Best bang for buck - £3000

Nasher said:
The Jags may not be so bad. But the Mercs are most likely lemons. Theres tonnes of high end Mercs for sale, no one wants them because they are likely to explode and will cost way more than what the car is worth to fix.
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Yes I'm aware. The first two mercs I suggested were tongue in cheek.
 
TacticalFish said:
rodenal - Not sure I see your point, a lower mileage car will have been through less trauma (hopefully), and therefore is less likely to have costly problems arise.

scaza - cheaper consumables are a definite advantage, something that you wouldn't get with Mercs, Jags or BM's. I keep reading how much fun they are time and again, hence why I'd be willing to take a dip, even though it wouldn't be the fastest. Is the soft top much of a boon in winter? And is fitting a hard-top a difficult job?
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I just gummi pledged the seals as its what I had left from my merc, and to be honest have had no trouble with the soft top at all. The heaters are brilliant as well which does help. Not the fastest in the world by s long stretch (I have a 2litre NC) but handle well, even better with some work. Also being light and Rwd provide some great fun, without getting into dangerous territory. It's true you can have fun at low speed.

But then again it depends what you want. They aren't fast in a straight line, most diesel rep mobiles are as quick. Bit they do provide a level of enjoyment far exceeding your expectations.

*apologies for any mistakes. Had a few.
 
adam cool dude said:
If you just want straight line speed. You can't beat a Saab 9-5 for straight line speed at that price point.
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You can, quite easily :confused:. Audi TT for example.

I own two of the mentioned cars currently. An MX5 which is a lot of fun and i would highly recommend getting one and spending a bit of money on performance upgrades, suspension, bracing, tyres etc.

Also an Xtype 3.0 manual which i have from a banger rally last year. Its a very dull car, it picks up speed well but you wont really notice so its not really a reason to buy one. The interior isnt anything special imo either although its pretty well equipped. Im largely comparing it to the XJ8 i had so id recommend buying one of those instead, you could probably get an ok XJR these days.

It depends what you're after as 3k opens up a lot of options. If you want something that will last forever ls400? if you want something fun mx5/rx8/s13 etc? if you want something to cruise the motorway in jag/merc? if you want something cheap mondeo? if you want an all rounder 330i and so on
 
scaza/ wesimmo - thanks for the insights on the MX-5, it's definitely made it onto the shortlist.

LiE - S60 T5 is certainly an option, can't make up my mind whether I like the styling or not though.

P1RATE - I had considered a TT, but at the age range I'm looking at, I'll be hard pushed to find a good example I think. Interesting about the X-Type, what year is yours? I've just looked at a picture of an LS400, as I couldn't place it in my mind, it's erm, not the best looking car. But you're right, I need to have a think about which of the options will be the best all-rounder, as you say the 330i seems to hit that mark. It's on my shortlist.
 
adam cool dude said:
Let me rephrase that buy saying a decent condition car. A 3K 225TT is going to be a pup. Even still a 9-5 aero on a roll is going to be faster than a 225 TT.
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For 3k you could buy 2 x 9-5 Aeros if you were so inclined!

But yeah, the TT would probably have the edge off the line due to 4WD and a bit less weight, but the higher power and torque of the Saab would make it faster above 30mph I'm sure
 
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Of course, a £200 remap will see the TT (Or Leon Cupra R I posted above) making 265~ BHP and quite a chunk more torque without straining the engine or drivetrain at all. You would need to make sure you replaced the plastic recirc valve though.

At the end of the day though it depends entirely on what type of car you want for your £3k.
 
TacticalFish said:
Impreza would be nice, but I don't think I'll find a good specimen with <70k miles on my budget.
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I just sold my 02 WRX for £2500 on 96k, in just as good condition and running order as when I bought it on 71.

I'd rate it better in every way than my girlfriend's 04 Cooper S, which incidentally is for sale :p
 
agw_01 said:
I just sold my 02 WRX for £2500 on 96k, in just as good condition and running order as when I bought it on 71.

I'd rate it better in every way than my girlfriend's 04 Cooper S, which incidentally is for sale :p
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Well it doesn't have a better image for a start:p:eek:;)
 
I don't know where the prices have gone, but if you can stomach the running costs of a Jag - the X308 XJR 4.0 S/C is better than the S-Type. I bought a very nice on for £2500 a few years back. Be prepared for bloody expensive tyres and 8mpg though!
 
Mazda 6 mps?

I'd suggest a 3 but they're a bit more than the budget tbh.

Are you bothered about tax/mpg?
Think I'd happily have a play around in a wrx.
But I'd need to read up first as there's specific engines and stuff to pay attention to.

My mate says a mk4 golf
 
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