Spec me something... different.

Robbo

Robbo

Robbo

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I currently have a G11 730d (2018). It's an utterly brilliant car, I can't fault it in any way - the build quality is incredible, great suspension, massaging seats, 55mpg on a run (average around 44), plenty of power in most situations. Fun to drive considering the size, too.

Previously I had an M4 Competition - good fun and absolutely rapid - but the quality of the car was pretty average, noise was just ok, and it didn't feel all that special unless you were hammering it. My mileage increased dramatically where it would have hurt the value of the car significantly, so I changed it. That's no longer the case - but it does need to be able to take 12-15k miles a year.

So while the 7 Series is brilliant, it's not really that exciting for my usual country road driving, and I am mainly in the car alone, so don't need all of the size and practicality either. The size is sometimes slightly inconvenient for parking etc, but generally fine.

There's absolutely no urgency and I may well just keep the 7, but I've been looking into some alternatives and wondered if people had any thoughts on the below or any other suggestions. £40k~ ish. Main dealer cars backed with a warranty are preferable.

So far I've looked at -

  • Ford Mustang Bullitt - love how these look, sounds amazing, quality perhaps a bit patchy... Ford dealer network/warranty situation sounds less than ideal...

  • 840i GC - aside from the engine, didn't seem as nice as the 7 Series on the whole, it's also even wider.

  • FK8 Civic Type R - really enjoyed the drive and a very nice package, but not sure it feels £30k+ good.

As practicality isn't a priority, I've also thought about the 718 Cayman, Supra...

So as you can probably tell, I have no specific profile of car in mind, just something I'm thinking about over the next few months... the Bullitt is my current favourite I think. The G11 has ruined cars a bit for me as it's just such a great all rounder. :( :p
 
Moved from a boxster s to my bullitt.

Problems I had with the boxster - coolant leak, roof mechanism failure, corroded exhaust bolts, headlight lens peeling.

Problems I've had with the bullitt - door catches corroded, rain sensor gel leak. Both sorted under warranty. Before I purchased it however it had a brand new engine fitted under warranty so my 10k mile car has a 5k mile engine.

I initially had issues finding dealer support for the mustang but now a Ford dealership literally 4 miles away has a specialist so that's covered.

The mustang has a huge after market community. You can literally upgrade everything. I've installed a few rear subframe mods but to be blunt, the handling is surprisingly good stock, especially with the magnaride. The steering is acceptable in terms of feel but probably pipped by the porsche. Tramlining can be an issue in both.

Quality in the mustang is significantly below porsche in terms of materials and fit. The interior trim has a few known rattles and squeaks which can largely be solved with some felt pads and about an hour of your time. Plenty of hard plastics dotted about though.

I personally find the infotainment and cabin lighting to be better. The dash display is also very good in the mustang due to being quite customisable in terms of display and colours. The audio system in the mustang easily rivals, if not surpasses the porsche from the one time I tested it.

The recaro seats are comfortable and supportive although there a crap design fault where the seat belt can rub depending on your seating position. Felt tape again resolves this. The seating position as a whole is very comfortable (I'm 6ft) and the cabin layout intuitive. The rear seats are only good for amputees or dwarves. I can't sit upright in them. Don't forget the recaros give up heated and cooled seats.

The boot is a damn good size and has a good opening dimension too, a flaw with bmws in my experience.

The throttle response is great in sport mode. The exhaust is why you buy it really. It sounds that good. That's why you don't need audio. There's no crap sound piping either, you get the actual engine and exhaust note. Some nice induction noise under acceleration too. I love the sound of the flat six but the v8 is something else altogether. People will look at you even when you're just bimbling along.

Servicing is cheap from Ford. Tyres are a nice common size.

The paint is spectacular however mine does have a couple of defects but I only picked them up by being completely anal.

Worth noting I tried an 8 series and bought the mustang.
 
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I really get your quality concerns with the FK8 but dynamically it’s one hell of a car.
The looks are marmite but I really like them.
Downside it’s shouty.
 
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Dis86 said:
Moved from a boxster s to my bullitt.
*snip*
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Thank you - I was interested in your thoughts!

Surprised it needed a new engine, do you know what happened? The Coyote seems fairly solid on the whole.

I've looked at a couple and can see the door hinges are rusty - looks unsightly but not a major issue to resolve I suppose.

I was quite shocked to see a Ford main dealer only offering 3 months warranty on a 3.5 year old car - that is absolutely pathetic. Ok, you can pay and extend it, but it doesn't seem like a manufacturer warranty, more one offered by the dealership themselves... your previous comments around a new engine really underline the importance of a warranty. BMW will always give you a year regardless of age. Porsche on the other hand offer 24 months. A Toyota Supra effectively has unlimited warranty as long as you let Toyota service it.

