Is a cheap, fun tow-car possible on a budget ?
Discussion
I'm after something to meet a few needs :-
Tow a bike trailer, take the dog in the back sometimes, fun/quick, will be tracked a few times a year, reliable, £2K max, preferrably not FWD...I think thats it !
I'm not worried about mpg at all, and insurance wise I don't think I'm doing too bad - 27, 5 yrs ncb, licence held for 9 years.
I'm thinking e36 328i, or classic subaru imprezza, if they don't mind tow-bars ! Or perhaps an old fast Volvo ?
Any other suggestions ?
Tow a bike trailer, take the dog in the back sometimes, fun/quick, will be tracked a few times a year, reliable, £2K max, preferrably not FWD...I think thats it !
I'm not worried about mpg at all, and insurance wise I don't think I'm doing too bad - 27, 5 yrs ncb, licence held for 9 years.
I'm thinking e36 328i, or classic subaru imprezza, if they don't mind tow-bars ! Or perhaps an old fast Volvo ?
Any other suggestions ?
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...
Subaru legacy; kind of tempted myself and I don't even have anything to tow!
Subaru legacy; kind of tempted myself and I don't even have anything to tow!
Tow car here is a '98 e430. 270hp, correct number of cylinders (4.3 v8 
), goes around corners surprisingly well for a big car, and is definitely fun off the line. Cheap to tax (pre 2001) and £124 full comp as my main car (but I am getting old).
This one cost me 500 quid 9,000 miles ago and it has been abused, thrashed, never washed or serviced, and still does 30mpg on a run. Utterly fantastic rot box.
People are frightened off by the big engine and potential high running costs, hence they are almost scrap money to buy. So long as the gearbox changes smoothly, it will go on until the rust kills it.
Yes yes, probably slightly overloaded in this photo taken last weekend (my new e55 on the back, Yay!
) but 2100kg towing capacity is useful! Can get 6 drunk mates in it too!
), goes around corners surprisingly well for a big car, and is definitely fun off the line. Cheap to tax (pre 2001) and £124 full comp as my main car (but I am getting old).This one cost me 500 quid 9,000 miles ago and it has been abused, thrashed, never washed or serviced, and still does 30mpg on a run. Utterly fantastic rot box.
People are frightened off by the big engine and potential high running costs, hence they are almost scrap money to buy. So long as the gearbox changes smoothly, it will go on until the rust kills it.
Yes yes, probably slightly overloaded in this photo taken last weekend (my new e55 on the back, Yay!
) but 2100kg towing capacity is useful! Can get 6 drunk mates in it too!Whilst I'll grant you the Legacy and the forester look good, I have ( correct me if I'm wrong) doubts about their track capability, especially in my price range.
I'm still thinking E36 328i or classic Subaru. Ideally, I guess I could spend £1K on a big old 4x4 like a frontera or a pajero, and £1K on a track toy, but I'm not sure I want the extra tax, parking issues, MOTs etc. of 2 seperate vehicles...
Thanks for the replies so far !
I'm still thinking E36 328i or classic Subaru. Ideally, I guess I could spend £1K on a big old 4x4 like a frontera or a pajero, and £1K on a track toy, but I'm not sure I want the extra tax, parking issues, MOTs etc. of 2 seperate vehicles...
Thanks for the replies so far !
rossw46 said:
For £2K? I'd prefer it with an engine mate...
You will find a few SE 330 models at that price range, but you need £3k plus for a nice 330 sport.http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
t carrying ability. Drifty, cheap performance.rallycross said:
rossw46 said:
For £2K? I'd prefer it with an engine mate...
You will find a few SE 330 models at that price range, but you need £3k plus for a nice 330 sport.http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
rossw46 said:
Good shout tannedstamina, I like the idea of quattro ! I will look into those...
Suspension sorted and looks clean. Not sure how good the 1.8 is compared to the 2.8 for towing though...http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...
Similarish...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/v...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
or if you want something a bit bigger!
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a... (not sure how good for the track that'd be)
Edited by tannedstamina on Tuesday 27th August 17:51
Edited by tannedstamina on Tuesday 27th August 17:56
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff