€3000 Weekend Car- What would you buy??

knifey_spoonie

I have 3 grand to spend on a weekend car, what would you buy.

Have me head wrecked looking thru carzone.
Dont have to worry about insurance costs.

This is one way to ignore the big R

Looked at everything from MG BGTS to Supras

So if you had 3 grand to spend on a weekend car what would you buy.

Chopper888

An old Toyota MR2 . You can pick one up cheap in England.

colm_mcm

Is insurance a problem or are you on a fleet policy?

itarumaa

A Rolls-Royce from the 70", my friend bought one for 3k, needs a little bit of work but still a nice car:) Much more interesting than some old sports car.

Frank_Gooding

Been looking at Audi Coupe's recently

A few on carzone but should be more choice in uk.

Or something like a merc 320 ce

CianRyan

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mazda/MX-5/Automati/200921192881715/advert?channel=CARS
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Nissan/300-ZX/ZX-TWIN-/200923193021738/advert?channel=CARS
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/MR2/2.0-GT--/200921192886842/advert?channel=CARS
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Toyota/Supra/200920192786811/advert?channel=CARS
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Triumph/Spitfire/200920192761700/advert?channel=CARS
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Corrado/VR6-OPEN/200840190230272/advert?channel=CARS
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Corrado/VR6/200834189721580/advert?channel=CARS

My lists are getting pretty crap lately, sorry.
A few options for ya though.

knifey_spoonie

Love the idea of the triumph, also like the Mr2s but would have to go with a t-bar, the Supras are nice.

For some reason its the triumph winning out at this stage


Thanks lads and keep the comming

colm_mcm

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mitsubishi/FTO/mivec--m/200919192737303/advert?channel=CARS

wrong bumper for the year, but good value nonetheless.

V6 engine
0-60 in 6.5
great looking car


Guess what I have as a weekend car

CianRyan

colm_mcm wrote: »

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Mitsubishi/FTO/mivec--m/200919192737303/advert?channel=CARS

wrong bumper for the year, but good value nonetheless.

V6 engine
0-60 in 6.5
great looking car


Guess what I have as a weekend car

They only sprung to mind after i posted my comment and i was to lazy to go back and find a nice one.
Great cars, great option.

colm_mcm

I was keeping this one to myself, but it's unlikely I'll take the plunge, so:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C93363/








Amazing car, very rare in coupe body, and all the right extras. First Ireland insured me classic on an 88 one last year for around 300 quid.

DJ Hafez

Mx-5!

CharlieCroker

Audi coupe would be my choice. And of course my mandatory recommendation of a Mazda Mx-5!
Are YOU man enough to drive one ;-)

fryup

CharlieCroker wrote: »

And of course my mandatory recommendation of a Mazda Mx-5!
Are YOU man enough to drive one ;-)

why is it looked upon as a ladies car

DJ Hafez

fryup wrote: »

why is it looked upon as a ladies car

It's considered in the same class as a mini. An accessory if you will :P, albeit a fantastic car! Those who wouldn't be on top of there cars may think you're a bit of a lady, so you just have to get over that!

B00MSTICK

There's a MR2 Mk1 Supercharger Super Edition (1 of 273 made) for sale in the UK for just over your budget. It'd probably appreciate in value (well certainly wouldn't drop by much) if you took good care of it.

Bit over your budget at £3250 + €900 VRT. Classic insurance too.

There's also one with a Levin 4agze (165BHP stock compared to the 145BHP MR2 4AGZE) going for £1.6k, I intend to buy it in the coming months if its not snapped up before then.

Have to agree with colm too, great value in FTO's atm. Mine's a daily driver and I find it great.

fryup

OP are you looking for a classic something to bring to a vintage car show??

how about an MG

http://www.usedcarsni.com/21311853

DirtyDiesels

how about a merc 200se - there a lovely car.

colm_mcm

for 3 grand? also, not much of a drivers car, weekend cars should be fun!

Nforce

VW Corrado or maybe a Mk1 Golf GTi

AÆ

My first thoughts was something big, comfortable and convertible..

So Merc e320 convertibe...would need to go to the UK to get one




But what would be really cool would be an old SL...ur budget wont stretch to it but if u add a bit more and source the UK u might get one for under 5K....get one with a removable hard top and u have a sweet car





(looking thru carzone on these SL's makes me want one...!)

Tragedy

Has to be a fiat coupe.

Still as gorgeous as ever, likely to become a proper classic one day down the line.

