Get me into a daily V8 for sub-£10k
Discussion
Patrick Bateman said:
wackojacko said:
And your case for the E39 M5 is ?
A 120,000 mile, well-maintained example may well be in excellent condition and have great history but at the end of the day it's 120,000 miles so it's unlikely to be worth £10,000, for example.
alcovrugbyfan said:
the Monaro is nice, but only 333bhp? The Jags are 400bhp.
I guess its whether you want the V8 growl, or the supercharger whine? Wish I had a spare 10k knocking around lol!
Let us know what you go for!!
Got the supercharger whine with the current mx5 - tis very addictive!I guess its whether you want the V8 growl, or the supercharger whine? Wish I had a spare 10k knocking around lol!
Let us know what you go for!!
Not buying imminently just wanting options.
M5 a bit risky but 540 is an option.
Legend83 said:
Got the suoercharger whine with the current mx5 - tis very addictive!
Not buying eminently just wanting options.
M5 a bit risky but 540 is an option.
You've actually got a nice budget, some good low mileage cars out there. this time a year or so ago you wouldn't have had half the choice!Not buying eminently just wanting options.
M5 a bit risky but 540 is an option.
I didn't actually realise how much car 10k would buy until you posted this and I started looking.
wackojacko said:
XJR/XKR seems far more appealing to me , Miles are miles at the end of the day I'd prefer lowest miles I can get (whilst obviously the most fun)...... each to their own.
With those cars I'd take condition over mileage though.In saying that, look at Great Pretender's M5, pretty low mile example (60/70,000) and he's already spent a bomb fixing it.
wackojacko said:
Rest my Case .... not really worth going near unless you really like the E39 M5 .... for the money I'd have an E55 or E430
I wasn't speaking about it being a suggestion for the OP, I was merely pointing out that at £8000 or £12,000 an M5 can chuck big bills at you so deciding such a thing by a set price is flawed.Mercs of that era aren't exactly bulletproof either.
ks to four seats though...Patrick Bateman said:
wackojacko said:
Rest my Case .... not really worth going near unless you really like the E39 M5 .... for the money I'd have an E55 or E430
I wasn't speaking about it being a suggestion for the OP, I was merely pointing out that at £8000 or £12,000 an M5 can chuck big bills at you so deciding such a thing by a set price is flawed.Mercs of that era aren't exactly bulletproof either.
TVR Chimeara .... bargain ! there some fantastic examples on the market.
well you could try this... one of the rarest cars mentioned so far and cheap enough to s/c should you feel the need to (though 5.5 0-60 and 160ish top aren't exactly hanging around)...
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2415080.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2415080.htm
Look to the mysterious East.
LS430's
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2436166.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2464958.htm (with a lot of budget left over)
Slightly less plutocratic a GS430
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2147641.htm
LS430's
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2436166.htm
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2464958.htm (with a lot of budget left over)
Slightly less plutocratic a GS430
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2147641.htm
wackojacko said:
Rest my Case .... not really worth going near unless you really like the E39 M5 .... for the money I'd have an E55 or E430
wackojacko said:
17 Years of age and a very keen driver
Are you basing your opinions of an E39 M5 on any personal experience of just what you've read on the interweb?Legend83 said:
Come on peeps, I challenge thee to find me these cars! 300bhp/ton, I'm looking at you...
Fuel aside, needs to be reasonable on parts and servicing....
4 seats preferable.
Hi Fuel aside, needs to be reasonable on parts and servicing....
4 seats preferable.
£10k gives you quite a scope tbh. And I'm sure many have already been mentioned. It does depend what you want to do with the car and what you want from it. So I'll throw out some suggestions, the obvious ones you'll find for sale easy enough while some might take a bit of hunting down, but are possible.
I'll start with the vehicles I like the most though.
Yank V8's.
The best thing with these is, they are all built as mass produciton vehicles designed to do the daily chores of driving. This means as a rule they are all very easy to live with, run and maintain.
Parts and servicing are generally not a huge issue. There are a number of US parts suppliers in the UK and lots of internet/mail order places too. So getting items off the shelf or within a few days it pretty much the norm.
One thing to consider is modifing whatever you get. Most notably the exhaust, but American cars are designed to be modified. So you might want to consider that in your £10k budget
You've essentially got 3 types of vehicles too look at, coupes which are normally muscle and pony cars. Saloons which the Yanks call sedans and trucks.
There is a wealth of classic metal on offer too, but for the most part I'll stick with the newer stuff as running a classic is a slightly different thing. That said I'll mention a few as we go.
-Fbody's. This is the name given to the platform all 1st thru 4th Generation Camaro's and Firebirds (Trans Am's) are built on.
The best of the breed as a daily is probably the 4th Generation cars. I personally like the way they look and think they look even better in the flesh than in pictures. But on PH at least they seem to devide opinion somewhat, although I'm not too sure how much of it is arrogance and being stereotypically "hate it, hate it, it's American!"
The ones too look for are the 1998-2002 cars. These have a number of revisions over the 1993-1997 cars but most importantly they have the LS1 5.7 V8. This is a very good engine and will manage highs of over 30mpg yet easily average in the region of 22-26mpg for daily use in these cars.
