£100k Garage | Joe Spicer
A special Subaru, the 10/10 A110 and an actual race car make the cut for Joe, amongst others...
Name: Joe Spicer
Previously owned: Fiat Panda (pastel yellow), Ford Fiesta Mk5, Ferrari F40 (Scalextric)
Currently owned: Mazda MX5 (NB, show pony)
On the shortlist: "A Sunday warrior, a track car and something I wouldn't expect to pull up next to at a set of lights."
The Shed - VW Golf GT TDI
Cost: £1,349
Remaining balance: £98,651
Why I chose it: "A 150hp turbodiesel hatch with six on the floor for Shed money? Yes please. With 200k miles on the clock and a rebuilt gearbox I wouldn't be holding out for much, but nothing speaks to the inner renegade inside me more than spending too much money on a car I only ever see on full boost going around my local mini-roundabout. Garage home mix CD included."
The Brave Pill - BMW 840Ci
Cost: £11,750
Remaining balance: £86,901
Why I chose it: "Look how small that grille is! A hugely refreshing antidote to the oddities that BMW have recently been churning out. I didn't much like where BMW took the new 8 Series; to me it was a sad reflection of where the brand thinks it needs to go. Investing millions in the i program, which of course spawned the innovative but perhaps not universally loved i8, has clearly burnt BMW. Now it has had to send the 5 Series team off on a corporate retreat to conjure up a fairly predictable new cash cow for the company. So, my Brave Pill is not only a fantastic uber-sports coupe for less than the price of a new Fiesta, but also reminds me of the trailblazing 8 Series legacy which represented a finer time for the manufacturer. Please come back BMW."
The new one - Alpine A110
Cost: £44,995
Remaining balance: £41,906
Why I chose it: "An absolute goldilocks car. Treading a fine line between the MX-5 and the Cayman in the sports car weight classes but sticking the landing perfectly is the A110. You're unlikely see another one of the road, but I really like the endearing Frogeye Sprite-esque set of extra eyes up front and it's meant to be superb on the road. The resurrection of the famed 60s classic is, in my opinion, the unsung hero of the current small sports car market. Perhaps best personified by Alpine themselves, who recently tried to beef it up with the release of the 'S' variant. Even they didn't believe in its enduring appeal, or perhaps it was the sales figures. Whichever way, it is a particularly interesting car, at a great price now, which I would love to own one and answer the barrage of questions as to why I didn't buy the Porsche."
Elden F3
Cost: £28,950
Remaining balance: £12,956
Why I chose it: "Now, bear with me on this one. Yes, it's almost 50 years old, yes, there's no chance it could go anywhere near a road and, yes, it's green. But it has Vegantune Lotus twin cam engine (yes it's actually called that, but its pronounced 'vaegan', unfortunately) and Hewland 5 speed box are the last word in 70s speed when even James Hunt was the one doing the chasing. This 1972 Elden Formula 3 car is as quick as a Caterham R300 and it is eligible for events that an E46 M3 could only dream of. An alternative choice, I appreciate that, but you won't get closer to a pure race car experience for much less money."
Subaru Legacy GT Spec B
Cost: £7,995
Remaining balance: £4,961
Why I chose it: "A practical one to finish off. This freshly imported Subaru Legacy GT Spec B would be a fantastic run around and could easily tow the racer. The boxer four-cylinder is good for 260bhp and Bilstein dampers would keep it poised - even if it's putting the power down pulling out of the supermarket car park. It is 13 years old but with only 57,000 miles on the clock perhaps it wouldn't eat into the remaining £4,000 or so remaining earmarked for a trailer - it is a Subaru, after all."
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Original 8-series BMW's seem to be aging well but I'd have gone for the full V12 850i for maximum brave pill effect.
Sold mine when I got a quote for the cost of replacing the plugs on a big service... not the plugs themselves, but the labour/ballache to get to them. More than I was willing to put into it whilst waiting for my new car.
Unsure how much of a ballache the 4cylinder ones are. So many cheap 2.0 ones about, the 2.5 are better all round (power delivery, mpg).
On my 6th i think now, latest one being a facelift wagon with paddle shift, full leather and lots of STI bits, cant think of another similar car that offers so much and yet most people dont know what it is.
Sold mine when I got a quote for the cost of replacing the plugs on a big service... not the plugs themselves, but the labour/ballache to get to them. More than I was willing to put into it whilst waiting for my new car.
Unsure how much of a ballache the 4cylinder ones are. So many cheap 2.0 ones about, the 2.5 are better all round (power delivery, mpg).
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