ideas please

[bizzony]

so I need to buy a car as I'm skint..selling a Caterham and a racing MG and then spending a measly £2000 - £3000 on a road car

what do i buy??

it either has to be a cool, big solid motor eg old merc or bmw

or something fast and legendary, maybe 205 1.9

helpme out people

[domster]

old E30 M3

[SGirl]

My Rover cabrio. Bargain!!

[pbrettle]

Golf GTI Mk II 16v - Oak Green five door with PAS and sunroof as standard. Oh, and not forgetting those BBS alloys. Nice looking, timeless design and a cracking motor to boot. Get a nice H or J plater for less than £3,000 (probably £2,800) and keep it.... will apprechiate at some point (like in 20 years) but will be great fun and cheap to run in the meantime.

A sure fire classic.

Cheers,

Paul

P.S. This is what I will be doing in the next couple of weeks.

[mhibbins]

quote:so I need to buy a car as I'm skint..selling a Caterham and a racing MG and then spending a measly £2000 - £3000 on a road car

what do i buy??

it either has to be a cool, big solid motor eg old merc or bmw

or something fast and legendary, maybe 205 1.9

Bad luck, I'm in a similar situation. I went to look at a 205 1.9 having had one before and the one I saw had dodgy paint (laquer peels off after a while making the car look very cr*ppy) and a dicky airflow meter (probably). They are either rock solid (my old 1.9gti) or sh*tty money pits (my wife's 1.6gti). I've thought about all sorts of stuff between 2-3k like a old old shape 325, a golf gti mk2 and other bits and bobs but really could use something reliable and a bit newer but also want a half decent turn of pace. Latest idea is a vauxhall omega 2.5/3.0 v6...

Good luck,

Mark

[trackdemon]

ALFA 164 LUSSO V6. Cracking motor for the money. Quick (145mph +), wonderful engine, loaded with all the bits.
Handles nicely (touch off lift off oversteer haha!), and best of all HUGELY underated. Everyone thinks they fall apart - they do if they're treated badly / improperly maintained (like any car), but look after it and the engines good for 150k easy. Beware auto's - the boxes are unresponsive and weak (rebuild at 60k). Manuals may have some play, but cheapish to sort (rebuild on mine was £250). Good specialist network - I know a great one in N London. Also, you should find a decent one for £2500 easyily - anything below this will probably have moonship milage...

[Paul V]

Stretch a few more grand and you can have my S

[joust]

Original Audi Ur-Quattro. If you can find a good one (Quattro Sports in Haywards Heath sometimes has ones) then it will give you everything you want.

See my profile for mine - costs me anywhere between 400 and £2k per year (including insurance) to run it - but then I tend to fix stuff just to keep it all in tippity top shape and insist on only original stuff going onto it....

Insurance is a doddle - classic insurance can be <200 in the right area (and if you garage it).

Joust

[Whoozit]

quote:.selling a Caterham and

Which model? I'm on the lookout for a factory build SLR.

[RCA]

Bit of both perhaps, you could get a nice 325i sport for that, about 1990/91

[bizzony]

no a grad car, raw and bare.....not for the road ideally

[bizzony]

thanks for the ideas guys..... it's germany again
vw,bmw audi i guess

[scruff400]

Unfortunately, Hamilton cars had this in at £4000 (i think), but it's gone. Good hunting. They are out there.

[spoonman]

Hate to say it, but £3k road cars don't come much quicker or more practical than an old rear-drive Sapphire Cosworth.

Ran one for years, and the only downsides were theiving scum and the image.

Not for the light of wallet, though.

[rob.ellis]

corrado is possible too at that money. great handling even if it is front drive... german build quailty etc. early nineties audi coupe is a possibility too.

[nailit]

Early Porsche 944 2.5

Trying to find a nice example of most of the cars mentioned might be a slog. Try ringing the owners club for each model and seeing if a members car is being sold. And spend a few hundred quid on a decent warrenty!

[simonelite501]

You can have my Lotus Elite for £2500, it fits all of your criteria. Details in members cars, ad in classifieds.

[MGv8]

Turbo MR2....
Very fast about 280bhp....
£3000....

[danger mouse]

quote:
old E30 M3

Hello...??

£2,000 to £3,000, I'm moving to your neck of the woods!:hitsthegroundrunning:

[hansgerd]

Sorry, it has to be an Audi... these cars are unbeatable as everyday cars (as seen at LM many times). Ok, they may be dull but I have mine for 150.000 Miles now and I never had any problems come summer or winter. It's still doing 6.5 liters/100Km driven like a "not more than 140 KM/H granny". If you want miles per money (depreciation & fuel & repairs), that's the way to go. BMW or Mercedes have much more appeal but you have to pay for that. Ever thought about a Ford Mondeo, that will be my next every day runner... or a Volvo V40... think about it, you need something solid and reliable for your every day A-to-B usage.