Mission Impossible: Stylish 4 Seat Coupe/Conv for £7.5KIsh?

[Leins]

silvertypes said:

danp said:

E46 M3 coupe/cab or 330i if you want lower costs to buy and run.

Thx, 330i maybe a goer on paper but not hugely into Beemers - tons of youff drive them round here especially 3 series - blacked out windows n all

M3 would be fun but too expensive to run for me I think. Mate had an M3 & an M3 CSL cost him a fortune to run just in tyres & Insurance. He's now got a chipped 335D which goes like stink & holds the road well but the ride is rock hard & I thought the seats were pretty uncomfortable tho i know thats not the point

Your mate's 335d has probably cost him a lot more to run than the price of insurance and tyres on the CSL. They are also quite dull in comparison once the novelty of all that torque in a straight line has worn off, albeit a better daily driver

[silvertypes]

Codswallop said:

CV8 uses the 5.7l V8. No idea why insurance its cheap, but when I was doing quotes it was considerably less than Honda S2000s, 350z, m3 etc.

Cars registered pre march 2006 fall under the old road tax structure so only £280 odd per year.

If you are seriously interested in buying one, it's good to get on the Monaro sub forum on pistonheads as good Monaros often sell without adverts going up.

Cheers I'll check that forum out. Quite like the idea of one of these if the costs (excluding petrol) aren't that bad, though I'm wondering if I'll be able to find a local garage to look after it

Generally the online reviews etc seem good but did spot this:-

"The day after I picked it up, the car started cutting out. To shorten a very long and expensive story, a faulty ECU had to be ordered from Australia and fitted by a specialist. 90% of Vauxhall Dealers either won’t work on Monaros, or don’t have the experience needed. An important thing to remember is they’re made by Holden and have an American Chevy engine – a Corsa this aint."

[silvertypes]

Leins said:

Your mate's 335d has probably cost him a lot more to run than the price of insurance and tyres on the CSL. They are also quite dull in comparison once the novelty of all that torque in a straight line has worn off, albeit a better daily driver

I think the fact someone tried to steal the CSL was a factor in him getting rid too - very nickable I guess. He's got a Ducatti bike as well so he still has access to uber speed

[silvertypes]

Krikkit said:

Not a coupe exactly, but how about a merc CLS? 500s are comfortably in budget, look fantastic, great engine, seat four in excellent comfort.

Thx. I was originally looking for a sports saloon & the Merc CLS or Passatt CC where top of the list but I now reckon I could get away with a 2 door coupe/convertible as long as it has 4 proper seats so that's the main focus now.

Tog Gear seemed to suggest a second hand CLS was a better bet than a newer Passatt CC

[silvertypes]

ZX10R NIN said:

Get the CLK 500 for 7.5k you'll get a better car for your cash than the 55 AMG they're practical 4 Seats the rears fold down if you need the extra room I've had four & still own Two I can't fault them the running costs aren't huge parts are very reasonable message me if you'd like more details. Also for the money you're looking to spend that should get you a 7 speed 500.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-MERCEDES-CLK-500-CL...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mercedes-CLK-55-AMG-/111...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

These don't suffer the rust issues of the earlier W208 CLK's so that's one concern you don't have to worry about.

Or if you want four doors, it needs lowering but not bad for a four door.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Cheers - Love all of them - the CLS is uber cool with red leather too. To be honest these tick all the boxes I reckon, I'm just worried about Insurance, Servicing / Maintenance costs being a Prestige badge

Do you think the Convertible CLK would be any more to be concerned about? Merc have been making convertibles for long enough so they ought to be ok

Other thought is rear wheel drive in the winter... my Accord is FWD with winter tyres so been fine

May drop you a PM too. Cheers

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Friday 3rd April 11:43

[ZX10R NIN]

Check the insurance but running cost wise they aren't anymore expensive to run than most cars suspension is around £40.00 for the arms Servicing is between £200.00-£400.00 depending on what has to be done make sure the gearbox has had it's fluid & filters changed if it hasn't get it done.

[silvertypes]

ZX10R NIN said:

Check the insurance but running cost wise they aren't anymore expensive to run than most cars suspension is around £40.00 for the arms Servicing is between £200.00-£400.00 depending on what has to be done make sure the gearbox has had it's fluid & filters changed if it hasn't get it done.

I only pay £200 fully comp for the Accord 2.4 Type-S - I'm guessing the CLK500 may be a tad higher :-)

Lovely car though - certainly want to read up on it

[ZX10R NIN]

silvertypes said:

I only pay £200 fully comp for the Accord 2.4 Type-S - I'm guessing the CLK500 may be a tad higher :-)

Lovely car though - certainly want to read up on it

I reckon it'll be more but not by a huge margin one thing I did forget is when you have to change the plugs it's not cheap as there are 16 of them

[Dapster]

silvertypes said:

Always fancied a Merc tho there seems to be certain years where they weren't that well built

Indeed, so get yourself a "proper" one. It'll outlive you!




http://coupeandcabriolet.co.uk/e320-sportline-silv...

