V8, Cheap and Sporty?
Discussion
Is there anything out there? I have had a few threads now so apologies for another.
5 to 10k, v8, not a barge, and not ruinously expensive to run / too big a bork risk.
I think I am going to go take a look at a CLK500 this weekend, which is small and a v8 but not convinced it is too sporty at 6.7k. SLK55 AMGs are just about in but half decent ones really start at 13k which is more than I want to pay. Anything else?
I would add that I don't care about mpg and reasonable running costs are fine - it doesn't need to be run on a shoestring - but don't want to worry the engine might explode and cost me 10k.
EDIT: MG ZT 4.6 260?
5 to 10k, v8, not a barge, and not ruinously expensive to run / too big a bork risk.
I think I am going to go take a look at a CLK500 this weekend, which is small and a v8 but not convinced it is too sporty at 6.7k. SLK55 AMGs are just about in but half decent ones really start at 13k which is more than I want to pay. Anything else?
I would add that I don't care about mpg and reasonable running costs are fine - it doesn't need to be run on a shoestring - but don't want to worry the engine might explode and cost me 10k.
EDIT: MG ZT 4.6 260?
Edited by Integroo on Wednesday 3rd July 09:57
what comes tom mind is... cheap, fast, reliable. chose any 2. (sorry).
there no easy answer for this i think, otherwise we'd all have them lol.
id say a older monaro, even older chimaera would be good, but not sure id daily drive the chimp, getting on now. some left hook American V8 (id go 'vette) would be reliable cheap and loud. proper "sporty" german v8's will be expensive and needy I rekon.
reliable cheap v8's all seemed to be too bargey for me when I considered one. even something like a 350z which sounds nice is considered wallowey against its competition.
tricky.
there no easy answer for this i think, otherwise we'd all have them lol.
id say a older monaro, even older chimaera would be good, but not sure id daily drive the chimp, getting on now. some left hook American V8 (id go 'vette) would be reliable cheap and loud. proper "sporty" german v8's will be expensive and needy I rekon.
reliable cheap v8's all seemed to be too bargey for me when I considered one. even something like a 350z which sounds nice is considered wallowey against its competition.
tricky.
browna said:
what comes tom mind is... cheap, fast, reliable. chose any 2. (sorry).
there no easy answer for this i think, otherwise we'd all have them lol.
id say a older monaro, even older chimaera would be good, but not sure id daily drive the chimp, getting on now. some left hook American V8 (id go 'vette) would be reliable cheap and loud. proper "sporty" german v8's will be expensive and needy I rekon.
reliable cheap v8's all seemed to be too bargey for me when I considered one. even something like a 350z which sounds nice is considered wallowey against its competition.
tricky.
Indeed. I do wonder whether a Busso v6 GTV would fit the bill. Or even the SLK350 - 6 cylinder, but still very quick. However, now is surely the time to drive a v8 before we all have to drive electric cars ... there no easy answer for this i think, otherwise we'd all have them lol.
id say a older monaro, even older chimaera would be good, but not sure id daily drive the chimp, getting on now. some left hook American V8 (id go 'vette) would be reliable cheap and loud. proper "sporty" german v8's will be expensive and needy I rekon.
reliable cheap v8's all seemed to be too bargey for me when I considered one. even something like a 350z which sounds nice is considered wallowey against its competition.
tricky.
350z with some mods makes for a good performance car, just needs some coilovers etc. Wont sound as good as a V8 of course.
What about a BMW 650? Again work on some suspension upgrades etc. One chap off the zed forum bought a 645 and modded it and took it on track!
Otherwise, can you sneak a bottom of the barrel TVR in there for that price?
What about a BMW 650? Again work on some suspension upgrades etc. One chap off the zed forum bought a 645 and modded it and took it on track!
Otherwise, can you sneak a bottom of the barrel TVR in there for that price?
coldel said:
350z with some mods makes for a good performance car, just needs some coilovers etc. Wont sound as good as a V8 of course.
What about a BMW 650? Again work on some suspension upgrades etc. One chap off the zed forum bought a 645 and modded it and took it on track!
Otherwise, can you sneak a bottom of the barrel TVR in there for that price?
Doesn't the 6 Series have engine issues / serious bork potential? What about a BMW 650? Again work on some suspension upgrades etc. One chap off the zed forum bought a 645 and modded it and took it on track!
Otherwise, can you sneak a bottom of the barrel TVR in there for that price?
Could get a TVR Wedge in budget: not particularly quick, but very very cool :
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
No idea about reliability and running costs. The one thing I definitely want to avoid is chasing rust about!
Integroo said:
Is there anything out there? I have had a few threads now so apologies for another.
5 to 10k, v8, not a barge, and not ruinously expensive to run / too big a bork risk.
I think I am going to go take a look at a CLK500 this weekend, which is small and a v8 but not convinced it is too sporty at 6.7k. SLK55 AMGs are just about in but half decent ones really start at 13k which is more than I want to pay. Anything else?
I would add that I don't care about mpg and reasonable running costs are fine - it doesn't need to be run on a shoestring - but don't want to worry the engine might explode and cost me 10k.
Does it have to be a V8 and how quick do you want it to be?5 to 10k, v8, not a barge, and not ruinously expensive to run / too big a bork risk.
I think I am going to go take a look at a CLK500 this weekend, which is small and a v8 but not convinced it is too sporty at 6.7k. SLK55 AMGs are just about in but half decent ones really start at 13k which is more than I want to pay. Anything else?
