New Weekend Car - Need Opinions

[DCrz38]

Hi there

I'm going to be purchasing a weekend car relatively soon and would like some opinions/experiences of ownership of some of the cars on the list I've been looking at, and perhaps some suggestions of cars I've not yet considered. Looking to spend up to around £45-50k. It'll be used for long trips in the UK and to Europe (including the 'ring).

Obviously I'll be viewing and test driving a lot beforehand.
I would prefer a car that isn't going to depreciate like a stone - I realise some of the cars in this list might do.

The list is as follows:
- BMW M3 (E92) / £20-25k
- Mercedes C63 AMG / £20-25k
- Bentley Continental GT / £25-30k
- Maserati Granturismo / £30-35k
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage / £32-35k
- Nissan GT-R / £35-40k
- Audi R8 V8 / £40-45k
- Jaguar F-Type / £40-45K

These cars are obviously wildly different

Any major issues with any of these cars that would put you off? I've read that there are issues with the rod bearings on the E92 M3, and also that Bentley don't sell the headgaskets separately.. really? I'm going to assume that the F-Type will depreciate quite a bit as they're still quite new.

Any suggestions/opinions/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[wemorgan]

Quite a few of those cars have a PH Buyer's Guide.
Have you read them first?



http://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-guid...

http://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-guid...

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/aud...

http://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-guid...

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-japanesecars/ni...

http://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-guid...

http://www.pistonheads.com/features/ph-buying-guid...

Edited by wemorgan on Tuesday 24th January 11:50

[DCrz38]

I haven't read these, I'll have a look through. Thank you.

[Yipper]

- BMW M3 (E92) / £20-25k = not special enough...
- Mercedes C63 AMG / £20-25k = looking very dated now...
- Bentley Continental GT / £25-30k = break down a lot, expensive to repair (even at an indy)...
- Maserati Granturismo / £30-35k = break down a lot, expensive to repair (even at an indy)...
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage / £32-35k = break down a lot, expensive to repair (even at an indy)...
- Nissan GT-R / £35-40k = crashy to drive, Datsun jibes, expensive to maintain and service...
- Audi R8 V8 / £40-45k = slow, looking very dated...
- Jaguar F-Type / £40-45K = looking very dated now, awful to drive in the wet or snow...

On balance, the GT-R is the best on that list. Fastest of all of them, fairly rare, and has proper road presence.

Other options -- try a Hummer, Porsche 911 Turbo, Audi RS3, Alfa Romeo 4C, Ferrari F355, TVR Tamora, or Lotus Exige S.

[Deerfoot]

DCrz38 said:

It'll be used for long trips in the UK and to Europe (including the 'ring).

Yipper said:

Try a Hummer

[Willy Nilly]

Long trips around Europe in a car that's a present and not really needed for anything else? Maserati please.

[steve-5snwi]

An rs3 ? ......

Out of those options and assuming you know what the running costs could be I would go for either the Maserati GTurismo or the Jaguar F type. My wildcard would be the Jaguar XK, I don't think they will drop that much compared to others.

[darthmarmite]

If it's pure fun and driving satisfaction that you want, then the GTR has to be the way to go, and I may be wrong however I believe the Maserati is only available with an automated gearbox rather than a 3 pedal setup and although the engine received high praise, the gearbox was criticised for a lack of sharpness, potentially an issue if you plan to visit the ring and a few others.

If you're looking to buy new, I know it doesn't have quite the power of the others but the Alfa-Romeo 4c is reviewed as a fantastic car to drive hard, especially around the tracks. Other new options would include the new Mustang.



A few wild cards that may warrant brief consideration:


For a huge hit of nostalgia, look for a 2005 Honda NSX - 3.2L V6 and developed with Formula 1 legend Ayrton Senna.

For a purely track focused car I would throw the Noble M12 into consideration, however these are very track focused with little in the way of modern gadgets or toys.


Hope this helps, if not then feel free to ignore everything above this!

Best of luck and hope you get something you enjoy!

[akadk]

F-TYPE R

[PetrolheadsLDN]

Hi, I have an F-type and its a really capable car, it does a lot f things well, so for cruising the motorway to the ring it would be great, wind the engine up and rev it hard and it is awesome and fun around the country roads. Its not the most aggressive from your list or the most powerful but its a good all round that can be an awful lot of fun. Oh and it looks awesome too.

I have done a few reviews on my youtube channel (shameless plug) and also test drove the V8 AWD which is immense.


www.youtube.com/c/petrolheadsLDN


Enjoy the search and test drives...