[Closed] Silly Car Time!

Like this?

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Go for it. I bought a 3.0l petrol six pot 18 months ago and every time I turn it over I know I made the right choice not getting an oil burner.. Loving current fuel prices!

You're right. Now petrol's so cheap I might start chucking it down the drain or using it to wash the dishes in without a care in the world. Whooopppeeeeee

Price rising slightly - I wonder if it's now bottomed out?

What about when you come to sell it and the prices have gone back up?

Is an A3 a silly car now? Little commuter runabout for folk too posh for an Astra. Shirley for a silly car you can get the same engine in a TT at least? Convertible one for the summer, now's the time to buy.

midlifecrashes - Member

Is an A3 a silly car now? Little commuter runabout for folk too posh for an Astra. Shirley for a silly car you can get the same engine in a TT at least? Convertible one for the summer, now's the time to buy.

God I hope cars haven't got so dull that A3s are now silly - even the TT is pushing it

depending on budget a little, but alfa V6 could be a laugh, GT or brera for my liking. or go nuts and get some old V12?

midlifecrashes - Member

Is an A3 a silly car now? Little commuter runabout for folk too posh for an Astra. Shirley for a silly car you can get the same engine in a TT at least? Convertible one for the summer, now's the time to buy.

This.
If you're gonna do it, you might as well do it properly.

Something like a Nissan 350Z?
Vauxhall Monaro?

I wouldn't describe an A3 in any guise as silly. Alfa 147 GTA is possibly silly in a similar size package…

Silly = less practical (no hatchbacks) and no FWD.

Surely a silly car must have :
a - 2 seats only
b - a removable roof / no roof.

A3 ? ffs, please try harder

I'm coming from a 1.9 straight d berlingo guys - 60bhp to 250bhp... it's silly enough no?!

I've got a spaniel and a bike to get on the back to reign in my madness but I have always had a soft spot for an integra!

3.2v6 A3 is not silly enough.

Get an e92 M3 instead.

Ex-housemate had succession of silly cars, Triumph Scimitar pickup with a modified engine that had been raced by a Scimitar enthusiast. Stupid quick, wheelspin in every gear. No heater though...

But he kept going back to Nissan Pulsars, freaking awesome cars and amazing how the fit everything into such a tiny engine bay.

He's now driving round the alps in a (DIY) converted G4S Prisoner transport/camper. It's brilliant.

My silly car ticks a lot of boxes:
- Italian: yep
- engine behind the driver: yep
- open top: yep
- red: yep

... I'll post a picture later when I get home so you can bask in it's awsumness.

Go for it! You will love it.

I really like the look of the Quattro A3 3.2s Ones on the shortlist for when I get bored of the beemer

My silly car would have to be a Jaguar XJR.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/jaguar/xjr/jaguar-xjr-supercharged-4-0-v8----------1998/2029370
Something like that.

Awsums, Legoman.
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Everyone above is right. An Audi A3 is not silly. A quick glance on eBay suggests prices are £4-6k, so I'm going to assume your budget is £5k. A silly £5k car that will take a bike and a spaniel is [url= http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/mercedes-benz/sec-series/mercedes-sl-sec-series-sec-------------------1992/3612819 ]this[/url]:
[img] [/img]

Just looking on Autotrader and 3.2 quattro's are quite cheap for what they are. Big engined, high spec Audi. But not remotely silly imo. Quite a sensible purchase tbh.

If you're thinking, petrol is cheap, I fancy something silly but it needs to have some room too then I'd be looking at something rwd with a v8. Like [url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201412169678436/sort/default/page/1/radius/1500/fuel-type/petrol/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/body-type/estate/postcode/bt366dn/make/mercedes-benz/usedcars/engine-size-cars/5lplus?logcode=p ]this.[/url]

[img] http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=9eb3a5f71b966a41c096f6360b2d78af&width=1024&height=683 [/img]

Alternatively since it's maybe only a short term deal think about getting a burgeoning classic. Something that won't really lose money if you look after it. Better yet, it might make money under the right circumstances.

eg an [url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201411128923349/sort/default/usedcars/quicksearch/true/page/3/make/ford/fuel-type/petrol/postcode/bt366dn/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/engine-size-cars/2l_to_2-5l/radius/1500/keywords/rs?logcode=p ]RS Focus[/url]

[img] http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=9470a138818fa178f840cf119a5d45aa&width=1024&height=768 [/img]
[url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201501190277875/sort/default/radius/1500/keywords/p1/usedcars/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew/model/impreza/make/subaru/page/1/postcode/bt366dn?logcode=p ]Impreza P1[/url]

[img] http://pictures2.autotrader.co.uk/imgser-uk/servlet/media?id=6bcc5ceffe8a024e81299bc4d8b641a6&width=1023&height=768 [/img]

Yeah, go the hole hog get a V8 AMG Merc', an old estate would even make a practical mtb car!

