What do you care about these issues (I
-Parts availability (and of good quality ; i.e a genuine part, or good upgrades avaialble)
-Handling
-Power Type (i.e is diesel allowed?).
I've had a few cars in this bracket or driven a few.
Top picks would be
BMW 335i (E9x)
+ More than meets your power, and can do well over 350BHP
+ 35MPG is possibly on a run in either stock form or a remap
+ 2 of my friends who have them adore them. One saw it as a great all rounder
+ DCT box is pretty good in these if auto and speed is your thing
+ Great handling and power out of the box.
+ Superb parts backup, for decent quality parts. BMW aren't too stupid for the best part on these.
+ Most diagnostic setups work with these (Carly, INPA, ISTA D and some more advanced handheld OBD readers)
-Injectors can go, as can fuel pumps. Latter aren't too pricey, but injectors can be costly
-Tourings are now E46 M3 money and have been for quite some time. They are super rare however, so are unlikely to ever go down
-Some electrical gremlins, but most are cheap to fix (£1k iDrive going wrong is more like £300 if you know someone in Europe who can ship your unit away or about £400 in the UK).
-Terrible ride on run flats. Going to normal tyres transforms them for the better.
BMW 330i E9x (Preferably pre-LCI pre-2007)
+ N52 engine is very proven (pre-2007s tend to have this engine)
+ Probably the most reliable of the lot
+ Similar to the above
+ 35MPG is possible on a run with a manual, and around over 30 with an auto.
- N53 can be iffy regarding injectors as per the 335i
-Gremlins as above regarding electrics, and run-flat tyres
Nissan 350Z
+ Great sound
+ Great Chassis
+ Some cool touches as standard
-Rust issues
-Potential parts issues
Mercedes W230 S Class, CL, & SL
+ Good parts backup
+ Superb ride quality
+ Nice interiors
- Mercedes quirks of the day
- Potential rust issues
- Suspension issues can be ruinous
Mercedes CLK
+Surprisingly practical
+Good handling and comfortable
+Great for long distanced blasts
+Great spares backup
+A pretty car, and modern, but good looking for the day.
+A pillarless Coupe
-While not as flaky as its pricier Mercs, they still can be. I needed a door control module for mine
-Rust on the rear arches can be an issue, but elsewhere, they seem to be OK
-Many have been owned on the cheap
-I own one?
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Jaguar XJ8 (X350)
- Great ride
- Great engine note
-It's a Jaaaaaag
- Not as pretty as the outgoing X308
- Odd issues with suspension (steering kickback and vibrations) is down to the dampers. Correctly fixing this around £1k a corner (new airbag and damper) ; ideally, you'd change 4 suspension units and an air pump, which is around £4.5k before fitting. Cheaper way is £150 a corner and living with a slightly firmer ride)
-They can be ruinously expensive to own. German stuff can be FAR cheaper. Diagnostics is tricky to do without the right systems. SSD is hard to get for a copy which works, thus getting a factory PC is easier
-Brake lines go notoriously rusty on them. They are big money to change, as even the ones in the engine bay go bad.
-Suspension arms for decent quality items can be pricey.
XJ8 (X308) & XK8 (X100), and S Type V8
+Great looking car for the first two
+Even better to drive
- They rust terribly, especially where you can't see them rusting from underneath
- Gearboxes can be weak
- If you ever want to export one to Europe, they are near unexportable due to them not being type approved for Europe. Jaguar fiddled how the European cars got in allegedly.
My choice would be the E91 330i. TBH, I'll be getting one soon if I have any sense (replacing the CLK and the ST220), but hopefully a 330d LCI Touring, short of me winning the lottery. Then I might consier a Merc S124 E36
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