Want a fast saloon - any advice?

[budfish]

Originally Posted by Bagman

16! I've got 13 but it's the Harmon Kardon Pro 7 BMW option system, 2 subwoofers, 1 under each front seat. Separate CD and DVD in the front and multichanger in the back. 16 is impressive though. All in including options, which on a BMW really add up, it comes to a bit more than £36,750 but we're both happy that we didn't have to pay those prices. Best way to go is to buy a 3 to 5 year old quality car. Can't go wrong.

Agreed mate my car is less than 5 years old I got it for 30 grand less than new when I sell it next year I'll be in profit

[Bagman]

I think I heard that the new Jags had 19 or 20. It might have been in the pub so not 100% accurate.

[Bagman]

Originally Posted by budfish

Agreed mate my car is less than 5 years old I got it for 30 grand less than new when I sell it next year I'll be in profit

You selling at the start of the summer next year? Best prices for a convertible.

[Bagman]

Originally Posted by steelie600

398bhp and 421lb/ft torque mines not standard but standard ones are usually about 290bhp for autos and 300 for manuals

That's mental. I can't imagine that, have you changed anything with the brakes?

[steelie600]

Yeah its got evo brembos on her with bendix carbon pads! Stops quicker than it accelerates!! steel braided flexi lines, and bigger master cylinder, with dot 5.1 fluid so it dont boil!

Tis a heavy old bus, but you dont feel it when its on the road. Ive also fitted fully adjustable coil-overs but its not silly low just so the wheels sit nice in the arches.

Engine on the other hand I went a bit daft on.

Gas flowed, ported and polished heads with 10 thou skimmed off each head. Ti valves and double springs. and my own designed cams with vernier pulleys.
Uprated oil pump and water pump off the Evo X, Lightened and balanced crank, billet rods and pistions with 8 thou over bore, race spec bearings, polished inside the crankcase to aid oil flow. Lumenition coil and leads, race spec plugs, hand built turbo pipes and silicone hoses. Throttle body off evo 6.5 (tommi mak) and a pair of hybrid t3 turbos. Standard are ickle tiny thingys and dont blow much wind, but it was a reet mare getting the t3's on it! Not a mod id recommend.

All the work I did myself except write the map for the ecu.

[Bagman]

Originally Posted by steelie600

Yeah its got evo brembos on her with bendix carbon pads! Stops quicker than it accelerates!! steel braided flexi lines, and bigger master cylinder, with dot 5.1 fluid so it dont boil!

Tis a heavy old bus, but you dont feel it when its on the road. Ive also fitted fully adjustable coil-overs but its not silly low just so the wheels sit nice in the arches.

Engine on the other hand I went a bit daft on.

Gas flowed, ported and polished heads with 10 thou skimmed off each head. Ti valves and double springs. and my own designed cams with vernier pulleys.
Uprated oil pump and water pump off the Evo X, Lightened and balanced crank, billet rods and pistions with 8 thou over bore, race spec bearings, polished inside the crankcase to aid oil flow. Lumenition coil and leads, race spec plugs, hand built turbo pipes and silicone hoses. Throttle body off evo 6.5 (tommi mak) and a pair of hybrid t3 turbos. Standard are ickle tiny thingys and dont blow much wind, but it was a reet mare getting the t3's on it! Not a mod id recommend.

All the work I did myself except write the map for the ecu.

!!!!

[Churk]

What about a 2005 RS4?
dunno how much road tax will be but u know ur gonna get quality and performance plus they look nice.

[Chris56]

Originally Posted by Churk

What about a 2005 RS4?
dunno how much road tax will be but u know ur gonna get quality and performance plus they look nice.

Superb cars but way over budget!

[daz]

M5 E39's are getting affordable now, how does 5 litres 400bhp V8 grab you. Someone on pistonheads had a shit green one with decent miles, he had it up at £5995 but struggling to shift it cos of the colour.

[jpmatrix]

Have you considered the Alfa 156 GTA.
Great looking car and not very common. This one just sold for 5k.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/lar...OMEO&model=156

[Bagman]

At some point in your life you just have to go Alfa. 4 exhausts are a bit much I reckon.

[Chris56]

Definately a question of "when" rather than "what if" when it comes to getting an Alpha.

My only reservation this time round is that I will need to keep this car for about 5 years, and its often a big gamble with Alpha's whether those 5 years would be trouble free compared to the other cars on the list.

There's obviously the option of selling my wife's car and making her get an Alpha, but today is not a good day to bring that one up!!!!

[Cream]

I drive a Scooby WRX 'PPP' 265BHP of 4 wheel drive goodness :-)
Not had any issue with it to date, owned it about 2 1/2 year now, but I think the front shocker are starting to go (43k) Don't think I ever want to go back to 2WD again.
Only problem is fuel use. 20 MPG and in the snow I was getting around 10mpg But it was still going unlike all the BMW's in the area
Love it as long as you can live with the boy racer image.

[shanks]

Originally Posted by Steve.T

Honda accord type R?

Absolutely awesome handling car

[jamie 6.5t]

i know its not a saloon but have you thought about an old skyline like the R33GTS or even a nissan sunny or pulsar GTI there all v fast cars me personally i have an old R32GT in my garage as a project it runns and bodie work is emaculate only thing wrong is needs some new shocks dropping onto it as the old ones had collapsed ;/ its on ebay for 3500 only done 95000 miles

[beckybean66]

z-cars mini

[Deano]

If you're thinking about a quick estate and want something rare, how about a Nissan Stagea ?
Skyline GTR 4wd running gear and quite rare as well as reasonable money for an older model.

Mine is highly modded and very rare in this spec as well as out of your budget. But they are about ranging in price from 2k for a series 1 to 5k for a series 2. Std 240-280bhp. Mine on its last dyno 371bhp.

[steelie600]

Nice to see youve thrown the horrid stagea front end in the bin and fitted a decent looking one!!

[Deano]

Originally Posted by steelie600

Nice to see youve thrown the horrid stagea front end in the bin and fitted a decent looking one!!

Yes the standard Stagea is a bit marmite, though it can be improved with small mods. I didn't fit the kit to mine, but when I sold my R34 and was looking for something else this car really attracted me.
I've done all the mechanical mods myself though.

[mattbrown]

Originally Posted by steelie600

Nice to see youve thrown the horrid stagea front end in the bin and fitted a decent looking one!!

We priced up an R34 front end for a friends stage. OMFG

£550 for lights
£800 for bumper
£350 for bonnet

And random other telephone like numbers!

Does absolutely transform the car though