E32 750 or something else.
Discussion
I'm thinking about what to get once the MR2 has gone.
I really fancy something American like a camaro but £2k doesn't get much V8 these days, prices seemed to shoot up over the last couple of years.
So i''m looking at stuff closer to home.
The last car i drove was my Dads E32 735 straight six. I quite like the feel and handling for a big car. Its abit slow though and feels like it lacks low down grunt and i'd like to try a V12 as i've never driven one before. Everyone raves about unrelenting waves of torque so i'm interested to know what its like.
On the other hand most seem to have no more equipment than the 735 except heated seats and the V12 itself but cost £1000-£1500 more than a smaller engined variant.
Is it worth the extra price?
The Illustrious one has one for £2499 and a nicer one for £1k more but then there was eg. an XJR for £2600 more power, supercharger torque, wats the best barge for the money.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Also its nice to have something interesting for the car meets etc. rather than an old BMW, even if it is a V12.
What are peoples thoughts?
I really fancy something American like a camaro but £2k doesn't get much V8 these days, prices seemed to shoot up over the last couple of years.
So i''m looking at stuff closer to home.
The last car i drove was my Dads E32 735 straight six. I quite like the feel and handling for a big car. Its abit slow though and feels like it lacks low down grunt and i'd like to try a V12 as i've never driven one before. Everyone raves about unrelenting waves of torque so i'm interested to know what its like.
On the other hand most seem to have no more equipment than the 735 except heated seats and the V12 itself but cost £1000-£1500 more than a smaller engined variant.
Is it worth the extra price?
The Illustrious one has one for £2499 and a nicer one for £1k more but then there was eg. an XJR for £2600 more power, supercharger torque, wats the best barge for the money.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Also its nice to have something interesting for the car meets etc. rather than an old BMW, even if it is a V12.
What are peoples thoughts?
Thats something i have thought of. The more modern interior is nice.
What puts me off is the extra electronics and BMW's are not exactly known for the reliability of their electronics. If it was a Lexus that would be a differen't matter. Added to the extra insurance costs of a newer car (possibly double) is kind of putting me off.
What puts me off is the extra electronics and BMW's are not exactly known for the reliability of their electronics. If it was a Lexus that would be a differen't matter. Added to the extra insurance costs of a newer car (possibly double) is kind of putting me off.
BlueMR2 said:
I'm thinking about what to get once the MR2 has gone.
I really fancy something American like a camaro but £2k doesn't get much V8 these days, prices seemed to shoot up over the last couple of years.
So i''m looking at stuff closer to home.
The last car i drove was my Dads E32 735 straight six. I quite like the feel and handling for a big car. Its abit slow though and feels like it lacks low down grunt and i'd like to try a V12 as i've never driven one before. Everyone raves about unrelenting waves of torque so i'm interested to know what its like.
On the other hand most seem to have no more equipment than the 735 except heated seats and the V12 itself but cost £1000-£1500 more than a smaller engined variant.
Is it worth the extra price?
The Illustrious one has one for £2499 and a nicer one for £1k more but then there was eg. an XJR for £2600 more power, supercharger torque, wats the best barge for the money.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Also its nice to have something interesting for the car meets etc. rather than an old BMW, even if it is a V12.
What are peoples thoughts?
I like older cars.I really fancy something American like a camaro but £2k doesn't get much V8 these days, prices seemed to shoot up over the last couple of years.
So i''m looking at stuff closer to home.
The last car i drove was my Dads E32 735 straight six. I quite like the feel and handling for a big car. Its abit slow though and feels like it lacks low down grunt and i'd like to try a V12 as i've never driven one before. Everyone raves about unrelenting waves of torque so i'm interested to know what its like.
On the other hand most seem to have no more equipment than the 735 except heated seats and the V12 itself but cost £1000-£1500 more than a smaller engined variant.
Is it worth the extra price?
The Illustrious one has one for £2499 and a nicer one for £1k more but then there was eg. an XJR for £2600 more power, supercharger torque, wats the best barge for the money.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Also its nice to have something interesting for the car meets etc. rather than an old BMW, even if it is a V12.
What are peoples thoughts?
When I was at Uni (1999) I bought this for £700:
5.3 V12. Apart from having the gearbox rebuilt it was quite a cost affective toy and a lot of fun. Sounded great with a modified exhaust, had the ability to run to the other side of 150mph and wasn't too slow out of the blocks either. Loads of character too.
If Yank metal appeals there's a nice Ford Thunderbird on eBay at the mo up for £2.6k I think. It's the top spec model with the supercharged 3.8 V6. Pretty rapid, lots of tuning potential and a nice big comfy GT 2+2 coupe.