20VT Turbo only though :pac:

colm_mcm

good choice Tragdy, would be Coupe 20V turbo Vs FTO GPX in my head, Mitsu far less risky though.

mumblin deaf ro

I'm (hopefully) picking up a 1987 Saab 900 turbo next week for €3,000 - inspection went well today so just a question of a few small things to fix before purchase.

colm_mcm

cool Mumblin, hope you know about rust/turbo issues

mumblin deaf ro

No rust around door seals; no structural rust; turbo replaced in 2005. I'll see the full inspection report (2 1/2 hour inspection, 5 page report) tomorrow morning, but spoke to the engineer from the classic car inspection company at about 10pm after he'd come back from the job and it seems promising. I feel I'm jinxing it by even discussing it, but i can't quite help myself.

Tragedy

colm_mcm wrote: »

good choice Tragdy, would be Coupe 20V turbo Vs FTO GPX in my head, Mitsu far less risky though.

Think the coupe looks far better(interior and exterior), less likely to be modified from my experience browsing A/T and pistonheads too!

Reliability? meh!

AÆ

mumblin deaf ro wrote: »

I'm (hopefully) picking up a 1987 Saab 900 turbo next week for €3,000 - inspection went well today so just a question of a few small things to fix before purchase.

Nice car. I had an 87 900 sedan (boot but only 2 doors) non-turbo for a year or so in OZ. Great car...had bigger ties and a nice exhaust.

No real problems except the thermostat, and the clutch slave cyclinder went on mine...nearly made it back from canbera to sydney with just 4th gear.

Try to find out when that was last replaced and check the history on the gearbox....the achilles heel on the old saabs was the pinion bearing which failed especially with the turbos....very expensive to fix...the engine has to be taken out to get at the gearbox.

This site was a favourite of mine back then for tips..
Saab Central Classic Saab Forum

cianclarke

In order of preference, for 3k I'd be going for:
1) Saab 900 turbo coupe
2) Saab 9-3 Convertible Aero
3) Alfa GTV / Spider

mumblin deaf ro

AÆ wrote: »

Nice car. I had an 87 900 sedan (boot but only 2 doors) non-turbo for a year or so in OZ. Great car...had bigger ties and a nice exhaust.

No real problems except the thermostat, and the clutch slave cyclinder went on mine...nearly made it back from canbera to sydney with just 4th gear.

Try to find out when that was last replaced and check the history on the gearbox....the achilles heel on the old saabs was the pinion bearing which failed especially with the turbos....very expensive to fix...the engine has to be taken out to get at the gearbox.

This site was a favourite of mine back then for tips..
Saab Central Classic Saab Forum

Thanks for that - the gearbox was replaced in 2005, as was the turbo. the report is due late this morning so I'll see the details on it then.

This is the car:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C95530/

SV

You could buy mine and have a grand to spare :-p

DirtyDiesels

colm_mcm wrote: »

good choice Tragdy, would be Coupe 20V turbo Vs FTO GPX in my head, Mitsu far less risky though.

a weekend car not a boy racers scumbag car

DirtyDiesels

DirtyDiesels wrote: »

how about a merc 200se - there a lovely car.

pick these up in the uk for anywhere from 2000 STG upwards..bearing in mind they might need a few small jobs. but road tax is €50 pre annum and insurance rougly €300....VRT is also €50 from the uk......a friend of mine had one and there an absolutly lovely car to drive....could do weeding at the weekend..nice money spinner...

Top Dog

DirtyDiesels wrote: »

a weekend car not a boy racers scumbag car

Good to see ignorant stereotypes are still alive and kicking :rolleyes:

SouperComputer

if you're willing to use some elbow grease or spend a little more money, maybe consider a robin hood?

http://www.greatbritishsportscars.com/index.php

http://motors.shop.ebay.co.uk/items/Cars__robin-hood_W0QQ_catrefZ1QQ_sacatZ9801QQ_trksidZp3913Q2ec0Q2em24

Tigger

http://www.pistonheads.com/SALES/1059412.htm

AÆ

mumblin deaf ro wrote: »

Thanks for that - the gearbox was replaced in 2005, as was the turbo. the report is due late this morning so I'll see the details on it then.

This is the car:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C95530/

Lovely colour combination. Just be mindful of the gearbox. Even if it was replaced back in 05, any hard driving can destroy the weak pinion very easily....if the report shows any whining at all from the gearbox...walk away!

But...she is a beauty. Keep us informed.

colm_mcm

DirtyDiesels wrote: »

a weekend car not a boy racers scumbag car

Don't even know where to start with that, I'll just assume that you either don't know what you're talking about or just aren't into sports cars.

knifey_spoonie

Ive been looking at some MR2's and they are nice, then again the idea of a kit car makes me wonder and go "hmmmmmmm interesting".

I aint going to buy a turbo fiat because at the moment i dont own a recovery truck so it would be pointless

Ferris

I bought a '98 Nissan 200sx for 3k. No mods and 73k. I am using it everyday tho.