AMG e55/e63 aren't homologated (i.e. tricky to insure) for towbars*

*I might have checked this out for my near future silly car purchase

[url= http://www.dbonnercars.co.uk/used-cars/rolls-royce-silver-spirit-6-8-4dr-kettering-201411299332720 ]6.8 Litre Rolls Royce[/url]If you log onto autotrader, select engine size over 5 litres and budget under £5k you get loads of choice.
My favourite is a Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit 6.8 4dr.
I am sure the spaniel would be very happy in that!!

C63 AMG estate gets me to Cannock in good time and has never been so 'cheap' to run!

Brilliant! Get something 'silly' if you can afford to, but after 5 years of ownership my Audi RS6 Estate, buying it was the 'cheap' part!

Go into it after doing some research so you know what you are getting into with maintenance etc. but I love mine!

Massively practical for bikes and family duties and still fun when you want it to be.

In terms of fuel costs, depends how much you drive it. Once you get down to 20mpg and below territory, you WILL feel it. Massively. If you want to go anywhere, that is. If you don't do many miles, or it's a weekend car, do it. Everyone needs a big motor at least once. If you buy an older or rarer car, it'll help if you don't mind getting your hands dirty too.

C63 AMG

I approve the willy waving - fantastic sounding car. (Quite nippy too apparently).

3.0 Audi engine does around 28mpg overall (can be coaxed up to 37mpg if careful - but why would you!) and does around 30mpg or a little over on a run. Not at 145mph though! Only got 26mpg overall that day - started well but got the chance to cane it later.

I'd imagine the 3.2 Quattro would be a couple of mpg less in each case. Autotrader's figures are surprisingly accurate in this case.

Lovely engines.

MG ZT-T 260

4.6l Mustang V8 engine, RWD, loads of room.

I've owned half a dozen or so unnecessarily fast cars and really loved all( well maybe most) of them for a while, but after a year or so I couldn't wait to rid and buyers are few and far between because opportunity use the cars properly are rare and running costs high.

Thats my experience, quite happy to concede I'm getting old but my god I would love to have all that money back and spend it on something less pointless.

Be aware that having fun in the A3 with that 3.2 litre if it's Quattro will get you down around 5-10mpg.....with ease....mixed cycle sensible driving is 23mpg, semi pensioner 28mpg, long trips at legal motorway speeds and 50-60 on Aand B roads I can get as much as 35mpg!

Lots of chat about monetary cost but not a thought about the environmental cost. It should be part of the equation, especially for those of you who plan on/have procreated.

he kept going back to Nissan Pulsars, freaking awesome cars and amazing how the fit everything into such a tiny engine bay.

I bought one nearly 13 years ago and despite being tempted a few times by something newer like an Evo I've never been able to bring myself to sell it 😳

It's got double the standard horsepower now and does about 4 mpg with a heavy right foot, much more fun to drive than a newer car with all the electronic aids etc 8)

Excellent point. Buy an M5 and plant a tree.

Or refuse to buy any food in packaging.

Or procreate over yourself.

or buy a new eco-wagon that's laden with rare elements

Lots of chat about monetary cost but not a thought about the environmental cost. It should be part of the equation, especially for those of you who plan on/have procreated.

Is there one, really? I'm not sure what's worse, driving a 10 year old V8, or buying a new Ford Focus, or even Nissan Leaf, every couple of years. The production of new cars must put a pretty big dent in the environment.

Waderider - Member
Lots of chat about monetary cost but not a thought about the environmental cost. It should be part of the equation, especially for those of you who plan on/have procreated.

Don't you just love STW 🙄

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Now this gets you in the silly zone, with a few simple mods 0-60 sub 6 secs, 50-70 sub 5 secs and 15 second quarters.
Handles like a go cart and the chances of seeing another one coming in the opposite direction 0.

