317,500

Following Burt Reynolds' passing last September, Julien's Auctions held an estate sale of the late actor's property on June 15-16 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Hundreds of items were included in the auction, but none more valuable than the Pontiac Trans Am Bandit replica previously owned by Reynolds. It easily surpassed expectations when it sold for $317,500. Julien's, the self-proclaimed experts in contemporary and pop culture, listed 876 pieces in the sale, from cowboy boots to a driver's license to scripts. The online preview said it estimated a range of prices from $25 to $200,000. They were way off. Item No. 716 was a replica of a Pontiac Trans Am Bandit that was seen in the original "Smokey and the Bandit." Not the real car, just a re-creation. But its value comes more from who owned the ride rather than what the car was. The replica was owned by Reynolds for some years, and now that he's passed, it's coveted even more. It's not the only Trans Am item that sold at auction. Three Reynolds Trans Am model cars sold for $640, $576 and $512. A Reynolds-signed "Bandit" poster sold for $3,200. A Reynolds-signed poster from the Trans Am plant sold for $1,562.50, a Reynolds custom-built Trans Am office desk sold for $4,375, and a "Smokey and the Bandit" decorative etched glass panel sold for $896. This isn't the first time a Bandit replica has sold for big money. In 2016, a promotional Trans Am sold at a Barrett-Jackson auction for $550,000. We also believe the exact car sold in this Julien's auction was previously bought at a Barrett-Jackson auction in 2018 for $192,500. If that's the case, somebody just made an extremely easy profit.

Autoblog Classifieds finds: 1987 Pontiac Fiero GT

Autoblog's free Readers' Used Car Classifieds section is a great place to list your car for sale, and because these are readers, they often list really interesting cars. Occasionally we find interesting listings, and tell you what's special about them. This 1987 Pontiac Fiero was listed for sale at the time of this writing, but if the listing expires by the time you read this, feel free to browse for other great finds. Thirty years after General Motors stopped building it, the Pontiac Fiero might have finally emerged from the darkness. First, it was a humble commuter car that just happened to be a mid-engined coupe, then it was a re-skinnable basis for Fierorraris or other slightly strange kit cars, and then it made some Worst Cars of All Time lists due to its econobox ingredients, including its Chevy Citation suspension parts. But after a few decades, even the most mediocre car will become interesting as most of the examples built have been run into the ground; why not then the Fiero? The story of the Fiero is paralleled by a number of GM products, as it improved constantly the longer it was built, and by the time of the last model years it was quite decent indeed. And then the plug was pulled. The Fiero might not be a Toyota MR2 or even a Fiat X1/9, but it was made in two body styles, the notchback and the fastback, the latter of which looks especially good now. The Fiero also remains quite affordable, and the plastic body panels do not rust, unlike with the two aforementioned cars. This 1987 car advertised for sale at Autoblog Classifieds does not yet benefit from the 1988 cars' improved suspension, but thanks to its low, low 47,000-mile odometer reading, it looks to be in tip-top shape. The automatic transmission is just the three-speed affair, though, rendering the V6 car here more of a cruiser than a fiery hot canyon carver. Perhaps that has contributed to its good condition, along with the lack of possibly leaky T-tops. Could the Fiero have aged better than your Hall & Oates tapes? Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.