Fast/Interesting cars for 7.5K - What Car?
Discussion
I need help here PH. This is the first time in my life I am not 100% set on my next car, and this makes me confused and angry.
I think I want a E55 AMG (later supercharged version) or S600 (later twin turbo V12 version). But I'm not sure. They are the cars that most appeal to me because of their silly amounts of power for the money, but there is a nagging voice in my head telling me that there is more to life than sheer power.
Short of those, I draw a bit of a blank. So I'm wondering what PH would suggest to me based on my requirements.
No preference on age, brand or transmission type.
Quick/Fast - Current car has 400BHP and I enjoy having every last one. I'd like more, could deal with less, don't want much less.
Somewhat discrete - My current car is a giggle but I'm sick of setting off car alarms and being afraid of speed bumps.
Interesting enough to be a 'Weekend car' - Not used for a commute, only will do 5,000 miles or so a year.
Needs 4/5 seats - Its my only car so its got to be somewhat practical.
Budget? Ideally £5k or below, can go to £7.5k reluctantly and can stretch to £10k for something a-maz-ing, Although bare I've never spent close to this sort of money on anything before, so there is a mental block spending so much money (to me) on a car.
Thoughts?
I think I want a E55 AMG (later supercharged version) or S600 (later twin turbo V12 version). But I'm not sure. They are the cars that most appeal to me because of their silly amounts of power for the money, but there is a nagging voice in my head telling me that there is more to life than sheer power.
Short of those, I draw a bit of a blank. So I'm wondering what PH would suggest to me based on my requirements.
No preference on age, brand or transmission type.
Quick/Fast - Current car has 400BHP and I enjoy having every last one. I'd like more, could deal with less, don't want much less.
Somewhat discrete - My current car is a giggle but I'm sick of setting off car alarms and being afraid of speed bumps.
Interesting enough to be a 'Weekend car' - Not used for a commute, only will do 5,000 miles or so a year.
Needs 4/5 seats - Its my only car so its got to be somewhat practical.
Budget? Ideally £5k or below, can go to £7.5k reluctantly and can stretch to £10k for something a-maz-ing, Although bare I've never spent close to this sort of money on anything before, so there is a mental block spending so much money (to me) on a car.
Thoughts?
irocfan said:
AAAAAAAAAAAAnd the winner for 'most likely way to spunk a fortune' is...He meant 7.5K to buy a running car, not what it will cost to get the thing working thereafter ;0
279 said:
I think I want a E55 AMG (later supercharged version) or S600 (later twin turbo V12 version).
The V12 engine has very expensive components (coil packs are £3000 a pair, and go wrong easily) as well as the more expensive suspension. The E55 has a relatively bulletproof engine and is generally cheapear than a CL/S/CLS/SL variant which tend to have more weight, bigger tyres and the more expensive suspension system.If your budget is stretched at £7.5k too you'll find running a 55 or 600 a bit of a shock, mainly because a good service will be £300-500 and if you need spark plugs or brakes add £250 for plugs and brakes (pads+discs) start at around £350 a corner.
However on the plus side these things are like American muscle cars in their delivery of speed. Tons of low down torque and they just pile on speed in a frankly ridiculous manner. On the E55 there are some quite cheap mods costing about £90 which brings the power comfortably into the 500+ club. In fact most E55K's which were dynoed when new actually made about 505hp, Mercedes just didn't post that figure so as not to detract sales from the SL (according to threads on MBClub anyway).
Didn't Clarkson buy one of those for some Top Gear challenge then immediately spend close to £1k on some trivial piece that broke soon after? Epic when they work, ruinously expensive when they break.
I think I would be looking at the for mentioned E46 M3. In an individual colour, probably Estoril Blue. Should get a good but slightly leggy one for that.
I think I would be looking at the for mentioned E46 M3. In an individual colour, probably Estoril Blue. Should get a good but slightly leggy one for that.
TheAllSeeingPie said:
The V12 engine has very expensive components (coil packs are £3000 a pair, and go wrong easily) as well as the more expensive suspension. The E55 has a relatively bulletproof engine and is generally cheapear than a CL/S/CLS/SL variant which tend to have more weight, bigger tyres and the more expensive suspension system.
If your budget is stretched at £7.5k too you'll find running a 55 or 600 a bit of a shock, mainly because a good service will be £300-500 and if you need spark plugs or brakes add £250 for plugs and brakes (pads+discs) start at around £350 a corner.
