Your shortlist v what you actually bought
Discussion
Daily, weekend car, project car - whatever it was - you drew up a list but eventually you went and bought something.
My retirement project car shortlist:
Late 60s/early 70s TVR Vixen or Tuscan
Late 60s/early 70s Marcos 3 litre
Lotus 7 or early Caterham 7
Gilbern Invader
AC3000ME
Frogeye Sprite
Classic Range Rover
Range Rover L322
Aston Martin DB7
Maserati Granturismo
Budget £20,000 therefore, in my imagination, all in need of attention.
What I actually bought:
SLK32 AMG - fully functioning - budget £10,000.
But that wasn't on your list.
Yes, I know. That's why I thought it might make a thread.
The plans I had for the SLK32 included making it lighter and therefore faster; a faux Black Series. As it happened, I enjoyed it for three years and just tickled it up a bit here and there. It's gone now and I really enjoyed having it.
What did you plan to buy, what did you end up with?
My retirement project car shortlist:
Late 60s/early 70s TVR Vixen or Tuscan
Late 60s/early 70s Marcos 3 litre
Lotus 7 or early Caterham 7
Gilbern Invader
AC3000ME
Frogeye Sprite
Classic Range Rover
Range Rover L322
Aston Martin DB7
Maserati Granturismo
Budget £20,000 therefore, in my imagination, all in need of attention.
What I actually bought:
SLK32 AMG - fully functioning - budget £10,000.
But that wasn't on your list.
Yes, I know. That's why I thought it might make a thread.
The plans I had for the SLK32 included making it lighter and therefore faster; a faux Black Series. As it happened, I enjoyed it for three years and just tickled it up a bit here and there. It's gone now and I really enjoyed having it.
What did you plan to buy, what did you end up with?
My shortlist a couple of years ago was:
Lexus LC500
Porsche Cayman GT4
Mercedes AMG GT
Ferrari Roma
Maserati GranTurismo
Maserati MC20
The Lexus was an absolute mission to get a test drive, took a lot of leg work to find a dealer with anything in stock, but eventually was able to get a test drive in a 4 year old one.
Porsche flat out refused to let me order a GT4, so didn't even bother getting a test drive. f
k you Porsche.
The AMG GT was nice, sounded great but was ugly as sin.
The Roma was really nice, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to part with best part of £250k once it was specced.
The GranTurismo was no longer in production, and the new one wasn't on the cards at the time.
The MC20.. again, baulked at the cost once options were sorted.
Ended up ordering the LC500 Black Inspiration and had a good year with it, but sadly had to move that on as it was panic inducing getting it up the narrow lanes around here. (No large GT cars are going to work for me around here)
Lesson learnt for me in the process was to hold out for an extended test drive and have the opportunity to actually take a car home etc to see how the fundamental practical elements hold up.
Lexus LC500
Porsche Cayman GT4
Mercedes AMG GT
Ferrari Roma
Maserati GranTurismo
Maserati MC20
The Lexus was an absolute mission to get a test drive, took a lot of leg work to find a dealer with anything in stock, but eventually was able to get a test drive in a 4 year old one.
Porsche flat out refused to let me order a GT4, so didn't even bother getting a test drive. f
k you Porsche.The AMG GT was nice, sounded great but was ugly as sin.
The Roma was really nice, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to part with best part of £250k once it was specced.
The GranTurismo was no longer in production, and the new one wasn't on the cards at the time.
The MC20.. again, baulked at the cost once options were sorted.
Ended up ordering the LC500 Black Inspiration and had a good year with it, but sadly had to move that on as it was panic inducing getting it up the narrow lanes around here. (No large GT cars are going to work for me around here)
Lesson learnt for me in the process was to hold out for an extended test drive and have the opportunity to actually take a car home etc to see how the fundamental practical elements hold up.
Thats a thread i can add something
Sold my 350Z last year in the search for something that felt a bit lighter, maybe with 2+2 seats. I knew it had to be another sports car, RWD/AWD, low seating were a must so the shortlist included:
Toyota GR86
Toyota GT86
BMW M2/235i/240i, maybe an M3?
Alfa Giulia Veloce
Lancer Evolution 7/8/9
I might have gone off a tiny little bit...
Abarth 595 Competizione in "Giallo Modena", a feel good car with loads of character. I wont have it forever but it is fun while i have it.