[silvertypes]

ZX10R NIN said:

I reckon it'll be more but not by a huge margin one thing I did forget is when you have to change the plugs it's not cheap as there are 16 of them

Wish you could just look up Insurance Prices rather than have to go through the whole tedious quoting process for each car you want to check - again if you're right then this is a strong contender!

[silvertypes]

Dapster said:

Indeed, so get yourself a "proper" one. It'll outlive you!




http://coupeandcabriolet.co.uk/e320-sportline-silv...

Good website! I have been reading up on classic Mercs - bought a current Merc Mag & it featured 3 classic pillarless coupes. Tempting & as u say probably as well if not better build than the 2000's Mercs but wonder if in use daily these 15-25 year old cars will feel a bit like an old car to drive?

[silvertypes]

Still drooling after this but I know it would be a bad choice...

http://www.emmperformanceandprestige.co.uk/used-ca...

[scrubchub]

silvertypes said:

Still drooling after this but I know it would be a bad choice...

http://www.emmperformanceandprestige.co.uk/used-ca...

If you want the Alfa then you should go for it - their lovely cars. Your budget will get you one as good as they come and if you maintain it then it will be as reliable as anything else.

[Dapster]

silvertypes said:

Good website! I have been reading up on classic Mercs - bought a current Merc Mag & it featured 3 classic pillarless coupes. Tempting & as u say probably as well if not better build than the 2000's Mercs but wonder if in use daily these 15-25 year old cars will feel a bit like an old car to drive?

They may feel old as you say but they can take the punishment. However, probably not the way a classic should be treated. You need a daily for your chores and keep the classic Merc or whatever for weekends in the country and roadtrips to Monaco!

If you like classic Mercs, have a browse here:

http://www.ruylclassics.nl/mercedes_eng.htm
http://www.mercedesmotoring.com/
http://www.classic-center-hannover.de/fahrzeuge.ht...
http://www.brabus.com/cars4sale/start.html?q=class...

[silvertypes]

Dapster said:

They may feel old as you say but they can take the punishment. However, probably not the way a classic should be treated. You need a daily for your chores and keep the classic Merc or whatever for weekends in the country and roadtrips to Monaco!

If you like classic Mercs, have a browse here:

http://www.ruylclassics.nl/mercedes_eng.htm
http://www.mercedesmotoring.com/
http://www.classic-center-hannover.de/fahrzeuge.ht...
http://www.brabus.com/cars4sale/start.html?q=class...

I do - will check the links thx. No room to store 2 cars I'm afraid & won't be heading to Monaco without a lottery win!

[silvertypes]

MonkeyMatt said:

How about a Jag'

Yeah like Jags but XK8 / XK rear seats are only suitable if you don't have legs!

Classic XJ6 Pillarless Coupe very nice but pricey & bit too fragile for daily drive I guess

[ZX10R NIN]

Did you manage to get a qoute on the 500 & 55 CLK? In regard to the convertibles there don't seem to have many problems with the roof but are less practical as the rear passengers lose some space also the Coupe looks better IMO

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Saturday 4th April 09:00

[silvertypes]

scrubchub said:

If you want the Alfa then you should go for it - their lovely cars. Your budget will get you one as good as they come and if you maintain it then it will be as reliable as anything else.

It is tempting ... still at the doing my homework stage tho - we'll see

[silvertypes]

ZX10R NIN said:

Did you manage to get a qoute on the 500 & 55 CLK?

No not yet - still at the reading up on it stage at the mo - but when I do I'll let you know - if it's reasonable I reckon a nice CLK500 is pretty much the top of my list - convertible if i can stretch to it - always wanted a Merc.

A friend of mine has had quite a few over the years & also says with an independent you can run them for reasonable cost & he's had no major issues. Reading ads - looks like Electric seat motors go on the CLK's a bit & I can imagine replacing electrical things like that would cost a fortune but if I cld find a minter thats been looked after hopefully b ok

[ZX10R NIN]

silvertypes said:

No not yet - still at the reading up on it stage at the mo - but when I do I'll let you know - if it's reasonable I reckon a nice CLK500 is pretty much the top of my list - convertible if i can stretch to it - always wanted a Merc.

A friend of mine has had quite a few over the years & also says with an independent you can run them for reasonable cost & he's had no major issues. Reading ads - looks like Electric seat motors go on the CLK's a bit & I can imagine replacing electrical things like that would cost a fortune but if I cld find a minter thats been looked after hopefully b ok

The Convertibles are cheaper than the Coupes due to them being less practical, yes the seat motors play up but you can replace the frame in about an hour to a manual one if it's the motors that are playing up, but normally it's the switch in the door that plays up not the motor itself also on the 02-05 cars the heated seats seem more prone to fail.