However on the plus side these things are like American muscle cars in their delivery of speed. Tons of low down torque and they just pile on speed in a frankly ridiculous manner. On the E55 there are some quite cheap mods costing about £90 which brings the power comfortably into the 500+ club. In fact most E55K's which were dynoed when new actually made about 505hp, Mercedes just didn't post that figure so as not to detract sales from the SL (according to threads on MBClub anyway).
The E55KaMG v8 is c£800 just to replace spark plugs...If your budget is stretched at £7.5k too you'll find running a 55 or 600 a bit of a shock, mainly because a good service will be £300-500 and if you need spark plugs or brakes add £250 for plugs and brakes (pads+discs) start at around £350 a corner.
However on the plus side these things are like American muscle cars in their delivery of speed. Tons of low down torque and they just pile on speed in a frankly ridiculous manner. On the E55 there are some quite cheap mods costing about £90 which brings the power comfortably into the 500+ club. In fact most E55K's which were dynoed when new actually made about 505hp, Mercedes just didn't post that figure so as not to detract sales from the SL (according to threads on MBClub anyway).
Eyes wide open - a car can cost £7.5k to buy but if its a £150k car when new running it will not be cheap and parts when they break will not be cheap. Understand that and the areas of weakness then you will be fine. Don't and you could end up not being able to fix it then sell it for buttons
Welshbeef said:
The E55KaMG v8 is c£800 just to replace spark plugs...
I got charged £130 for plugs and £120 labour to fit them on my E55k. There's 16 of them and it's a pigof a job but a decent Merc garage / independent can do the job quite comfortably in 2 hours. OEM plugs are only £8 each or you can get NGK equivalents for £7.TheAllSeeingPie said:
Welshbeef said:
The E55KaMG v8 is c£800 just to replace spark plugs...
I got charged £130 for plugs and £120 labour to fit them on my E55k. There's 16 of them and it's a pigof a job but a decent Merc garage / independent can do the job quite comfortably in 2 hours. OEM plugs are only £8 each or you can get NGK equivalents for £7.Welshbeef said:
The service history in the one I nearly bought had Merc main dealer prices and it was eye watering.
Main dealer quoted me £301.12 due to their higher labour charge. They are expensive cars and people do need to go in with their eyes open, but wildly inaccurate statements about the price of things don't help. In fact if you're thinking of buying a Merc it's always a good idea to go to https://www.mymercedesservice.co.uk to get an idea of your first service costs. Here's what they quoted me:Service B Routine Maintenance cost:
£267.02
Key Features
Additional Service cost:
£799.58
Check Poly V Belt for wear and damage Check the visible area only. Replace if worn or damaged, subject to a seperate repair order
£8.00
Check Poly V Belt for wear and damage Check the visible area only. Replace if worn or damaged, subject to a seperate repair order
£84.60
Compressor: Replace poly V belt
£68.60
Replace air filter element
£72.24
Replace dust filter With CODE 581 Comfort automatic air conditioning or with code 580 Automatic air conditioning. Up to VIN A635991
£31.42
Replace activated charcoal filter With code 580 Automatic air conditioning or with code 581 Comfort automatic air conditioning. Up to VIN A635991
£78.40
Replace brake fluid
£155.20
Replace spark plugs
£301.12
Yay, some replies, thanks guys!
If your budget is stretched at £7.5k too you'll find running a 55 or 600 a bit of a shock, mainly because a good service will be £300-500 and if you need spark plugs or brakes add £250 for plugs and brakes (pads+discs) start at around £350 a corner.
However on the plus side these things are like American muscle cars in their delivery of speed. Tons of low down torque and they just pile on speed in a frankly ridiculous manner. On the E55 there are some quite cheap mods costing about £90 which brings the power comfortably into the 500+ club. In fact most E55K's which were dynoed when new actually made about 505hp, Mercedes just didn't post that figure so as not to detract sales from the SL (according to threads on MBClub anyway).I've done quite a bit of research into the V12 Mercs and have heard about their potential eye watering costs. Generally speaking, I don't think the 'common' faults are anything too worrying, coil packs can be had closer to a grand which I can swallow given they last 50k. ABC was worry, but I'd intend to replace all filters, weeping hoses, etc and hope for the best, thinking that at worst it'll need a strut or two and a pump - Legs are £700 odd and I've seen pumps anywhere from £20 for a rebuild kit, to £300 for a remanufactured one compared to the couple of grand quoted for a new one. It is worth admitting that if anything where to go wrong mechanically in a big way I would be stuffed though, but is that risk worth it for a Twin Turbo V12? I'm not quite sure.
