Large fast-ish family cars

[coco h]

Go on - give this your best shot :

Wanted largeish (ie big enough for 2 adults and baby in large car seat + pram) car
Preferred large-ish v8 engine
Reasonable handling and performance
Lowish Budget

oh and the moon on a stick

Ideas so far:

Interceptor
P6 - been there done that (why did we sell it so cheap!)

I do like Scimitars - no V8 but the mechanic is having a strop about the fact I like plastic cars!

I miss my modified MGB GT V8 so this is going to have to be something special

[cooky]

[pic]http://ph.uncle-dave.co.uk/upload/ima[pic]


NEXT!

[plasticpig]

How about a V12? A Jaguar XJ or Daimler SIII can be had for very little money. I actually prefer the 4.2. If you hunt carefully you can still find low mileage examples with full Jag service history.

[jith]

coco h said:

Go on - give this your best shot :

Wanted largeish (ie big enough for 2 adults and baby in large car seat + pram) car
Preferred large-ish v8 engine
Reasonable handling and performance
Lowish Budget

oh and the moon on a stick

Ideas so far:

Interceptor
P6 - been there done that (why did we sell it so cheap!)

I do like Scimitars - no V8 but the mechanic is having a strop about the fact I like plastic cars!

I miss my modified MGB GT V8 so this is going to have to be something special

Check out my Merc Coupe in this post :-www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=350429&f=140&h=0

It is everything you are asking for, and unlike the British stuff it is reliable.

[wadgebeast]

triumph stag? With a hardtop for winter / wet weather.

Daimler version of a mk II Jag? V8, same car as the jag just different badges and much cheaper.

I forget the exact model, but wasn't there a gorgeous 70s Fiat saloon, very mafia-esque that would have had a v8 in it. Most will have rusted...

Controversial choice - V6 capri!

[red_rover]

jith said:

coco h said:

Go on - give this your best shot :

Wanted largeish (ie big enough for 2 adults and baby in large car seat + pram) car
Preferred large-ish v8 engine
Reasonable handling and performance
Lowish Budget

oh and the moon on a stick

Ideas so far:

Interceptor
P6 - been there done that (why did we sell it so cheap!)

I do like Scimitars - no V8 but the mechanic is having a strop about the fact I like plastic cars!


I miss my modified MGB GT V8 so this is going to have to be something special

Check out my Merc Coupe in this post :-www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=350429&f=140&h=0

It is everything you are asking for, and unlike the British stuff it is reliable.

Pfft - it wouldn't be a patch on the Rover for reliability or build quality.

[Balmoral Green]

coco h said:

Wanted largeish
Preferred large-ish v8 engine
Reasonable handling and performance
Lowish Budget

oh and the moon on a stick

Mulsanne Turbo, £3-£6K
Turbo R, £6-£12K

[coco h]

Balmoral Green said:

coco h said:

Wanted largeish
Preferred large-ish v8 engine
Reasonable handling and performance
Lowish Budget

oh and the moon on a stick

Mulsanne Turbo, £3-£6K
Turbo R, £6-£12K

Now that is something I hadn't thought of - may investigate seriously. I have done a few events with the Bentley Drivers Club and they were a great bunch.

[jith]

red_rover said:

jith said:

coco h said:

Go on - give this your best shot :

Wanted largeish (ie big enough for 2 adults and baby in large car seat + pram) car
Preferred large-ish v8 engine
Reasonable handling and performance
Lowish Budget

oh and the moon on a stick

Ideas so far:

Interceptor
P6 - been there done that (why did we sell it so cheap!)

I do like Scimitars - no V8 but the mechanic is having a strop about the fact I like plastic cars!


I miss my modified MGB GT V8 so this is going to have to be something special

Check out my Merc Coupe in this post :-www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=350429&f=140&h=0

It is everything you are asking for, and unlike the British stuff it is reliable.

Pfft - it wouldn't be a patch on the Rover for reliability or build quality.

Good God!
What school did you go to?
There is utterly no comparison whatever between any Rover made and a 500 Mercedes Coupe, believe me.
I have owned, driven, modified and restored them all. Rover just could not come anywhere near Mercedes in quality.
When Rover were in the grip of BL, subsidising constant warranty claims and attempting to compensate for flawed design, Mercedes were turning out cars like the 280SL, 350SL, the brilliant 280SE 3.5 Coupe, the utilitarian but superb 250/8 and let's not forget the insanely quick and beautiful 300SE 6.3.
I'm sorry, but your remarks are totally inappropriate and quite frankly wrong.

[plasticpig]

jith said:

Good God!
What school did you go to?
There is utterly no comparison whatever between any Rover made and a 500 Mercedes Coupe, believe me.
I have owned, driven, modified and restored them all. Rover just could not come anywhere near Mercedes in quality.
When Rover were in the grip of BL, subsidising constant warranty claims and attempting to compensate for flawed design, Mercedes were turning out cars like the 280SL, 350SL, the brilliant 280SE 3.5 Coupe, the utilitarian but superb 250/8 and let's not forget the insanely quick and beautiful 300SE 6.3.
I'm sorry, but your remarks are totally inappropriate and quite frankly wrong.

