Have I just bought something stupid?
Discussion
I run a quite heavily modified E63 as my main car though, as it's a bit of a pig in the wet, I've always had a runabout for the bad weather. This usually consists of a shed I can just jump in and drive, previously a Subaru Outback H6, currently a WJ Grand Cherokee 4.0.
These have been OK, and are theoretically able to get me through the toughest of Winters. I say theoretically as we haven't had a bad Winter since I've owned either of them.
Anyway, I was getting bored with the Jeep after nearly two years of pottering around in it, I only do a couple of thousand miles p/a in the spare car so decided I'd look for something a bit smarter. FF Range Rovers kept beckoning me, but after looking at a few decided that they weren't really what I was after, mainly the ones in my price bracket were either high mileage or lacking in service history. I then decided that a WK Jeep may just fit the bill. I already own a Jeep and understand that they're a bit basic, but I could go up a few years and have less miles on it. What could go wrong there?
What did go wrong was the fact that there were a few SRT-8s for sale. What a nice looking thing they are, and with a bloody great big V8 as well, but how practical would this be as a runaround/shopping cart, which is all I really need it for?
The one I found (and have put a bloody big deposit on) is a low mileage car, full main dealer history and comes with a 6 months main dealer warranty, so to all intents and purposes it should be a good one, but I still can't seem to justify it, as my old WJ does exactly what I want this new one to do, though at considerably less cost. My logic is that the Merc is coming off the road in a couple of months, as the gearbox and turbos are being upgraded in the US, so this will take a while, and I will need something reliable just in case I have to go and visit a client or do some other work related thing, but I still feel I need convincing that it's a logical choice. In fact I know it's not really but would appreciate some support.
Oh, one last thing: The car has been bought unseen (apart from loads of photos and a video walk round) as it's in N Ireland and I haven't got time to get there.
Stupid, brave or a combination?
These have been OK, and are theoretically able to get me through the toughest of Winters. I say theoretically as we haven't had a bad Winter since I've owned either of them.
Anyway, I was getting bored with the Jeep after nearly two years of pottering around in it, I only do a couple of thousand miles p/a in the spare car so decided I'd look for something a bit smarter. FF Range Rovers kept beckoning me, but after looking at a few decided that they weren't really what I was after, mainly the ones in my price bracket were either high mileage or lacking in service history. I then decided that a WK Jeep may just fit the bill. I already own a Jeep and understand that they're a bit basic, but I could go up a few years and have less miles on it. What could go wrong there?
What did go wrong was the fact that there were a few SRT-8s for sale. What a nice looking thing they are, and with a bloody great big V8 as well, but how practical would this be as a runaround/shopping cart, which is all I really need it for?
The one I found (and have put a bloody big deposit on) is a low mileage car, full main dealer history and comes with a 6 months main dealer warranty, so to all intents and purposes it should be a good one, but I still can't seem to justify it, as my old WJ does exactly what I want this new one to do, though at considerably less cost. My logic is that the Merc is coming off the road in a couple of months, as the gearbox and turbos are being upgraded in the US, so this will take a while, and I will need something reliable just in case I have to go and visit a client or do some other work related thing, but I still feel I need convincing that it's a logical choice. In fact I know it's not really but would appreciate some support.
Oh, one last thing: The car has been bought unseen (apart from loads of photos and a video walk round) as it's in N Ireland and I haven't got time to get there.
Stupid, brave or a combination?
MDMA . said:
Would i buy a jeep srt8 from Belfast ? No.
If the one from CHJ Belfast, listed on here @ 14999, its on Gumtree for 13999. Hoping you not got good deal from buying from PH with 500 off the asking price.
It was everywhere at £13,999 till I enquired about it. As soon as I asked it went up on most sites, but I had sort of committed by then so got the original price + sweeteners. If the one from CHJ Belfast, listed on here @ 14999, its on Gumtree for 13999. Hoping you not got good deal from buying from PH with 500 off the asking price.
Any reason for not buying from Belfast bit?
I bought a year old E46 Touring from Belfast years ago, I called up, struck a deal with him, got a part ex from him for my 318ti over the phone and got Lombard to finance it. It was only the next morning after getting Lombard involved did I realise it was in Belfast! Autotrader said it was 50 miles away, forgot my mate over in N. Ireland had sent me links to some cars he was looking at and it was his postcode that it was 50 miles away from!
