£100K Garage: Matt Bird
Our Reporter heads into the classifieds with £100K, returns with 12 cars and a watch
Previously owned: Rover 25 1.4 (Cat D, not a pleasant first car experience), Ford Focus Mk1 1.8 (dropped a valve the day after a service and MoT, not a pleasant second car experience), Shed Civic VTI and a Peugeot 306 Rallye (not a pleasant fourth car experience)
Currently 'owned':SEAT Leon Cupra 280 long-termer
On the shortlist: "All sorts! I've never been much of a car partisan, affiliating myself to one marque or another because of family allegiance or anything else.
"With the fictional £100K I wanted to cover a lot of bases. The fun of motoring for me is trying as many driving experiences as possible and so there really is a bit of everything. Given the budget was just for buying cars I'm hoping there is a kitty elsewhere for storage, maintenance and repairs as there is quite a lot here... The reality of buying cars to actually run with £100K would be different!
"I probably should mention the cars that didn't quite make the cut either: the Citroen C6, Honda Civic Type R FD2, Porsche Cayman, TVR T350, an early Range Rover and Lotus Elise. Some other time!"
Cost: £12,995
Balance: £87,005
Why I chose it: "This probably looks strange given I've not really got on with the PH Twisted Defender so far, but there's a lot of compromising I will do for a V8. I think the colour combo of this car is fantastic, it seats 11 and the roof comes off as well. Perfect for off-road frolicking. It would also look very cool rumbling up to an important destination caked in mud."
MG ZT V8
Cost: £4,750
Balance: £82,255
Why I chose it: "I'm an unashamed muscle car fan but also a proud Brit so this MG is the perfect combination of the two. Actual muscle cars new and old are quite a bit more expensive. Not that fast but it will be supercharged in time. From what I remember reading they weren't bad to drive either so there could be a lot of fun here. I would have preferred a facelifted car (yes, really) but the other car in the PH classifieds would have pushed me over budget."
Cost: £6,150
Balance: £76,105
Why I chose it: "I need that V6, plain and simple. That it comes in a 147 with the Q2 diff and a brake upgrade is a bonus. In an ideal world I would wait for a navy blue or black car with tan leather but this still looks very nice. I'm encouraged that the owner of this one seems knowledgeable and enthusiastic. With a few recent upgrades will be getting used. A lot."
BMW 735 (E32)
Cost: £5,995
Balance: £70,110
Why I chose it: "The barge. The car for very long journeys in comfort and great style. Hopefully as a six-cylinder car the bork factor is reduced ever so slightly. I love all the 80s BMWs in fact; the E24 6 Series, E28 5 Series and E21 3 Series just look so right in my opinion. This E32 7 Series is more of the same and fulfils the need for a big old bus somewhere."
Cost: £6,000
Balance: £64,110
Why I chose it: "Because I've never driven one and know I need to. Rather more expensive than I'd budgeted for but I love the spec of this one. The 90s cars with the additional lights and chrome don't really do it for me and the early Mini are very expensive now. I really don't know enough about Minis (I want to!) but the restoration and detail in the ad is reassuring."
Honda Accord Type R
Cost: £2,500
Balance: £61,610
Why I chose it: "The undeservedly forgotten Type R: 212hp, a limited-slip diff, a fairly low kerbweight and a great reputation from those who have driven them. With more cash in the budget it would have been one of the later Civic Type R saloons (this video should explain why) but the Accord is a more than worthy substitute. I was very close to buying one instead of the Rallye and this is pretty much perfect spec: facelifted so as to avoid the fifth gear synchro issues and very nearly standard (I would probably do the exhaust anyway). Ideally it would be Pirates Black but there we are. Could well be the daily driver actually."
Cost: £2,100
Balance: £59,510
Why I chose it: "Because I want another 306 Rallye so, so badly. Obviously there aren't many around now (idiots keep crashing them I've heard...) but this one looks an absolute honey. Track prepped but still road legal I would be spending rather too much time in this. The steering wheel and those daft numberplates need to go but really I just want it. Now."
Lotus Esprit GT3
Cost: £19,995
Balance: £39,515
Why I chose it: "I suppose this is the supercar of the group. Alright, with a 240hp four-cylinder turbo that claim may be a little tenuous but I reckon this could still show modern stuff quite a bit about steering, ride and balance. See Autocar's original and glowing (well, on handling at least) road test report. All Esprits seem so affordable against their contemporaries and it's still so pretty."
