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Midlife crises material !
I have been umming and rring about buying a classic Porsche either a 924 or a 944, today I test drove a 2.7 944 was truly awesome but the problem is I can't fit the booster seats in the back ! So its a no go for a Porsche !
I hear you say midlife crises well the children shouldn't be in the car...they should I want to share my midlife crises with them !
Onto cars then
4 seats
Budget £1500 to £2000
BMW 3 series ?
Must be classic
Don't want an xr3i or the likes !
I await suggestions...
If you still need booster seats for your kids then you're no-where near ready for a mid-life crisis yet. Spend your money on a people carrier instead...
Could you get an MG BGT in budget?
More space you say...
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Edit: my boss used to have kiddy seats in the back of his 944, an S2 if I remember right, can you find different boosters?
Saab 900 Turbo?
If you still need booster seats for your kids then you're no-where near ready for a mid-life crisis yet. Spend your money on a people carrier instead...
got a people carrier...
I'm 40 thats midlife material !
the boosters are available for a 944 they cost £170 each...I need two of them
I'm 40 thats midlife material!
Hmm - I'm only 4 years older than you and my kids are driving now! I'm planning to do the mid-life crisis car thing later this year, but it will probably be a Porsche!
Hmm - I'm only 4 years older than you and my kids are driving now!
my 20s and 30s where a bit hazy...I wish they weren't...
Good luck with the Porsche... 😕
2CV?Budget £1500 to £2000
Alfa 156 V6?
2cv has been looked at...i joke not
the boosters are available for a 944 they cost £170 each...I need two of them
Guessing some of the cheaper bits you'll need to buy for an 80s Porsche.
Corrado?
If you really need a homoerotic penis extension just go the whole hog and embrace yourself..
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yunki 😆
it wouldn't fit in my garage !
get a land rover.
Hoodie +1
But I'm saving up for a 911 Carrera 4 for my next midlife crisis purchase 8)
At that price I cannot help think that trouble awaits at every (frequent) garage stop.
If I were in your shoes it would be a 306gti6/rallye, clio or mk2 Golf GTI from the hatches or from the coupes a Honda Prelude 2.2i c. Mid 1990s (the curvy one) OR I would spend 3x as much on something a bit more interesting. I wouldnt chance the reliability of a 2k S4 for example just from an age vs wear and tear perspective but maybe would a 5k one.
Jag, just accept that you are 40 now.
But a m/c is the usual answer.
Alfa GTV for that money. No back seats though, so you'll have to take the kids one at a time in the front...
impreza turbo, clio sport, Toyota Mr2, BMW M3 E39??, corrado or Golf VR6, Honda CRX, 309 GTI, BMW 328i, Audi S2/S3/S4, CIVIC Type R............
You could always get a Porsche Cayenne. Plenty of room for kids seats in one of those!
Any Alfa Romeo that takes your fancy and has four seats. Expect bits to fall off etc.
Everyone should have an Alfa at least once.
You could always get a Porsche Cayenne
Perhaps not for £2K though!
what's the point in posting if you don't read the OP?
unfitgeezer - Member2cv has been looked at...i joke not
I've done fast cars and slow cars:
Slow cars are much, much more fun. Honest.
However:
No such thing as a cheap, decent 2CV/Renault 4/Mini anymore - it costs just as much to restore one as it does to restore a 944.
I'd love to own a 944.
Put the kids in the boot.
Sorry missed the budget bit. 😳
Get a 944. You want one. Nothing else will do.
Shoehorn the children in. 🙂
[url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251190897474?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619 ]Flippin' sorted.[/url]
Ex-military Land Rover. At least that's what I'd like.
If your budget is genuinely only £1500 to £2000 then forget about your mid-life crisis car till you have a few more thousand to spend, you say you want a classic car?, so that means one of at least 20yrs+ in age and with such a tiny budget you'll get nothing worthwhile - believe me i've ran nothing but so called classic cars for years and if it wasn't for the fact i'm a mechanic to trade with extensive welding experience and a fully equipped garage with 4-post lift/spray booth available whenever i like then i'd be tens of thousands out of pocket.
As an example to dissuade you from a folly that will ruin your life i bought one of the very first MK2 8v Golf Gti's to arrive in this country in 1984 back in 2010 for £1500, i had spent 6 months searching for a good original early MK2 and out of 20 odd cars i looked at this one was sensibly priced and one of the more solid examples, i ran it for a year then put it off the road and stripped it back to a bare shell and set to work replacing the floor, inner arches, outer arches, chassis/suspension mounts and other extensive welding was done at the time, everything was replaced with OE VW parts apart from the brakes, suspension, anti roll bars, bushes which were all uprated, Ball joints, cv joints, track rod ends, steering rack and every bolts & washer was replaced for new. The bill for all the parts alone came to well over £4000 and as a treat to myself and the car i managed to source and import a 2.0 16v fast road engine from ABT tuning in Germany at a cost i'd rather not mention, if you had to factor in the time that the car was off the road (1 year) whilst the work was being done and my skill/labour times then it would have cost a small fortune to bring up to such a standard and you simply could not afford to pay a garage to do this work for you.
