It's another 'What Car?' thread....

[mistergixer]

It's looking likely that i'm going to need to change my car soon-ish; nowt wrong with my current vehicle (MK2 MR2), but i might need to start running the kids to school, so i'll need more than just 2 seats.

Here's my list of requirements:

Must have 4 seats
(3 doors perfectly acceptable)

Must be RWD
(or possibly AWD)

Must have an NA engine
(Don't like turbos)

Must suit my 'enthusiastic' driving requirements.

Budget circa £2.5K

Based on that 'wish list', i'm racking my brains to come up with something other than the obvious - 3 series BMW.

Any other ideas??

As i seem to have no other real options, i've been investigating the beemers a little, and have come up with another quandry:

E30 vs E36

(most likely 325 E30 vs 325 or 328 E36)

I love the E30 shape, although the interior is a little dated, the E36 looks a little overweight and possibly sluggish. I'm very taken by the E36 M3, but it's a little bit above my budget.

Next stage is to test drive a few, but was wondering if the BCF brainbox had any thoughts as to which is the better 'drivers' car.
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Space Monkey #7
Don Eladio is dead. His capos are dead. You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets and leave in peace. Or fight me and die!
Mistergixer's videos on YouTube

[Misc]

96' 5 series? Lovely interior & look like a great drive, although a bit big. Seem to do pretty beefy engines too.

[EDIT] Forgot about the turbos.

So the 5 series.

[The View Askew]

Find a good E34 if you prefer the older shapes. But to be realistic I'd go for a non turbo Subaru Legacy. Although you want a car to suit a spirited driving style, and don't like turbos. There is always a V8 E34. Fap fap fap. I love E34s. It is naturally aspirated also.
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"Do what you always did, get what you always got"

[hmmmnz]

300zx
rx8
lexus
legacy
most mercs (except a and b series)
Altezza
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the humans are dead
I kick arse for the lord
Wiring Diagrams BIDNIP it bitches

[ajbsmirnoff]

The e34 was a very well made car, I loved mine, but be aware that they're all long in the tooth.

As a heavy car, they eat their suspension and front brakes, and they need a big engine (avoid anything less than 2.5). Avoid metric wheels (super expensive yet rubbish TRX tyres).

But they can be a superb bargain.

The later e39 have better interiors, but not as cool looking externally. They are very good to drive, the 3.0 petrol and diesels are best.

But e34 and e39 have poor water cooling parts, impellors, hoses and expansion tanks are prone to failure. Overheating can lead to splitting of the radiator.

Both cars were the best executive car you could buy at the time.

[P.addy]

Im biased..

RWD/NA/"4" seats/enthusiastic driving.

Toyota Supra....

I picked my 3litre twin up for £2880.

Pistonheads is a good place to look for these cars, exactly where i found mine

[MaybeGuy]

could easily get a c180 or c220 for that money.
Theres even a standard supercharged version but i cant remember what it is.
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Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!!
Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

[angryjonny]

[MaybeGuy]

yeah the 180's are slow as farkk but get a blacked out one and you look like a mother fucking p i m p
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Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!!
Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

[Faldo]

I will provide the vindication you seek. The E30 325i Sport is a fantastic drivers car, and better than any E36 I've driven (I've not driven a 328i or M3). They feel raw and lithe (can't believe I just said that but it's true). Decent unmolested examples are becoming rare, but if you find a decent one you won't have to worry about depreciation (when you decide to swap it for an E30 M3 ).

Not driven an E34, but the E39 is also a cracking car, but if your looking for something to offer similar handling to the Tomato then a 3 Series will be the obvious choice.

Old Mercs are best suited to the elderly IMO. I've driven loads of 90s Mercs (from W124s to W140s) and none of them provided any thrills whatsoever, totally boring (the very obtrusive TC can't be turned off on most) and the hand (foot) brake is a pain on manual models.

[iCraig]

Possibly a long shot, but what about a Vauxhall Omega MV6?

Fits all of your requirements and you could get a late low mileage 2003 model for your budget.

Plus the police use them, so there not bad cars.

[damz]

[Ork12]

Is200/Altezza. Even more so if you can ge the 3litre beams engined model!

[mistergixer]

Some good suggestions so far chaps, keep them coming.
Equally, some fairly shit suggestions - please stop with them.

Best non-BMW suggestion so far has to be from hmmmmnz with the 300ZX - i'd always thought these were just a 2-seater, but seen they do a 2+2 model.
The 300ZX got me thinking about the Mitsubishi GTO/3000GT too, they've been added to my potential list too.

Soul Trader gets points for suggesting the E34 V8s - there's a few 4 litre variants up for dirt cheap near me. I like my carbon footprint as large as possible, and a massive engine like that may go some way towards making up for my tiny and insignificant penis.

So, the list so far:
E30 325i
E36 325i
E36 328i
300ZX
GTO
Various 5'series, especially the V engined. There's even a nice looking M5 going relatively cheap near me too.

Any others for the list?

Next question, what do you reckon my current steed is worth?

1998 MR2 (Rev4) SW20 NA G-Ltd, tin-top, JDM import (with LSD and climate control). Unusual/rare yellow paint (which is a bit faded and patchy in places), mechanically sound though. Currently on shitty 17" multi-shit alloys, but also have a set of original 15" wheels (rattle can paint job into black)

https://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj243/Andy_B_photos/1.jpg

£1000? £1250? £1500?
____________________
Space Monkey #7
Don Eladio is dead. His capos are dead. You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets and leave in peace. Or fight me and die!
Mistergixer's videos on YouTube

[WishayKillie]

What about a Passat 2.8 V6 4motion? Post 2001.

Might be a bit dull for your liking but something else to consider
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Previous; 05 Triumph Daytona 600, 08' Ducati 1098s.
"Needs a check-up, fae the neck up!"

[P.addy]

[Misc]

It's scary how much the twin turbo Supras still sell for. Always wanted to sit in a Supra, the cockpit looks huge.

Not sure i could own cars like the Supra/Skyline, they're huge. Bigger then your average saloon?

[damz]

[mistergixer]

[P.addy]

[P.addy]

[Misc]

[mistergixer]

[Misc]

[mistergixer]