Desperate need for some rwd suggestions

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wjb said:

Give an RX8 a try, superb car, as long as you choose wisely.

I will, thanks! They are exceptionally good value/well priced because of the 'fear factor' I imagine. I believe its post 2010 cars that are less problematic?

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wjb said:

Yes the latest R3 model would be considered the most user friendly, but then obviously dearest to buy.

I own an '06 PZ, they do need to be well looked after and aren't great on fuel, there's no getting away from that, but they are such a rewarding drive it's worth it.

Ok thanks, I don't do enough miles to worry about mpg so thats good, would an 05 be just as good as an 06 just thinking of road tax?

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wjb said:

I think 55 or maybe early '06 is the low band, cars will be same as high band, apart from the special editions.

I wanted a PZ which is higher tax band, due to it's rarity (only 800 made) and factory upgrades over the standard car.

Thanks again! Im not familiar with the special editions I will do some research. Is the PZ the one to have?

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wjb said:

I think 55 or maybe early '06 is the low band, cars will be same as high band, apart from the special editions.

I wanted a PZ which is higher tax band, due to it's rarity (only 800 made) and factory upgrades over the standard car.

Found this as a start.

http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/cartestreports/2...

I had seen 231 bhp cars but the PZ hadn't registered.

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wjb said:

That's the one, same colour as mine, the other choice is black.

I love it, not a car for everyone, but it's definitely something different to think about.

Ive found this RX8 specialist not to far from me. There also seems a lot engine swop options if it did pop.

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g8ape said:

Ive found this RX8 specialist not to far from me. There also seems a lot engine swop options if it did pop.

http://www.hextablerotaries.com

Meant to add this^^^

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wjb said:

Recent discussion on hextable over on rx8oc, might be worth a read.

http://www.rx8ownersclub.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php...

Thank you! Ive found a guy in the US who does an LS conversion kit for them I like the idea of having a plan B if things go wobbly.
From other LS swop threads I've read it certainly doesn't seem a Sunday afternoon job...

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ATM said:

Porsche 928 1985 S2 DogLeg Manual Black / Black

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272262323579

Thank you! I will watch that!

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ATM said:

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ATM said:

Mine box is fine. It's the same box used on Monaros. What hassles did he have?

IIRC the ratios negated 1st gear, but I think that could have been a diff ratio issue as well, apparently the selection was slow and iffy/vague. I know theres a danger in reading and deciding v's actually driving but papercup's thread is very detailed and he seems a very accomplished driver and has commissioned many mods.

Mine is not iffy or vague but it is far from refined. You have to be pretty firm with it which suits the car. I drove around in it for a few months as a daily driver and never thought there was a problem with the box. Yes the ratios feel a bit short and you can pull off in 2nd but that is more diff ratio related. You could probably pull off in 3rd or 4th too. It all comes down to money and what you want. I found a company who make mounting kits for a BMW gearbox to the LS - google search. At the end of the day you dont use an LS engine because it is the best engine available. You use it because it is cheap and makes good power.

Thats where Im trying to be at, cheap good power, something different from the norm with out attracting the wrong attention and a bit practical as well...

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ATM said:

Craig at Dynotorque has made one and is driving around in it.

What would you estimate the conversion costs?

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skyrover said:

How about a corvette?

Thanks I should go and drive one they don't really call to me but I need to be more open minded and go try stuff. I like the lightweight body and pop up headlights would be a fitment on my Frankenstien fits all needs vehicle, a kind of hybrid straight six turbo'd, coupe hatch back switchable 2 to 4 wd with LSD and good consumption that could do 8second 1/4 miles yet still transport a small settee... Im looking for at least 3 cars aren't I...

Thank you!

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wjb said:

I stand to be corrected, but think Monaro to Bmw M6 money...

http://www.partsworldperformance.com/ls3-376-525-v8-crate-engine-19301360

Yes I think your right, obviously you don't have to have the 6 speed Tremec box or an injection LS3 but even so I reckon you'd be shovelling £10k and probably nearer £15k into a ?£3k + car, there are some RX8's on Autotrader going 'clank' for under £1k, but I think its a labour of love v's a commercially viable endeavour. Monaro makes more sense doesnt it?

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wjb said:

Are you simply after big engine/power rwd coupe for around 15k?

If so, I'd be looking at the following;

M6
M3 (e92)
Slk 55 amg
Jag xkr
And of course, a Monaro...

No Im looking for something special, the whole purpose of starting the thread was to see if there were any rwd car options I hadn't considered. I have been looking for over a year now, Ive owned a lot of cars over the years and haven't found my brand or perhaps I like the search more than the purchase...

I would say the E34 M5 is probably the best drivers car I have owned, Ive had an E46 M3 it wasn't for me, nor was a E39 M5 yet others rave about them.

Im very grateful to all the people who have taken time to offer suggestions, its been a sort of car-a-holic's therapy session for me

Thanks for the suggestions all of the above are good options the Monaro probably gets closest as its more DIY friendly which is a requirement rather than dealer diagnostics.

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V8RX7 said:

Yes and no.

I went through similar to you and bought a Monaro mine had and exhaust and tune.

But it's heavy and was designed as a cruiser not a Sports car the ratios are stupidly high.