If you buy a classic for £1500/£2000 it will be a dog, if you buy a dog and you have a fully equipped garage and you are mechanically minded with the tools to back it up it will only cost you a small fortune to repair to standard where you can trust it enough to drive your family round in it, Don't do it unless you have many thousands spare to keep it roadworthy.
saab was lovely !
good advice !somafunk
Ha ha. Classic saab turbos i love. I miss my 9000 .expect some significant garage bills
"the boosters are available for a 944 they cost £170 each...I need two of them"
Guessing some of the cheaper bits you'll need to buy for an 80s Porsche.
Indeed. If the cost of those bothers you, then that's the reason not to get a 944. On that budget, the only sensible option is something ordinary but fun if you must buy a car for your mlc.
I know you said a Porsche was out as you cannot fit rear seats but just as well, you'll be very hard pressed to find a good example for less than £6k that doesn't need a few thousand spent on it.
You may find a decent run-out model MK2 VW Scirocco 1800cc 8valve GTI/GT11 or Scala for around your budget, fun cars to drive and i've owned a few, the one pictured below had a 2.1 16v engine on twin 48 webers, only got 15-20mpg at best but it was a hoot to drive and the downdraft/suction from the carbs sucked small children from their pushchairs as you drove along the road.
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somafunk you should have had my 8v mk2 off me, it was rot free and in the end my old man practically gave it away (£500) as I didn't have time to find it a new home and no one on here wanted it!!!
i fail to believe there are any non molested/thrashed sciroccos around now.
how about an audi 80 4wd?
If you buy an old car for £2k be prepared to spend the same again fixing it - at least. I know this a my own slice of 70's nostalgia has cost me more than twice it's initial cost and it cost a fair bit more than you plan to spend.
Still wouldn't change it though. Just make sure you go in to it with your eyes open.
I you're going to spend £2k on an old 4 seater, you could do worse than an old 3 series or Merc.
It's got to be an e30 325i coupe, surely?
although what you should get is this:
Timewarp MORRIS MINOR. 62,000 miles from new. Tax and MOT Exempt. HISTORY!!
Have you considered an affair with a colleague and a divorce? It may turn out to be cheaper and less trouble 😀
It's got to be an e30 325i coupe, surely?
That is good advice, possibly because I managed to buy one in my yoof, and it was the 2nd greatest car I have ever driven.
Have you considered an affair with a colleague and a divorce? It may turn out to be cheaper and less trouble
I like your thinking...but no !
Don't tell me things like that MrNutt, it wasn't a small window/small bumper model by any chance was it as i'm still searching for a front valence for mine, i cannot find an original one anywhere in Europe 🙁 - my Mk2 is going for a windows out respray to tidy the exterior bodywork up this year and then it'll be all done and finished........thank god!.
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Be very clear on whether you're buying a car to drive or a project... Not compatible.
Also, not to be all responsible but if you're getting something older you might want to give some thought to impact survival, since the kids will be going in it... Surprising how small some cars can be folded with fairly little effort. I'm pretty sure I could punch my mate's mini in half.
I would not carry my kids around in a crappy old sporty car, tbh.
Not enough crash protection.
Oh, just read Northwind's post - what he said.
Honest opinion...
Get a well looked after Saxo VTS. Faster than any golf gti in std form, some well looked after ones around. Last time I looked quite a few for sale, probably because of the recession and insurance for the mainly younger drivers.Really practical and look quite discrete when standard. They handle brilliantly in the corners are a blast to drive and as I said really quick. 0-60 7.5 secs IIRC probably top end speed of 120 i guess.On twisty B roads they'd be faster than any Saab, or even a super car tbh. Think they're an insurance group 13 or 14 though should that be an issue.Also although newish they're be a classic at some stage just like 205 gtis are.
Or I'd go for a classic Saab
Banged out Escort Mk1/mk2....and then do it up over time to the original rally specs
Get a well looked after Saxo VTS.
and don't forget to get one of these too:
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mk1 escorts go for thousands these days. even good 1.1 Xl's
Burbery is optional..
Mint Opel Manta GTE or Irmischer?
i don't understand why image is so important when buying a car... surely it's about other more important factors such as performance, engineering concepts or handling or price, or just fun. This is why lots of people buy cars they just don't understand ..it's all about the image they're project..until they have to explain if it's front wheel drive or rear wheel drive.. or buy new tyres lol.
sorry back from OT
You could just about stretch to a mk2 Audi A4 1.8T of a decent Sierra XR4x4 (great handling car)
Or other options BMW 520i/523.
