What to buy with 30K max??

[Joules]

After posting a sad note having to sell my S4 due to redundancy things have picked up. I have a new role and a new challenge in another company.

.... but what to buy with 30K????

I am thinking SMG M3 2001 plate??? or an M5 ???I am a bit short for an RS4 and want low miles anyway... any ideas?? [img]images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[jeffw]

M5 or 993 or....

Audi S4 + Caterham/Westfield

[Riz_RS4]

Audi S3.... then get it to MTM in germany for the full works......

2.0 Turbo, AWD, 376bhp, 0-100 km/h in 4.5secs and 0-200 in 17.2secs top speed = 282km/h

[img]images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Joules]

Riz...Not sure about the extensive modding!! [img]images/graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

But I fancy buying some grunt straight from the box....

Jeff... I would love a 993 but have fallen for the turbo and clearly it is out of my price range [img]images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Still the M5 is seriously good value now... and its tough to argue with 0-100-0 in 15.7

The car still needs to be presentable in the company car park...hence a Skyline is probably a no!! I did nip down to middleton garage to have a look at a few.... They are serious motors and pretty much bullet proof.

Well modded there is not much competition less an F1. There was a 600 BHP one in ...but looks damn ugly to me!!

[Riz_RS4]

hehe, mmm maybe your right..... the M5 is very very good 2nd hand now and its cheap.... heres some info which you might like to know about it.

Taken from EVO issue 058!

BMW M5

400bhp @ 6600rpms
369lb ft @ 3800rpms
0-60mph in 4.9sec
top speed 155mph limited

The following prices include VAT but not labour!

Clutch £256.17
Front brake pad set £82.00
Rear brake pad set £53.00
Front brake disc set £136.17
Rear brake disc set £136.17
Windscreen £183.83

Service costs
Inspection 1 (minor oil-change service) £204.03
Inspection 2 (major service) £359.59

[img]images/graemlins/jawdrop.gif[/img] Seems pretty cheap`ish to run... that clutch is dirt cheap!

[Joules]

Cheers Riz,

I get EVO and that is what got me thinking.....???

Still I am really pleased with my S4 but want a bit more.

I could chip and sports cat mine but then it will owe me 17~18 including wheels and would still get beat by an M5. Whereas you can get a 60K M5 for 24K now!!

0-100 I don't think a std RS4 will beat it ... and the 100+ performance is meant to be strong too....

So it sounds like a great idea??? I will have to try one...

Wouldnt mind knowing if anyone has had some fun in or against an M5???

[Riz_RS4]

Not a M5 but ive had a few run-ins with M3`s and must say they look very unsettled at high speed.... maybe because its a RWD car etc...... the M5 is a great car but its down to what you want... remember is has no quattro.... and the new one will be out soon.

Its still one amazing car, you should watchout for oil as they do suck quite alot i hear, also make sure its a newer facelift model with the clear lights... i think these models look way better than the older ones!

[TimJMS]

Jeff... I would love a 993 but have fallen for the turbo and clearly it is out of my price range

Not if you are prepared to go LHD, Joules!

Best of luck [img]images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[TimJMS]

Wouldnt mind knowing if anyone has had some fun in or against an M5???

Yep. Against the Ring Mistress herself, Sabine Schmitz.

Didnt last long, mind. Perhaps she was in in a hurry? Really left me for dead. Utterly gobsmacked [img]images/graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]

[Joules]

Ummm.. I think I will try one and I will keep all posted on my experience.

Tim... I have looked for a 993 Turbo LHD ... I still couldn't find one for 30K. I have previously had a Lancia Integrale and the LHD is no problem (except for re-sale [img]images/graemlins/033102bad_1_prv.gif[/img])

If you have any ideas or contacts etc.... that could end in me finding a 993 T for the sort of money I am talking about please let me know..... [img]images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I mean ....we move into a new performance bracket with the 993T 408BHP and nearly 10sec 0-100. Yep ... now that is an M5 killer

Let me know....

Joules

[jeffw]

I spent a session following a (current Model) M5 around Bedford last year. The car was 380 bhp and was just moving away by a car length from my (then) remapped S4 with 320 bhp down the main straight. It had pretty good traction out of damp corners and seemed pretty well balanced as well.

[gord]

Just a thought, if you don't mind LHD, would 30k get you a reasaonable RS4 from mainland Europe? Look at Autoscout24.de or Mobile.de. Also, what about a LHD S6; you can even get them with manual gearboxes in Germany and several of the ones on the above websites seem to already have Rs4 or even RS6 wheels on - so even look like one....
Good luck anyway. Oh and by the way, SMG M3? Wouldn't bother if I were you. Get the manual.
GM

[Dippy]

Joules,

I can't help feeling that you haven't given your S4 a chance. The S4 is shouting out for a remap and positively screaming for a free-flow cat exhaust. The torque/mass ratio of a chipped S4 makes it comparable to most of its competitors at legal speeds, and better than some(M3 and M5 for example).

However your comment about 0-100-0 suggests that you are driven by top-end power, so on that basis I can see that an S4 is not for you. If you're going to drive at illegal speeds a lot, then whilst you retain your license you might as well have something with a high power to mass ratio.

I might make an additional sobering comment, since I too was out of work for the first part of this year: How secure is your new job? Just recently it was doom and gloom that you would have to sell your car - and get what to replace it? Wouldn't it be better to be a bit prudent for a while so that if you are made redundant again you won't need to sell your S4 immediately?

[JohnH]

Here is a 2001Y low mileage M5 in AutoTrader for under £30K and should still have a years warranty left which can be extended.

2001 Y Reg BMW M5 4.9 John Holland Sales Petrol, Manual 6 speed, Carbon Black Metallic, Saloon, 22,000 miles , 4 Doors. CD Player, Main Dealer FSH, power steering, Air Bag, ABS, alarm, 18" light alloy wheels, climate control, leather interior

[Joules]

Thanks Dave for the thoughts,

Rest easy I have evaluated the Job front and am keeping a fair wedge in reserve plus my wife is a teacher and based on our financial circumstances/investments things are fine. I am a bit of a pessimist hence perhaps overreacting by thinking of selling my S4 so quickly.

OK.... now, I am not driven my max BHP or Speeds, the comments about the 0-100-0 are simply underlining that this is a very accomplished machine and its STANDARD (oh apart from the best V8 in the world IMHO). I in fact prefer torque, the STD S4 is a good example because despite low BHP on paper it drives well and easily matches the progress of most motors on the open road. Shame about cornering though there are kits I know to help resolve this at more expense.

However, I also want sound investment and quite simply the S4 values are on the way down. Sadly this may accelerate as RS4's drop under pressure of C32 AMGs, M5's, 993 T's etc. Therefore am concerned about putting further money into mine. On this subject I would wait until the new M5 (V10) hit the residuals of the current crop anyway and then buy.


Anyway, anyway, I am in the pleasurable situation of having a host of options and it is nice to ponder on a few.

I will look more into the valuable suggestions of LHD...

Joules