£100K Garage: Rob Booth
Three German saloons and a pair of iconic off-roaders take Rob's fancy with the £100K
Previously owned: VW Golf 2.0 TDI Sportline, Mercedes E320 CDI S211
Currently owned: No car currently
On the shortlist: "My shortlist will no doubt show my love for old-school German muscle, as well as more refined and economical choices. This is my current list, but frequent searching on the classifieds means it's a constantly evolving process."
Cost: £5,500
Balance: £94,500
Why I chose it: "The E39 5 Series is a very fine car, voted car of the year by many magazines when it first came out. I reviewed a 530d example a couple of years ago and really liked it but it would surely be even better with the diesel replaced by the incredibly smooth 4.4-litre V8. Economy could be the only downside. The main reason though has to be the sound; in my opinion, this sounds better than today's M5 with all its forced induction nonsense."
Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG (W210)
Cost: £4,000 (see 'why I chose it')
Balance: £90,500
Why I chose it: "I've always had a soft spot for AMGs! The W210 is said to be Mercedes' worst ever model in terms of build quality and reliability but these just look so menacing in black. The power output and acceleration times are nothing to brag about today, but the sound and relative simplicity are just so raw and exciting. It's difficult to find rust-free examples, but MB's 30-year body warranty could sort this out. There will be some additional expenditure on this car (£2K) for AMG alloys as well as general tidy up."
Cost: £34,990
Balance: £55,510
Why I chose it: "The last examples of the L322 are very appealing to me, much more recognisable and traditional than the current generation. I love the colour combination and the equipment spec is immense. The economy is what you would expect from a 510hp 2,500kg car. The TDV8 would probably make more sense..."
BMW 740d M Sport (F01)
Cost: £25,000
Balance: £30,510
Why I chose it: "The S-Class is said to be a better car, but my name is Rob - not Addison. The engine in this car is also very impressive: six seconds to 60 and over 40mpg in such a luxobarge are amazing. My old man's business partner used to have an awesome E38 and I have had a soft spot for 7s ever since. The deprecation on these cars is also unbelievable, pretty much the same price as a lower specced and similar age 530d. Here's a lesson on how not to take photos for a car advert."
Cost: £24,995
Balance: £5,515
Why I chose it: "OK, this car seems slightly ridiculous in 2014, but the utter utilitarianism of this beast is just awesome. It's just a shame that most owners just keep them parked in Mayfair all year. Depreciation (or lack of, more specifically) on these is ridiculous; mileage and age do not really seem to be factors. £25K gets you a clean and unmolested example and is a lot less obvious than buying a Defender.
"The remaining cash should do for one month's fuel..."
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"This überdiesel is the epiphany of blend and functionality"
"you effortlessly accelerate like a cheetah on the hunt, your senses are re-assured as this power is effortlessly and flawlessly poured through her rear paws"
Other than that, nice choice! I think I'd have just one V8 saloon rather than two, maybe add something small and whippy to it.
Thanks for sticking your head over the parapet, but wouldn't you rather have (for example) a Boxster instead of one of the barges? Lose one of the 4x4s and get something classic?
Lacks variety.
Cheers.
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