Which ‘Simple’ car with 0-60 6 Secs

[Blackfibreman]

Hi all,

First thread start so be gentle. Longtime lurker!

I’m looking for suggestions on a car to buy, criteria is, reasonably quick but I am concerned about cars with lots of electronics, I have a fear that this is the main reason cars will be scrapped in the future and I am looking for a keeper.

2-4 seaters considered, 2,4 & 5 door not a problem. I plan to retire in the next 4-6 years and want to use it as a car to tour Europe and the UK. Fuel economy not too concerned but less than 15mpg might make me blink a bit.

Budget £50-60k

All suggestions greatly recieved.

[Baldchap]

Supra?

Being a Toyota the electrics will outlive you.

[Trevor555]

Baldchap said:

Supra?

Being a Toyota the electrics will outlive you.

And buying a new one today you'll get 10 year warranty if you take it to Toyota every year for servicing.

Unless they decide to scrap that offer of course.

[AmitG]

Turning it around - how about something where the electronics will be very reliable and the manufacturer will stand behind it?

Lexus LC? A Lexus Approved one will be in budget (just), and I believe that you will get a 10 year (from new) warranty if you buy Lexus Approved and keep up with the servicing.

[carinaman]

Trevor555 said:

And buying a new one today you'll get 10 year warranty if you take it to Toyota every year for servicing.

Unless they decide to scrap that offer of course.

Toyota offering a ten year warranty on a BMW?

[Trevor555]

carinaman said:

Trevor555 said:

And buying a new one today you'll get 10 year warranty if you take it to Toyota every year for servicing.

Unless they decide to scrap that offer of course.

Toyota offering a ten year warranty on a BMW?

Haha, yes, they might regret that one.

[fflump]

It depends how far you want to go. A pre-ECU era car or just something a bit more analogue than modern cars where most electrical items are not inter-connected snd replacements generally plus and play.

TBH there are many older classics and modern classics with fewer electrical risks but plenty of other reason for them to bork. TVRs spring to mind

A Manual 360 or 996 Turbo are worth considering, as is a manual 456.

Though as noted above the electrics one a new Supra or a 2015 Gt-R are likely to outlast you!

[Brave Fart]

How about an Aston Vantage V8? Your budget will get you a lovely low mileage 2014/15 example. Being near the end of the model run they'd ironed out most of the niggles, including the electronic niggles. Early cars suffer from issues with the door modules and the tracker but these were largely resolved. They're actually fairly simple cars - no electronic handbrake, turbo gubbins or complex gearboxes (if you get a manual).

Perfect for weekend fun and European tours and people love them, although you do get daft "Oh, hello Mister Bond" comments.

[Blackfibreman]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I hadn’t thought about a newer car, I was more thinking 80’s and 90’s. I had one of the last xjs’s 4.0 and loved it, cost me about £1k a year to keep going, this was 15 years ago mind.

I have a 2005 Defender which costs a bit every year but everything is fixable, this was where my thought process was headed. Tried a Cerbera a few years ago, epic car, but as is mentioned, significant bork potential.

Had a golf R for a while, loved the speed but having 2 cars losing money (I have a BMW 6GT for work duties) was crazy so went with the Defender.

I’m not a small guy, and 6’3” so I need something with a little room, used to have an MG midget back in the day, not sure I’d fit now!

[stevemiller]

May be a little left field but possible the best out there of it's type.

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1480744

[Olivergt]

A lexus ISF, they are all auto though, so not sure if that is a problem for you.

The Aston someone else mentioned sounds good and I would definitely agree on getting something from the last year of production, where all the niggles have been sorted out.

If it was me I could be tempted by an E39 M5 or an Alpina of some description like this:

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1406492

Huge amount of help and knowledge on the web for these older BMWs which helps with buying and maintaining them.

[GiantCardboardPlato]

Rover powered lotus elise/exige.
If you’re feeling brave, electronics wise, some even have electric windows.
Or you could go a bit more modern, with your budget, and gets a Toyota powered one. But I guess a bit more complex electronically.
Storage is tight for touring but doable.

