Which old/discontinued car would you buy new if you could?

[ryallm]

Like many on here I increasingly dislike a lot of the new cars on the market with their excess weight, complication, infuriating touchscreens dominating the interior and incredibly irritating ADAS systems. So, as in interesting thought experiment, which old/discontinued car would you buy new if you could? I am not talking here about anything too exotic like old Ferraris or Lambos, but practical daily drivers.

For me it would be a BMW E39 Touring, preferably a V8 540i. Modern enough to be refined and reliable, beautifully simple ergonomics, refreshingly free of annoying tech, and from a time when BWM styling was elegant and understated. Honestly, if I could buy one new, I would.

[itcaptainslow]

Great thread.

The Puma ‘Spotted’ thread has got me lusting after one again, so that would be my nomination. Either that or the other way - a fully loaded pre-facelift Rover 75. Lovely wafty leathery goodness.

[vikingaero]

W124/MX5?!

[normalbloke]

Honda S2000, for my wife.

[Super Sonic]

[EC2]

Great question. The 328i coupe (manual) I bought new in 1996. Perfect gearbox, long throttle action and noise. Probably very slow now.

[Baldchap]

The Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4.

Basically an AWD turbocharged kei car. I don't know why I want one so much but I do.

[Lo-Fi]

Ooh, spoilt for choice!

I'd go with a mark 2 Cavalier CD or SRi. Or Nissan Silvia. I'd have to flip a coin.

[Silvanus]

[InitialDave]

Baldchap said:

The Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4.

Basically an AWD turbocharged kei car. I don't know why I want one so much but I do.

I have one, they're fantastic little things.

Keeping with the kei theme, a new Suzuki Cappuccino or Autozam AZ-1 would be very tempting.

[Composite Guru]

Honda CRX VTEC.

[RazerSauber]

Calibra LE for me



I'd get at least 6 months out of the sunroof before that fell to bits. Dreamland.

[spreadsheet monkey]

ryallm said:

Like many on here I increasingly dislike a lot of the new cars on the market with their excess weight, complication, infuriating touchscreens dominating the interior and incredibly irritating ADAS systems. So, as in interesting thought experiment, which old/discontinued car would you buy new if you could?

For me it would be a BMW E39 Touring, preferably a V8 540i. Modern enough to be refined and reliable, beautifully simple ergonomics, refreshingly free of annoying tech, and from a time when BWM styling was elegant and understated. Honestly, if I could buy one new, I would.

Just get a F11 5-series instead? Minimal touch screens, elegant and understated styling, BUT with modern crash safety and no rust! Find a super-low mileage one, and treat it as if you bought a new car.

vikingaero said:

W124

Just get a W212 Merc instead? Minimal touch screens, elegant and understated styling, BUT with modern crash safety and no rust! Find a super-low mileage one, and treat it as if you bought a new car.

I think the BMW and Merc designs of the 2010s have aged nicely, and there's no need to get too nostalgic for the 1990s stuff

Edited by spreadsheet monkey on Friday 24th January 10:23

[spreadsheet monkey]

Composite Guru said:

Honda CRX VTEC.

Buy the nicest/latest Honda CR-Z you can find, pull out all the hybrid stuff, and drop in a K20 engine from a Civic Type R

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1608-k-swapping-...

[jhonn]

A 200tdi Discovery for me - roomy and airy, seven seats, tows 3.5t and simple and cheap to maintain. Sure, performance is barely adequate and it's not the most refined, but with preventative rustproofing and regular maintenance it really could be a 'car for life'.

[Super Sonic]

Flip lights!

[sinbaddio]

An anologue supercar for me, with pop ups (Esprit GT3). So much more to it than their current offering:

[Baldchap]

InitialDave said:

Baldchap said:

The Daihatsu Cuore Avanzato TR-XX R4.

Basically an AWD turbocharged kei car. I don't know why I want one so much but I do.

I have one, they're fantastic little things.

Keeping with the kei theme, a new Suzuki Cappuccino or Autozam AZ-1 would be very tempting.

LMK if you want to sell at all please.

[vaud]

Mk 1 Honda NSX in blue or red.

[Richard-390a0]

spreadsheet monkey said:

Just get a W212 Merc instead? Minimal touch screens, elegant and understated styling, BUT with modern crash safety and no rust!

As long as the rear subframe has been renewed of course...