So I want to treat myself...

[Colonel_Klinck]

So I've decided to treat myself to a nice car in the new year. I've always been a motorbike guy but now in my 50s so if I'm going to own a midlife crisis car now ss the time and you can't take it with you. Looking at something with plenty of grunt, doesn't need to be practical (no kids). Want that grin factor while driving it. Budget is £30k but rising to 35k for something special. Anyone owned any of these and have some input, maybe what to avoid and what to look out for on a model you've owned.

Mustang GT 5.0 is/was my first choice on a 2019-ish plate but certainly the 2018 onwards facelift version. There is just something about that V8 that puts a grin on my face. I know the interior is a bit basic but I like the look of it externally and with the right exhaust I love the sound of a normally aspirated V8.

BMW M2/3/4. Heard nothing but good things about the BMW M series. I would probably go for the M4 or maybe M2, the M3 seems a bit more family car to me.

Jaguar F Type V8. This might be going too far but I love the look of them and I'm sure that supercharged V8 is bags of smiles. Though for my budget I'd be looking at a 2014-15 at the newest.

Audi TT RS. I've always thought of these as a bit of a hairdressers car but I do like the look of the RS and I imagine its a beautiful car to drive and still plenty of grunt in a small form factor.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Audi R8

I love the look of the R8. The TV ad of the rear of it on the dyno is still for me the best car ad I've ever seen. I wanted one in that instant.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Lots of options depending on what your tastes are (and appetite for running cost / borkage). Also depends on what sort of driving you’re doing. Could get anything from a Lotus/Caterham to a wafty Bentley/ Mercedes.

Decent budget for a 911, but will be a bit older. I still find mine incredibly special to drive. Running costs very much in line with your other choices.

Aston Martin would offer a lot of car for the initial outlay… a V12 with a manual transmission is a real possibility (DB7)! Otherwise a bunch of beautiful looking V8 vantages to choose from (including manual 4.7 facelift cars). Scary servicing costs mind you!

I’ll leave this here even though it’s a few extra quid http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202311143942124

Drool!! That is such a beautiful car

Servicing costs put me off. As does the £685 tax when you can get 450bhp for £180. Though the F-Type is also £695 but I'd make that sacrifice for such a car.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Renaultsport Megane RS300 is all you need buddy also sub £30K now for a decent one go for a Phase 2 model
162mph top speed
420nm torque
300 bhp
4 control steering system
Renault F1 team developed rear diffuser
Renault F1 team developed front blade
Renault F1 team developed ceramic ball bearing Turbo @ 200,000 RPM
Nissan GTR ceramic cylinder liners (engine is very strong & reliable)

Does look fun, maybe a bit hot hatch for me now. If I were 20 years younger that could be tempting.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

What about a Mondeo ST220?

If I were to go Ford it would have to be the Mustang.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

I've had a 2018 M4 Competition, 2017 TT-RS and now Lotus Exige 350 Sport.

M4 was more fun to drive than the TT-RS, but the TT-RS was a more capable car.

Exige beats them both but a bit out of budget for a good example V6

Thanks. That Lotus looks like a lot of fun but is sadly is outside my budget. Looks like I need to do some tests drives in the new year

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Can't see any R8 near my budget. What a car though.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Let me know if you have any questions about M4C/TT-RS.

My friend also has an M2 Comp, I think you get a lot more for your money with the M4 Comp!

Ah ok interesting. Why do you say that in regards to the M2/M4?

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

It will be my only car. Like I said I've always been a bike man, so I have my van for my business and my motorbikes. I'm not looking for a car to go to Tesco's in, I'm looking for a car to go for a drive in grinning like an idiot and go away for weekends etc. Doesn't need to be practical at all really, though I'm looking for a certain level of comfort, so a Caterham or similar is not what I'm after. I do want to be able to gaze at it and be very happy with what I see.

Test drives are certainly going to be required in the new year.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

There are plenty of sub £35k v8 R8's out there, you can even find 1-2 v10's but thats really pushing the limit of the budget.

Nothing is coming up on Autotrader in that price bracket.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Toyota Supra can be squeezed into your budget.

I have to ask though, compared to a bike, surely all cars are going to feel slow and not really grin-enducing? I think you do need something with a V8 or lairy engine then. Sack off the boring BMWs etc (the supra is a BMW underneath).