Just bought a 3.0l v6 merc ml, goes like a rocket and 27mpg!
Only do 5k a year but the low oil price certainly helps

Lots of chat about monetary cost but not a thought about the environmental cost. It should be part of the equation, especially for those of you who plan on/have procreated.

[img] [/img]

😆

Anyway, OP. Don't listen to the folks saying "only an A3??". You're coming from a Berlingo - the Korma of cars - so moving to a Vindaloo might be a bit overwhelming.

That said, having driven and A3 3.2 quattro s-tronic and a Golf R32 DSG back-to-back, the reason they're cheap becomes a bit clearer. They're very wooly, remote and boring, basically. They also go wrong (my mates did, it was £6k-ish) and are not cheap/easy to fix.

I'd look at a 6 cylinder petrol 3-series, a 330i or the like. Fast and fun, although they seem prone to depreciation.

]That said, having driven and A3 3.2 quattro s-tronic and a Golf R32 DSG back-to-back, the reason they're cheap becomes a bit clearer. They're very wooly, remote and boring, basically. They also go wrong (my mates did, it was £6k-ish) and are not cheap/easy to fix

😆
Woolly....I would say stable at any given road speed, Remote.......yes it has some suspension movement so won't be a pain in the back after a cross country B road blast or tootle.....Boring..........predictable and hopefully you would have to drive like a complete incompetent arse to end up upside down in a ditch.

The days of back end out full opposite lock on a public road without causing an accident or getting wiped out by someone else as its do busy are long gone. At least you could get from A to B in the snow, unlike a 330 😆

I've owned more' exciting ' rear wheel drive cars and fast front wheel drive hot hatches as well as a V8 big car, they all drive differently, unless you are getting into Supercar performance levels ( and I class M5etc and RS4s/RS6s/Porsche or Aerial Atom type cars) then a lot of standard road cars of that sort of BHP and size are fairly similar in excitement to drive.

BMW 850i?

Woolly....I would say stable at any given road speed, Remote.......yes it has some suspension movement so won't be a pain in the back after a cross country B road blast or tootle.....Boring..........predictable and hopefully you would have to drive like a complete incompetent arse to end up upside down in a ditch.

so the opposite of the "silly" car the OP is looking for then?

P.S. I'm taking "woolly" as being vague and un-involving

Wooly car.

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them + heated seats = heaven

Get yourself a nice BMW E46 M3. I had one last year and loved that car. Made every trip fun and was very good at "making progress".. Never once considers the environment as I gave it a boot full of the load pedal. What a noise!

Oh and the mention of Nissan Pulsars GTI-R's always makes me smile. My Dad and Brother had them and used to embarrass silly expensive cars on a regular basis. 315bhp and just shy of 400bph respectively in a small hatchback will do that! Sub 5 seconds to 60mph.. Mental quick and great handling.

Had a similar talk with myself about cars and am off to look at a Mk.2 TT on saturday. It's a hard top and based on teh Golf chassis, so it's hardly a silly car, but it is the 3.2 V6 Quattro, so it more or less qualifies.

If I need to take passengers or carry extra stuff I'll take the van.

This looks amazing, the Pi55ed up owner is in the photo. One careful lady owner!
[url= http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201501039919217/sort/pricedesc/radius/1500/model/boxster/usedcars/price-to/5000/postcode/bs110yb/fuel-type/petrol/make/porsche/page/1/onesearchad/used%2Cnearlynew%2Cnew?logcode=p ]Boxster[/url]

Fun car is a Porsche 944 S2, boring car is Octavia 1.8t 4x4. Both have been known to get into double digit mpg starting with a 3.
944 is bloody ace fun and smoother than some newer stuff I've driven.

RX-8? They're very cheap to pick up, good fun RWD cars and can drink petrol like nobodies business.

£5k? Here, take two!

Jag S type R
Supercharged 4.2L V8 and your cheapest way into the 400bhp club.

Get yourself a nice BMW E46 M3

This.

What a noise!

In a tunnel building to the redline is something to behold.

😀

Glad to see the Pulsar love, it's the only car I've been in that made my eyes hurt. Sci-fi levels of traction.

Minor drug dealers in Manchester used to buy 3.2 A3 and R32's. Even they've gone up to 530's now 😆

From memory the 3.2 A3 Audi has a very expensive Achilles heel. I'll try to remember it..

Ah yeah google timing chain.

