I’m 50 years young. I’ve already treated myself to a Convoy M3, so I don’t need the usual help in picking a flashlight treat for myself. However, I am struggling to find a new car. I can’t make my mind up. I’ve got a Jimny for doing the dirty jobs (although I only just fit in it), so I can get something that can be kept clean.
I’ve had over 35 cars in my time and a few bikes. From a Fiat 126 to a TVR Chimaera, from a Puch 50 to a Honda Blackbird. Since my accident I’ve only bought cheap ‘tide me over’ cars, but now I have a bit of cash to spend. Pre-accident, the TVR was my perfect car, plenty of leg room for a tall bloke and no power steering, ABS, traction control, or other safety ‘fun sapping’ rubbish. Now I need power steering and something that is easy to get in and out of.
What I’ve considered:
Maserati 3200 GT - probably getting a bit old, repairs may be expensive now I can’t do the work myself.
Maserati Quattroporte - lot of car for the money, but eat clutches
Porsche Cayenne - higher up sitting position, but its a Porsche and people will shout nasty names at me (they did when my wife had a Boxster)
Audi Q7 or SQ7 - seams a good option, the older ones are ugly and no one wants them, so the price is reasonable
MG ZT 260 - I had an MG ZT 190 and loved it, plus its a future classic
Vauxhall Monaro - I like the look of them, reminds me of the Vauxhall Calibra. I was a huge fan of Vauxhalls, but the quality has been on the decrease for many years now. The Monaro is made by Holden thought.
Land Rover Discovery 3 - probably the sensible choice, I’ve had a Discovery 300TDi and a 3.9L V8 Discovery 1, which I liked, even though they are not fast.
Ford Focus - ST or preferably the RS 2.3. Probably a little on the small side for me, but on paper look great fun. RS is the top end of my budget though, so would need a good test drive first
Audi S4 Avant - The one I keep coming back to. Makes the most sense.
There is a v8 theme here. I don’t do huge miles so why not. My colleague has a Hyundai i30 N performance, one boss has a Ford Mustang 5.0 GT, my other boss sold his Mustang (too many faults from new) and now has a Mercedes-AMG E 63 (I think, its a big estate car with a twin turbo V8, only got to see it once briefly before lockdown). So I’d like something quick, but need something high up with good visibility. Roads around here are also very narrow.
I’ve always had great Vauxhalls in the past (Dad is ex-Vauxhall mechanic). I avoid Fords, because every Ford I’ve had (except the P100) has been awful. However, recently my son has had the opposite experience and his Fords, including the Focus ST 2.5l, have been great, but his Vauxhalls have been awful. He was going to sell me the ST, but someone offered him more. I thought he might have kept it for my Birthday (wishful thinking).
Now an Impreza, not thought about one, but I know my daughter-in-law had one and said it was the best handling car she had driven. Very thirsty and UK road tax is a little high for them, but would also be at home on these rural roads. I suppose an Evo would be an option, with a Mitsubishi dealer being not to far away.
Happy birthday ecotack! I’ve always wanted a Porsche, so I would go with the Cayenne. You’ve had 35 cars so far? Wow, that’s a lot! I’ve purchased 8 and I’m not much older than you. Let us know what you decide.
For reliability I lean toward the Toyotas, Subarus and Hondas. Fords have been pretty good to us, though. If you have any Fords with the 2.7L or 3.5L turbos, they are fast off the line.
Happy Birthday!
VW old version Touareg v10 - my mate had one and it was mental. He used to burn up Porsches in it……(he says) it was fast though, when he first took me out I had no idea it would be such an animal! pins you to the seat, torque monster. You just don’t expect a huge heavy SUV to leave you in smoke…….
Touareg W12, didn’t even know it existed, Wiki says only 500 were made, so rare. There are a couple of W10, but auto diesel, two things I don’t like. Had thought about the v6 or the v8. I’m driving a Mk4 Golf GTI at the moment, you can’t go wrong with VW.
Just found a low mileage RX-8 locally, at a good price, recent compression test, so the rotary engine should be fine. But thinking about it, maybe I should be looking more at the SUV or large estates. I missed out on a nice Audi S6 Avant v10 when I didn’t have the cash.
Yeah it was a good few years ago he had it now - we all joked it was used to dispose of dead bodies……… he got it from some real dodgy deal in London with some rough types (say no more)
Me and my other mates joked it had a body part in it somewhere because the smell when it was warm outside was, well odd. the interior and dash looked like it had been out several times.
I reckon it was some drug dealers fast escape vehicle…….
I have to correct it to - it wasn’t a w12…… I thought it was a w 12 but I asked him and it was the V10 engine. Sorry for the confusion!
It’s the same as the one they pulled the jet plane with on 5th gear.
Finally found a car. Every time I saw something I liked, it was sold. Decided on a Vauxhall Monaro, but couldn’t find one and spent a little more on a Vauxhall VXR8. Its getting delivered tomorrow.
They say it does 70mph in 1st, so the other gears are just there to see how annoyed the police are going to be.
Happy belated birthday! Let us know how you find the VXR8.
My friend had a Monaro when they first arrived, bags of torque but didn’t come to life until well into license losing speeds, and being an Alfa person it didn’t do it for me.
Wonder how you’d find the Alfa Guilia.
Happy Birthday, on my 50th it was simply just another work day for me so nothing exciting. I envy your list of cars you’ve owned and have been considering.
The Monaro should be a really good choice, here in Aus they’ve been around under the Holden Badge as part of their performance vehicles until recently. As mentioned by others it’s also in the US as a Pontiac. I read a while ago there was a 600kw version, can’t recall the model name.