Its not outright speed I'm looking for. You are right very few cars can compete with the acceleration and speed of sportsbikes. I've been there and done that though and I actually prefer big twins to screaming 4s, I have a 1290 Adventure R as my daily ride as such and 1290 Superduke for when I want to be a bit naughty. I think that might be what makes me want a V8 though, its the grunt rather than some high revving engine that appeals.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Definitely go for the facelift version. You'll be getting the digital dash and the active exhaust. The airbox redesign over the pre-facelift offers extra performance as well.

Not really much to look out for, the 10 speed auto is great to drive (I had a manual and then the auto). You're going to get better MPG when crusing (I hit over 30MPG on the motorway cruising in 10th) and quicker changes than the 6 speed manual when nailing it. Only gotcha with the 10 speed 10R-80 is it can get a memory and if the car has been driven particularly hard, it makes the gear changes harsher. It can be easily reset to learn from scratch (just need a handheld to reset it quicker than doing the official Ford procedure). I'd therefore say, drive one, and see what the gear changes are like and very important - Test also going from Park > Neutral > Reverse and vice and versa. The 10R-80 can bang and jerk the car like being rear ended. This can be fixed by getting Ford to check the transmission is on the latest software release + a reset.

The seats are really comfy. You can just soak up the miles as they are nicely padded. I've never had the Recaro optional extras as I like the heated and cooled functions.

Wing mirros, one will not fold in as much as the other. Don't worry, this is normal. You'd have to take it up with the Americans. lol.

Handbrake - check it is tight as some I have driven ratchet too far up and still fail to hold the car on an incline (it is a heavy 'ol beast).

Sound wise the standard active exhaust is very nice. To make it that bit better an H-pipe or X-pipe is a must (repalces the central silencer and saves a bit of weight to boot). Doesn't impact MOT. Exhaust does need cutting as the replacement pipe is sleeved. Have a peek underneath the rear by the exhaust tips and just check the condition of the wires going into the unit that controls the flap, they are exposed so can deteriorate meaning the active exhaust system fails.

Handling wise the standard rear is twitchy. You want good rubber on all four corners, I recommend the Conti Sport Contact 7s. As well as good rubber you can do two things to instantly help. The first is the Full IRS subframe alignment kit with the extra rear end braces. It just locks it all together and is a great mod to do. The second is the rear vertical links. Replace the pressed steel with full on billet aluminium pieces with polybushes. Now when you press the happy pedal you get no wheel hop, no twisting, and no squirming.

Power wise, not much you can do extra to the N/A V8. Best route if you want more is to Supercharge (which is what I did).

Can't think of anything else but if something pops in my head I'll post back!

That sir is a fantastic post! I'm leaning towards the manual as I enjoy gear changing, makes me feel a bit more at one with the car, maybe I should drive the auto and see how it makes me feel. I sat in a mates which is the facelift version and the exhaust on its loudest setting was just beautiful, like I said at the beginning I love the sound of a V8.

Does yours have the MagneRide Adaptive Damping? Heard it makes it a better ride.

I've never owned a car with 300bhp let alone 450, so a supercharger might be a step too far lol for now.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

It is annoying having to modify a car to make it drive properly.

It is but I've modified every bike I've ever owned, though some weren't to fix things that should have been done at the factory, some were though.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Haha you're welcome. Well the manual can be iffy. Sadly the Getrag MT82 isn't the best. The new mustang (S650) finally resolves that issue as it comes with the Tremac 6 speed which is apparently amazing. We didn't get it here in UK in current gen (S550). You can improve things though with the Getrag, if you go manual defo do three things. (Steeda stock all these parts)

Firstly, get the MT82 transmission mount bushing insert. It basically fills a big empty void. The second, get the clutch replacement spring (replaces the little spring underneath the pedal). Standard one has no feel and is vague as it is too hard and makes stalling a real problem. The new spring fixes this with the lower rate. Third, is the shifter base bushing and bracket kit. The standard bushing item is like swiss cheese it makes the shifter very sloppy and loose. The new bushing and billet bracket really tighten up the slop.

You'll enjoy the manual much more after those little tweaks.

Never had magneride sadly. Would have been something to try out but people say it is good.

