Recommend me a fastish car sub £2500
- Thread starter Poi E
- Start date
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
From bike experience, BM parts prices can leave you clutching your chest & gasping in shock. However, the 3rd-party parts firms can be much cheaper (like 1/3rd to 1/10th for a black box, same type as they use on the cars) for even OEM bits, never mind pattern parts.
The link Gemini posted above is a good place to start.
chainsaw cat
Tea. Biccies. Happy now?
My brother in law has a sierra Cosworth for sale, I think he's hoping for more but may compromise... pm me if you like.
From bike experience, BM parts prices can leave you clutching your chest & gasping in shock. However, the 3rd-party parts firms can be much cheaper (like 1/3rd to 1/10th for a black box, same type as they use on the cars) for even OEM bits, never mind pattern parts.
The link Gemini posted above is a good place to start.
be careful tho
oen of the biggest areas for forgeries is/ are car parts ( IIRC aircraft spares like nuts and bolts are the scariest forged bits about with Boeing charging $200 for small service item bolt)
BM and Merc have big pattern part sales, but some are truly substandard - they look good, but are made of monkey metal = death
g force
Affects Shatner's Basoon
And yes, I wouldn't particularly want the amount of attention from the Old Bill that a Cossie would generate.
I once saw a pub full of lads in Northumberland empty out onto the street because there was a Cosworth in town and it was driving past
Fucking weirdos!! It had gold hubcaps too!! Ming!!
Wintermute
easy tiger
You'd get a nice condition one of them for £2500, and they're a right laugh.
All this talk of fast Fords has given me an idea, although I hesitate slightly before suggesting it...
It's rear-drive, mechanically pretty sturdy and the V6 versions are quite quick even by modern standards. £2,500 should land you a decent 2.8i, and it's unlikely to lose its value...
It's rear-drive, mechanically pretty sturdy and the V6 versions are quite quick even by modern standards. £2,500 should land you a decent 2.8i, and it's unlikely to lose its value...
Kanda
Diving wanker
You'd get a nice condition one of them for £2500, and they're a right laugh.
Having replaced 2 Turbos on the one I had, I'd beg to differ
Wintermute
easy tiger
Having replaced 2 Turbos on the one I had, I'd beg to differ
Oh yeah, you'll need another £2500 in a couple of years when the radiator packs in and the head gasket blows up... but they're still fun
deviousmonkey
Haplessness is
I feel I need to put my $0.02 in, again.
The BMW E30's were made in a time when German engineering & quality control was at it's best (IMO). They are considered by many as an appriciating classic - certainly by me who bought one as an investment.
Most of the 325i's & 318i's have been thrashed by wanabee RWD Gods, spend some time & travel to get the right one (no rust, Full BMW service history, and owned by an E30 enthusiast).
There are lots of different specifications throughout the range including several BMW approved tunning houses; M-Power (can't afford), M-Technic/Sports, Alpina (rare), AC Schnizter (very rare), Hartge (super rare).
IMO there are two groups these cars fall into:
1) The £400 banger: Lots of different owners, little history & ragged by wanna-be yuppies
2) £1500+ 'minters' for show or highly reliable every-day cars (normally the higher spec, M-technic & Sports models).
I posted some links earlier in the thread on places to read-up & buy (DO NOT GET FROM E-BAY OR PISTONHEADS)
btw: I got mine from the UK BMW Owners club, however there are several BMW nuts who will source you a vehicle & ensure it's a 100% perfect example: http://www.oldcolonelcars.co.uk/
Get a test-drive & involve some B-road twisties. If you weren't so far away, I would've happily let you try the Beast out.
The BMW E30's were made in a time when German engineering & quality control was at it's best (IMO). They are considered by many as an appriciating classic - certainly by me who bought one as an investment.
Most of the 325i's & 318i's have been thrashed by wanabee RWD Gods, spend some time & travel to get the right one (no rust, Full BMW service history, and owned by an E30 enthusiast).
There are lots of different specifications throughout the range including several BMW approved tunning houses; M-Power (can't afford), M-Technic/Sports, Alpina (rare), AC Schnizter (very rare), Hartge (super rare).
IMO there are two groups these cars fall into:
1) The £400 banger: Lots of different owners, little history & ragged by wanna-be yuppies
2) £1500+ 'minters' for show or highly reliable every-day cars (normally the higher spec, M-technic & Sports models).
I posted some links earlier in the thread on places to read-up & buy (DO NOT GET FROM E-BAY OR PISTONHEADS)
btw: I got mine from the UK BMW Owners club, however there are several BMW nuts who will source you a vehicle & ensure it's a 100% perfect example: http://www.oldcolonelcars.co.uk/
Get a test-drive & involve some B-road twisties. If you weren't so far away, I would've happily let you try the Beast out.
pogofish
Testicle Hairstyle
For BM bits forgeries aside, it does pay to shop round. A browse of the enthusiast boards etc will soon show-up the reputable firms.
Eg, a black box & coils for mine were going to cost me the guts of £500 from a BMW dealer, £300 (OEM) from a well regarded marque specialist but in the end, I paid all of £86 pounds because their guy told me to buy the better-spec Bosch coils (from them) for £36 & a box, which was common to many EU cars & bikes of that age, incl BMW, Volvo & Vauxhall, from my local Bosch agent for @£50. Parts provenance was not in question & Bosch of course were the OEM contractor for BMW.
