Leap Day: 1988 BMW 535i E28

Welcome to Leap Day on DT, where we look at cars ready to take the Leap from depreciated crap to appreciating classic:  I've got to admit that I have a soft spot for the E28 generation BMW 5-series...particularly the zippy 535i with a manual gearbox.  I've personally driven 2 of them to their unfortunate death in the 24 Hours of LeMons (sorry about that...had to be done) but I'm (somewhat) happy to see prices rise (probably because people have bashed them into Cadillac Hearses on racetracks...again, sorry about that) and see the E28 get the respect is deserves.  Regardless...this guy is asking a lot for an old BMW. Find this 1988 BMW 535i offered for $7,500 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.

Final Leap: 1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata

Welcome to Leap Day on DT, where we look at cars ready to take the Leap from depreciated crap to appreciating classic:  This last leaper (not a leper) comes from those thrill seeking nuts at Mazda, the company that has taken over the sporty Japanese market that Nissan abandoned around the time they shed the Datsun name.  Find this 1997 Mazda MX-5 Miata here on eBay bidding for $4,050 with one day to go, located in Mt Juliet, TN.

Another Leaper: 1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE

Welcome to Leap Day on DT, where we look at cars ready to take the Leap from depreciated crap to appreciating classic: The first generation Mazda RX-7 (SA/FB) was sold from 1978 through 1985 that offered a combination of spinning rotary power, cat-like reflexes, and pop-up headlights that few other cars can match, but they are surprisingly cheap to buy -- don't expect that to last forever.  Find this 1984 Mazda RX-7 GSL-SE here on eBay bidding for $2,550 located in Rio Rancho, NM with 3 days to go.

Auction Watch: 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo

Here is a Leap Day Auction Watch car for all you water cooled P-car fans: this 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo here on eBay bidding for $9,300 with auction ending in a few hours.

Leap Day Special: 1998 BMW M3 E36

Welcome to Leap Day on DT, where we look at cars ready to take the Leap from depreciated crap to appreciating classic: The E36 generation BMW M3 is ready to take that leap, just look at the E30 M3, E28 M5, and E34 M5 market in the past 5 years.  Sure, BMW cranked out way more E36s than any of those other M-cars, and the USDM market E36 M got a seriously de-rated engine, but it handles better and is quicker than the others, which has gotta mean something.  Find this 1998 BMW M3 offered for $8,000 in New York via NASIOC classifieds.