What car should I buy? Everyone's help welcome.

Stiggy917

Hi guys,
I am thinking of buying a car. But the trouble is, I cannot decide what make and model I want.
Some of the things that I would like are:

- it must have good power i.e for a car around 170+ and for a van 104 hp+

- i would preferably like it to be rwd but i would like more opinions on this. I would like to be able to do burnouts and drifts ect (not in public places) with it.
- i think i would prefer a manual but can auto-matic gearboxes do drifts ect ????

- i do like a luxury car. I have been looking at some bmw 7 series ( 2004 ish) and some mercedes and jaguars.

- I do not want a 2 door car that has to `boy racer look` :P I just think they are very common...

- I want a car that is good-looking and that I can get more power out of ?

I have up to €5,000 to spend but really no more than that I am very open.. I could buy a car, van, or jeep ..

I was thinking of buying an old merc 190 2.5 cosworth 1989. But if i was to drive something like this everyday, how would I avoid rust problems ect.
NOTE: I dont car about mpg, tax amount or anything like that
All help is appreciatred very much as i dont no what I want thanks very much
( I do like bmws and mercs )

Dartz

5000 is just enough for a decent Rx-8 with a solid engine. Just make sure it starts hot, at the very least, doesn't smoke and that the owner knows to look after it. Compression test would be ideal.

It Has RWD and an epic chassis. 4 Doors. And fair bit of poke from the engine - up to 230bhp. Also has looks that've aged pretty decently too. The cabin is a nice place to be with comfy seats, and rear-doors/seats that actually are useable, if the person up front is short enough. Also, more than enough luxury-feeling toys to have fun. It just feels like a nicer place to be, even when compared with a brand-new Megane.

Look after it, and it'll be a great car. Especially since it's very much the last of its kind.There's nothing quite like it out there anymore. Too many VAG's and BMW's around.

Getting more power though is a bit of an art. The engine's already pretty close to its limit from the factory. Going turbo or supercharged is going to mean big changes and doing anything to the ECU is a trick. But it's easy to 'improve' with a catless exhaust and an uprated ignition kit. The ignition kit especially will make it happy.

fmcg_scribe

OP - Will this car be your only car? Will it be a daily driver? If you have never previously owned a luxury car, you need to be realistic about the running costs, including tax and insurance. Further, if you are fussy about having manual transmission, that rules out large luxury cars, such as BMW 7 series, Merc S class, and Jag XJ.

Stiggy917

thanks for the post lads.
I didnt even think of the rx-8 so will have a look around maybe
but im not certain whether I want a manual or an automatic but i would like to be able to do some drifting and burnouts ect. (on private roads ) tbh the running costs dont really mean alot to me :P and as for the insurance, it will be in my parents insuance under a family garage so insurance is easily gotten those are probably my 3 favourite cars so i will be looking more into them aswell thanks a mil. keep the posts coming ! ---- ALSO ---- --- Manual vs automatic transmission ??

Stiggy917

also - * scribe - yes it will be a daily driver for me

George Dalton

E36 M3 saloon?

fmcg_scribe

George Dalton wrote: »

E36 M3 saloon?

Interesting choice but they're as rare as hens teeth. An interesting alternative might be an Audi S4 Quattro but they're more plentiful in the UK.

George Dalton

As an S4 owner I would have suggested one but for the fact that the OP wants to do "burnouts and drifts" Ever tried that in a quattro? :pac:

fmcg_scribe

Yes, that did cross my mind. An E39 M5 would be ideal but it's a heavy car and the running costs, especially the tax and insurance, would put the car outside the OP's budget.

To be honest, for that budget and to satisfy requirement about burn outs and drifts, OP needs to consider two door cars as well as four door ones.

Stiggy917

I was looking at bmw m3 and m5s but they are hard to come in a manual but what do ye think of an e30 m3 bmw ? or even a merc 190 2.5 cosworth ? these are just some of the cars i was thinking of the s4 quattro would be good for the planted feel on the road but im not sure about the 4wd as a drifter ect ? thanks

fmcg_scribe

Stiggy917 wrote: »

I was looking at bmw m3 and m5s but they are hard to come in a manual but what do ye think of an e30 m3 bmw ? or even a merc 190 2.5 cosworth ? these are just some of the cars i was thinking of the s4 quattro would be good for the planted feel on the road but im not sure about the 4wd as a drifter ect ? thanks

E46 M3 was manual or SMG. Don't know stats for Ireland but I believe that in UK sales of E46 M3 were split roughly equal between manual and SMG.

I had a manual E46 M3 for two years. It was a great car but some people might have found the clutch heavy. SMG is marmite - you love it or hate it. I drove one and didn't like it compared to manual or auto.

E39 M5 was manual. E60 M5 was SMG - manual transmission was offered only in North America.

A really good E30 M3 is hard to come by but it's the sort of car that could appreciate rather than depreciate.

The problem with M cars is high fixed running costs and if you buy a bad one it will punish you.

A BMW 135 coupe would trick a lot of your boxes. I owned one for two years. Manual transmission was very slick and power off the line was instant. A 130 hatchback would not be too far off a 135.

Perhaps a Porsche could tick a lot of your boxes. 911s tend to hold their value very well but other models from over the years are cheap to buy (in the UK, at least) whatever about being cheap to run.

