What Would You Buy? Tough Car Purchase

[omega 82]

omega elite

[zebedy101 0]

I like the idea of the Clio v6 they are very nice and pretty rare. I'm not sure what they fetch but what about a Audi RS6 great for touring, very fast, all the fancy stuff inside and a superb engine under the bonnet. My uncle had one and it really was awsome and sounded the dogs when given a bit of throttle, the only downside is that it will never be great on fuel but with 550bhp and a limited top speed of 155mph (the limiters never actually stop at 155) you can't expect massive mpg.

[The Arch Bishop 0]

Nissan Skyline R34 GTT - My dad had a mint one until recently and I really wanted to hate it (not a fan of big GTs) but a blast along some really twisty New Zealand back roads converted me. It felt so right. 250 bhp, rear wheel drive and utterly reliable. Even the tiptronic auto seemed to suit it and it would grip or drift depending on how you felt or be refined if you just wanted to schlep about. He sold it for the equivalent of £6,500....sigh. There are some imports about in this country.

[Henry Yorke 269 3 Cars]

Or maybe find a high miles e30 M3, brilliant on the track, and good enough on the road.

It will be a rotten dog for under £10k now The decent ones have gone back to Germany with the weak pound.

 

My E39 535i was great for ticking similar boxes to what you have but auto not ideal for track, but it was tiptronic and with plenty of grunt so it was no slouch. Very M5 like but without the running costs and pretty bomb proof.

 

Half the cars listed above will cost you a couple of grand a year in running costs. As a daily car you at least want something newish for reliability. However if you want 2 seat and prestige, then look at something like a Merc SL320 from about 2000 (just before they hike the road tax up). Enjoy one before you get kids etc and the tree hugging hippies have us all driving 1.4s

 

Newer still are Alfa Romeo Breras but they are front wheel drive. 147 GTAs are a nice mix of sport and style. If you were sensible and boring, then you have Audi TT all over you as that is one of the obvious choices!

 

Every man has to own a RWD, V8-V12 and an Alfa before they truely earn their petrolhead wings! The VX gave you RWD so now it is grunt or passion Alex!

[will.m 5]

chevette

 

i'll get my coat

[Joshy 0]

or an e39 M5. Brilliant value ATM, future classic etc etc.

 

or if you don't fancy M-tax then an e36 328i sport - LSD as standard, very tunable engine.

 

I reckon if i ever get shot of the 205 my money's going on a really nice e36 328i.

 

LSDs were only standard on VERY early sports (I think they only did it for the 95 model year) and were replaced by Traction Control on most Sports .

 

What about a Toyota Soarer? Twin Turbo, 280BHP, plenty tunable, stupidly comfortable and plenty reliable too (As 90s Turbocharged cars go). £4,000 would buy you a ridiculously good Auto, but if a manual gearbox is REALLY that important to you there is the odd manual car around, but they do command a premium and usually end up in the hands of Drifters.

[blue_haddock 2]

What about a 200SX S14a?

[MrG 3]

true what Henry says about the e30 M3 but prices have dropped for all but the evo's etc, and I know of one or two that are around the £5k mark (std 2.3 M3).

 

As for the 147GTA, similar running costs for the M BMW's for both fuel and servicing etc, plus they can be a major headache (but lovely with it!).

 

Mercs, damn boring though................& the Chevette. A HSR would be good.

[iamjackiechan 0]

jap all the way

 

ae86 - small engine but rev the tits off it

 

s13 - retro turbo drifty fun

 

s14 - i want. same engine that is in the pulsar, crank the boost on a bog standard engine and you will see 300bhp aswell as having leather seats and every luxury you could want

 

s15 - similar to s14 just newer and more expensive

 

skylines

 

supras

[carbers205 1]

Ive driven a 944, was a very well sorted J reg S2.

Sadly I felt it was pretty soulless, yes it was well put together and had that feel of German efficiency but the engine note was dull at best and it just didnt inspire.

[Steve.C 0]

Close the thread...

 

All you need is THE RUMBLE FROM A V8!

[Joshy 0]

true what Henry says about the e30 M3 but prices have dropped for all but the evo's etc, and I know of one or two that are around the £5k mark (std 2.3 M3).

 

If that is indeed true, take out a bank-loan and buy them both. Now. Providing that they run It'll be the easiest £10,000+ you'll ever make. If they don't run and are complete dogs... it'll be the easiest £5,000+ you'll ever make.

Edited March 14, 2010 by Joshy

[boombang 2]

Close the thread...

 

All you need is THE RUMBLE FROM A V8!

 

Steve, you pretty much just swore at me (a Holden man!)

 

 

E36 m3...

You WILL need deep pockets.

 

 

This has been mentioned a few times, that the M3 can be a money pit. What is common on them then? I think although they tick all the boxes, the idea of taking on an ageing super-saloon does worry me.

 

Ive driven a 944, was a very well sorted J reg S2.

Sadly I felt it was pretty soulless, yes it was well put together and had that feel of German efficiency but the engine note was dull at best and it just didnt inspire.