Caddy's are also a good option. The UK spec (so RHD) Seville STS was sold at Vauxhall dealers from 1998-2004. It has a very nice 4.6 litre DOHC Northstar V8 making 300'ish HP. Very comfy and not a bad drive, but not so sporty. UK reviews where very positive at the time, citing it as more comfy and more capable in some ways than a BMW 5 Series at speed on bumpy British roads.
Rest of the Jag XJ line up is worth a punt too. The older XJ40's are still nice motors, although watch for rust I believe. But look about and you might find a 6.0 litre XJ12 one. My Dad had one of these in 1997. Truly a fab car with modern performance.
X300's 4.0 litres are nice too. As is the x308 V8.
I've looked at the sts but i want something RWD really, otherwise i quite fancied it.
An xjs would be nice but they give of the terminal rot vibe at that price a bit too much for me. Also it might be a bit small inside same for an XJ. Although i quite like them as well. They are both a kind of if a good one appeared i wouldnt mind one but i'm a little worried they would break expensively or rust expensively. Whatever car i buy has to live outside 24/7.
i'll check the american cars later when i get home as ebay is very slow without 3g/edge on iphone. Could be nice though, i quite fancy something LHD with a good auto.
An xjs would be nice but they give of the terminal rot vibe at that price a bit too much for me. Also it might be a bit small inside same for an XJ. Although i quite like them as well. They are both a kind of if a good one appeared i wouldnt mind one but i'm a little worried they would break expensively or rust expensively. Whatever car i buy has to live outside 24/7.
i'll check the american cars later when i get home as ebay is very slow without 3g/edge on iphone. Could be nice though, i quite fancy something LHD with a good auto.
BlueMR2 said:
I've looked at the sts but i want something RWD really, otherwise i quite fancied it.
I admit it's a shame, but they do go well. JC gave the older 97 model a fantastic write up many years ago.But I do understand:
BlueMR2 said:
An xjs would be nice but they give of the terminal rot vibe at that price a bit too much for me. Also it might be a bit small inside same for an XJ. Although i quite like them as well. They are both a kind of if a good one appeared i wouldnt mind one but i'm a little worried they would break expensively or rust expensively.
Having had a few BMW's and a few Jag's (some via proxy), I've never found the Jags difficult, expensive or unreliable if I'm honest.BlueMR2 said:
i'll check the american cars later when i get home as ebay is very slow without 3g/edge on iphone. Could be nice though, i quite fancy something LHD with a good auto.
Price will be the downer I think. I'm currently on the look out for a 70's or early 80's Chevy Caprice, but it appears they are like hens teeth.There are a couple of Caddies on eBay, but they are more money than a BMW 7 or Jag XJ would be for the same year. That said they'll probably hold their value better though and probably be cheaper to run.
Impala
Crown Victory
and a few others might be worth a look.
If you don't mind smaller then while difficult to find but are about are Fox body Mustangs. 4 usable seats and boot. But not a saloon car. 5.0 OHV engine is nice and lots of tuning options.
A vert went for £1800 recently and there was a nice coupe in the PH classifieds back in Feb time.
If you fancy a big car that is reliable then a Lexus LS 400 ticks all of your boxes, but does lack ultimate road holding. Great ownership proposal and fast enough to keep you happy, cheap too beyond petrol.
The question is do you want roadholding or just to cruise? I would avoid Jags as a nightmare to get repaired and so many were badly built.....a Merc may be fun alternative for wafting!
The question is do you want roadholding or just to cruise? I would avoid Jags as a nightmare to get repaired and so many were badly built.....a Merc may be fun alternative for wafting!
belleair302 said:
I would avoid Jags as a nightmare to get repaired and so many were badly built.....a Merc may be fun alternative for wafting!
Just curious, but were are you getting this info? Only ask as that's not been my experience.There are loads of Jap specialist and breakers, so parts are easy and cheap. Main dealer and heritage program were good too when I had my XJ-S.
All of the Jag's we've had have been reliable (5 or 6 of them).
And for at least the last 10-12 years+ Jag has ranked higher than Merc or BMW in reliability and customer satisfaction surveys.
I think finding a good American car with a V8 at this price isn't going to happen at the moment.
I have previously had a Toyota Soarer aka LS400 coupe and the amount of money spent on that just to keep it moving was phenomenal. It has seriously put me off buying an older Lexus. If i were to get one i'd want a mk4 LS400 which isn't going to happen at that price for now, so that option is out.