The 6 litre VXR is far better than the standard car - basically 400bhp 1700kg so 235bhp/ton but combined with the gearing it's not that quick at all.

If you can find one that has been tuned, exhaust, suspension, low ratio axle - IE someone else has spent £10k+ on then it might be getting interesting but it is still HEAVY.

The same running gear in an RX8 which would be circa 1400kg would be 285bhp/ton ie you'd have to add 85bhp to the Monaro to be in with a chance - PLUS sorting the gearing and handling.

That's very useful thanks! The Monaro I drove years ago didn't live up to my expectations that'll be the weight and gearing then.
A RX8 V8 is quite appealing, I'm struggling on the cost side of things to justify it but the uniqueness and sort of sleeper (if an RX8 can be one) aspect works as well + RX8's are so cheap especially thinking of likely condition & spec, it would almost be silly not to...

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ATM said:

Have you driven any Porsches?

I had a 996 turbo with hybrid turbos, exhaust and remap, haven't driven a 924, got close to buying a 928 at an auction once. Ive owned a 4.5s Cayenne and really like the Turbo but don't need one. Ive driven a 993 turbo, Boxsters don't do it for me, Ive been in a passenger in a Panamera and Cayman. Really wish I'd bought a 993 turbo 5 years back when the prices were still eye watering but not as nuts as they are now.

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V8RX7 said:

If you pay someone (like Craig) I suspect the total bill for a 6.0 LS2 would be at least £15k and I think you'd struggle to sell it for more than £10k

If you built it yourself it could cost under £10k but DIY builds can take years.

Thank you! Exactly pretty much what i'd thought. I would need to fall in love with the RX8 to justify the time & expense, I love the idea of it though but have sufficient experience of big projects to know its never as smooth a process as you hope.

If you were guaranteed to make a profit or even break even it would justify the decision. I'm going to arrange a drive of an RX8 very soon as the car std (engine concerns aside) appeals to me anyway. If it did go pop a rebuild would be ?£3k isn v's 3 to 5 times that for a V8 conversion.

A friend has recently bought a 5.7 Jeep Cherokee 05, its a huge amount of car for the money (not rwd but a very flexible thing). Ive found a few SRT8's for sale and am wondering if one of those for a daily driver would work as I don't have to do any regular journeys now-a-days.

Then perhaps an RX8 as a project car would work, my other previous fun car top ten list included an Elise, Caterham, Z4m, Z3M, stripped E46 M3, Cerebra or Tuscan, but the RX8 idea is starting to trump them.

I know Ive moved the budget goal posts but this whole thread has help'd me realise Im trying to roll to many options into one car and it's impossible to do.

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Herbs said:

In your initial post you mention pushing the budget - what is it now?

If you could slightly higher than the £25k you mentioned, i would strongly recommend a test drive in one of these - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Rare and one of the most enjoyable, involving cars I have driven and doesnt break your back!

Thank you! I hadn't considered those. Being a bit old skool in age and attitude I would value one of those as 5 and a bit Fiesta ST's, the theory being if my financial world collapsed what sub £4.5k car would still entertain, get to the tip & vets and be in good sunday polishing condition.

My years of lust-buy-regret-loose-start again car buying means that a self imposed £15k regret budget I can live with, where at £25k my extreme self loathing would kick in big time.

Some would say Im over thinking this but as Sheldon would say 'I don't get to talk about trains (cars) anything like as much as I would like'

This I guess is the whole crux of my failure to find another car quickly, its the what else could you have bought for the money and if thats divisible by more than one perceived good car then I stall again, gonna have to 'nut up'

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so called said:

Want one

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...

If that had a 3rd seat in the middle I'd be at it like a bull at gate

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SturdyHSV said:

Get a Monaro with a supercharger on then. Plenty of people have done it. 600+bhp really helps with that excess weight problem

You want something that feels special, is unusual and is easy to work on yourself. It also needs to be a manual RWD coupe, ideally with a proper engine in.

You're writing the brief for a Monaro, honestly. It's as near to a muscle car as you can get RHD, you either buy one stock and tweak it to your taste, or you buy one that somebody else has tweaked that has the bits on you want.

Plenty of owners over in the HSV & Monaro section, and I'm sure they'd be happy to take you out in theirs. There's only a few hundred of each model in the UK, so you won't see another one on the road, most people don't know what they are, and anything with a 6 litre engine that makes the car rock and shudder is going to feel special, trust me, it really does

I think you may be right 'resistance is futile' Thank you!

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V8RX7 said:

Tell me about it, I keep trying cars - only a few are in "my garage" on here yet I find I run multiple cars to get what I want.

The most used is my Forester but it's also the dullest despite it's many mods.

The other problem with running multiple cars is when they go wrong you jump in another - I have 4 needing fairly minor work sitting in the garage.

Ive just sold a Forester XT running 303.8 bhp (the 0.8 made all the diff) it was a bit dull, and the 220 max range...

So what we are saying is that whatever I buy there will be at least another 3 in focus that I should also buy...

So to negate that I need to buy 3 cars at once, I like it! That'll be a Jeep 6.1 SRT8 an RX8 or Monaro and a Fiesta ST for emergencies, Jeep = £14k, RX8 = £5k, Monaro = £12k, ST = £4k.

Im going to have to sell my wife's car & my sons gaming equipment but I think its doable