The only difference, apart from the higher output of the Bosch coils (the OEM-equivalent was cheaper still) was the price & that the Bosch coils came finished in a pretty bright blue!
In the run-up to this, when the bike ate several black boxes over a protracted period, I found a range of prices, from £200 for the BM part, £50-60 for Bosch, £30 for a Lucas one from Halfords to £18 for a no-name pattern. In fact, The cheapest one was £3.50 for a used no-name! None were appreciably better or worse than another.
Similarly, suspension - £195 per shock from a BM dealer. My old shocks rebuilt by a 3rd-party ex-BM mechanic with BM parts - £95 the pair. Decent quality SEBACS, £85 a pair & cheapo Hagons, £50.
True enough there are certain more critical things where I'd always use OEM parts & most reputable 3rd-party firms will advise you when. However, the last time I needed to do that, I also had to go to a dealer because special tools were required & getting the gearbox out & shipping it down south was not something I fancied doing. As a result, I ended-up with a bill of £1.97 for parts & nearly £500 for labour! The dealer then tried to do me on an MOT to get another few hundred out of me. I disputed it strongly & had the "extra work" reduced to £50-odd. Since then, that firm has been stripped of its dealership.
Eg, a black box & coils for mine were going to cost me the guts of £500 from a BMW dealer, £300 (OEM) from a well regarded marque specialist but in the end, I paid all of £86 pounds because their guy told me to buy the better-spec Bosch coils (from them) for £36 & a box, which was common to many EU cars & bikes of that age, incl BMW, Volvo & Vauxhall, from my local Bosch agent for @£50. Parts provenance was not in question & Bosch of course were the OEM contractor for BMW.
The only difference, apart from the higher output of the Bosch coils (the OEM-equivalent was cheaper still) was the price & that the Bosch coils came finished in a pretty bright blue!
In the run-up to this, when the bike ate several black boxes over a protracted period, I found a range of prices, from £200 for the BM part, £50-60 for Bosch, £30 for a Lucas one from Halfords to £18 for a no-name pattern. In fact, The cheapest one was £3.50 for a used no-name! None were appreciably better or worse than another.
Similarly, suspension - £195 per shock from a BM dealer. My old shocks rebuilt by a 3rd-party ex-BM mechanic with BM parts - £95 the pair. Decent quality SEBACS, £85 a pair & cheapo Hagons, £50.
True enough there are certain more critical things where I'd always use OEM parts & most reputable 3rd-party firms will advise you when. However, the last time I needed to do that, I also had to go to a dealer because special tools were required & getting the gearbox out & shipping it down south was not something I fancied doing. As a result, I ended-up with a bill of £1.97 for parts & nearly £500 for labour! The dealer then tried to do me on an MOT to get another few hundred out of me. I disputed it strongly & had the "extra work" reduced to £50-odd. Since then, that firm has been stripped of its dealership.
chainsaw cat
Tea. Biccies. Happy now?
cars...fast Fords...
I had a lot of fun in a 2.8i Granada, believe it or not. Sweaty forehead type fun.
I bet you could get one for 100 nicker now.
A friend of a friend, legend in our village, had a 2.3 Cortina with a 2.8i lump in it and fat back wheels. The genius stroke was, it had a badge on the boot:
'1.3 Crusader'!
Imagine the puzzled looks of Porsche drivers left at the lights by that bad bastard....
I had a lot of fun in a 2.8i Granada, believe it or not. Sweaty forehead type fun.
I bet you could get one for 100 nicker now.
A friend of a friend, legend in our village, had a 2.3 Cortina with a 2.8i lump in it and fat back wheels. The genius stroke was, it had a badge on the boot:
'1.3 Crusader'!
Imagine the puzzled looks of Porsche drivers left at the lights by that bad bastard....
Our volvo's like that! I call it the Audi hunter "Let go out hunt some Audi's son!"
All this talk of fast Fords has given me an idea, although I hesitate slightly before suggesting it...
It's rear-drive, mechanically pretty sturdy and the V6 versions are quite quick even by modern standards. £2,500 should land you a decent 2.8i, and it's unlikely to lose its value...
My mate's just bought a white 1.6 B reg Laser for £600 and bunged a 2 litre RS2000 lump in it. It's somewhat tempramental but he's a Ford fanatic and mechanic so it's a quality runabout, especially round corners. He's also got a MK2 Escort that being turned into a 2 litre rally sideways monster, but as it's taking so long he's had to get the Capri to satisfy his urges. Articulate lad as well, so he's never had any points, the cunt.
(edit - the only problem with the big lump capris is that the engines are very fucking heavy and make, I belive, the car somewhat tricky to handle as a result)
Mazda's 1.8 turbo that the car came with in many markets was a nice unit.
I envy your mate.
The Escort, especially, is something a bit special. Only a few years ago you used to see them everywhere: now they're getting very rare and expensive...I'm told (never having driven a Capri, sadly) that the problem with the handling isn't so much the weight of the engine as the fact that the rear suspension is pretty primitive, so they do have a tendency to slide at the back. The V6 (2.8 and 3.0) versions are the worst for that, but whether that's because of the heavy engine up front or just the greater power for the back wheels to cope with I don't know. Either way, the 2.8 used to be nicknamed 'the widow-maker'...
