Saturday 7th January 2017

£100K Garage: Nikolai Attard

First off in our new £100K format is one of PH's staff members...

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Name: Nikolai Attard
Previously owned: Smart cars (for parking reasons) 
Currently owned: An Oyster card (driving in London is expensive) 
On the shortlist: Mercedes C63 AMG, Nissan GT-R R32

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1970 Fiat 500L 
Cost: 6,950 euros (let's call it £6,950 at the current rate...)
Balance: £93,050
Why I chose it: "Even though I was born in the late 80s, trips to Italy saw plenty of suave looking Italians in their tiny Cinquecentos zipping along narrow Rome streets oozing cool. Powder colours were the style in the 70s so mine had to be a powder blue. I would do my best to mimic the cool Italian chaps by driving through the city, roof down, sunglasses on and without a care in the world."

1987 BMW E28 M5
Cost: £34,995
Balance: £58,055
Why I chose it: "M cars have always been something special, many people swearing by them as some of the best cars they have ever driven. This E28 may have been in the shadow of its younger sibling the E30 M3 in terms of values, but I would take the E28 over it every day. It might not be the quickest performance saloon anymore and it probably won't stand out to many, but I think that's a good thing. I would enjoy driving it on long trips across the UK and Europe. Plenty of space for friends to tag along too!"

1993 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32)
Cost: £23,995
Balance: £34,060
Why I chose it: "The R32 was the car I grew up racing on Gran Turismo, tweaking endlessly and heading back to the track spending hours endurance racing. This one is quite the example, standard throughout bar the radio. With prices creeping upwards thanks to the US import rules this will definitely be a car to enjoy without worrying about depreciation. And when the owner knows the original owner in Japan by name it surely can't be a bad thing."

2007 Maserati GranTurismo
Cost: £32,990
Balance: £1,070
Why I chose it: "A car that has class unlike many others. This Maserati is the perfect GT car with Italian style, a V8 designed in conjunction with Ferrari and that epic noise! It may go unnoticed in Grigio Granito parked up and could easily be used every day, which I don't think I'd enjoy as much in a Ferrari or Lamborghini."

 

[hepy]

You forgot to buy a Porsche? Isn't that compulsory?

Love the new format.

[em177]

"Name: Nikolai Attard
Previously owned: Smart cars (for parking reasons)
Currently owned: An Oyster card (driving in London is expensive) "

And you work for PH?

[dinkel]

Congrats on the choice: drivers cars and I like it.

[Turbobanana]

You forgot an Audi estate too.

Also, why aren't ahem, "older" viewers allowed to buy a car from the sixties (or even earlier)? Can there be a special exemption for those born two decades before Nikolai?

[Bencolem]

Love that E38 (sans body kit for me please) and how wonderful does that engine look when you open the bonnet compared to today's slabs of plastic - a proper motorsport reminder - but what on earth is that thing sprouting out of the side of the dashboard?

[SpudLink]

Turbobanana said:

Also, why aren't ahem, "older" viewers allowed to buy a car from the sixties (or even earlier)? Can there be a special exemption for those born two decades before Nikolai?

The new format is an improvement, but rather than specify which decade to choose from, it would work better if it was "four cars from four different decades". Someone might really want to include a 60s roadster, or a Magane 265 from earlier this decade.

[Turbobanana]

SpudLink said:

Turbobanana said:

Also, why aren't ahem, "older" viewers allowed to buy a car from the sixties (or even earlier)? Can there be a special exemption for those born two decades before Nikolai?

The new format is an improvement, but rather than specify which decade to choose from, it would work better if it was "four cars from four different decades". Someone might really want to include a 60s roadster, or a Magane 265 from earlier this decade.

You put it far better than I did. Thank you.

[s m]

Nice garage - I'd ditch the Maserati and probably have a few old hot hatches in its place but nice choices for the rest

[simoid]

em177 said:

"Name: Nikolai Attard
Previously owned: Smart cars (for parking reasons)
Currently owned: An Oyster card (driving in London is expensive) "

And you work for PH?

He's Welsh.

[gforceg]

Bencolem said:

- but what on earth is that thing sprouting out of the side of the dashboard?

Before I checked the picture I thought "indicator stalk?". Now I'm not sure. Strain gauge for the passenger's death grip?

[chris333]

gforceg said:

Before I checked the picture I thought "indicator stalk?". Now I'm not sure. Strain gauge for the passenger's death grip?

Looks like its the hifi equaliser referred to in the ad.

[je777]

Bencolem said:

Love that E38 (sans body kit for me please) and how wonderful does that engine look when you open the bonnet compared to today's slabs of plastic - a proper motorsport reminder - but what on earth is that thing sprouting out of the side of the dashboard?

That's the M Shower. They all had them.

[Nik Attard]

simoid said:

He's Welsh.

Not sure where you chaps got the Welsh connection from. But I can guarantee I am no Welshman. From Malta and insurance is crippling so that's one of the reasons why I haven't owned many cars.

Nik

[Turbobanana]

simoid said:

He's Welsh.

What's wrong with being Welsh anyway? We play better football than the English.

Don't make the Maltese cross...

[j90gta]

Nik Attard said:

Not sure where you chaps got the Welsh connection from. But I can guarantee I am no Welshman. From Malta and insurance is crippling so that's one of the reasons why I haven't owned many cars.

Nik

A few years ago I rented a house on Gozo from a Raymond Attard; any relation?

[Nik Attard]

j90gta said:

A few years ago I rented a house on Gozo from a Raymond Attard; any relation?

Unfortunately not. Attard is quite a common surname in Malta.

Nik

[fastgerman]

Nice garage :-)

Welcome to PH and to the PH forums ;-)

Ignore the donkeys

[simoid]

Nik Attard said:

Not sure where you chaps got the Welsh connection from. But I can guarantee I am no Welshman. From Malta and insurance is crippling so that's one of the reasons why I haven't owned many cars.

Nik

I'm sure someone said "he's Welsh; Attard"

[BakerBoy3000]

I have done my own 100k garage and had it up on the website before the change. Now I totally disagree with it, changed all my cars. I'm constantly making a new one ( I spend loads of time on pistonheads and auto trader looking just for the entertainment, sounds sad, I know!) and at the moment I have settled for a Alfa Romeo 4c, an RS4 and a classic mini. I liked the old format enough but I cannot stick to this new one, many people will like it and it's interesting to see how people do it but this takes away so many cars possible including the RS4 (B7) and the 4c to name a few as well as 991 911, F-type, GT86, Mk7 GTI! I may just stop sticking to the old format when I do my own and go and change the mini for an MX5. Sorry PH I must say I don't like the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s way of spending 100k. If it was £100 on music from then I'd be right on it with. Rumours, Hatful of hollow...

I have to commend you on your choices though good job!

Edited by BakerBoy3000 on Monday 9th January 21:23