I would add that I don't care about mpg and reasonable running costs are fine - it doesn't need to be run on a shoestring - but don't want to worry the engine might explode and cost me 10k.
Are you wanting to mod or keep stock. And how willing are you to tinker on a car for simple jobs?
Sadly I think your choice is gong to be a bit limited these days.
BMW didn't put V8's in anything all that small or sporty apart from maybe the M3. Not sure what price these are at these days.
Jags the only option would be an XK. And likely in budget, good cars, but all auto and more GT than sports car. A few mods might change it's character a bit, but could get pricey.
Mercs I'm not so familiar with. But I wonder how sporty many of them are.
Lexus like BMW didn't really offer anything V8 and sporty.
And pretty much no other UK market car maker has offered V8's in recent years that are likely to be in this price range now. Apart from maybe the odd SUV/4x4 or large saloon car.
Off the top of my head I can think of maybe a few classic cars that might be in budget.
e.g.
Maybe an MGB GT V8, Triumph TR7 V8, Triumph Stag, TVR 350i, maybe even a Chimera.
You might also find a few kit and engine swapped cars in your budget, but no idea how much they would appeal to you.
Left field, how much do MG ZT260's go for these days? Not really a sports car, but might tick a few boxes for you.
The only other option I can think of is something American.
You might still find a nice C4 Corvette in budget. C5's are likely above £10k though.
And you can still get an sn95 Mustang GT or maybe even a Mach 1 or Cobra for under £10k, but they seem rare these days.
Lastly you can still get an Fbody (Camaro/Firebird).
You might even snag a late 2nd gen for a classic. But 3rd Gens are in budget as are 4th Gens. The late model 4th Gens with the LS1 engine are probably going to be the fastest offering.
300bhp/ton said:
...very helpful stuff cut to avoid clogging up the thread...
Outright pace isn't that important really. I won't be tinkering, everything will be done by a garage, and it will probably be kept stock - would consider suspension and exhaust mods, but wouldn't be intending to play about with the engine. I'd want something that I could trust to go on a road trip across France without leaving me stranded in the Alps. From your suggestions, I really like the look of the TVR 350i (see above link, yum). What are they like in terms of rust and reliability?
The MG ZT 260 can be had for around 7 to 8k it seems.
Triumph's out of budget. All the MGB's on AT seem to be 4 cyls.
EDIT: Camaro - https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Edited by Integroo on Wednesday 3rd July 10:34
Integroo said:
Doesn't the 6 Series have engine issues / serious bork potential?
Could get a TVR Wedge in budget: not particularly quick, but very very cool :
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
No idea about reliability and running costs. The one thing I definitely want to avoid is chasing rust about!
You are buying an aged cheap V8 sports car, they will all have bork potential. I almost bought a 6 series beemer a couple of years back and did a fair bit of digging, not as bad as you might think. Could get a TVR Wedge in budget: not particularly quick, but very very cool :
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
No idea about reliability and running costs. The one thing I definitely want to avoid is chasing rust about!
To be frank, you are better off buying a decent sports car regardless of engine size, if you are worried about buying a V8 for 5k going wrong you are wasting your time.
coldel said:
You are buying an aged cheap V8 sports car, they will all have bork potential. I almost bought a 6 series beemer a couple of years back and did a fair bit of digging, not as bad as you might think.
To be frank, you are better off buying a decent sports car regardless of engine size, if you are worried about buying a V8 for 5k going wrong you are wasting your time.
Haha, indeed. Apparently the CLK500 / SLK55 engines are bulletproof though. I appreciate these sorts of cars will have reasonably high running costs, I just want to avoid taking the risk that the engine goes pop. So for example, no cheap Porsche's due to bore score issues. To be frank, you are better off buying a decent sports car regardless of engine size, if you are worried about buying a V8 for 5k going wrong you are wasting your time.
Could get a Chimaera for 12k ...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or an XK8 for 5k ... not sure what the bork potential is here but perhaps at 5k I could roll the dice ...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Or an XK8 for 5k ... not sure what the bork potential is here but perhaps at 5k I could roll the dice ...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Integroo said:
Haha, indeed. Apparently the CLK500 / SLK55 engines are bulletproof though. I appreciate these sorts of cars will have reasonably high running costs, I just want to avoid taking the risk that the engine goes pop. So for example, no cheap Porsche's due to bore score issues.
Much less of an issue than you would think https://www.porscheinspections.com/useful-infoEvery aging performance car has its achilles heel but you just have to take that small risk and run with it, all part of the deal of cheap performance cars
I am now in a VX220 turbo which is 14 years old, lets see how we go, but in the meantime its a beast and very fast, so loving it!Can just about squeeze the V8 S5 into budget, no major bork risk I'm aware of:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
I own one, not the last word in dynamics, steering feel or driver involvement but a big muscular coupe that would benefit from a exhaust mod to let it breathe a bit, and depending on what you're used to quick and torquey.
ETA: Sorry obviously much more of a GT car than 'sporty'!
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
I own one, not the last word in dynamics, steering feel or driver involvement but a big muscular coupe that would benefit from a exhaust mod to let it breathe a bit, and depending on what you're used to quick and torquey.
ETA: Sorry obviously much more of a GT car than 'sporty'!
Edited by deebs on Wednesday 3rd July 11:26
Not sure you can find a sporty £10k V8 better than a 4.2 XKR personally.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
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