Cost: £10,500
Balance: £29,015
Why I chose it: "Yes, I know the potential for financial meltdown is huge here. Obviously a more detailed RMS/IMS inspection would take place. But the 911 experience is unlike any other and I would absolutely have one in a dream garage. It's just with £100K and many other boxes to tick the choices are limited! I actually really like the early 996s with the orange indicators and the rest is great too: not silver, manual and a limited-slip diff. Should be interesting..."
Caterham Seven Supersport
Cost: £17,995
Balance: £11,020
Why I chose it: "You may have noticed I was rather keen on the Academy Seven so a Caterham had to feature somewhere. This one is an old Academy car upgraded to Supersport spec but easily adaptable to road use as well. Having enjoyed 'my' car so much away from the track this would be getting MoT'd. There's a bit more power and a limited-slip diff over the Academy car which is exactly what I want. A screaming K-Series car is very tempting but I fear the performance may be too much for my talent! Riviera Blue simply seals the deal."
Cost: £6,000
Balance: £5,020
Why I chose it: "I love fast four-doors and M saloons in particular. I've come round to the AMG way of thinking a lot more recently but there remains something about M3s that appeals. It seems such a shame that the E46 wasn't available as a saloon so this E36 will have to suffice. Fortunately the spec is perfect: Estoril Blue, wood replaced and an apparently doting owner. I like this a lot."
Toyota MR2
Cost: £3,296
Balance: £1,724
Why I chose it: "Another car on the 'must own' list very soon. Oh sure, an MX-5 is more practical but from what I've heard these are the better car to drive. Without any need for practicality the Toyota wins. A post-2003 facelift car is a must for the six-speed box and engine improvements. Having a Red is a nice bonus too with grey paint and red leather."
Cost: £1,495
Balance: £229
Why I chose it: "I know nothing more about watches than I like wearing one. A luxury if the money was ever there. This was chosen for no other reasons than I like tan leather and simple faces so now's the time for horological experts to chime in (pun intended) and chastise me for making a terrible choice.
"And the remaining pounds can go on beer and gin to celebrate some excellent car purchases!"
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Blimey.
Whilst I see your reasoning for covering different bases, I can't help but feel there's a lot of overlap - would you really drive the MG when there's the Accord and 7er on the drive? Same for the mr2 when you have the Caterham.
I'd have perhaps lost a couple and spent a bit more on a couple - swap the Lotus for a Tiv, and a Cayman instead of the 996.
Blimey.
Whilst I see your reasoning for covering different bases, I can't help but feel there's a lot of overlap - would you really drive the MG when there's the Accord and 7er on the drive?
- the Accord, well I did quite few miles in a Type-R back then and it's a bit of an enigma; despite not being short of capacity for a Honda four banger it's rather tame except at the very top end of the rev band, and after a couple of drives, screaming the nuts off the engine (and drawing unwanted attention to yourself) every time you need to pass someone in a bit of a hurry gets wearing. Leave the m3 and get a better 911
Agree on overlap mr2 and Caterhan ; get the R300
However this is just nitpicking. Great taste and choice; including the watch
Cheers
Stu
Most of that list is just covering cars you will likely own at some point anyway then sell on. To me that would end up a complete missed opportunity.
And a watch? It might be nice but how does that fit into a £100k garage?
Most of that list is just covering cars you will likely own at some point anyway then sell on. To me that would end up a complete missed opportunity.
And a watch? It might be nice but how does that fit into a £100k garage?
Good idea on the watch at the end, there may even be an RC car for the last couple of hundred.
The condition of the Land Rover and 735 are fantastic.
E36 M3 and 996 Carrera are also receiving more love recently, great choices.
Won't comment on the others ;-)
Okay maybe one:
It's a rover... yeah.
It's a rover... it's got a healthy MOT.
It's a rover... driven by an OAP.
It's a rover... two-wheel drive.
Guy behind it is barely alive.
And it rolled off the production line in 1992.
Was a monster of design.
You could hear the pistons throbbing.
And the company had some kind of internal management problem.
And they rolled it off the track,
And it came out a hatch-back.
It's a rover... the engine won't turn over.
It's a rover... driven by someone slightly older.
It's got a single paint coat.
It's been towed so many times it thinks it's a boat
Most of that list is just covering cars you will likely own at some point anyway then sell on. To me that would end up a complete missed opportunity.
And a watch? It might be nice but how does that fit into a £100k garage?
True though, it is just a bit of fun and gets me thinking of how my 100k would be spent so does brighten up a Tuesday afternoon!
Also - you don't buy a car because you've never driven one, that's what test-drives were invented for ;0
10/10 for range, 1/10 for style and practicality - easy to see how he's had some poor motoring experiences tho with a wishlist like THAT!
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