E39 M5.
430bhp V8 Rwd.
End.

Suzuki Alto

OP get a WRX.

Suggsey, I mention the comparison with the golf because on paper they're the same car, but in reality the feeling you get from them is quite different. That's not to say the golf is wild - it's anything but - but it's certainly more exciting than the a3 despite sharing lots of bits.

To say that cars which are not super car levels are all similar is a bit naive I think. Fiesta STs of the same era as the Clio 182 are are different kettle of fish, as are fabia VRSs compared to other diesel hatchbacks. Not to mention the panda 100hp compared to other 5dr shopping cars. You don't have to be driving on the limit to appreciate those qualities either, they're very apparent at legal speeds driving safely and considerately.

And, for the same reason a 330i is less capable in the snow than a Quattro a3, the 330 would not be the car of choice for someone who wants to drive sideways everywhere. No LSD, no walloping amounts of torque and traction control keeping things sensible just in case. It does however offer a decent power/drivetrain, is comfortable and can drink lots of juice if required. Are those not qualities the OP seems to be looking for in the A3?

Lots of chat about monetary cost but not a thought about the environmental cost. It should be part of the equation, especially for those of you who plan on/have procreated.

Running an older gas guzzling V8 that's already been manufactured is probably a whole load more friendly to the environment than placing an order for a new eco or hybrid car. Most of the CO2 and environmental damages associated by a car in its lifetime comes during the manufacture stage.

Anyway back to the OP, an A3 V6 is a good competent and swift car but hardly an exciting one. Having said that I'm sure you'll enjoy it coming from a van. If I was in the market for a sub £10k fun car that I could also use every day then you shouldn't rule out the following:

E46 M3 (RWD, fantastic chassis)
Renaultsport Clio 200 (amazing grip, handling, revvy engine)
Renaultsport Megane 225/250 (bigger than clio, with added turbo punch and a LSD)
Fiat Coupe 20VT (bags of Italian character 5cyl burble - massive turbo shove)
Audi S3, 8L (one of the best drivers Audi's - better than TT)
MK 5 Golf Gti (does everything well)
Nissan 350Z (RWD fun and nice V6)
BMW 130i (RWD, pace and practicality)

Loads more but you get the idea. All the above have bags more character than a V6 A3 and if you like driving you won't get bored of them.

As I am now 40 I've been looking at this thread with interest.

Is it possible for something around 250ish bhp to retain some kind of economy ? (say 30 ish mpg)

The new Golf Gti will return those figures but anything producing that sort of bhp (unless you go for a torquey diesel) will if you use the power be below 30mpg on a tank full in my experience.
I think the new GolF R also gets close.
Don't forget to look at road tax too and factor that in as a lot of older dirtier engines are in the £475 a year bracket!

The various 3l V6 diesels will do 40mpg afaik, at least, and the BMW one seems very well regarded. There's also a 2.0 diesel twin turbo in the new Passat that delivers 240bhp.. Whilst it wouldn't really qualify as a silly car it would be a nice sleeper 🙂

Running an older gas guzzling V8 that's already been manufactured is probably a whole load more friendly to the environment than placing an order for a new eco or hybrid car.

Lol.. Hilarious how people keep saying this as if those are the only two choices.. In an effort to justify gas guzzling!

RX-8? They're very cheap to pick up, good fun RWD cars and can drink petrol like nobodies business.

There's a good reason they're cheap - usually because the Renesis block is ready to, or has, gone past the point of no return. That and people realise they are a complete bastard to live with.

If you were looking long term though I can think of worse donor cars for an engine swap 🙂

Here's one already done, £4k:

http://www.driftworks.com/forum/drift-cars-sale-private-sales/197596-mazda-rx8-ls1-v8-project-car.html

Get an e92 M3 instead.

If u want something reeaaaally stupid go back about 15-20 years and get something with a blower
200sx
Mr2turb
Rx7
Pulsar gtir
Impreza p1
Evo of some form
Astra mk2-3 2.0t
Some form of cossworth
With a 4-5k budget most of those will put enough power to put the wind up most people and show up allot of new cars,
I had some spare cash when a bit younger pre children so shoehornd a 2.0 turbo into a sleeper corsa b gutted it and screamed it everywhare was awesome fun

You'll not get a non-disastrous RX7 for less than about £7k nowadays. MR2 are fairly bombproof, but no good for bike and spaniel.

