£100K Garage: James Murray
A £100K Garage that goes in cylinder count from one to 12, or as near as is possible
Previously owned: "Living in central London I have previously been a member of classic and sports car clubs.
Currently owned: Celica Carlos Sainz
On the shortlist: "It changes all the time, but definitely a Defender."
Cost: £3,495
Balance: £96,505
Why I chose it: "Every garage needs something with two wheels. Something nice and light for the city commute and also very able to throw around off-road, or for a bit of green lane fun."
BMW R1200 GS
Cost: £8,750
Balance: £87,755
Why I chose it: "I really like the style of these BMWs. Sure there are in-line fours which would blow it into the weeds, but as I approach my 40s this really tickles my fancy." [James's original pick has already sold so we've chosen an alternative that's slightly more expensive. - Ed.]
Cost: £6,400
Balance: £81,355
Why I chose it: "Hooligan machine, would be good for back road scratching and a wheelie monster without being too extreme. Red frame, adjustable suspension ... what's not to like."
Renault Clio 182 Trophy
Cost: £6,380
Balance: £74,975
Why I chose it: "Brilliant fun for the shopping run. The only decent Trophy I could find in the classifieds."
Cost: £8,995
Balance: £65,980
Why I chose it: "Having (mis)spent my youth sleeping in cars on November weekends in Wales and the Lakes, I will have to have a rally rep in the garage. As a fan of both Colin and Richard Burns, I'd go with a Subaru. This example is fairly unmolested, a replacement exhaust is acceptable in my view, all the better to hear that flat four burble."
Land Rover Discovery TD5
Cost: £6,794
Balance: £59,186
Why I chose it: "A nice clean looking example of a Disco, cheaper than a similar age of Defender, missing a fair amount of electric gubbins than others in the classifieds (much less to go awry). Perfect for overland that trip down the South Africa."
Cost: £11,975
Balance: £47,211
Why I chose it: "I can't believe that £12K gets you into a mid-engined Porsche with full service history and less than 45,000 miles! These have to be amongst the best value cars available right now, and this looks to be the tidiest in the classifieds."
Jaguar XKR
Cost: £19,888
Balance: £27,323
Why I chose it: "Every garage needs a GT, and who wouldn't like one with a supercharged V8. Sure a V12 would be lovely, but there may be room for that later..."
BMW M5 Touring
Cost: £16,950
Balance: £10,373
Why I chose it: "Perfect for the trip to Le Mans, or a drive to the Alps for skiing or the Tour, this is one of only a few estates in the classifieds, looks lovely in black."
Cost: £7,991
Balance: £6,628
Why I chose it: "I really like modern-ish classics, I can still remember the contemporary group tests where the XJS scored really highly against BMW 6 Series and Merc SECs it seems like this really is a forgotten car. Fuel prices are recently down so who know, maybe I could even afford to drive it somewhere. This example has the TWR tweaks and looks really tidy."
Mazda RX-8
Cost: £4,995
Balance: -£2,613 [Overspend due to a couple of James's picks being sold and more expensive alternatives being substituted - Ed.]
Why I chose it: "Under £5K for a small, lightweight purpose-built sports car, less than 40,000 miles, just like the Boxster. If you can take a risk on a potential engine problem there are performance bargains to be had!"
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Speed Triple, one of Triumphs best bikes they have ever made. The new version looks sharp.
Would not buy a 1200GS but a Multidoodle from Ducati instead. More fun.
Would certainly buy something other than the dreary Boxter as there are other more interesting cars for @the same price:
E46 M3 or Z4 SI Coupes, R32, 4.2 Cerbera, GTV V6 Cup and the odd classic all with decent milage.
The XJS V12 is daft but something to cherish especially having seen the tortuous process for getting the immense engine and gearbox into the car at Browns Lane.
As for the Disco - "missing a fair amount of electric gubbins than others" is likely to be a good thing!
Otherwise, well argued and good choices. One of the Top 5 garages.
You will when the engine lunches itself. Why can't people see that this stuff is cheap for a very good reason?
http://image.sportrider.com/f/37146133/146-1205-03...
I think the guy means he wants a Speed not Street Triple as it's the Speed that wheelies willy nilly.
You will when the engine lunches itself. Why can't people see that this stuff is cheap for a very good reason?
Always a few out to push their point on PH.
Always a few out to push their point on PH.
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