However i am quite liking the XJR right now. Look good, plenty of grunt. What are the realistic differences between a supercharged 6 and V8. I recall the V8's have tensioner problems and my mechanic who does work for a jag independent at times said its nearer a grand to sort out properly so unless under £1k (99% unlikely) i would have to turn down a car without the new ones already fitted. Was there a year beyond which this wasn't a problem? Any other expensive problems with them, i want a car with an auto box only at the moment, not interested in a manual for a while.
I have previously had a Toyota Soarer aka LS400 coupe and the amount of money spent on that just to keep it moving was phenomenal. It has seriously put me off buying an older Lexus. If i were to get one i'd want a mk4 LS400 which isn't going to happen at that price for now, so that option is out.
However i am quite liking the XJR right now. Look good, plenty of grunt. What are the realistic differences between a supercharged 6 and V8. I recall the V8's have tensioner problems and my mechanic who does work for a jag independent at times said its nearer a grand to sort out properly so unless under £1k (99% unlikely) i would have to turn down a car without the new ones already fitted. Was there a year beyond which this wasn't a problem? Any other expensive problems with them, i want a car with an auto box only at the moment, not interested in a manual for a while.
Yep. Blown 6.
I got fed up with the teens mpg. The 740 was 20's and even 30 @ 70mph on the motorway. Best I EVER got in the Jag was 21.9.
Just couldn't live with that.
A few tech problems too, like the fuel pick up falling off the fuel pump. In the tank. That took a while to trace and then rectify. Quite a common fault amongst others.
I got fed up with the teens mpg. The 740 was 20's and even 30 @ 70mph on the motorway. Best I EVER got in the Jag was 21.9.
Just couldn't live with that.
A few tech problems too, like the fuel pick up falling off the fuel pump. In the tank. That took a while to trace and then rectify. Quite a common fault amongst others.
richardxjr said:
Had an XJR(6) and an E38 740.
The BMW is better in every way.
Feels as quick, better 'box, much less thirsty, better built, more reliable, handles better, rides better, feels better, more space inside, bigger boot.
750 would be even better though!
I can' deny personal experience, but something doesn't seem to add up in my mind.The BMW is better in every way.
Feels as quick, better 'box, much less thirsty, better built, more reliable, handles better, rides better, feels better, more space inside, bigger boot.
750 would be even better though!
This site: http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/...
Says the BMW is around 200kg heavier and has the best part of 40hp less (282 vs 325).
I know mags at the time rated the Jag at around 5.8 0-60mph while the BMW looks like it's nearer the 7 second range.
300bhp/ton said:
richardxjr said:
Had an XJR(6) and an E38 740.
The BMW is better in every way.
Feels as quick, better 'box, much less thirsty, better built, more reliable, handles better, rides better, feels better, more space inside, bigger boot.
750 would be even better though!
I can' deny personal experience, but something doesn't seem to add up in my mind.The BMW is better in every way.
Feels as quick, better 'box, much less thirsty, better built, more reliable, handles better, rides better, feels better, more space inside, bigger boot.
750 would be even better though!
This site: http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/...
Says the BMW is around 200kg heavier and has the best part of 40hp less (282 vs 325).
I know mags at the time rated the Jag at around 5.8 0-60mph while the BMW looks like it's nearer the 7 second range.
Certainly feels slower too if you see what I mean.
The 740's performance is not far off and ample considering the far superior fuel economy even when pressing on.
richardxjr said:
300bhp/ton said:
richardxjr said:
Had an XJR(6) and an E38 740.
The BMW is better in every way.
Feels as quick, better 'box, much less thirsty, better built, more reliable, handles better, rides better, feels better, more space inside, bigger boot.
750 would be even better though!
I can' deny personal experience, but something doesn't seem to add up in my mind.The BMW is better in every way.
Feels as quick, better 'box, much less thirsty, better built, more reliable, handles better, rides better, feels better, more space inside, bigger boot.
750 would be even better though!
This site: http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/...
Says the BMW is around 200kg heavier and has the best part of 40hp less (282 vs 325).
I know mags at the time rated the Jag at around 5.8 0-60mph while the BMW looks like it's nearer the 7 second range.
Certainly feels slower too if you see what I mean.
The 740's performance is not far off and ample considering the far superior fuel economy even when pressing on.
BlueMR2 said:
I guess you maybe need a V8 one for the 370bhp. I wonder what the mpg is like on those. Maybe better being modern.
ALL forced induction large engined heavy barges WILL drink like fishes when flooring the things. That is the price you pay.The n/a BMW & Merc engines are much much more efficient and therefore actually usable for pressing on.
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