Next car?

[andydckent]

Now that I am back working and following on from the write-off and self repair of my Legnum VR4 I've been thinking about what I would get to replace it. It's not that I will necessarily replace it soon but I am wary of pumping money into a car which now effectively has no value, despite being in great condition mechanically.

It has become obvious though that in terms of price there is nothing that I could afford that even come close to the VR4 in looks or performance. I had been hoping that the price of a Skyline R34 GTR would drop but that is clearly not going to happen. So I'm wondering what everyone else's thoughts are on this subject?

Andy


My initial thoughts would be:

Another Legnum VR4 - 2001/2 fresh import - Swap some of the good bits off my old one.

Mitsubishi GTO (last facelift version) - Always liked look of these even though people slag them.

Evo Wagon - But they don't look great.

BMW M5 2001ish model - Hate BMW's but watched an episode of 'wheeler dealers' where they did one of these and that engine and interior looked great. Problem is they all have high miles and are about £6000 more expensive than they got in the program... An appreciating asset possibly?

[giblet]

What sort of budget do you have in mind? I'm asking as good E39 M5s are going for solid money and cheaper ones are liable to be a money pit. I looked into importing a clean late facelift VR4 recently but once you add in import, shipping etc you are looking at £4500-£5000. Come resale time you won't see that since they are niche cars to begin with.

I've looked at all sorts to replace mine with and you are right, there is very little else out there in the same price bracket that matches the VR4.

[andydckent]

As I say it is all hypothetical at the moment but for arguments sake I would expect a manageable budget to be up to about £6,000,£7,000 at a push. Though I'd rather spend less.

I got my VR4 for an absolute steal back in 2009 for £3,000. It seems weird to pay more now for a car which will be relatively older although I think the very low prices of recent cars on here might be more to do with their condition and people being to eager to sell. I wouldn't mind spending more for one in perfect condition with very low miles though.

[giblet]

Clean E39 M5s are 10k+. I got lucky with my current VR4 but I've spent more than double what I paid just on upgrades and repairs in just under a year and a half of ownership and I won't see all that back come resale time.

You have a lot of choice in your budget though, you could defect to the dark side and get a decent Impreza.

[andydckent]

Yeah as I say in the program I saw they got an E39 M5 for £4,000, fixed it up and sold for £7,000. This was in 2011.

Not sure I could ever bring myself to buy a Subaru.... BMW would be a difficult enough step from a moral stance lol.

[Confused]

I'm always considering what there is out there that could possibly replace the Legnum.

I've concluded that I can't replace it for less than £25k - about the only thing that is comparable in my opinion is an Audi RS6 Avant - but it's got to be the C6 model, not the C5 (the C5 was out when the Legnum was, I can't justify spending over £10k on a car comparable to the Legnum, which can be picked up for £2k)


My criteria essentially are the following:
Estate
4 wheel drive
Over 350bhp
Preferably petrol

And there's not much out there that fits that bill - pretty much I've decided it's only the RS6. There's nothing Japanese - they just aren't making decent performance cars any more, the Germans have massively overtaken the Japanese for decent cars since the early 2000s.

[giblet]

Yeah as I say in the program I saw they got an E39 M5 for £4,000, fixed it up and sold for £7,000. This was in 2011.

Not sure I could ever bring myself to buy a Subaru.... BMW would be a difficult enough step from a moral stance lol.

What bugs me is they never factor in labour costs. No chance of getting one for that money now!

I'm always considering what there is out there that could possibly replace the Legnum.

I've concluded that I can't replace it for less than £25k - about the only thing that is comparable in my opinion is an Audi RS6 Avant - but it's got to be the C6 model, not the C5 (the C5 was out when the Legnum was, I can't justify spending over £10k on a car comparable to the Legnum, which can be picked up for £2k)


My criteria essentially are the following:
Estate
4 wheel drive
Over 350bhp
Preferably petrol

And there's not much out there that fits that bill - pretty much I've decided it's only the RS6. There's nothing Japanese - they just aren't making decent performance cars any more, the Germans have massively overtaken the Japanese for decent cars since the early 2000s.

Evo estate not take your fancy? I'm after something with a soundtrack for my next car, that's the main criteria for me!

[adaxo]

Volvo S60R, great factory rust proof, bulletproof engine, twin turbo, 4x4, 300 bhp as standard, much more nowadays toys compare to vr4, fairly easy tunable and within your budget.

[adaxo]

I'm after something with a soundtrack for my next car, that's the main criteria for me!

I know where's loud galant exhaust for sale if you looking for soundtrack

[giblet]

I know where's loud galant exhaust for sale if you looking for soundtrack

Does it come with an extra pair of cylinders for the engine? V8 for me next, mainly because none of the V10 and V12s that I want are affordable yet.

[Davezj]

06 evo wagon are about 10K -11K ish just for a refernce price.

[foxdie]

Does it come with an extra pair of cylinders for the engine? V8 for me next, mainly because none of the V10 and V12s that I want are affordable yet.

I know a V8 that'll be up for sale soon because the owner wants to get back into a VR-4...

[Davezj]

I know where i can get a RS6 V10 but it is 20K.

[menno3x8g]

What about the Legacy's, divers generations have turbo's and 4X4. Don't know about the prices, cause are not available in NL (except 1st gen).

[giblet]

I know a V8 that'll be up for sale soon because the owner wants to get back into a VR-4...

If only it had paddles. The majority of my driving is stop start and I'm lazy so paddles/tip for me.

[giblet]

I know where i can get a RS6 V10 but it is 20K.

How about my vr4 as px along with the fluff from my pockets and a half eaten snickers?

[Davezj]

that should cover it, lol.

i looked at it for a long time, it was next to a focus RS for £20k

[giblet]

that should cover it, lol.

i looked at it for a long time, it was next to a focus RS for £20k

RS6 must be high mileage for that price. Wonderful engine and a cracking exhaust note.

[Confused]

Not interested in a Lancer estate in the slightest. I don't like the looks, and it's smaller than the Legnum.

[MarkSanne]

^^what Menno said^^
I've been drawn to the Legacy for some odd reason too (even before I bought my first Galant). They seem be in the sortof same category as our VR4's. Underrated and fairly cheap, yet powerful-ish. Looks are okay, maybe not as good as VR4, but a good color and some of the sportier versions with some mild bits of bodykit will make it look proper enough.