Maybe a little left field - Volvo T5-R estate!!
Got embarased by a fast saxo recently, in my 330i :-0
Didn't have the torque or reactions to keep up when the crawler lane emerged going cross country.
Looked like proper fun, but I can do better powerslides
yes rear wheel drive is better than front i guess
must be the day for it, 50 year old at work just passed his bike test adn went straight out and bought a brand new:
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In your case, I'd probably look for an old bmw 3 series, 325 or 330 (if you want to go a bit newer)
What about a Suburu or Mitsubishi EVO?
that's another option as mentioned...Astra GTE maybe.
remember the budget though..Mind you there's a lot I guess to be said for a bit of power, luxury and refinement.. something french cars probably lack
can you really get high end BMW's / Audi's for that sort of budget? 😯
M5, e39 series, might be a struggle a that budget though!
Increase your budget and get a Karmann Ghia.
1500-2000 should be your budget for repairs serving on something classic not the car itself, agree with most others that kind of money just going to buy you pain and heartache
FWIW. How about an MX5 or the last MR2 - I had one from new in 2000 and it was a cracking little car and theyre probably near your budget
Somafunk I'll tell you it was a 5 door, but apart from that it was the same as yours. I was suprised by how it understeered on a damp roundabout once, I'm not a fan of front wheel drive for that exact reason.
How about a new Mini? Not classics but there's more than one Cooper S on Autotrader for a bit over £2k
I wasn't gonna disagree with you till you said this:
On twisty B roads they'd be faster than any Saab, or even a super car tbh.
???
Can you tell me exactly which super cars a saxo would be faster than? Ones driven by my dead granny don't count 😀
I'd buy a Ford Puma 1.7 for that money. I've had a lot of faster, more expensive cars over the years, but nothing as much fun. Cheap to buy now, cheap to repair and put a smile on your face at sensible speeds. Room for a booster too. Only problem is, people will assume you are a recently qualified hairdresser. Not that that should worry you.
Puma is a good suggestion, they drive well apparently.
But your budget is low, you are likely to have big bills afterwards.
Just get a nice new bike instead.
My midlife was the Turner.
I'd thought about a puma for a bit- apart from the obvious rot issues on the rear arches I've only heard good things..
Fiesta running gear, the 1.7 engine (was it Yamaha or someone jap maybe?) is supposed to be a wee peach, and can be had fairly cheap- might be enough to lure me away from my main mlc car- a classic mini.
Can anyone advise if you can get a full susser in the back with the seats folded?
Nissan 200sx, old celica, Puma is a good bet though but most seem rotten now.
Ford Pumas MX5's even an effing Saxo!
He said he's having a mid life crisis not a lobotomy! The OP states classic.
He wants something classy.
Ford Pumas MX5's even an effing Saxo!
He said he's having a mid life crisis not a lobotomy! The OP states classic.
He wants something classy.
For £2000, care to suggest anything we might have missed?
mx5
Your budget would certainly buy a tidy Merc E190 - have a look [url= http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=27086 ]here[/url] . As others have said, it's not all about speed. I've owned three 911's. three Clio 182's, various Golf Gti's, Intrgra Type R etc etc over the years. What do I drive ? a Berlingo. I love it. For what it's worth, the object of desire for me at the moment is [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170971943505?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649 ]this.[/url]
If I only had 2k to spare I would put my crisis on hold, personally. You can buy plenty of reliable, nippy fun for 2k (Celica GT4 for example) that will be in perfectly usable condition but its not a crisis car. A crisis car is an Esprit V8, or a TVR. I've already started designing/building my crisis car. Might have it finished for my 40s.
N
OP asks for more seats than an MX5.
[url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201301144908109/sort/default/usedcars/model/3000gt/make/mitsubishi/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/radius/1500/postcode/sy25db/page/1?logcode=p ]3000GT[/url] but as previously stated a 2k limit isn't really a midlife crisis and the whole thing doesn't sound like a midlife crisis.
I ran a 1.7 puma for 8 years from 2003 to 2011.
So the kids were 2 and 5 when I bought it. Booster seat, check.
With back seat folded flat my full medium f/s bike went in easy wheels off.
I replaced it with an rx8 that I got rid of after a year.
Mine was a 2001 X with 80k miles when I sold it, and had had a gearbox rebuild and air con failure but otherwise few surprises
I got 700 px for it.
If you want "classic" then there was the racing puma, 500 built.
It was an absolute hoot to drive. Great handling. Front wheel drive yes but lift oversteer very possible!
2k would be plenty to get a really nice one properly sorted.
Yamaha engine btw.