Safe Speed Forums

Right then, my Vectra is going back in a couple of weeks, so I need to secure a new car pretty sharpish

My wife wants a BMW 325 i....
I want a Saab 93 HOT aero.

I have a budget of £6500. Any suggestions for other decent motors with a bit of poke in this price bracket?

And what would you peeps have, the bimmer, or the Saab?

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Rear wheel drive wins every time.

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I'd check out http://www.honestjohn.co.uk and the car by car breakdown and see what it says about the various cars you want.

I'd just get a scooby as you have 4wd, 4 doors and a big boot ie a sensible family car Might be a little expensive on fuel and insurance though!

If you have not driven rwd before then switching to one going into winter might not be the most sensible thing to do. Friends of mine trashed their beemer last winter, they only had it a month or two and were caught out on ice - they'd always had fwd before.

There are big engined mondeos around for that money like the 2.5 ghia Xs.

True....but there is that current problem with the badge on the front and the badge on the back.....

_________________
"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

I used to have a 5 series bimmer before every rep in the UK had one!

And I had an R plate v6 ghia x mondeo before I leased the vectra

_________________
"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

The mondeo could be easily mistaken for being fwd by its handling though...

don't under estimate the smug sense of satisfaction us japanese car owners get. My £6,500 would find it's way to a nice Honda Accord.

Or as someone else in here might suggest - forget the badge - Skoda Fabia vRS ---VW technology and reliability but cheaper.

The Mondeo is FWD.

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“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.” - H. L. Mencken

[quote="antera309
The Mondeo is FWD.[/quote]


Antera - suspect 4x4 is being sarcastic

I'm sure you could get an Alfa 156 with the 2.4JTD unit for that sort of price. Perhaps a 156 with the V6..............

Maybe ree.t could confirm????

Outside bet could be a XJ40 series Jag Sov in MINT condition with all the dealer service stamps, and still have 2k left over.

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Simon

LOL I was racking my brains there trying to remember whether Ford ever did a 4WD version!!

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“For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong.” - H. L. Mencken

I did look for an Octavia vRS, but there were none local

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"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."

Yes, they did - certainly in the early days of the Mondeo

There was a 4x4 Mondeo though

You could get some Mk1's with four wheel drive. They had a slightly different rear subframe and a split saddle tank for the prop shaft to run through.

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Correct although these were only available in the 2 litre petrol version and not the V6

The one my boss rang wasn't that reliable, frankly. It was nice to drive (in a soulless VW Group kind of way) but it kept blowing coils.

You could get much later Jag with some change out of £6.5k. You may be surprised how nimble and stable they are as well as the obvious comfort of ride, avoid '97-'00 V8's.

The biggest advantage, I've found with a big Jag over a German Marque is people 'let you in' in heavy traffic and out at junctions, it is a noticeable difference.

The X-type (>2.0lts) is basically a 4x4 Mondeo underneath

fatboytim

As someone who has had many Jags over the years. I would strongly second that!

The point is that Jags are a car that *anyone* can aspire too (And do!) so they do not tend to generate the envy that Mercs, Bimers and so on tend to.

(Landrovers are much the same. Even in this era of anti-4x4 sentiment "Genuine" Land Rovers (and the older, less extravagent, Range Rovers) tend to generate affection even and only rarely the hostility that "Consumer" 4x4's such as X5's and so on tend to attract)

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Hello.



From what I hear the 2.4JTD is good.
But some adivce,


You could get a 2/3 year old one for that. The prices of alfas drop quickly but not as much as they used too. Because their reliability, and build quality has improved . (mine has never broken down )



The V6 price should be fine, the problem would be finding one.

The 156 comes with TSpark 1.6 (120bhp),1.8(140),
2.0(150)(JTS 165)
JTD 1.9(115) 1.9 MJet(150) 2.4(175)
V6 2.5 (200), 3.2 GTA (250).

You could get a 166 for that sort of money too. They cost ~30,000 new a year later ~13,000. Once again getting hold of one.
engines Tspark 2.0 V6 3.0 (220) 3.2 (240)
Alfa's are not everyones bag, but they do put a smile on your face.

I recomend you buy with the heart not the head
But do drive one.
They sound good, but the V6

Edit to add;
Had a little look at some AROC newsletters give you an idea.

156
2001 1.8 42000 FSH £3945
2001 2.0 Veloce 70000 FSH £4000
166
3.0 V6 Lusso 79000 FSH £3750

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