# ~300bhp for under Â£25k, must have 4 seats...



## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Guys,

here's a poser for you.

Looking to get a new (or very nearly new) car. On the wishlist are:

1) 4 seats
2) good handling
3) good performance
4) either exclusivity or prestige, or both (!)
5) something a little "different"
6) well specced (good stereo, toys etc)

Already ruled out:

1) Mazda RX8
2) Seat Leon Cupra
3) Megane 225bhp
4) Another TT (!)

Its to trade in a TT for - which really isn't a 4 seater...

Running costs shouldn't be too high either, which rules out some of the more expensive marques to start with, but overall the car should just feel "special" (in a similar way to the TT did)

I know its a big ask, but can you think of anything that would fit the bill, I'd love to hear about it.

(PS Test drove something today which is all of the above, AND around the Â£23k mark for an ex demo - but not saying what just yet, to see if anyone else has the same idea (or can suggest something different) - I want opinions, not a discussion on the relative merits of what we already drove!)


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## Silversea (Jun 18, 2002)

Tim,

What about a Holden (Vx) Monaro (Sp?) it sounds as though it has many of the items on your wish-list.....plus a nice V8 :roll:


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## PaulS (Jun 15, 2002)

Silversea said:


> Tim,
> 
> What about a Holden (Vx) Monaro (Sp?) it sounds as though it has many of the items on your wish-list.....plus a nice V8 :roll:


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## NickP (May 6, 2002)

Type 25?

A little over budget 

http://www.type-25.com/index.asp?file=t25intro


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## Widget (May 7, 2002)

R32


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

PaulS said:


> Silversea said:
> 
> 
> > Tim,
> ...


Nice, but I think that:

a) the running costs are higher than we're looking to pay
b) the price (unless depreciation has kicked in yet, Paul?) is too steep too...


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

NickP said:


> Type 25?
> 
> A little over budget
> 
> http://www.type-25.com/index.asp?file=t25intro


No Subarus or EVOs... *grin*


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Widget said:


> R32


May fall under the "not special enough" category. Yes, its a brilliant motor, but to the untrained eye, its just a VW Golf...


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## mighTy Tee (Jul 10, 2002)

Bit old but

LOTUS CARLTON!


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## KevinST (May 6, 2002)

Accord Type-S?
Jag X-type 2.5 V6 or 3.0 V6 ?


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## PaulS (Jun 15, 2002)

jampott said:


> PaulS said:
> 
> 
> > Silversea said:
> ...


The Monaro's 5.7 litre V8 produces 329bhp, does 0-60 in <6.0 seconds and has a top speed of 160+ mph. I love it's looks, comfort, handling and effortless performance, but I wouldn't buy one as an everyday car on account of it's fuel economy - 20 mpg average, with about 15 mpg around town, and 25 mpg on a run. In "tyre smoking" mode (which is very very easy, believe me) it can drop to single figures  It's not too much of an issue for me, as it's a second car and I don't do a lot of mileage in it. It's a lot of fun though, and it is a bit exclusive as only 300 have been imported. It does get a lot of looks - people don't know what it is. In the 2 months I've owned mine, I've only seen one other one.

The price is Â£28.5k all in, which is pretty good value when you consider the spec and performance. I haven't seen any secondhand ones for sale yet.


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## scavenger (Jun 25, 2002)

Ford F150 Lightning [smiley=thumbsup.gif] 
Jag XKR or XK8
MG ZT V8

Or an older Merc SL320

PaulB: This months EVO has a small write up on the VXR Monaro


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## LeeS3 (Mar 24, 2004)

second hand S3 with MTM 350 conversion.. Out accelerates the current M3 apparently..


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## Stu-Oxfordshire (May 7, 2002)

Tim, 
Depends what you class as "High" running costs......


:roll: :wink:


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## nutts (May 8, 2002)

A4 cab?

A chipped 1.8T may give enough fun... not sure about the price though :?


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## Silversea (Jun 18, 2002)

LeeS3 said:


> second hand S3 with MTM 350 conversion.. Out accelerates the current M3 apparently..


