Powerrrrrrr! What would you buy?

[gazjon]

You're fed up with idiots in boring cars leaving you standing. You need a car that will show a clean pair of heals to most mundane cars and surprise a few 'hot' ones. You have £500.....so I ask you friends and countrymen.....What would you buy?

[bigfella2]

Not retro at all but has to be Volvo t4, preferably with the t4 badge removed.

[supersmoothpunk]

A couple of years ago I had this exact dilemma. I bought a 1999 ford cougar.

[omega]

v8 lexus and drive it like you stole it

[Garry]

Don't think that budget would get that much power unless its in a big car, so my choices would be...

90s Saab Turbo, 900 or 9-3 maybe, and fiddle with the boost.

or

Pug 106 GTI or Citroen Saxo VTR/VTS and strip everything out so you never have to lift off.

[Fungus]

My mk2 polo with a hot 1.4 and super short ratio box is really quick up until about 60mph... Stays ahead most semi-nippy modern things off the line, inlcuding saxo vtr's, mini coopers etc

[Mystery Machine]

I don't care if idiots in cars 'leave me standing'. They're the idiots and I'm not interested in racing. Life's too short.

For my £500 I'll buy the lovely beige Rover 213 for sale on this very forum and cruise around quite happily with some 80's music playing, a grin on my face and feeling completely chilled, safe in the knowledge that my licence is also safe. My £50 change will last me a lot longer in fuel too....

[Deleted]

for the money id try and pick up a w124 300e 300te or 300te24 merc, or a jaguar xj40. no self respecting idiot expects to be made look even more of a fool buy an old mans car/banger. saying that once you have one of the above you tend not to bother as much, its a pretty sure thing your not going to find much that can make it interesting

[fred]

Only thing which could keep up with the Starship Enterprise at that money is a 1995 circa Bimmer 7 series
I had one couple o years ago, this one -



absolute POWER !!! loved the way when floored, you had a 2 second delay and felt it spooling then
BOOOOOOM.... the acceleration pushed you back in the seat and you started laughing like a serial killer, and it never let up, I chickened out when it hit a certain naughty speed, but it was still pulling then -and the price for all this power, and a a infinite adjustable seat, separate air con, a sound system which I never did find the max limit, electric everything, and a phone in the centre glove box
amongst, god knows what else buttons I never worked out - £500
bloody crime really

[fred]

Apr 17, 2014 21:01:20 GMT gazjon said:

You're fed up with idiots in boring cars leaving you standing. You need a car that will show a clean pair of heals to most mundane cars and surprise a few 'hot' ones. You have £500.....so I ask you friends and countrymen.....What would you buy?

And good sir what is your thought

[joem83]

Mk2 MR2 is probably one of the quicker cars you could get for sub £500.
That or a Volvo T4/5/6 manual if you can find one in that price bracket.

[surprisingskoda]

Er - this doesn't work. My DD is a 286bhp (when new) 4.0 V8 with a 6 speed box and LSD. On my way to RR last year going through Wales, I was overtaken by an elderly lady going to get her pension in a 206, and a guy in a Golf going to work. I struggled to keep up with two tradesmen in their vans on the A5. So whilst I can go out and buy a blisteringly rapid large petrol car, as long as Joe Public have late-reg VW diesels throwing out as much torque as a small train, there's really nothing can be done about it.

In a drag race, sure, I could have them. But in the real world, where you're going from 30-60 and back down again, an Audi A4 tdi is going to 'av you sunshine. The best you can do is join them, or try to keep up.

Or buy a bike!

[Dorset_Clive]

Or spend £100 on an IAM/RoSPA course and enjoy taking advantage of all those opportunities to "make progress" which 95% of Joe/Jo Public miss...

[loudandproud205]

Hope that a Rover 800 Vitesse popped up.

Failing that I'd be hoping for a big Jag/BMW/Merc appeared, besides if you can't beat them join them a decent VTS is almost obtainable with this budget.

You you couldn't care about the speed and buy my nice Audi Coupe

[quasimoto]

slightly off your budget my scooby at about 1k value is an all rounder
i love sitting on the motorway doing 60 mph foot resting on the pedal letting the idiots race by knowing the power is there if needed
lost count of clapped out wibblepoo trying to race it from the lights
i just pull away change up and save fuel
street racing as gone for me but like everyone we were all young once and had the notion that a loud exhaust equalled power which we know does not
for 500 pounds id say saab turbo or volvo with beemers in the mix
its the morris minor or a35 flying down the fast lane that catches everyone out

[johnd]

Most stuff moderately fast will be way over budget, id personally save a bit more and get a clio 172 - which is still slow

[gazjon]

Apr 17, 2014 23:17:29 GMT fred said:

Apr 17, 2014 21:01:20 GMT gazjon said:

You're fed up with idiots in boring cars leaving you standing. You need a car that will show a clean pair of heals to most mundane cars and surprise a few 'hot' ones. You have £500.....so I ask you friends and countrymen.....What would you buy?

And good sir what is your thought

I currently have my eye on a 'D' reg Saab 900 8v Turbo ;-)

[Ryannn]

Old Chinese proverb say, no matter what you drive, you'll always be overtaken by a transit with a ladder on the roof...

[grumpy]

Apr 18, 2014 9:20:24 GMT Ryannn said:

Old Chinese proverb say, no matter what you drive, you'll always be overtaken by a transit with a ladder on the roof...

Or back in the day , a 18 year old in a 1.6 astra max van .

[composimmonite]

I agree with most of the comments. It really depends on the type of roads you want to show a "clean pair of heels". If motorway then a big saloon like Jag, BMW, Merc, Lexus etc would be fine but as soon as you get to twisty B roads even a 1.0 Micra might leave them standing.

Paul H