Anyway, the guy at the dealership was great, once he stopped laughing at me.
He booked me into the Templepatrick Hotel for the night and paid for the room and dinner, and we paid the ferry.
Made a weekend of it. Ended up with a load of people in the bar celebrating a 60th and got absolutely hammered with them till the early hours.
Anyway, the guy at the dealership was great, once he stopped laughing at me.
He booked me into the Templepatrick Hotel for the night and paid for the room and dinner, and we paid the ferry.
Made a weekend of it. Ended up with a load of people in the bar celebrating a 60th and got absolutely hammered with them till the early hours.
TooMany2cvs said:
Is a brief holiday in NI still an easy way to lose a write-off history?
Used to hear about this, wasn't sure if it still happened, but I'm pretty happy with this one as it has a FJSH from the main dealer where it was bought new, and they are the ones actually selling it again.As for other comments, they'll actually be delivering the car on a transporter, so I don't have to go over, as I just can't spare the time for that.
daveenty said:
.... What a nice looking thing they are, and with a bloody great big V8 as well, but how practical would this be as a runaround/shopping cart, which is all I really need it for?
...
It's a perfectly practical runaround/shopping cart provided you can find slightly wider than average parking spots and provided you don't mind the 15 mpg consumption. The fun you can have with unsuspecting boy racers (while driving legally, of course) should not be underestimated ...
Be warned, Dave; in case you don't already know, the Jeep SRT8 is not true 4WD. It's "intelligent 4WD" in that it will select 4WD when (i.e.a split second after) it detects rear wheel slip or spin. That can be enough time to get you into trouble if you're not expecting it. Also UK spec'd cars come with equal sized wheels and tyres (only 225) all round, unlike the US version.
Well, it's being delivered on Tuesday morning so too late to question my decision now really.
Doubt it'll be much difference in size to the WJ, though I've not checked, but the parking aspect isn't a problem in that so hopefully the same will apply.
I choose not to drive it in bad weather as it's slowly turning into a garage queen and I like to keep it tidy, not because there's anything wrong with it or my driving, which I've managed OK with for the last 40+ years. As it happens I've managed to negotiate it for a couple of hundred miles back from the Duxford Spring show today, the last 50 or so miles being very wet, and I'm not dead yet...
Doubt it'll be much difference in size to the WJ, though I've not checked, but the parking aspect isn't a problem in that so hopefully the same will apply.
godskitchen said:
You need a 4x4 because you can't drive your 6 series in the wet? Something wrong with the BMW or the way you drive.
Hmmm. As mentioned it's an E Class Mercedes; think of a German Taxi. However, it does have a fair increase in power,taking it up to the figures of 635bhp and 764ft/lbs on the current map. These are rear wheel figures and equate to 750bhp and 900ft/lbs at the flywheel, which does tend to make it a bit twitchy, even with the Quaife diff fitted. In rain it's a challenge, snow it's not even going out. I choose not to drive it in bad weather as it's slowly turning into a garage queen and I like to keep it tidy, not because there's anything wrong with it or my driving, which I've managed OK with for the last 40+ years. As it happens I've managed to negotiate it for a couple of hundred miles back from the Duxford Spring show today, the last 50 or so miles being very wet, and I'm not dead yet...
Nickbrapp said:
Could you do a readers thread and some exhaust videos of your e63?!
There's a bit of a write up here: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=146...A later version here, with the modded ECU: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=148...
And a video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/vUIETbqEO_/
It's since had a custom map on it which has smoothed it out a lot though the gearbox is going to the States in or about September time for a full rebuild by Weistec. As are the turbos. May as well as it's off the road anyway.
driverrob said:
Be warned, Dave; in case you don't already know, the Jeep SRT8 is not true 4WD. It's "intelligent 4WD" in that it will select 4WD when (i.e.a split second after) it detects rear wheel slip or spin. That can be enough time to get you into trouble if you're not expecting it. Also UK spec'd cars come with equal sized wheels and tyres (only 225) all round, unlike the US version.
Cheers Rob, something I have read up on, and a shame we don't get the bigger wheels and tyres but, as I mentioned, it won't really be used a lot, and certainly never driven in anger. I have another toy for that. 
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