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Fun older car for £4k
I've got £4-5k to spend on a car for occasional use (day trips, holidays, the occasional gig). Needs to be quick and enjoyable to drive and ride in, have a boot and ideally back seats. Classics appeal, but I don't want endless hassle (a bit of maintenance is OK though), and lowish risk of huge surprise costs. BMW E30 Convertible, 944, and 2004-ish CLK all got my attention for various reasons and seem within range on the surface, and I might have a hankering for something older like a Triumph Vitesse or a Spitfire. Or should I be looking at something else altogether?
Asked on 9 July 2015 by Tom
Answered by
Honest John
There are a couple of 2003-2008 SAAB 9-3 convertibles hanging out in my area attracting my eye. They twist and rattle quite a lot, but the 2.0 SAAB turbo petrol engine is punchy, the top drops and they seat 4 people. An older, good E30 325i convertible will be an investment, but there are very few unmolested examples around. Noticed a CLK 430 in a carpark today with the top down. That's 4.3 V8, but original quality was shocking. The later CLK was better, but roof mechanism problems cost a fortune to fix. A £4,000 Vitesse or Spitfire is likely to be a bag of bones with Fred Flintsone floorpans.
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