Stiggy917

an m3/m5 is beginning to sound like a good choice now. Whether or not its a 2 or 4 door version has anyone here owned a merc s class or e class around the 2004 mark ? is there anything extra to look out for when buying a m power bmw than just a standard car ? thanks

fmcg_scribe

Stiggy917 wrote: »

an m3/m5 is beginning to sound like a good choice now. Whether or not its a 2 or 4 door version has anyone here owned a merc s class or e class around the 2004 mark ? is there anything extra to look out for when buying a m power bmw than just a standard car ? thanks

E class between roughly 1995 and 2006 was plagued with reliability problems - that was the era of serious cost cutting at Merc to raise margins. S class from same era might be a safer bet.

There's been so much written about buying M cars and what to look for. There are lots of buyers guides both printed and online and any decent BMW discussion forum will contain lots of tips, for example, http://www.m3torque.co.uk/index.php

A few key points about M cars:

• It's best to buy one with the 1,200 mile running-in service done (at plus or minus 500 miles).
• You need to dig into an M car's service history - for example, was Castrol TWS used for engine oil changes?
• The cost of servicing will typically be 1.5 times or even twice the cost of servicing a standard 3, 5, or 6 series.
• The cost of certain parts, such as brake pads and discs, will be a lot.
• You need to get decent tyres, say, Michelin Pilot Sport PS2.
• Insurance will be costly - irrespective of your driving history, age, location, and occupation, most insurers will not quote you and the few that do will probably charge a massive excess.
• You'll need to set aside a few thousand for contingency repairs (each year) - whether you'd need to dip into the fund might depend on how well the car was cared for before you bought it.
• Never forget that an M car (especially from the E46/E39 onwards) has a race car engine and that the whole car is operating within different tolerances from a standard 3 or 5 series.

So, as you can see, a lot of things to think about before buying an M car.

Of course, you might want to consider a Z4 M, which is very hardcore and has the same engine as an E46 M3:
http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/used-car-buying-guides/used-car-buying-guide-bmw-z4-m-coupe-e85-2006-2009

Stiggy917

oh .. well there goes the e class i suspect.. But can the s class do some drifting ect or would the e class be better at this ??
M cars are very very very nice cars but they sound a bit `strict ` on servicing so i dont think they are a major option at the moment. thanks for the info on the m cars especially
Any `unusual` rwd cars out there ? ( 4 doors ? ) thanks

farna_boy

Stiggy917 wrote: »

oh .. well there goes the e class i suspect.. But can the s class do some drifting ect or would the e class be better at this ??
M cars are very very very nice cars but they sound a bit `strict ` on servicing so i dont think they are a major option at the moment. thanks for the info on the m cars especially
Any `unusual` rwd cars out there ? ( 4 doors ? ) thanks

The one that springs to mind would be a Toyota Chaser, but you won't get one in your price range and finding a manual would be difficult to say the least. There is one on pistonheads for £4500 and it's in Fermanagh but it would probably be closer to €10k by the time you import it.

fmcg_scribe

Stiggy917 wrote: »

oh .. well there goes the e class i suspect.. But can the s class do some drifting ect or would the e class be better at this ??
M cars are very very very nice cars but they sound a bit `strict ` on servicing so i dont think they are a major option at the moment. thanks for the info on the m cars especially
Any `unusual` rwd cars out there ? ( 4 doors ? ) thanks

Toyota Altezza RS200: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexus_IS#XE10

Burnouts and drifting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeIuYBN3nH0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYX1htF6pXA

Tea 1000

Stiggy917 wrote: »

oh .. well there goes the e class i suspect.. But can the s class do some drifting ect or would the e class be better at this ??
M cars are very very very nice cars but they sound a bit `strict ` on servicing so i dont think they are a major option at the moment. thanks for the info on the m cars especially
Any `unusual` rwd cars out there ? ( 4 doors ? ) thanks

Maybe a Lexus IS300 might be worth a look. Rare, but might be got cheap. I don't know if they came with an LSD though. If they did, that's the one to get.
Also a BMW 330Ci Clubsport I think had an LSD.
Manual for diffing and drifting. Autoboxes won't last long with that sort of dogging! (passenger seat experience!!)

Tea 1000

You need a bit more space for donuts in a quattro...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icnmt0K24ao

fmcg_scribe

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Maybe a Lexus IS300 might be worth a look. Rare, but might be got cheap. I don't know if they came with an LSD though. If they did, that's the one to get.
Also a BMW 330Ci Clubsport I think had an LSD.
Manual for diffing and drifting. Autoboxes won't last long with that sort of dogging! (passenger seat experience!!)

I know all about the IS 300 - had one for 2 years. A good car but would not be right for OP.

Car had LSD fitted as standard but was auto transmission only. The Altezza RS200 is a different beast completely - has a high revving four cylinder engine and is better set up for burnouts and drifting.

330 Ci Clubsport was not fitted with LSD but it seems that some owners tried fitting aftermarket ones.

Stiggy917

very nice car ! i have actually never heard of it :O looks amazing .. especially for a toyota pity a good ones a bit expensive
I would like a car like that alright

Stiggy917

the altezza might be worth a look.. I never really liked lexus but i may still look into it thanks

fmcg_scribe

Stiggy917 wrote: »

the altezza might be worth a look.. I never really liked lexus but i may still look into it thanks

The IS-F might also be good for drifting and burnouts but it's auto only and rare as hens teeth compared to an M3. Even in the UK, only about 200-250 were sold, so they hold their value well.

Tea 1000

fmcg_scribe wrote: »

The IS-F might also be good for drifting and burnouts but it's auto only and rare as hens teeth compared to an M3. Even in the UK, only about 200-250 were sold, so they hold their value well.

He did say he was looking for a car for €3,000.... the alloys on an IS-F probably cost that!

Stiggy917

it sounds like a good car .. rare too but the price is a small bit steep Thanks