Help wanted with £75k car budget
Discussion
I am in the very fortunate position of being about to receive a six-figure sum from a bank in compensation for mis-selling of a financial product. I'd like to blow up to about £75k of it on upgrading my 2007 BMW 535D M-Sport, but the choices are driving me mad!
The obvious/safe route is to sell the 535 and buy a new/ex-demo replacement that I can use every day and will be fairly painless to own. The shortlist is:
1. BMW M4
2. Porsche Cayman GTS
3. Jaguar F-Type V6 S
But I'm wondering about throwing caution to the wind by hanging on to the 535, spending a bit more and buying something older but a bit special. The shortlist is:
1. Ferrari 430 Coupe (2006/7)
2. Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale (2011/12)
3. Aston V12 Vantage (2009/10)
(A 599, DBS or SLS may also be contenders if I add another £10k-ish to the budget)
The latter sounds appealing at the moment, but will I be wondering why I left the Ferrari/Maserati/Aston in the garage whenever driving the 535? Will I be crippled by maintenance costs? Will I be reluctant to pile on the miles in fear of the impact on resale? Will it all be a bit of an anti-climax as the M4/Cayman/F-Type are not that far behind in terms of performance in the real world?
Other considerations:
1. I drive 8-10,000 miles per year, mostly on a variety of typically poor UK B-roads. The car will rarely see a motorway.
2. If I don't keep the 535, rear seats and a boot would be useful but not essential as I've recently taken delivery of a BMW 640D M-Sport Gran Coupe (which the wife drives usually).
3. Capable as they are, I think a GTR is too boy-racer for me at 40!
4. A Gallardo is off the list purely as I've had one before. I loved it though.
5. A 911 is off the list as I've had 3 and I'm not sure they are everyday enough for the everyday car or special enough for the special car (GT3 excepted?!)
6. I'd like to avoid stellar depreciation.
7. I may do 1 or 2 track days per year but this is not a major consideration. Performance, drama, noise, style and fun on the road is more important.
8. The only car on my shortlists I have driven is the M4 (I had one for a 24-hour test drive and it was shockingly good).
9. Security is not an issue, all cars will be garaged.
Any experiences, opinions, or other options would be greatly appreciated before I take the plunge!
The obvious/safe route is to sell the 535 and buy a new/ex-demo replacement that I can use every day and will be fairly painless to own. The shortlist is:
1. BMW M4
2. Porsche Cayman GTS
3. Jaguar F-Type V6 S
But I'm wondering about throwing caution to the wind by hanging on to the 535, spending a bit more and buying something older but a bit special. The shortlist is:
1. Ferrari 430 Coupe (2006/7)
2. Maserati Granturismo MC Stradale (2011/12)
3. Aston V12 Vantage (2009/10)
(A 599, DBS or SLS may also be contenders if I add another £10k-ish to the budget)
The latter sounds appealing at the moment, but will I be wondering why I left the Ferrari/Maserati/Aston in the garage whenever driving the 535? Will I be crippled by maintenance costs? Will I be reluctant to pile on the miles in fear of the impact on resale? Will it all be a bit of an anti-climax as the M4/Cayman/F-Type are not that far behind in terms of performance in the real world?
Other considerations:
1. I drive 8-10,000 miles per year, mostly on a variety of typically poor UK B-roads. The car will rarely see a motorway.
2. If I don't keep the 535, rear seats and a boot would be useful but not essential as I've recently taken delivery of a BMW 640D M-Sport Gran Coupe (which the wife drives usually).
3. Capable as they are, I think a GTR is too boy-racer for me at 40!
4. A Gallardo is off the list purely as I've had one before. I loved it though.
5. A 911 is off the list as I've had 3 and I'm not sure they are everyday enough for the everyday car or special enough for the special car (GT3 excepted?!)
6. I'd like to avoid stellar depreciation.
7. I may do 1 or 2 track days per year but this is not a major consideration. Performance, drama, noise, style and fun on the road is more important.
8. The only car on my shortlists I have driven is the M4 (I had one for a 24-hour test drive and it was shockingly good).
9. Security is not an issue, all cars will be garaged.
Any experiences, opinions, or other options would be greatly appreciated before I take the plunge!
Sadly my experience of driving this sort of metal is limited to a track day event at an airfield.
Had a couple of laps in a V8 Vantage, a Gallardo and an F430 and have to say the (manual) Vantage and Gallardo were so much more of an experience than the flappy paddle F430. Also could have been that the co-driver (owner ?) didn't like me revving his P&J at anything over 5000 rpm.
If I had to chose though (if only) between the Aston and Lamborghini, would have to be the Gallardo as a weekend car and rage Vantage as a daily driver - but what a daily driver.
Happy hunting though, very envious.
Had a couple of laps in a V8 Vantage, a Gallardo and an F430 and have to say the (manual) Vantage and Gallardo were so much more of an experience than the flappy paddle F430. Also could have been that the co-driver (owner ?) didn't like me revving his P&J at anything over 5000 rpm.