Mercedes parts can be stupendously expensive. An engine rebuild is twice the price of a Rover V8. They rust just a well as a Rover. I would argue that the build quality of the P4 and P5 were just as good as the Mercedes equivalent at the time.

[jith]

plasticpig said:

jith said:

Good God!
What school did you go to?
There is utterly no comparison whatever between any Rover made and a 500 Mercedes Coupe, believe me.
I have owned, driven, modified and restored them all. Rover just could not come anywhere near Mercedes in quality.
When Rover were in the grip of BL, subsidising constant warranty claims and attempting to compensate for flawed design, Mercedes were turning out cars like the 280SL, 350SL, the brilliant 280SE 3.5 Coupe, the utilitarian but superb 250/8 and let's not forget the insanely quick and beautiful 300SE 6.3.
I'm sorry, but your remarks are totally inappropriate and quite frankly wrong.

Mercedes parts can be stupendously expensive. An engine rebuild is twice the price of a Rover V8. They rust just a well as a Rover. I would argue that the build quality of the P4 and P5 were just as good as the Mercedes equivalent at the time.

Sorry lads, I enjoy this forum too much to get involved in an argument.
Just remember how old I am and the fact that I was there at the time.
Oh yeah, and another thing; my first car was a '39 Rover 12 and if I could find it I would buy it back again, because it truly was a Rover.
I am too long in the tooth now to let nostalgia or misplaced loyalty to a marque get in the way of my classic choice, so believe me, if a Rover was a better car than a Merc I would be driving it.
But I put my professional opinions from hard bitten experience on here: It's up to you to take it or not.

[shed_jensen]

Seems like we're back at school!! petty arguments about who has had the most cars, who's the oldest.. "I know better than you" "I've done it all therefor I'm right" etc etc... personal circumstance is largely irrelevant and doesn't really help the original poster who posted for ideas?

Anyway, listen to me; I'm always right! - If you need any info on either the Jensen Interceptor or Rover P5B give me a shout, I'm bound to be completly biased though!

Cheers,

Steve

Edited by shed_jensen on Thursday 22 February 09:51

[215cu]

I think Balmoral has it, a cared for Rollers or Bentley, I passed up on a mid-90s Continetal R a couple of years ago at £15k. One careful family owned it (Dad and then son). Should have swallowed hard and held it for a year.

If you want older, late 60's Rover P5B.

In terms of Merc/Rover, I would like to say that despite the obvious, any 1960s P5 or P6 against its Merc rival would have quite simply been down to personal preferences, the quality of Rover's engineering at the time was just as good.

In modern terms, I know that a cared-for older Rover would certainly give you fewer financial headaches, although in the eye of the beholder, is slightly more pleasing to modern eyes.

[Simonelite501]

RS Serria Saphire Cosworth. You'll find a good one for around 5K, no V8, but roomy enough for all you need, drives like a family saloon until the wife and kids are safely out of it, then........How fast do you want to go?????

[Balmoral Green]

215cu said:

I passed up on a mid-90s Continental R a couple of years ago at £15k.

Are you sure?

Even the snotters are retailing for mid thirties, and the trade is still paying £20K plus. Cheapest one I ever saw was a right dog, it was still £21K.

[Fittster]

Surely in the land of cheap V8s the Yanks are king. Once you reject Merc and Buick V8s the European selection is very limited.

If it were me I'd sacrifice a couple of cylinders and get an old BMW 6 series.

[215cu]

Balmoral Green said:

215cu said:

I passed up on a mid-90s Continental R a couple of years ago at £15k.

Are you sure?

Even the snotters are retailing for mid thirties, and the trade is still paying £20K plus. Cheapest one I ever saw was a right dog, it was still £21K.

Yep, positive, father had passed on, son had a stroke and wasn't going to drive again. His wife wanted rid and passed it onto a car dealer friend of mine, he offered £13k as a joke and she bit his hand off for cash. He offered it to me for 15 but I was short of readies. He kept it for six months and then passed it on to another dealer.

Of course, it gets better, passed up Cliff Richard's former Jenson Interceptor FF, that was bought trade for £7k. I've never seen a better one before or since.

[wadgebeast]

Bet the back seat's never seen any action!

[215cu]

wadgebeast said:

Bet the back seat's never seen any action!

I did actually see the car and got to sit in it, that was the toughest motoring decision I made, it was mint, I mean really mint. None of the chrome was specked, the paint was excellent, all the dials worked, the interior was perfect. The engine has recently been completely overhauled and was right on the money too. It was more for age than use, it had 62,000 on the clock.

It was the beautiful deep blue with a beige leather interior. I even got the offer to chop the P6 in for a reasonable £3K as he had a buyer. I do know a bit about Jensen's at I know they are a money pit. Fortunately sense kicked in but it was an awesome car.