This one I guess.... 

http://www.audi-sport.net/ubbthreads/sh ... o=&fpart=1


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## SpiriTT (Jul 21, 2004)

RS4..... :roll: :twisted:

allroad V8 :roll:

microcar


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

I would have said M5 - but for 23k, it would hardly be 'nearly new'.

Is the car you looked at an import of some description?


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Kell said:


> I would have said M5 - but for 23k, it would hardly be 'nearly new'.
> 
> Is the car you looked at an import of some description?


Yup, you could say that


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## ag (Sep 12, 2002)

For approx 300BHP you are talking 3.0 Litre Turbo or 4.0-4.5 Litre N/A.

There are several cars from Â£28k to Â£35k in this range, these would be available for around Â£25k nearly new, although running costs and depreciation would be heavy. Other than those already mentioned we have.

Alfa GT 3.2 (Bit down on power)
Jaguar S-Type V8
Volvo S80 T6
Volkswagen Passat W8 (although nearly new it would be worth no more than Â£18k)
Lexus GS430

Are we getting close yet?


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## paulb (May 6, 2002)

It's gonna be some 'orrible jap cack cos that's Tim's thang now. Reckon on a Supra myself.


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

No, it'll be the Nissan Skyline Coupe thing. Lisa posted a piccy of one last week. Looked quite nice tho.


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## Carlos (May 6, 2002)

ag said:


> Jaguar S-Type V8


Mate has a 51 reg S type R (Supercharged V8, 400bhp).

Cost him less than Â£30k, under 30k miles IIRC.

Its a fast car, and very well laden with toys.


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## paulb (May 6, 2002)

R6B TT said:


> No, it'll be the Nissan Skyline Coupe thing. Lisa posted a piccy of one last week. Looked quite nice tho.


Yeah, you're right Rob. Tim was twittering about those ugly things at Brooklands...


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

I don't think we're Jaguar kinda people... and the Volvo, Passat and deffo the Lexus are just a bit ordinary. Alfa might be worth a punt, there are lots of places doing cheap Alfa deals at the moment...

But Rob is right (and paulb to some extent)...

Â£23k currently buys you a fully loaded (Bose, 6-CD, electric seats, half leather / suede, dual climate control) 3.5L V6 280bhp Skyline 350GT with pretty much demo mileage on it. Obviously its an import, so there are considerations with warranty etc, and depreciation is a bit of an unknown (but can't be worse than the Alfa, right?!)

Its a true 4 seater, and is based on the 350Z platform, with the same engine, and is rarer in this country than the proverbial rocking horse faeces.

And the chance to say "I drive a Skyline..." when people ask you 

I know its not a "proper" Skyline - at least not in the GT-R sense - its certainly more of a 350z Limo - but unless we can find something comparable in the next few months, it may well be what we end up with...


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## ag (Sep 12, 2002)

> Running costs shouldn't be too high either, which rules out some of the more expensive marques to start with, but overall the car should just feel "special" (in a similar way to the TT did)


Of course the cost & ease of fixing it if/when something goes wrong wouldn't make it expensive to run would it Mr Pott?

Interesting car, but the sort of thing that can be off the road for six months because of a part that costs 20p! Then, of course, who will service it? A Nissan dealer may be reluctant


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

ag said:


> > Running costs shouldn't be too high either, which rules out some of the more expensive marques to start with, but overall the car should just feel "special" (in a similar way to the TT did)
> 
> 
> Of course the cost & ease of fixing it if/when something goes wrong wouldn't make it expensive to run would it Mr Pott?
> ...


Mechanically, it should be very very similar to a 350z. Its the same engine, so the same servicing parts for that... it is also the same "platform", so...

Its certainly an issue to be aware of, and that's why I'm checking with Nissan dealer(s) to make sure they can service them...


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## ag (Sep 12, 2002)

jampott said:


> ag said:
> 
> 
> > > Running costs shouldn't be too high either, which rules out some of the more expensive marques to start with, but overall the car should just feel "special" (in a similar way to the TT did)
> ...