Available with a 4 speed auto or a 6 speed manual (manuals are rare in the UK, yet common in the US
)Regardless of "advertised" HP they all make 320-350hp in reality. Fairly quick too, most being electronically limited to 158mph, but have the ability to see the high side of 170mph in stock trim.
5.x sec to 60mph and 11-13sec 0-100mph. Very tunable should you want too.
In terms of practicality, they are comfy, many come fully loaded. They have a good size boot and 4 usable seats. The rear seats aren't huge and head heat is more of an issue than knee room. But in fairness I don't think it's any smaller i the back than a Vauxhall Nova is and no less practical. I've had 4 up in mine a number of times.
There are 3 main models; coupe, t-top and vert. The vert is heavier and not as sharp handling, the coupe and t-top model have the same chassis and the coupes roof is plastic so offers no structural gain over the t-top model.
GM imported the Camaro as a "EURO" model from 98-02. Still LHD but meet European Type Approval. They have a few subtle changes but are mostly the same as the US counter parts.
As a rule Camaro's are a bit cheaper than Firebird Trans Am's, probably because there are more of them. The key thing to note is, if you pay a premium for the Firebird then you are doing so for the looks. Performance is identical.
In reality this would be and is my choice of V8. Huge fun at all times and very enjoyable to own and drive.
3rd Gen Fbody's might be worth a look if you prefer the styling. Performance isn't as strong though, although you can mod them.
The main competitor to the Fbody is the Mustang. As a rule year on year the Fbody's out performed the Mustang's though.
The exception is the "Fox body" Mustang. These existed from 79-94. They look somewhat bland, but subtle compared to the Fbody and have a very typical 1980's Ford look to the intertior. These models where avilable as a saloon "Notchback" coupe and a hatch. Quite practical cars. Smaller and lighter than the Fbody's, but less striking and exotic.
Power comes from the 5.0 OHV V8. Not huge power, but quite tunable. More tunable than a 3rd Gen Fbody as a rule.
Next up in 1995 came the sn95 platform Mustang. Bigger and different looking, 95 stuck with the 5.0 V8 but worse performance.
96-98 Mustang GT's got the new at the time 4.6 OHC V8. While the GT is lighter than an Fbody, do bear in mind these years Mustang's only made 215hp while the Fbody's where nearer or over 300hp.
99 saw the "new age" sharper styling and the PI version of the 4.6 OHC engine. Rated at 260hp which stayed the same until 2004 and the models end.
The GT is a nice car and isn't slow, but it is a performance league below the Fbody, also less tunable too. Special editions like the Bullet where no better performing.
If you fancy a Mustang then there are 2 models to really look at, although much rarer.
Mach 1. This uses an alloy DOHC 4.6 and makes 305hp. Has a functional Shaker scoop in the hood and some handling upgrades. A very nice car and similar performance to the Fbody's. Quite rare in the UK, I saw one last year up for £8k though.
Cobra's. The Cobra is the high performance variant. Many differences on year by year. 99 was the real change with over 300hp (although some issues with making the HP, resolved by Ford, so check for recalls if buying one).
Most of the 4.6 Cobra's got 6 speed transmissions and IRS. But the one to get is the supercharged variant of 2003 and 2004.
These are animals and easily out perform the Fbody's. I've seen 2 for sale in the past year at £10.k each. But they are rare.
While I'll miss the OHV rumble of the LS1 (I don't think the DOHC's sound as good personally) and the removable t-tops and rear hatch. This is what I'll probably move too.
There are lots of other coupes you could consider of various prices starting as low as £2k. Vehicles such as Ford Thunderbirds, Mercury Cougurs and a number of others.
Sedans:
These will offer the best 4 person experience, but saloons are typically bigger, heavier and softer than coupes. So performance and mpg usually suffer as a result.
Most American automakers of V8's.
In the UK you can find RHD Chrysler 300's. These look butch, but I like LHD for a Yank tbh. The Dodge Magnum and Charger are built on the same platform and you do see them from time for time for sale in the UK.
Cadillac's are also quite a good bet. I do admit I don't actually like the current angled styling. I do like the 98-04 Seville STS. It's FWD, although reviews still say it goes and handles well. Lots of tech and comfort on these.
I wouldn't pay £10k for one though, but £3-5 seems quite acceptable.
Ford Crown Victorias are still the mainstay of the US Police Foce. Nice old school V8 sedan but still in production.
No longer made but the Chevy Caprice is another good bet, similar to the Crown Vic in concept. I quite like the 80's sqaure looking ones too.
Your best bet is to check out the classifieds, eBay and some specialist sellers and the American Auto Club. Just what's about and what you can get for your money.
Trucks:
All bigger and heavier again. But offer different thrills along with practicality.
There are a host of SUV's, Excursions, Tahoes, Navigators and so on. All very good and offering various benefits to more traditional UK SUV's.
Personally I like the quad cab pick up trucks though. V8's available from the big 3 (Ford, GM and Dodge). Just as many or more mods fors these than the muscle cars too.
There are loads of other non US V8's at this money, Jags, BMW's and Mercs. All good cars, but quite different in style and not as in your face V8 wise.
In fact I think this goes for most cars really. American cars are all about the engines and being a V8 a lot of the time. Owning a V8 5 Series just doesn't have the same appeal or thrills for me.
If 2 seaters are on the cards too, then you could include Vettes, TVR's, Marcos, Ford Lightning and kit cars too.
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