I'm a mechanic by trade and will being most if not all the spannering myself so that removes some of the fear of running costs from the equitation, but not entirely
.
The E55 AMG is what got my interest in Mercedes. Practical, reliable, tunable and next level fast. There's just something about them that hasn't quite captured my imagination for some reason...
TheAllSeeingPie said:
279 said:
I think I want a E55 AMG (later supercharged version) or S600 (later twin turbo V12 version).
The V12 engine has very expensive components (coil packs are £3000 a pair, and go wrong easily) as well as the more expensive suspension. The E55 has a relatively bulletproof engine and is generally cheapear than a CL/S/CLS/SL variant which tend to have more weight, bigger tyres and the more expensive suspension system.If your budget is stretched at £7.5k too you'll find running a 55 or 600 a bit of a shock, mainly because a good service will be £300-500 and if you need spark plugs or brakes add £250 for plugs and brakes (pads+discs) start at around £350 a corner.
However on the plus side these things are like American muscle cars in their delivery of speed. Tons of low down torque and they just pile on speed in a frankly ridiculous manner. On the E55 there are some quite cheap mods costing about £90 which brings the power comfortably into the 500+ club. In fact most E55K's which were dynoed when new actually made about 505hp, Mercedes just didn't post that figure so as not to detract sales from the SL (according to threads on MBClub anyway).
I'm a mechanic by trade and will being most if not all the spannering myself so that removes some of the fear of running costs from the equitation, but not entirely
.The E55 AMG is what got my interest in Mercedes. Practical, reliable, tunable and next level fast. There's just something about them that hasn't quite captured my imagination for some reason...
Edited by 279 on Wednesday 18th February 17:43
Foster85 said:
If you stretched to £9-10k (so easy to over spend when it's someone else's money!) you could bag yourself an Audi A8, 6.0 W12, then drive around pretending your Jason Statham in Transporter?
You're spot on, it is easier to spend other people's money!Definitely a car I'll look out for after a few more years of deprecation but not now.
Geekman said:
In the same vein as the S600 and E55, maybe consider a facelift CL55 which has the same supercharged engine you get in the E55.
I think in order to justify the worry of ABC I think I'd have to have the V12 TBH. Andy665 said:
Discreet, fast,four seats, fun to drive and within budget - Jaguar S Type R
Only trouble is finding one as only 1291 stayed in UK so you can add rarity to the list as well
Wow, I had never realized that they were so rare! They're on my extended short list along with the older V8 XJRs if I decide the 'cop out' and spend less money.Only trouble is finding one as only 1291 stayed in UK so you can add rarity to the list as well
mr2turbogts said:
E46 m3?
Knew this was coming. They are absolutely ideal on paper but I have no interest in owning one SturdyHSV said:
The E39 M5 is a car that I haven't given a lot of thought to, but everytime I had a peak I wonder if my preferred budget would buy a nice one though?irocfan said:
It would have to be a later car to take advantage of the more power of the Twin Turbo V12, although these are tempting, especially when done something similar like this:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251842620619?_trksid=p20...
(Horrendously incorrect badging aside). The long centre console making it strictly a 4 seater bugs me, but I wouldn't say no.
279 said:
I'm a mechanic by trade and will being most if not all the spannering myself so that removes some of the fear of running costs from the equitation, but not entirely .
Most of my bills will contain lots of labour, which is generally the big issue. If you can do the spannering yourself then a V12 is a good proposition as you can get a Eurocharged remap and it'll be pushing out 600bhp, which only costs about £500. After that there aren't many things to tweak to get decent gains. The 55k engines cost more to get past 600bhp, but if you can do the spannering yourself you're looking at about £6k to push north of 700bhp with a lump of torque that would make a diesel owner gasp..This is of course only if you're going down the tuning route, but as standard these things can make the traction control flash madly even if you have brand new tyres on and the best possible conditions. Even before mine was tuned if I was doing 70 and floor the throttle I can still get a flash of TC intervention before being thrown forward at a ridiculous rate.
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