If I was getting an weekend car i'd get an early rust free mx5, pre 95 1.6 or a 1.8. Reason being they're cheap, reliable and RWD and there are a huge amount of tasteful mods that you can spend your saturday afternoon sticking to your car , supercharger anyone?

mumblin deaf ro

An update on the saab - report showed about five or six things that need to be fixed: A nut was missing on one of the ball joints for the front offside wishbone; windscreen washers not working; reversing light not working; needs new silencer; fuel feeder pipe leaking. Dealer will rectify all of these before the sale - all going well they'll bring it to Holyhead for me to pick uo next saturday (they charge £1 a mile to do this = £218, but it suits me much better this way).

colm_mcm

Did you get much off the asking price, seems a lil pricey at 2795 STG

mumblin deaf ro

I'm paying the asking price - I was more concerned that he would concentrate on fixing whatever came up in the report rather than having a couple of hundred quid off.

You can buy a 900 for £500 if you want, but from spending the past six months or so checking this out, any decent ones that are looked after and which are sold by a company with strong Saab connections (hagstrom or paradise for example) they tend to be about £2.500 up. I'm following the advice often given on the classic car forum here that it's better to spend more money on a good car, rather than less money on a dodgy car in the expectation that you'll do it up.

This is my first time doing this so it's very possible that i could screw it up and spend over the odds for a dog, but I've done what i can to limit my risk. The dealer has had only very good quality 900s on his site (one of the guys who runs the place is involved with the UK Saab owners club); i got an inspection done; and I'm getting the dealer to follow-up any issues from the inspection. It also has a good service history and a recent MOT, which is some comfort.

I realise i could end up feeling a chump for paying over the odds, but the truth is I'm more interested in the car than the money.

Sorry for rambling . . .

galwaytt

knife_fighter wrote: »

I have 3 grand to spend on a weekend car, what would you buy.

Have me head wrecked looking thru carzone.
Dont have to worry about insurance costs.

This is one way to ignore the big R

Looked at everything from MG BGTS to Supras

So if you had 3 grand to spend on a weekend car what would you buy.

OK, a couple of things: buying the car is the easy bit. It's actually the insurance, tax that'll annoy you far more than any car - whatever the kind.

Consider, you buy a nice old, but not 30yr old, Merc/Audi/Supra, whatever. That's in and around 1000-1400 euro p.a. If you're happy to pay that, off you go, and buy whatever you like.

But I guarantee you, paying Eur30 per WEEK to tax a car you might not even like/want to use all the time, will really, really get to you, and you will blame the car. Which is a pity.

Insurance is another consideration. If you don't buy a recognised (i.e 20+ yrs old car), you won't get classic insurance (about Eur 350 - which is very reasonable). The reason I mention this, is that if it doesn't qualify for classic insurance, then you will have to take out ordinary insurance, and if you don't have a 2nd NCB, you're going to get hammered, price-wise.

So, not trying to rain on your parade, but just go in with your eyes open.

Unfortunately, the mindset of insurance companies here doesn't allow for the commonsense approach (e.g. multi-vehicle policies). The tax thing, well, that's been done to death already.........

Which leaves but one option: buy the fun car.......and use it everyday. Maybe to the extent you can even sell the 'main car'..........at least that way you'll extract max value for your €€€. This then, would explain my sig........

Magnum

A Ford Capri...........

mumblin deaf ro

PS: this is probably one of the best places to buy a Saab if you're interested.

http://www.paradisesaabs.com/cars-for-sale.html

Pricey, but it's a place that seems to be highly regarded among the UK Saab fraternity.

I had very specific criteria:

-older than 1989 (insurance)
- turbo
- 16V
- leather
- service history
- not a convertible

SV

mumblin deaf ro wrote: »

PS: this is probably one of the best places to buy a Saab if you're interested.

http://www.paradisesaabs.com/cars-for-sale.html

Pricey, but it's a place that seems to be highly regarded among the UK Saab fraternity.

I had very specific criteria:

-older than 1989 (insurance)
- turbo
- 16V
- leather
- service history
- not a convertible

:eek::eek:
http://www.paradisesaabs.com/1978t-99-turbo-black.html

want!!

AÆ

mumblin deaf ro wrote: »

PS: this is probably one of the best places to buy a Saab if you're interested.

http://www.paradisesaabs.com/cars-for-sale.html

Pricey, but it's a place that seems to be highly regarded among the UK Saab fraternity.

I had very specific criteria:

-older than 1989 (insurance)
- turbo
- 16V
- leather
- service history
- not a convertible

Your SAAB sounds nice....i always did enjoy the driving experience...lovely cockpit dashboard.....btw just check if the reverse gear stays in...common fault in the classic 900s....mine had it but no big deal.

Ah...i remember those old 900s....beautiful....maybe one day i will venture again into saab ownership.

What a beauty!

AÆ

SV wrote: »

:eek::eek:
http://www.paradisesaabs.com/1978t-99-turbo-black.html

want!!

Just saw ur post....great minds think alike