Edited by GiantCardboardPlato on Saturday 10th September 12:43

[donkmeister]

You would likely be coming in well under budget but something from Mercedes is a good shout... If you are looking at 1993-2003 cars just ensure if it's a 1993-96 model the (deliberately) biodegradable wiring has been replaced and if it's a 1998-2003 car it isn't hiding rust issues as they refined the eco paint processes.

A W211 or S211 E55K is about as close to perfect as a car can be and very reliable mechanically, but the non-engine electronics are modern enough that they could be troublesome once they drift/degrade out of spec.

[jason61c]

Lexus lc500

5.0 v8. long gearing for cross continent trips at 30mpg. warranty upto 10 years old. prob minimal depreciation or costs apart from normal servicing.

[Blackfibreman]

The Alpina is a good shout, I’ve had two of the 2.0 D3’s as company cars. Loved them, would have a loved a 3.0 D3 but fell outside of my budget.

The Aston is also a good shout, never been in an Aston, so not sure what they are like but look stunning. Does anyone know what the room is like on them?

GTR Nissan is also a very good suggestion, test drove one when they about 3 years old, at the time the running costs were staggering, (Brakes +2.5k an axel tyres another £2k+ a set). It really surprised me how mechanical it was, really felt like a car unhappy going slow. Epic performance.

[Mr Tidy]

To be honest if you are concerned about electronics issues I think the older the better is the way to go!

But that leaves you with a bit of a conundrum as there are plenty of early cars that might fit your criteria, other than on 0-60 performance.

Then loads of post 2000 cars that meet the performance requirement but have some electronics, although plenty of them are way below your budget.

Maybe you need to be a bit more specific taking into account what you like, how you'll use it, etc. but enjoy the search.

[Krikkit]

I agree that older still would be the way to go to avoid electronic fragility. Once you get to the early 2000s everything is CANBUS and a pain in the arse.

As for something reasonably modern that'll actually suit the OP, I agree on a Toyota product (not a BMW in drag)

[HelldogBE]

carinaman said:

Trevor555 said:

And buying a new one today you'll get 10 year warranty if you take it to Toyota every year for servicing.

Unless they decide to scrap that offer of course.

Toyota offering a ten year warranty on a BMW?

To be honest with the following recipe they are pretty solid:
- B58 engine, great potential so probably bombproof if you don't tune it
- ZF8, great reputation if serviced and not abused (you won't be towing with a Supra, it copes with M-model track use)
- RWD, so no Xdrive worries about mismatched tyres

Just avoid toys like adaptive dampers, keyless entry if you want to avoid expensive replacements in 5 to 10 years. But even those are manageable as there surely will be a huge aftermarket scene for these cars.

[ZX10R NIN]

Blackfibreman said:

Hi all,

First thread start so be gentle. Longtime lurker!

I’m looking for suggestions on a car to buy, criteria is, reasonably quick but I am concerned about cars with lots of electronics, I have a fear that this is the main reason cars will be scrapped in the future and I am looking for a keeper.

2-4 seaters considered, 2,4 & 5 door not a problem. I plan to retire in the next 4-6 years and want to use it as a car to tour Europe and the UK. Fuel economy not too concerned but less than 15mpg might make me blink a bit.

Budget £50-60k

All suggestions greatly recieved.

My first four suggestions are under budget but they're a cracking steers (the downside to 80/90's cars are if you're road tripping around Europe you may get stranded due to a lack of access to spares) & easy to maintain.

VXR8 GTS:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208229...

Mustang GT:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208178...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207228...

Lexus GS-F:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202202012...

Corvette Z06 these are truly epic cars with the chassis/engines being very special:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206277...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225115624947?hash=item3...

Now at the top of your budget these would be my picks.

LC500:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204014...

RC-F:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209079...

The drivetrains are well proven & being N/A it just means less chance of big borkage later down the line.

Keeping along the N/A theme the Muatang Mach1 is as close as we'll get to a Mustang GT350R in Europe but those changes make it worth the premium over the Muastangs I linked to above:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207177...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209099...

Leftfield & well below budget is the XFR-S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205306...

& XKR-S:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202207017...

[Pistonheader101]

Bmw m340i