Looking for Something a bit Different/Quirky/Unique

[Gerrard]

One of these turned up at the garage next to work this week: -



My mate at work spent yesterday trying to convince me to buy it! Did do a little bit of looking into it, and was quite tempted. But when we went to have a look at it, it was £30k...+VAT. If I had £30k to spend on a car, I might have seriously considered it!

However, the arguments for me getting something not entirely sensible weren't that bad. I don't do very many miles nowadays (I cycle to work and walk to the shops), so other than a couple of trips a month to see friends 40 miles away or my parents every now and again 100 miles away, it just sits there. Of course, you could go the opposite way and get something that doesn't have a big overhead (Tax and Servicing), but I already have that; my diesel Civic pretty much ticks every sensible box (economical, practicable, quite nippy).

So, having looked into the Vauxhall V8's I do like the thought of having a V8, and the Monaro is much more affordable. But was wondering what other slightly random cars people can think of. I'm not entirely sure what I want; chances are it's just a temporary temptation and I'll do nothing, certainly not until next month at the earliest as I'm busy with work. But would like to get something that I can look back and go "I used to own one of those!". Budget is around £8k, maybe stretching to £10k if it doesn't devalue quite as quick in a year or two. I'm also living in a flat and it would kept in a car park with no cover, so a classic car probably might not be ideal.

[Smudger]

I do like the idea of having a Ute that can to huge speeds, but these are basically a down-market Vauxhall Omega with a big Chevy lump in them*. Huge fun, but not entirely refined...

*And a Ute back-end, of course...

Edit: Just had a look at some prices in Australia, can't believe how much these cost! When I was last there, the Maloo was a cheap workhorse, and you could pick one up for about £20k at a year old. Now, 4 year-old ones are going for £30k!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Lancia Therma 8.32?? Lancia Therma with a Ferrari V8!!

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C248617

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C355107

LHD though and rare.

VW Corrado VR6??

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-car...swagen/corrado

187 BHP V6

The VW Corrado GR60 was supercharged although it had less BHP but under 400 were sold in the UK:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-car...5948?logcode=p

[Phage]

Alfa Romeo 4C. It'll be a tad pricey though.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=4c...w=1386&bih=871

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Subaru SVX:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classifi...ge/1?logcode=p

This rare and uses a flat 6 engine.

[Smudger]

I've always fancied a VR6 Corrado. The Storm is the one to go for, but it's very rare. The VR6 was an absolute peach of an engine.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I've always fancied a VR6 Corrado. The Storm is the one to go for, but it's very rare. The VR6 was an absolute peach of an engine.

There are a few VR6 Storm examples for sale:

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/sh...-vr6-1995.html

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/sh...-10-in-uk.html

BTW,SVX is very rare IIRC.

[Smudger]

Yeah, saw them. Tempting...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Mitsubishi 3000GT

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/mitsubishi/3000gt

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...subishi/3000gt

More common in the US than the UK.

Mitsubishi FTO

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...mitsubishi/fto

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/mitsubishi/fto

Most were imports.

Nissan Skyline

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/nissan/skyline

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...an/skyline-r34

Porsche 968

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...rs/porsche/968

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/porsche/968

Mazda RX7

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/mazda/rx7

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...ars/mazda/rx-7

Porsche 928

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/porsche/928

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...rs/porsche/928

V8

BMW 840/850

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/bmw/8-series

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/list/10/850/

V8 and V12

Mercedes CL500/CL600/CL55 older versions

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/mercedes-benz/cl

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C137318

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...rcedes-benz/cl

V8 and V12

Audi S2/RS2

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/list/108/s2/

The S2 and RS2 were not common in the UK.

[scaryjim]

I've always quite liked the suzuki cappuccino:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/suzuki/cappuccino

[Gerrard]

Wow, a lot of good suggestions there!

SVX - that really piqued my interest. Looks interesting, but I'm a little bit concerned about the rarity and keeping it going; the quick bit of reading suggests they aren't (or at least weren't) reliable.

Porsche - someone mentioned them today; I just don't find them appealing. The older ones in particular look pretty ugly to me.

RX7 + Skyline - I do like the look of the Skyline. I'd need to look into them more, but my immediate thought is being complicated by imports and customisations.

8 series - Looks great. Will definately look into them more. Didn't realise how old they were though! The 6 series also looks good, but I'll be hard pressed to find anything other than 100k+ in my budget.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The 8 series were like £50000+ IIRC and were a supercar. TVR would be worth a look but I am not sure how reliable they are!

Masareti 3200GT/4200GT:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/search/u.../maserati/3200

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie.../maserati/3200

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/list/30/3200/

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/class...00&S.x=0&S.y=0

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie.../maserati/4200

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/maserati/4200

Jaguar XK8:

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/class...K8&S.x=0&S.y=0

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...eanedValue=XK8

XJS

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/class...JS&S.x=0&S.y=0

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...=XJS&M=21&M=27

[Jay]

Like you I would also love a Monaro but imagine the running costs!

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Not sure how reliable the Lotus Esprit S4 is,but the following examples seem cheap:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-car...2333?logcode=p

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/...-lotus-esprit/

[Gerrard]

XK8 looks good, will have to add it the list to research some more. Not sure about the XJS. However, getting a Jag would get me a lot of stick at work having been working on the C-X75 for the last few months! Was looking at Masareti's at work today as well; bit of an unknown to me and haven't made my mind up if I like the look of them or not yet. The Espirit's are cheaper than I thought they would be, but maybe still a bit high; especially if something does go wrong! I know a couple of people who got a TVR... they don't get their reliability reputation for nothing, that's for sure!

Like you I would also love a Monaro but imagine the running costs!

I do less than 6000 miles a year at the moment, and if I get one before 2006, the tax is capped at about halve (£260 vs £475 or there abouts).

The latest 8-series on Pistonheads looks very tempting.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifie...ly-rare/971259
It's only up the road from me as well! It's fate I tell ya...

[DanceswithUnix]

Lancia Therma 8.32?? Lancia Therma with a Ferrari V8!!

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C248617

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C355107

LHD though and rare.

Only for a real Lancia nut, and would need to be garaged. Not many places that could service such a beastie either.

Alfa GT 3.2 V6 is a better bet these days, more reliable, much more powerful, better equipped, you can get parts and it can live outdoors. Last car to feature Busso's glorious engine design (which is why my wife has one and will probably look after it for many years).

Garaging is a problem with most really fun cars, if you don't have a garage to lock it up in at night then at best it will devalue (a garaged exotic or classic can hold its value) and at worst you won't get insurance.

Porche does seem the best bet if you want something a bit exotic, the boxter is quite within price range.