If I had to chose though (if only) between the Aston and Lamborghini, would have to be the Gallardo as a weekend car and rage Vantage as a daily driver - but what a daily driver.
Happy hunting though, very envious.
nonsense said:
how about going a year or two older on the mazzer, sticking it on a NI/cheap private plate (nothing tacky!) and savingg yourself 30k in depreciciation? or Sagaris would be a sound investment no?
Thanks nonsense, can't fault your thinking on the Sagaris, just not sure I'd be comfortable buying a car of a (sadly) defunct manufacturer? On the Mazzer, I'd only consider the Stradale as they are much sharper, rarer and should hold their value better IMO. I think they were only released in 2011.The MC Strad is meant to be sharp as well as a great GT car. I'd love one for a daily in the future. The latest models have 4seats, which is even better, but are about 35k out of budget sadly!
I think for me it would be a v12 vantage, they are meant to be ace to drive, and they look and sound stunning, or a 430 manual coupe, I'd have to drive the two but I'd imagine the v12 would be easier day to day (Im assuming being FE, the boot space would be better for trips and things).
Other things, The new Alferi is out in a year, Maserati's GT was meant to amazing even for its size and weight, so a SWB version should be wicked, and its meant to be less then 911 weight as well.
I think for me it would be a v12 vantage, they are meant to be ace to drive, and they look and sound stunning, or a 430 manual coupe, I'd have to drive the two but I'd imagine the v12 would be easier day to day (Im assuming being FE, the boot space would be better for trips and things).
Other things, The new Alferi is out in a year, Maserati's GT was meant to amazing even for its size and weight, so a SWB version should be wicked, and its meant to be less then 911 weight as well.
lightthefuse said:
430 not special enough. Only been in it for an hour behind the wheel on one of those "supercar rental" jobbies, but it left me underwhelmed and wondering if I should have taken out the Gallardo instead.
Cayman for me if I had that sort of cash floating about.
A cayman, more "special" than a 430? Hmm...Cayman for me if I had that sort of cash floating about.
A 430 is a great choice, yearly maintenance costs are less than earlier f-cars. The F1 clutches last longer than early models, and the E-Diff is amazing on a track (it may take longer than an hour to try it properly!). The V12 Ferraris cost approximately a third as much again on yearly maintenance for later (612 onwards) cars, up to half as much again for earlier.
Cerbieherts said:
A cayman, more "special" than a 430? Hmm...
A 430 is a great choice, yearly maintenance costs are less than earlier f-cars. The F1 clutches last longer than early models, and the E-Diff is amazing on a track (it may take longer than an hour to try it properly!). The V12 Ferraris cost approximately a third as much again on yearly maintenance for later (612 onwards) cars, up to half as much again for earlier.
Hence the "one hour" caveat - I haven't even driven the Cayman but if I could, I would... I interpreted that as in a different category, i.e. "a usable daily with a bit of pizazz" which is what I'd reckon it to be. For a "special car" the 430 just didn't do it for me. My "instructor" also let me have it in race mode once he saw my competence, I'd assume it would be a beast on track but in the twisties in Sweden, didn't float my boat if I'm honest. Again, without driving one, I reckon a V12 Vantage might offer a bit more in the "special" stakes, in what I determined to be an entirely different category of a "weekend special".A 430 is a great choice, yearly maintenance costs are less than earlier f-cars. The F1 clutches last longer than early models, and the E-Diff is amazing on a track (it may take longer than an hour to try it properly!). The V12 Ferraris cost approximately a third as much again on yearly maintenance for later (612 onwards) cars, up to half as much again for earlier.
ETA - keyboard/grammar gremlins.
Dazmo said:
Thanks nonsense, can't fault your thinking on the Sagaris, just not sure I'd be comfortable buying a car of a (sadly) defunct manufacturer? On the Mazzer, I'd only consider the Stradale as they are much sharper, rarer and should hold their value better IMO. I think they were only released in 2011.
Sagaris is the safest place for your money by a long shot out of any of those options. And these days market support is better now than when TVR were still in business....ferrariF50lover said:
Lovely situation etc, but f
king hell, six-figure compo for missold PPI, soldiers get about £4.80 for losing a limb. Were you mortgaging Buckingham Palace or something?
Also, buy a Ferrari. Always buy a Ferrari.
Simon.
Fair comment! It wasn't PPI but interest rate swap mis-selling on a >£1m commercial mortgage. In fact only a refund of what I paid + interest.king hell, six-figure compo for missold PPI, soldiers get about £4.80 for losing a limb. Were you mortgaging Buckingham Palace or something?Also, buy a Ferrari. Always buy a Ferrari.
Simon.
At some point I will own a Ferrari, even if not this time round. I've only ever driven a 355 - gorgeous, amazing noise, but flimsy interior and not all that quick IMHO.
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