Agreed, however as it was never brought into this country officially some of the less obvious items may be different. Examples are all the emissions equipment and worst of all the lights, these may prove difficult to source. In which case a minor shunt could leave your car off the road for months.

I'm sounding like a killjoy now, I'm sorry, but as your principal set of wheels they need to be reliable and off the road for as little as possible.

God, I am so boring.


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

ag said:


> jampott said:
> 
> 
> > ag said:
> ...


No, you are right... but LHD TT parts are available in this country, so why not parts for a RHD Skyline? 

(BTW, car would be converted entirely to UK "spec" (I know there isn't one, but you know what I mean...) Which means a foglamp, dials changed etc. The personal import market (from Japan) is blooming, so I guess its just a matter of finding the right importer, and not the Jap equivalent of the Turdocentre...


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## Stu-Oxfordshire (May 7, 2002)

Tim,

Skyline's are great cars but few people know much about them. RWD strikes pretty fiercely in these cars and they are a serious handful to drive, esp the older models such as the 350 etc as the boost is very much ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! or......COME ON YOU FECKING TURBO KICK IN YOU BASTID!!!!!!!!!!!!!

......and when it does yer off like Peter Mandelson up a jacksie.

Also (you won't believe this but I'll try) they are more expensive to run than an Evo.

Better option, imo is an MTM'd S3 or S4 - also don;t discount something like the Subaru Legacy B4 - 320 bhp and very rare.......good stealth value and reasonable running costs.

If I were you though, I'd give some serious consideration to an M5 400 bhp, all the mod cons (sat nav, climate, 6 CD,) and a great drive and awesome on long trips

Oh, and you can park it anywhere  :roll:


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

Stu-Oxfordshire said:


> Tim,
> 
> Skyline's are great cars but few people know much about them. RWD strikes pretty fiercely in these cars and they are a serious handful to drive, esp the older models such as the 350 etc as the boost is very much ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! or......COME ON YOU FECKING TURBO KICK IN YOU BASTID!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> ...


Sorry Stu, have you actually HEARD of a Skyline 350GT? 

I'm not talking the old R33 / R34 models, I'm talking the CURRENT model - 350GT. Like I said, its a 4 seater 350z, so it has a 3.5L V6, no turbos, and a totally different kettle of fish to what you are talking about....


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## Lisa. (May 7, 2002)

This is a BIGGER , BETTER PICTURE!


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## R6B TT (Feb 25, 2003)

Buy her a Micra !


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

R6B TT said:


> Buy her a Micra !


High Maintenence, mate... 

(the Micra, obviously - I've heard servicing costs are extreme) :-*


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## jwball (Jan 18, 2004)

I think the skyline thing looks a little bit confused with itself. It's not sure if it's a sports car or an old people transporter. I'd steer well clear if your looking for prestige, because that hasn't got any.


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## garyc (May 7, 2002)

Looks like a pipe and slippers version of the 350z. Probably lacking rear space also - more 2+2 than true 4 seater. Pointless. :?

An old shape M5 is your best bet.

Or, how about a 7 litre 700hp Lamborghini for Â£8500?

http://www.cougar-powerboats.com/start/usedboats_details.asp?view=12

Of course you'd have to cut and paste it into a 4 seat chassis. :wink:


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## jampott (Sep 6, 2003)

garyc said:


> Looks like a pipe and slippers version of the 350z. Probably lacking rear space also - more 2+2 than true 4 seater. Pointless. :?
> 
> An old shape M5 is your best bet.
> 
> ...


Actually rear space is relatively cavernous... 

Deceptive little beastie really...


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## Kell (May 28, 2002)

jampott said:


> garyc said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like a pipe and slippers version of the 350z. Probably lacking rear space also - more 2+2 than true 4 seater. Pointless. :?
> ...


We're still talking about the car right?


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## Alchemist (Feb 11, 2004)

Sorry Jampott, it looks like a dog. Good luck anyway.

Alchemist.


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