Which (refined) GT/Coupe please?

[wadsy]

With reference to my previous post "refined cars" ....
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Where our car plan was to replace the wife's Golf and my Alpina with one 'do-it-all' car.

Further to that plan, I may be persuading her to the possibility of 2 instead of the one, where she would keep her Golf; ideal for her commute and convenient for shops etc and I replace my Alpina with a comfy, refined 'GT/coupe' for longer journeys.

So, my question now is!...which GT/coupe?

The main priority (as per previous thread) is refinement, so comfy seats, low cabin noise and excellent ride quality, oh and reasonable luggage space for trips.

My initial thoughts are...

Jag XK 4.2 (2006 on)
Merc CLK 55 AMG
Audi S5

I'd very much welcome guidance as to the pros/cons of the above and other suggestions please.

Many thanks

Cheers

ps. budget max = 15k, but ideally 10-12 or less!

[wadsy]

MrwReckless said:

Is the previous gen. BMW 6 series in your budget?

Regards

Spotted a 640i on the Trader for about 6k, so yes, well in budge potentially...are they a good option?

Cheers

[wadsy]

Crush said:

We looked at similar cars (BMW 3&4series, Audi A4,5&6, Lexus 300h) and settled on an Infiniti Q50. You get a lot of car for the money and it is very spacious inside.

Is that a coupe/GT?

Cheers

[wadsy]

_rubinho_ said:

wadsy said:

... my Alpina...

What Alpina do you have?

2008 B3 Bi-turbo saloon

[wadsy]

ZX10R NIN said:

Spend 15k & get a W216 Mercedes CL500 they're full on GT cars whilst the CLK500/55 are comfortable they're not true GT cars when compared to the CL's my dad & uncle have a 63/500 respectively, as nice as my CLK is when you get into anyone of those you two you know you've stepped up a class.

In terms of reliability neither has had any issues my dad is on his second which he's had for just over a year my uncle has had his 5 years & is now looking for a newer one which says it all really these were much improved on the previous generation CL.
Both take them to an independent as they've found they get better service from them compared to the main dealer, the 5.5 is pretty much bullet proof make sure the transmission fluid has been changed & enjoy the luxury.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

Thanks, look to be definitely worth a look.

Cheers

[wadsy]

swlove said:

Have you considered a Jaguar XK8 or a XKR?

Looks great, fast, comfortable, can be had for relatively little money and not bad in running costs and reliability.

I had thought about an XKR, but thought the newer XK would be a better bet, what would you think?

cheers

[wadsy]

Kierkegaard said:

I would second what was said above regarding the Mercedes CL. Admitally, it's at the top of your budget but it's the best big GT car Mercedes makes - it's really comfortable too. Not far off a modern day S-Class coupe for a fraction of the price.

You could go down the 'modern classic' route and up the budget a bit to get into an Aston DB7? Ok, it will cost a bit to run and be a bit dated in most ways, however you won't lose any in depreciation so it will actually work out cheaper than anything modern - CL/XK/Maser etc..

Yes, it is top of the budget; would the older model be worth considering?

Just had a look at DB7's but seem to start at about 20k, which is too much.

Cheers

[wadsy]

alpha channel said:

I'm leaning towards the XK as a replacement for my Alfa personally. Classy looks, a good knowledge base to call upon should the need arise and, at least in my neck of the woods, not all that common plus it would appear to be fairly reliable if tinternet chatter is to be believed (and if I do get one and get along with it I'll LPG it, by all accounts the 4.2 is pretty much plug and play). However above all these - it's not a diesel.

Where would be a good place to look for the knowledge-base?

Cheers

[wadsy]

swlove said:

wadsy said:

I had thought about an XKR, but thought the newer XK would be a better bet, what would you think?

cheers

Better bet in what way?

I think the XKR looks better than the XK. Less depreciation too...

Have a look here: Top Gear Tiff Needell with the Jaguar XKR

Newer, more modern car.

[wadsy]

ZX10R NIN said:

So OP have you drawn up a shortlist?

I think most of the suggestions above are worth an audition...XK, S5, 6 series, CL500 and maybe an older (xk100) xkr.

Having said that though, we're still trying to work out which is the better 'car plan' for us!...

either this route - wife keeps Golf, I keep Pajero and we get the comfy/refined 'GT' instead of my Alpina.

OR, as per my previous thread; we sell the Golf and Alpina to get a one car does both jobs (wife use and comfy for long journeys) and I keep the Pajero as my run-about!

As ever, confusion reigns!

Cheers

Edited by wadsy on Saturday 6th August 12:53

[wadsy]

_rubinho_ said:

wadsy said:

_rubinho_ said:

wadsy said:

... my Alpina...

What Alpina do you have?

2008 B3 Bi-turbo saloon

Nice

What about a B6 (if you can find one)?

Thanks

I must admit, it is an awesome car!

B6 nice, but even rarer than mine I would think?

Cheers

[wadsy]

TorqueDirty said:

I was all set on the 4.2 S5 a couple of years ago - and then with great anticipation I drove one.

Lovely looking car, nice interior, very competent and also pretty fast. Sadly it was also surprisingly dull to drive. No real sense of occasion despite the 4.2 V8. I'd previously owned the old 2.7 Bi_turbo S4 (tuned in fairness) and it was a great mix of classy refinement (for the day) and quite serious pace. I suspect the quite big torque from the remapped Bi-turbo engine helped. It was no sports car though but as a cruiser with effortless overtaking ability I liked a lot more than the 4.2 S5. Maybe the 4.2 N/A engine needed to be worked harder than I worked it.

Anyway the S5 just did not feel that "alive" but I think my mistake was thinking that it was going to be a sports car - it ain't. The AWD system is handy though.

I have the newer supercharged 5l version of the XKR now. That is a whole different story (and probably budget - at least for another few years). Big car though. Multistory parking is quite tense because it has a very long nose and the rear is a bit wider than the front. No embarrassing moments yet, apart from inadvertently spinning up the rears from standstill on a regular basis, oh and the exhaust heat shield coming lose and dragging along the road in the centre of Glasgow much to many people's amusement.

BMW 650i is a good shout for the money I suspect - apart from the execrable cup holder!

Always had a slight thing for the CL 500 too.

Probably no help at all but never mind.

TD

Thanks very much for your reply; interesting stuff.

Cheers