What car £13-15k

[pscl227]

Hola!

Well with the imminent departure of my BMW 118d commuter, and a new job with NO commute, I am looking now for a big petrol engined monster!

I have always had BMW's since my first car, so was originally thinking:
-E34/39 M5 - Mint
-E46 M3 CS

but I am considering branching out from the BMW bubble, so what else would you guys suggest? (no convertibles please)

Have fun!

P

[vinnie83]

E55 AMG....

99% of (straight line) performance vs. an E60 M5.

More reliable (standard torque converter autobox vs. unreliable SMG)

I owned one for a couple of years, and I can honestly say that from memory, I swear it felt faster than my 997 turbo.

It truly was a monster of an engine - I have yet to drive a car with an engine in which I prefer the power delivery (and I've driven some very powerful cars).

[pscl227]

good shout, totally off my radar!

Although i can appreciate the excellent engineering of that car, I am struggling with the external aesthetics, and the old man image of the E-Class

[sparks_E39]

DB7... if space isn't an issue.

[pscl227]

Space defiantly not an issue, live on a farm with plenty of dry storage potential.

What would the ongoing running costs be like on a Aston, I would ideally not like to be ploughing more than £3-4k/year into it.

[PUA]

e55 as above is awesome (in a straight line it is even faster than a stock sl55 amg due to lesser weight!)

OP, I think you may be headed for an Audi RS4! just about within budget for a high mileage example.

Also consider the maserati 4200GT or Jaguar XKR for something a bit different. If you are going to stick with BMW then the 650i sport is good value for money although looks are not to everyones' taste

[sparks_E39]

pscl227 said:

Space defiantly not an issue, live on a farm with plenty of dry storage potential.

What would the ongoing running costs be like on a Aston, I would ideally not like to be ploughing more than £3-4k/year into it.

The i6 DB7 isn't too bad at all apparently, your budget and annual budget will get a nice early one. Aston also for £3000ish breath on them and get V12 performance with improved economy.

[vinnie83]

pscl227 said:

good shout, totally off my radar!

Although i can appreciate the excellent engineering of that car, I am struggling with the external aesthetics, and the old man image of the E-Class

Get it on a nice set of larger AMG wheels, in black, and remove the rear silencers..... it will definitely not appear like an old mans car!

Very few cars on the road would see which way it went, although if you do the above, they'd hear it for a while after they weren't able to see it anymore!

DB7 looks too old in my opinion. It doesn't have that freshness and modern styling that the DB9, Vanquish and Vantage had/have.

I would always wish I had a DB9... with the E55, there's not much else to want. The E63 in my opinion had a poorer engine.

[pscl227]

You make a good argument for the e55

I must admit the more I am reading up about it, the more i am REALLY starting to like it.

Pros:
-knowing you have more power that 99% of traffic without shouting about it
-Potential for epic noise
-More toys than the a BMW M car of the same period
-Significantly cheaper then an M car of that age with the same service history / mileage
-Did i mention the noise?

Cons:
-Getting a Merc past my partner
-Being called in by the government to re-start dead planets with the stupid amount of torque

[james280779]

VW W12 phaeton, Merc S500

[Dave Hedgehog]

james280779 said:

VW W12 phaeton, Merc S500

if your 90

[Wadeski]

Why are you looking at barges for a weekend car?

Cerebral, 911, Supra, Corvette are surely more in tune?

[james280779]

Dave Hedgehog said:

if your 90

I am early 30's and I would happily have either

[Quietlybonkers]

Perhaps consider a TVR, maybe a Tuscan or one of the V8s - supercar for your budget, and a real head turner. And you get free membership of a dedicated band a british car enthusiasts - you only have to read the TVR pages here to see what I mean. Best decision I ever made.......i went on a coastal drive with 8 Ferraris, 3 Lambos, and Aston, a Porsche Turbo and an Esprit and got at least as much attention as they did, and they are great fun to track day.

But do your research first and spend some time reading the PH pages, to get a good one

[Liquid Knight]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ferrari-Mondial-Quattrov...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Porsche-911-Carrera...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1993-PORSCHE-928-GTS-AUT...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-STUNNING-TVR-TUSCAN...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1992-Lancia-Delta-Integr...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-S-Type-3-8-Manual...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bentley-Turbo-R-Saloon-L...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1928-Essex-Supersix-Seda...

If it were my money...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vauxhall-Lotus-Carlton-T...



The world is yours.

[pscl227]

its not a weekend car as such, it has to function as a daily, this will probably exclude TVR no matter how much I want one, would be top of my list otherwise

That said I have no kids, and most of my drives will now be for pleasure, and I'm 26 so no more s500 suggestions :-)


SOOO MUCH CHOICE!

[bqf]

I have an E55 AMG, and as a result, I am ruined as a petrolhead. Theres nothing else to want really. Incredible power, great noise, but 4 seats, comfy, big boot, and v v relaxing when all you want is to waft.

[vinnie83]

bqf said:

I have an E55 AMG, and as a result, I am ruined as a petrolhead. Theres nothing else to want really. Incredible power, great noise, but 4 seats, comfy, big boot, and v v relaxing when all you want is to waft.

5 seats!

He is correct though, my 997 would have felt so much more special had I not had the E55 for a couple of years first.

Nothing this side of a tuned up jap special or a hyper car will make the E55 feel slow!

And let me tell you, I had SO much fun with chavs in their scooby's and evo's in the E55 - the look on their faces!

Not to mention the 911 C4S and the F360... how many cars can you do that in