Ultimately though the Mustang Bullitt ticks most of my boxes, it's rare, fast but with a sound you can enjoy, looks great, is a fairly normal car underneath so should be able to take a fair bit of use too. I'm not that bothered about having amazing handling as I don't tend to go tanking around corners at silly speeds - and it seems to drive well anyway despite its size.

MrRockliffe said:
How about an F Type?
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I've driven the 380 bhp coupe - enjoyed it - not sure I'd pick one though.

SkodaMart said:
I really get your quality concerns with the FK8 but dynamically it’s one hell of a car.
The looks are marmite but I really like them.
Downside it’s shouty.
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I think they look great too - one of the best things about it! I thought the quality was decent, certainly nothing wrong with it in the context of it being a Civic, so a fairly normal car.

It's more that a nice low mileage example is going to cost £33k~ - almost what it cost when new! Not sure I liked it quite that much... I guess it wouldn't lose an awful lot though, especially as the new one is hard to get hold of/hilariously overpriced at present.
 
I think for it to be worth moving from a 7 series, you're going to REALLY have to think about what you want, otherwise any car just isn't going to feel as good.

Is it because you want a sporty car? Do you want a petrol? - these questions need to be answered first.


On my list, I'd have a sporty estate. Something like an RS4 or M340i. The M340i has better build quality, but the RS4 I think looks smarter.



Perhaps something like an Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio?
 
MrRockliffe said:
I think for it to be worth moving from a 7 series, you're going to REALLY have to think about what you want, otherwise any car just isn't going to feel as good.

Is it because you want a sporty car? Do you want a petrol? - these questions need to be answered first.

On my list, I'd have a sporty estate. Something like an RS4 or M340i. The M340i has better build quality, but the RS4 I think looks smarter.

Perhaps something like an Alfa Giulia Quadrifoglio?
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Yes, I would prefer something sportier and for lack of a better word more 'interesting'. The 7's engine isn't one that excites - it's still brilliant of course and efficient, but compared to the Mustang and Quadrifoglio, etc, it's not special being a 3.0 diesel.

All that said, the 7 is still pretty rare and unusual itself, but it's still got that giant 5 Series vibe going on :p

The Quadrifoglio actually ticks all of these boxes, and I did try one and was impressed. My reservations there stem from the Alfa dealer network being slightly questionable, and also the cost. A main dealer car, fairly low mileage will be well over £45k. I'm not sure they're going to be the best car to stick lots of miles on, although I know Gibbo's has done 120k or something and seems fine!

A while ago I looked at the Maserati Ghibli - petrol - and the build quality is a joke. Cars with 10-15k miles on them look like they've done 100k. It really is that bad. A shame as they look the part and sound good. I suppose that's why they never sold many, plenty of people can afford them and would buy it for the badge alone.

RS4 is again a £50k+ car if it's a bit newer. The M340i is a brilliant car but it's not going to be as nice as the 7 in many ways, at least for the sort of cost involved to change. It's still very much 3 Series (not a bad thing, I hasten to add).
 
Robbo said:
Yes, I would prefer something sportier and for lack of a better word more 'interesting'. The 7's engine isn't one that excites - it's still brilliant of course and efficient, but compared to the Mustang and Quadrifoglio, etc, it's not special being a 3.0 diesel.

All that said, the 7 is still pretty rare and unusual itself, but it's still got that giant 5 Series vibe going on :p

The Quadrifoglio actually ticks all of these boxes, and I did try one and was impressed. My reservations there stem from the Alfa dealer network being slightly questionable, and also the cost. A main dealer car, fairly low mileage will be well over £45k. I'm not sure they're going to be the best car to stick lots of miles on, although I know Gibbo's has done 120k or something and seems fine!

A while ago I looked at the Maserati Ghibli - petrol - and the build quality is a joke. Cars with 10-15k miles on them look like they've done 100k. It really is that bad. A shame as they look the part and sound good. I suppose that's why they never sold many, plenty of people can afford them and would buy it for the badge alone.

RS4 is again a £50k+ car if it's a bit newer. The M340i is a brilliant car but it's not going to be as nice as the 7 in many ways, at least for the sort of cost involved to change. It's still very much 3 Series (not a bad thing, I hasten to add).
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Totally get it. I had a 320d Touring before my S5

The touring is a phenomenal car, and even though it was a 2L diesel, it was still a decent engine. Good pull and generally easy to drive.


However it was just "fine" - I missed having a petrol.


Given I'm currently a one car household, I opted to go for something which would sit somewhere in between a sporty car and a 320d, so I went with the S5.


It ticks the boxes of sounding great and being sporty enough, but it just as good as the 320d on a longer journey (albeit a little more expensive).


Reality is, for 7 series money, you're not going to get anything which as good build quality, so you're going to REALLY need to want something which is sportier.