 

Bit gutted to hear that, they might be older than the E36 and possibly have more miles, but never heard a bad word said about them & you get a lot of value for money. Also being a slightly more conventional car than the mid/rear engine cars, easier to work on. Tons of parts about, and an entire spares car can be picked up for very little.

 

RX-8?

 

Given my friends experiences I crossed this off the list instantly. V8 fuel consumption with 4 pot performance, typical Wankel issues (albeit slightly better than RX-7), crap in traffic (perhaps just his, engine isn't smooth unless WOT), and uses serious amounts of oil.

 

 

E30 M3 is a dream still, and not sure if it'd be better to leave it there? Had an E30 318is and after initial fun driving everywhere sideways realised a 309 Gti would do everything it did and better (apart from the power oversteer thing).

Think again that an E30 M3 would be a better 2nd or 3rd car, with a crappy shed for mileage.

 

Having a second car completely defeats the object of what I'd like to do. If I were going down that route, nothing mentioned here would have a chance, I'd be getting an E46 3 series (325 M-Sport or similar) and a kit car.

 

 

My VX220 just got collected, watch it drive up the road. This thread is now not so hypothetical!

 

How long can I live with a 1.2 Corsa? More to the point, how long can a 1.2 Corsa live being driven by me?

[welshpug 1,622]

I thought you'd killed it already!

 

Or is it a different one?

[Ren 0]

Sorry you've had to sell the Vx so soon Boombang, not a nice sight watching it drive away is it. I got sent some photos from Henry last week of the drive to Pugfest last year and was straight on pistonheads classified to see what was around. My next toy is going to have to be RWD and I have a serious hankering for V8 grunt. Unfortunately, much as I would love a Cerbera or Tuscan, running costs scare me a bit so I think I'll end up in a Monaro.

 

Steve - That Falcon is one ugly motherf**ker. Especially from the front.

[boombang 2]

Sorry you've had to sell the Vx so soon Boombang, not a nice sight watching it drive away is it. I got sent some photos from Henry last week of the drive to Pugfest last year and was straight on pistonheads classified to see what was around. My next toy is going to have to be RWD and I have a serious hankering for V8 grunt. Unfortunately, much as I would love a Cerbera or Tuscan, running costs scare me a bit so I think I'll end up in a Monaro.

 

Steve - That Falcon is one ugly motherf**ker. Especially from the front.

 

It wasn't pleasant. The new owner is only young too, is his second car and he's come from a 1.6 Focus.

 

Driving it for the last time yesterday confirmed to me that it's right to sell. A pleasure to drive, but a pain to live with.

 

I can't knock the choice of a Monaro, although it's definately not a proper sports car, more a tourer. My dad's had one for 4 or so years now, and (touch wood) it's been brilliant.

 

28 MPG on a run, possibility of 17MPG round town if you are careful. He's averaged 21MPG in the last couple of months though.

 

Downsides are the gearchange (long throw and poor feel), the brakes (they'll stop the car but that's about it - poor feel, could do with more stopping power and the standard pads aren't up to the job), and my dad always hated the lack of RDS/traffic on the standard radio. Another niggle is when you flick seats forward to let someone in the rear they move forward automatically. To move back you have to hold a button.

It's also easy to smash your head on the door on the way out, roofline low, seats pretty high.

However the bottom like is it looks pretty and will blitz past most of the German lot for a fraction of the cost.

[boombang 2]

I thought you'd killed it already!

 

Or is it a different one?

 

This is the silver one my brother used to have. The old blue one died, head gasket leaked and although it drove and never overheated, it constantly bubbled into the coolant system.

 

 

Accidently bought the lastest issue of Total 911 magazine. What a mistake that was.

[miamigtimark 3 1 Cars]

E36 m3 .

3 litre=286bhp

3.2 litre=321 bhp (claimed)

Had mine (avus blue coupe) for seven years. I love it.

You WILL need deep pockets.

 

Bought it at 109k miles now 174k miles. (7 years ownership)

Big spends have been head gasket and clutch (with labour came to £1600).

Coilovers @ £800 (personal choice)

I reckon factor in a grand in your first year spend wise.

Just an illustration of M tax.... 328i water pump £30

M3 water pump £140+

Has been pretty good to be honest. Very reliable.

I would recommend one . I think mines great. (Bearing in mind i usually only keep my cars 18months)

 

Watch for rotten arches and rear trailing arm bushes.

[Atari Boy 11]

I have just bought an Audi S6 avant, lots of car, V8 and 335bhp.

Not great on fuel though.

[weejimmy 1]

not sure if these have been mentiond here or not but

RX7 get a nice single turbo one for that,

or mk2 escort. i think you can still get them under 10K . . . just :-)

[welshpug 1,622]

retro RWD turbo classicness

[gtmotorsport 0]

I know it is 4wd, but the Impreza type R is a nice toy. A friend took me for a blast in his and with the DCCD it is a great laugh, most of the time it behaves like a more responsive rwd car.