Motors What do you drive? - The Photo Gallery

Fancy locking diff on the S too.

I must admit the rear on the new C-saloon is very marmite, I'd rather have the estate. (Plus I have a soft-spot for fast estates)

 

I think the back looks pretty sharp, though Mercedes back ends are getting a bit too similar. My "shame about the boot" should have been "shame that there is a boot at all".

I'm with you, something about a fast estate makes me as giddy as a schoolgirl.

 

My previous c63 was white, the other option was the silver iridium magento but it was so close to the BMW matt grey

I agree the boot sucks, it's like a rover/S class hybrid, but I can't see it inside the car lol, oh unless I'm using the 360 camera

Yeah all optional extras, so exhaust, ceramic brakes, HUD, etc etc, only one I left off was the air fragrancing kit lol.

Yeah I had the previous gen c63 PP and the one before that as well.

I can't take this over 4k for the first 1000 miles, if you rag it it's obviously logged and if the engine breaks at a later date Mercedes go, ummm no warranty since you didn't drive it in right.

It feels a lot tighter though and a lot more of a sports car

I was considering the AMG gt but I really need 4 doors and 5 seats on my main car, what with work clients and family etc and girlfriends parents are disabled.

 

Just another bmw 118i msport nothing special.

 

Nothing.... again...

Recommend me something fun for £5,500 (I know I won't get much) that isn't an MX-5. Just don't like the look at all, there will be no convincing me. I do like the look of the [don't laugh] Renault [seriously now] Wind, but am not 100%.

Any suggestions?

 

MGTF? Dirt cheap, topless, mid engined rwd fun.

 

In no particular order

Audi TT
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...hp-rare-find-new-timing-belt-kit-2001/4066183

Porsche 944
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/porsche/944/porsche-944-1984/4066085

Nissan 350Z
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...z-3-5-v6-coupe-manual-uk-gt-spec-2003/4066035

Boxster
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...ter-986-96-04/porsche-boxster-2-5-2dr/3918738

SLK
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...es-benz-slk-2-3-slk230-kompressor-2dr/4058724

MR2
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...001-toyota-mr2-roadster-petrol-manual/4058467

So much choice out there.

 

I might be selling my 360 bhp rx7 fc3s, but it is a race car pretty much, not a daily driver

 

Series 2 RS Turbo

 

MGTF another no - don't like the look.

TT's another no - again I just don't like the look.

944, I'd never hear the end of having the poor sibling

350Z, I'd be concerned about the fault with that one, but there is another... you have piqued my interest, never thought I'd be able to afford one.

Boxter, Merc, MR2 don't like the look.

I liked the older MR2... but I'm looking for something I can hop into and drive, not a project.

RX7 FC3 - they look pretty sharp! But a race car is not a goer.

RS Turbo... Nope.

Thanks for the suggestions, I have 0 time at the moment, Tuesday is my weekend, so I'll have another look around then.

 

Couple other ideas as I think I remember you said you like the skyline (R32 is possible at the top of your budget)
You could also look at
Nissan stagea (skyline estate but sometimes cheaper) 3000GT/GTO, 300zx,
Subaru SVX is a less common option if it takes your fancy
Chrysler Crossfire?
Renault wind is an interesting one, looks great from some angles, not so much from others. Bit like a newer CRX Del Sol.
Lotus Elan might be worth a look too

 

Sounds like you're a fussy bugger asura. £5k is a rich seam of great cars, but if you hate them all then it's kinda tricky!

What do you like the look of? To be honest for £5k you could buy a good example of an MR2, spend £2-3k having a garage go over it with a fine-tooth comb and drive it for 100k miles.

 

What are your thoughts on it?

I know a certain young man who is in the market for a new motor in the very near future, and is still battling with a shortlist before going into dealerships for test drives. Coming from an E90 3 series, (which I chose over the E87 1 Series because comparatively the chassis was rubbish, and well... looks) the F20 1 Series is supposedly a marked improvement?

For the rest of you, what would you do in my shoes?

Looking for a daily driver with at least similar power, but preferably a little more oomph than the current 4 pot derv (320D). I'm completely undecided on what body-type/form the next car needs to take, and have no family of my own or real load-transport requirements, thus my current selection is a real mixed bag. Looking at vehicles for an absolute max of £40k, with a £30k target being what I am realistically looking at currently.

The potentials along with my reservations against each at the moment are:

Ford
Fiesta ST3 (Bit Chavvy? No 5 door option, small)

Volkswagen
Golf GTD (Poor mans GTI? Negligible power gains over now + FWD)
Golf GTI with Performance Pack (Golf R costs next to nothing more)
Golf R (Still a VW Golf at the end of the day, pretty image-less/unimpressive)

Audi
S3 (Almost touching £37k (I think it was) with options just to bring it up to default Golf R spec)

BMW
M135i (Scared about economy)
420D MSport (Does not represent value at all)

Mercedes
CLA 220 CDI AMG Sport + Honda Civic Type R (2004 EP3) Project Car (Insuring and maintaining 2 cars will bankrupt me)

My head says Golf R, my heart says M135i (and my wallet says Fiesta!)

I guess I figure this is probably my last opportunity to own something fun and fast before invariably having to start think about things like weddings and procreation. I'm doing low miles, so not too concerned about economy, but real-world MPG is always an unknown hence my M135i reservations.

What would you guys get? Have I missed any obvious choices for fun that can also be driven daily? I Will keep the car for somewhere between 2 - 4 years, so also can't be anything crazy depreciation wise.

Thankyou!

 

And then budget in for a blown head gasket.

 

Only if you ignore the temps, rag like hell from cold, and don't maintain it. Hmmm, actually that sounds like any car....

Maybe I'm skewed on such things spending so many years with rotary engines and ignoring all the assumptions of engine failure and knowing to check levels etc...


If you worry about the gasket, don't buy one without evidence of it being done, or spend £500 and get it done straight away. All in, spend anywhere between £2.5-5k. Soft top perfectly reliable, cheap to insure, and 40mpg.

K series engines are fine. Elise, caterham 7, ariel atoms all used it and it would never have made it into them if it was going to blow the head all the time.

 

Nothing special but i pick this up on Friday

Anyone know how much this issue is going to cost me? and if it is indeed common?

 

I'd get the Golf. Either the GTI or the R. Both can be had for a fair bit less than list price. [e.g. look on drivethedeal.com]

Surpisingly I've actually seen more Golf R's on the road than the GTI. Don't get the GTD - whilst it's a decent car, it's the boring choice and its not as fast or as competent as the other two. Get the fun car whilst you still can!

 

2nd edit:
Evolutionsic: very nice! How's the steering? Never driven an EP3, it's on my list though.

£40k? Is that financed, or outright?

To be honest for that kind of money I'd be spending £10k or so on a mile-muncher, probably a w211 E-class with the 320CDI. Then I'd be looking at a project/fun car, forget insurance and maintenance, it's small change compared to depreciation on £20k+ of humdrum car like a Golf.

e.g.
This + this.

The Merc has loads of life left in it yet (there's plenty out there with 150k+ on at the mo), and the TVR would be a weekend toy - they're appreciating at the moment, and far more reliable than the heresay would have you believe. Most of the big issues are with the TVR straight-6 engined cars, the Rover V8 is tough as old boots.

ETA: I picked the Merc because it's normal enough that people won't think you're a wazzock, but it should blend in with the usual Golf finance crowd.

 

Build done and on the road for about a month, 460 miles on it so far and it's superb. Only took 3 years to go from a van full of bits to this.

Need to sell the mini now and pay my Dad the transfer fee,

 

Yes! Cologne V6?