I don't think an S5 is what you're after, but if you're local and want to check out what the latest Audi build quality is like, and see what a V6 + ZF 8 speed combo are like, you're more than welcome to come over.
 
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Robbo said:
Thank you - I was interested in your thoughts!

Surprised it needed a new engine, do you know what happened? The Coyote seems fairly solid on the whole.

I've looked at a couple and can see the door hinges are rusty - looks unsightly but not a major issue to resolve I suppose.

I was quite shocked to see a Ford main dealer only offering 3 months warranty on a 3.5 year old car - that is absolutely pathetic. Ok, you can pay and extend it, but it doesn't seem like a manufacturer warranty, more one offered by the dealership themselves... your previous comments around a new engine really underline the importance of a warranty. BMW will always give you a year regardless of age. Porsche on the other hand offer 24 months. A Toyota Supra effectively has unlimited warranty as long as you let Toyota service it.

Ultimately though the Mustang Bullitt ticks most of my boxes, it's rare, fast but with a sound you can enjoy, looks great, is a fairly normal car underneath so should be able to take a fair bit of use too. I'm not that bothered about having amazing handling as I don't tend to go tanking around corners at silly speeds - and it seems to drive well anyway despite its size.
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The engine is a bit of a mystery. Essentially it had a power loss issue and they replaced pretty much everything that should have explained it to no avail so they just replaced the entire lump. My car is only 2.5 years old so still under manufacturer warranty but if I keep it I will be extending it just because of the issues I encountered with the Porsche and the BMWs that I've had. Agree the 3 months is absolutely pathetic.

With the door hinges they replaced them without a quibble, Ford have actually been very good with me. Everything has been 'absolutely, not a problem'. Getting it booked in has been swift too.

I think if you go in to one with your eyes fully open as to its negatives you will have nothing but enjoyment.
 
MrRockliffe said:
Totally get it. I had a 320d Touring before my S5

The touring is a phenomenal car, and even though it was a 2L diesel, it was still a decent engine. Good pull and generally easy to drive.

However it was just "fine" - I missed having a petrol.

Given I'm currently a one car household, I opted to go for something which would sit somewhere in between a sporty car and a 320d, so I went with the S5.

It ticks the boxes of sounding great and being sporty enough, but it just as good as the 320d on a longer journey (albeit a little more expensive).

Reality is, for 7 series money, you're not going to get anything which as good build quality, so you're going to REALLY need to want something which is sportier.

I don't think an S5 is what you're after, but if you're local and want to check out what the latest Audi build quality is like, and see what a V6 + ZF 8 speed combo are like, you're more than welcome to come over.
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Yeah, the S5 is a very good all rounder. I've not driven your version but drove the previous one and liked it. The new ones are all diesel!

Dis86 said:
The engine is a bit of a mystery. Essentially it had a power loss issue and they replaced pretty much everything that should have explained it to no avail so they just replaced the entire lump. My car is only 2.5 years old so still under manufacturer warranty but if I keep it I will be extending it just because of the issues I encountered with the Porsche and the BMWs that I've had. Agree the 3 months is absolutely pathetic.

With the door hinges they replaced them without a quibble, Ford have actually been very good with me. Everything has been 'absolutely, not a problem'. Getting it booked in has been swift too.

I think if you go in to one with your eyes fully open as to its negatives you will have nothing but enjoyment.
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That's good, it's a pity Ford seemingly don't offer a proper warranty on cars over 3 years old (like other companies do), unless I've misunderstood...

Glad to hear they've been pleasant to deal with!
 
Robbo said:
Yeah, the S5 is a very good all rounder. I've not driven your version but drove the previous one and liked it. The new ones are all diesel!
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The previous owner of my car traded it in for a MY22 S5 - not sure why. Bet they're missing the petrol!


I imagine the move was partly due to S5 sales eating into RS5 sales.


I've met plenty of people who don't really understand the difference between an S5 and RS5, other than looks. So when an S5 has a bigger 3L V6 compared to the RS5, it must cause some confusion.


I imagine something similar happened with the old S5, when it launched with a V8. To the general public, why would you spend more money on "basically the same car". Couple of years later, it's swapped to a V6.
 
NVP said:
Would something like this feel like a step backwards?

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I've looked at these in the past, I think the answer is yes, it's a step backwards aside from the engine. It's based on a 2013 platform where as the G11 is a 2015/16 platform (and was pretty state of the art at the time).
 
Yeh that's what I thought, especially from a tech perspective which will be quite hard to match at the 40k mark, you'd need another 15k at least. However, taking tech away from the equation you're still trumping everything at 40k with build and material quality too, just not as badly if you stick to that class of car, albeit older, and don't mind compromising with older tech.
 
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