Bookmarked! Thanks for the info.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Ultimately it does end up with a better product but it means they released a below par product in the first place, I guess that's why they're relatively cheap though?

Maybe but Ducati ship there bikes with an OEM clutch slave that is absolute dog poop and you pay through the nose for a Ducati. KTM use the same slave and its one of the first things most owners swap because either the oil seals will fail at some point leaving you without a clutch on the side of the road or if you track your bike air will get in the system and in just a few laps of ragging it hard you'll come in and the clutch lever comes back to the bar but the clutch doesn't do a damned thing. I learnt that lesson the hard way when I bought my 1290 Superduke and took it Jerez just after running it in. Had to bleed the clutch after every session. They've been using the same slave since the 2005 950 Adventure.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Different circumstances but I found myself in a similar situation earlier this winter and ended up with an F-Type. You won’t get an SVR for your budget but earlier S and R 5 litre V8s without silly miles are available, soft top obviously optional.

I’ve done a thousand miles in mine now and still love it. Every drive is an event, which I think is entirely the point in a car like this. Personally I reckon they look great inside and out and luggage capacity aside there’s nothing stopping this being my one and only car if it had to be. It has been far more adept at backroad blasts than I thought it would be, as well, so it’s perfectly capable of switching between moods.

I wanted to love the mustang as I think they’re iconic and look lovely but I was sorely disappointed when I test drove one for a weekend. I didn’t like the interior, I didn’t like the ride, I didn’t like the engine and exhaust note from the inside. But most importantly I didn’t connect with it. The spirited drive felt a bit numb, like there was too much between me and the car. And then the normal trips from A to B felt far too compromised - the seats made me ache after a couple of hours and the interior is made to a budget. In time I think I’d grow to resent it.

In a not too distant future cars with engines like this won’t exist, or they’ll just be £lol expensive and not worth the effort for us normal people. The supercharged Jaguar V8 is a peach, and I’m not doubting the credentials of the one in the Mustang either, and for me that rules out things like Caymans, A110s and Z4Ms, even though they’re all worthy of their places in this discussion.

I’d really recommend test driving a few as they’ll all make you feel something different, in a different way, and it’ll mean different things to different people. Just don’t discount an F Type for the usual “lol old man” or “lol reliability“ reasons, I think it’s an absolutely fantastic car.

Thanks for that. Yeah there is a lot of test drives in front of me. I am drawn to the V8 and I love the look of the F-Type, good to hear someone who owns one rave about it.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

I went with an Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio for my mid life crisis.
Early ones are in your budget.

They are nice! I'm always wary of anything Italian as if they are anything like their motorbikes then they can spend as much time in the workshop as the road and parts can take 3 months to get here as the Italians only seem to work 3 months of the year.

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

Have you looked at any cars yet @Colonel_Klinck ? Managed to narrow your criteria down?

Keeping an eye on Autotrader and some FB groups. I just can't stop looking at Mustangs and I'm 99% sure that is the way I'm going to go. I've seen a few that just really float my boat so I will be waiting for certain colours to come up at the right price.

Also its just not feeling like car testing weather atm. I hate this part of winter tbh. Roll on spring and driving/riding weather!

 

[Colonel_Klinck]

The TTRS is a beast of a car, but it depends what you’re looking for. You get a huge amount of bang for your buck, an incredibly quick car regardless of the conditions, it blitzes almost any other car, especially in the winter. That said, it’s not as engaging as a rear wheel drive. It’s perfect for my commute, I just grew tired of RWD powerful cars for my commute.

You’d have to spend a fair bit more to get an R8 unless it’s older, in which case it’s also less capable.

A Jag, I just couldn’t do it, but their V8s are decent.

Not considering an AMG?



Just be sure to keep extra in your budget for all the repairs.

I've been looking at AMG and reading up on all the cars I listed. I'm not looking for the fastest thing around twisty roads, I have motorbikes for that and no car can compete with that feeling or certainly not anything I can afford lol.

This is only 40 minutes away so I might go and give it a test ride

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[Colonel_Klinck]

Just checking in to see if @Colonel_Klinck has bought anything yet

Very close. Hopefully going to get an AA inspection done next week, if that goes well, which it should as the owner has been totally upfront on the car and any small defects it has, then I should be the proud owner of a 2018 (pre facelift) Ford Mustang V8