Sold my 350Z last year in the search for something that felt a bit lighter, maybe with 2+2 seats. I knew it had to be another sports car, RWD/AWD, low seating were a must so the shortlist included:
Toyota GR86
Toyota GT86
BMW M2/235i/240i, maybe an M3?
Alfa Giulia Veloce
Lancer Evolution 7/8/9
I might have gone off a tiny little bit...
Abarth 595 Competizione in "Giallo Modena", a feel good car with loads of character. I wont have it forever but it is fun while i have it.
Years ago when I was around 21-22 I was in search of a new to me car for around the £4-5k mark. All early to mid 2000's cars. Went to see quite a few examples, but always found something wrong with the examples I saw, and was reluctant to travel too far for a car back then.
Shortlist
EP3 Civic Type R
DC2 Integra Type R
SEAT Leon Cupra / Cupra R
Audi S3 (Was difficult to find good ones in my price range)
Octavia VRS
What I ended up with
Alfa Romeo GT which I bought for under £3k.
I did some sensible maths and decided to reduce my purchase budget and to try and save some money on fuel + Insurance with the Alfa. Build some no claims and have tastier cars later in life. Plus it left me with £2k+ for a good holiday making memories. Plus the Alfa was pretty, had full leather and was very comfy. Ended up being rear ended 8 months later and the payout received was more than what I paid for the car, so wasn't too bad.
Shortlist
EP3 Civic Type R
DC2 Integra Type R
SEAT Leon Cupra / Cupra R
Audi S3 (Was difficult to find good ones in my price range)
Octavia VRS
What I ended up with
Alfa Romeo GT which I bought for under £3k.
I did some sensible maths and decided to reduce my purchase budget and to try and save some money on fuel + Insurance with the Alfa. Build some no claims and have tastier cars later in life. Plus it left me with £2k+ for a good holiday making memories. Plus the Alfa was pretty, had full leather and was very comfy. Ended up being rear ended 8 months later and the payout received was more than what I paid for the car, so wasn't too bad.
Wanted to buy myself a proper car for my 30th last year, I had a string of hot hatches and the odd MX5 sprinkled in but it was time for something that was a step up. It would be used mostly at weekends as I WFH with the odd track day and road trip thrown in.
I ended up with a 981 Cayman but my list was vast.
BMW E9X M3 - I still want one, I didnt get one as i'd been through a few BMW products and was a bit bored of the brand. Will revisit for sure.
BMW M2 - Same as above but the wonky fking seat can get fked. Pretty sure this is only a leggy tall person problem, yes i'm bitter about that one 
Porsche 996 - Interior was just too dated for me so discounted it.
Porsche 997 - Could afford a .2 and the potential engine borkage of the .1 scared me off. Think I really talked myself out of that one as I still really want one.
Porsche 987.2 Boxster/Cayman - Didn't fit properly with my knees hitting the steering wheel.
Aston V8 Vantage - Felt this was a step too far for a first foray into more exotic machinery, a 4.7 is still on the list.
Lotus Elise/Exige - Although I just about fit it was maybe too extreme for an only car.
Careham - See above
Honda Civic FD2 - This is still a car I yearn for, but when it came down to it I couldn't justify the money sellers were asking last year.
Porsche 981 Boxster/Cayman - This was my initial first pick, ticked all the boxes and I drove one and immediately knew it was the one. Porsche are often the boring choice but as soon as you drive one you realize it just does everything so bloody well its annoying.
I ended up with a 981 Cayman but my list was vast.
BMW E9X M3 - I still want one, I didnt get one as i'd been through a few BMW products and was a bit bored of the brand. Will revisit for sure.
BMW M2 - Same as above but the wonky f
king seat can get fked. Pretty sure this is only a leggy tall person problem, yes i'm bitter about that one Porsche 996 - Interior was just too dated for me so discounted it.
Porsche 997 - Could afford a .2 and the potential engine borkage of the .1 scared me off. Think I really talked myself out of that one as I still really want one.
Porsche 987.2 Boxster/Cayman - Didn't fit properly with my knees hitting the steering wheel.
Aston V8 Vantage - Felt this was a step too far for a first foray into more exotic machinery, a 4.7 is still on the list.
Lotus Elise/Exige - Although I just about fit it was maybe too extreme for an only car.
Careham - See above
Honda Civic FD2 - This is still a car I yearn for, but when it came down to it I couldn't justify the money sellers were asking last year.