There's a good reason they're cheap - usually because the Renesis block is ready to, or has, gone past the point of no return. That and people realise they are a complete bastard to live with.

boardsi

As I am now 40 I've been looking at this thread with interest.

Is it possible for something around 250ish bhp to retain some kind of economy ? (say 30 ish mpg)

Loads will. Almost too many cars to list, you'd need to narrow it down a bit. The only thing is, the more power and/or weight you add to those figures the more likely it'll be that figure will be a target as opposed to a reality.

According to Honest John you can get 36mpg out of a 328i and they're 240bhp ish.
Personally I'd be impressed with that. I drove to work this morning in our lass's 140bhp Ibiza and got 38mpg on the computer. That's 12 miles, two thirds town/one third dual carriageway at 75.
Last petrol I had was a 180 TTq that made 26mpg long term.

boardsi - Member
As I am now 40 I've been looking at this thread with interest.

Is it possible for something around 250ish bhp to retain some kind of economy ? (say 30 ish mpg)

POSTED 14 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

BMW 330D - I know it's an oil burner, but it has more torque than the new M3/M4

And ignore this about rotaries. People who say this have either never owned one, or never looked after the one they did own in the way they were supposed to.

Or option C) the person who owned it before you never looked after it and you're left with a dog. The seals wear without near constant constant servicing, fact. Once they do they can't be saved without sustantial cost (if at all) which is why the dogs go cheap and the ones that have been looked after go for higher premiums (whodathunkit?). The very fact that the last incarnation was fitted with an extra oil ports was very telling, not to mention the fact that pre-Renesis 13B's were far more sturdy and reliable.

Ignore at your peril.

No, I've not owned one but have certainly done my homework (and known a couple of people who got sucked in by cheap prices having not done theirs).

I wanted something silly about a year ago, but eventually ruled out anything with 2 seats as it's my only car and I think I'd grow to loathe it if I had to spend an hour trying to get a bike rack to fit whenever I wanted to go out on the bike. Ended up with a BMW 130i. Goes like a scalded cat, makes a wonderful noise, enough space for bikes and doesn't actually cost the earth to run. Fuel economy in town is predictably bad but it gets around 34mpg on a run if you drive at the speed limit and I average about 30mpg overall. The only downside is the jiggly ride. 330i would be another good choice - same engine in a more grown up and comfortable package and taller gearing so it is probably a bit more economical.

The seals wear without near constant constant servicing, fact

The key point was "looked after how you're supposed to". Not how Mazda told you (because they [i]really[/i] dropped a bollock with the RX8), not how you'd treat a Golf GTi, how you're supposed to treat a rotary. Run premix or get the oil metering pump sorted, and look after the cooling & ignition systems and they're magical cars. What they aren't is a car for someone not interested in treating them correctly, because as you rightly say they end up as £1000 snotters. Same reason as I wouldn't touch an RX7 under £7k now.

I wasn't meaning servicing the seal itself, I meant the other parts that contribute to their wellbeing (oil changes and the items you mentioned). Constant care is needed to keep it good and to find one in that condition is going to beyond the OP's budget which was the main thrust of my point.

Sorry if it appeared that I was implying they're all bad and going to give you grief, they just require significantly more care than other cars at that price point. Kinda like some dogs are easier to live with than others; the harder ones aren't inherantly bad, they just require more care and attention or will end up causing bother.

BMW 330D - I know it's an oil burner, but it has more torque than the new M3/M4

Very nice, very quick cars. However, also very comfy, quiet and sensible so not exactly silly

thatscold

BMW 330D - I know it's an oil burner, but it has more torque than the new M3/M4

As do plenty of tractors. It doesn't matter how much torque it has, a sporty diesel will never be a sporty petrol. I was in a vehicle recently that had nearly 1000nm of torque, and yes you read that right. Just under 700lbs ft. It was a diesel, and it felt like diesel. To my complete lack of surprise.

if i had the cash id get one of these, future classic and scary... only car i sort of pooped myself in.

[img] [/img]

It doesn't matter how much torque it has, a sporty diesel will never be a sporty petrol

Could still be better though 🙂

I gave in the other day and, after much searching, bought a 2008 TT 3.2 Quattro.

It sounds lovely, but the fuel consumption scares me. I'm actually planning on ridign to work on the nike a lot more now, just so I can save the fuel for weekends.