Porsche 981 Boxster/Cayman - This was my initial first pick, ticked all the boxes and I drove one and immediately knew it was the one. Porsche are often the boring choice but as soon as you drive one you realize it just does everything so bloody well its annoying.
Edited by TheOctaneAddict on Thursday 11th April 08:52
When we moved back to the U.K. in 2014 I said to my wife I was going to buy a scooter as local traffic was really bad. Wife not happy (I had had a big accident previously and had promised to stick to track days). Eventually she gave in.
I looked at a few 125s, including the KTM Duke 125. However the KTM Duke 390 was not much more expensive (and I had a bike licence…) so I bought that…which lasted a couple of months before I swapped it for a BMW S1000R supernaked. So 12 bhp to 160 bhp in three months. Mission creep at its best!
I looked at a few 125s, including the KTM Duke 125. However the KTM Duke 390 was not much more expensive (and I had a bike licence…) so I bought that…which lasted a couple of months before I swapped it for a BMW S1000R supernaked. So 12 bhp to 160 bhp in three months. Mission creep at its best!
Criteria: Fun, reasonably reliable V8 coupe. This would be my first purpose built sports / GT car so didn't want to spend loads in case it wasn't what I hoped. Previous cars have all been quick versions of normal cars, think BMW 335d or Audi A4 V6. I'm not particularly hands on either, this was basically going to be a bit of fun to see if I wanted to commit to owning this sort of car. At the time budget was up to £30k, but ideally less in case I didn't like it.
Shortlist (in order of preference): Mustang, XK / XKR, Monaro, Vantage.
Ended up buying an XK. Logic for each was as follows:
Mustang - loved the looks and the sound, didn't like the drive as much as I thought. Felt like a platform to modify and personalise which I'm not really interested in, I think I'd want something more than a standard early model GT which was what the budget was at the time. Still really like them and will probably own one at some point.
Monaro - difficult to find one even semi locally to have a proper look at, and put off a bit by rust worries. Decided not to pursue any further.
Vantage - my budget was at the low end of the market and the car would be in regular use. Servicing and parts are also expensive. Could have gotten almost any DB7 in budget, but concerned they would be fragile and rust. I'd definitely consider a good one in future.
XK / XKR - lots of these about at very reasonable prices, and the more I read up on them the better they sounded. Went to look at one owned by a PHer (5.0R) and was totally sold. Decided I wasn't bothered about NA or supercharged, but probably wanted a 5.0 car. Shortlisted a few and bought the first one I looked at - a 5.0 NA. It drove really well, sounds great, and is very comfy. More than fast enough for me and the sort of driving I do so. 18 months on and it's been great, a few sensors needed replaced but no regrets. I'll keep it a few more years and then probably replace it with either a very late model one, an F Type, or a Vantage / DB9.
Shortlist (in order of preference): Mustang, XK / XKR, Monaro, Vantage.
Ended up buying an XK. Logic for each was as follows:
Mustang - loved the looks and the sound, didn't like the drive as much as I thought. Felt like a platform to modify and personalise which I'm not really interested in, I think I'd want something more than a standard early model GT which was what the budget was at the time. Still really like them and will probably own one at some point.
Monaro - difficult to find one even semi locally to have a proper look at, and put off a bit by rust worries. Decided not to pursue any further.
Vantage - my budget was at the low end of the market and the car would be in regular use. Servicing and parts are also expensive. Could have gotten almost any DB7 in budget, but concerned they would be fragile and rust. I'd definitely consider a good one in future.
XK / XKR - lots of these about at very reasonable prices, and the more I read up on them the better they sounded. Went to look at one owned by a PHer (5.0R) and was totally sold. Decided I wasn't bothered about NA or supercharged, but probably wanted a 5.0 car. Shortlisted a few and bought the first one I looked at - a 5.0 NA. It drove really well, sounds great, and is very comfy. More than fast enough for me and the sort of driving I do so. 18 months on and it's been great, a few sensors needed replaced but no regrets. I'll keep it a few more years and then probably replace it with either a very late model one, an F Type, or a Vantage / DB9.
Just recently I had a crew van and a pickup truck that interchangeably are used as family car / work stuff / transporting dogs/bikes/building materials etc etc
I was contemplating buying a “special” estate for the family car (E61 M5 or maybe a B7 RS4) and an old Land Rover 110 to restore. Ended up with an Ineos Grenadier instead.
And I never quite got round to selling the van though I really don’t need it any more.
]
I was contemplating buying a “special” estate for the family car (E61 M5 or maybe a B7 RS4) and an old Land Rover 110 to restore. Ended up with an Ineos Grenadier instead.
And I never quite got round to selling the van though I really don’t need it any more.
]
Edited by Lefty on Thursday 11th April 09:07
Sold the Skyline and was told to get something more practical, but I didn't want to lose performance;
Shortlisted the usual suspects:
BMW 3 & 5
Mercedes E Class
Jaguar XJ
Lexus GS/LS
Nothing grabbed me like the Skyline did, went back to Japan, chose "sedan" and then went down the list of Toyota models until I got to Crown's and saw they have some engines which should be big enough to meet my performance criteria along with the 4-doors and boot. Ordered with not much idea about them and saw my first one in the flesh when I picked it up
It's now been 5 years and I've done nearly 80,000kms in it, it's by far my favourite car I've ever owned and I've had lots of fun discovering all the little details that make it.
Shortlisted the usual suspects:
BMW 3 & 5
Mercedes E Class
Jaguar XJ
Lexus GS/LS
Nothing grabbed me like the Skyline did, went back to Japan, chose "sedan" and then went down the list of Toyota models until I got to Crown's and saw they have some engines which should be big enough to meet my performance criteria along with the 4-doors and boot. Ordered with not much idea about them and saw my first one in the flesh when I picked it up
It's now been 5 years and I've done nearly 80,000kms in it, it's by far my favourite car I've ever owned and I've had lots of fun discovering all the little details that make it. Writhing said:
My Civic was getting on in miles (185000) so I decided to retire it and buy something similar.
Shortlist was ;
Fiesta
Kia Rio
Polo/Golf
Hyundai 20 or 30
or something similar.
Ended up with this.
Superb outcome - I would like to nominate you for a 'PHer of the week' award! Shortlist was ;
Fiesta
Kia Rio
Polo/Golf
Hyundai 20 or 30
or something similar.
Ended up with this.
When it came to my weekend plaything, my shortlist was:
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage
- TVR Cerbera
- Marcos Mantara
- Range Rover Classic
- Series Land Rover
I bought a Marcos LM, so didn't stray too far off-piste!
As for my last daily, my shortlist was:
- Range Rover L322. Preferably supercharged
I bought a supercharged Range Rover L322
The plan was to upgrade my aging Volvo V70 D5 with something like it, but newer. V60 D5 I thought.
Then ended up taking a risk and buying the cheapest AMG 45 CLA estate instead. It was for sale for the same price of a V60's at a similar age and miles .
Turns out its been awesome after a few issues to fix and now absolute love it
Then ended up taking a risk and buying the cheapest AMG 45 CLA estate instead. It was for sale for the same price of a V60's at a similar age and miles .
Turns out its been awesome after a few issues to fix and now absolute love it
I wanted a family car that was a bit more interesting than a lot of what you see on the road. Had to be reliable and practical before anything else but then also a bit of fun for when I'm on my own (which is 90% of the time).
Shortlist:
BMW 340i Touring
Mercedes C43
Ford Focus ST Estate
Audi S5 Sportback
Went for the S5. Didn't test any of the others but a part of me wishes I'd gone for the BMW purely for the driver involvement. The S5 is a superb car in every way and will press on nicely when required but it does lack driver involvement. It was the 4WD that swayed it more than anything as I need to get to work even when it snows. In 3 years of ownership and 50K miles it has seen snow once for about 20 miles.
Shortlist:
BMW 340i Touring
Mercedes C43
Ford Focus ST Estate
Audi S5 Sportback
Went for the S5. Didn't test any of the others but a part of me wishes I'd gone for the BMW purely for the driver involvement. The S5 is a superb car in every way and will press on nicely when required but it does lack driver involvement. It was the 4WD that swayed it more than anything as I need to get to work even when it snows. In 3 years of ownership and 50K miles it has seen snow once for about 20 miles.
Shortlist:
Mx5 (NC and ND)
GT86
Z4
I wanted fun and reliability whilst inexpensive. Ended up going with the GT86 which I do not regret although would have went with the MX5 if a hard top ND with the updated engine was in budget at the time.
Will likely be replaced in the next year or so and dreading the next shortlist
Mx5 (NC and ND)
GT86
Z4
I wanted fun and reliability whilst inexpensive. Ended up going with the GT86 which I do not regret although would have went with the MX5 if a hard top ND with the updated engine was in budget at the time.
Will likely be replaced in the next year or so and dreading the next shortlist
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