Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Spotted a very tidy Saab 900 on the streets of Munich

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Stopped following the Lancer Evo game but wasn't there a string of mental Evo VII variants that were total headbangers but needed rebuilding every 40 miles?

Oi. I drive a L200.

Admittedly I live on a farm, and it is therefore used to throw farm stuff on the back, so hopefully that rules me out.

Nah, that's fine. It's like the difference between a Landy used for hauling sheep and a Lara Croft special edition on jacked-up rims used for prowling the mean streets of Dulwich.

Anyone fancy a 1.5 litre V16 flamethrower? I suspect it's not road legal. Or ULEZ compliant.

Not a matter of sales, they are part of the renault nissan alliance and this has been the plan for a long while. The three companies have divided the world in to where the companies will trade. The vehicles will be developed together then badge engineering etc.

Jason statham fan?

Also an L200 driver (landscaper exemption), I'll take the flamethrower for dealing with difficult clients.

If Mitsubishi are going to be superseded by Nissan in the UK they'll have a long way to go to make the Navarra anywhere near as good as the l200.

2 articles on the Hype addressing this desire...

Heaven and Hell.

One Ls3 swap. One Tesla rebody.

U decide.

Nah, that's fine. It's like the difference between a Landy used for hauling sheep and a Lara Croft special edition on jacked-up rims used for prowling the mean streets of Dulwich.

The place that is doing the luggage area conversion and so on to my 911 get a lot of Defenders through their doors, the average cost of their work (on top of the purchase price of the car) is £80,000.

I'm really on the fence about something.

I have Mk6 gti with 60k and runs well. It is paid off. I like it, it's lowered and looks subtle and great but want something more exciting.

Eyeballing a very nice B6 S4 with new timing chain and tensioners, coil overs, etc. It's clean and nice 110k. But half of me feels going back to a heavy V8 right now is weird and not exciting except when starting it up. Feels 10 years past it's prime.

So then I think getting a low mileage Mini JCW 2013 0r even a GP. But then I think, well isn't that basically the same car I'm driving now 95% of the time?

Then I consider a new car like a near new Type R but that seems a bit much of a commitment especially when 5 years from now I will probably want something electric.

Then I think, well let just throw in the whole hog and get a M2 but I can't justify that kind of expense when it could be going into savings.

Feels like a low point for budget minded enthusiasts these days.

If you can buy the M2, you’d end up with an appreciating asset over time, I reckon.

That's what my buddy says about the Type R.

The b6 S4 is borderline "cheap" given that it will have had the engine out on a table and all new peripherals, belts, short shifter, coilovers, bushings, tires, etc etc

I'm not sure about residuals on the M2 (and the other super saloons).. I looked at a pre-registered Comp last year which was offered on what seemed to me an extremely generous pcp deal. Too small in the rear. I also got a quote for a new Giulia QF at 55k as part of my mid life crisis man maths car planning for this year.
I think they will all depreciate like stones as Model 3 Performances hit the used market.

991.1 looks like the depreciation buster.

I couldn't bring myself to be seen in the current Civic Type R transformer.

What about an RS3?

I agree that you won’t make your money back on a 3 year PCP but it’s going to be the last 6 cylinder, rear wheel drive M car. It’s also the last good looking BMW M car by the direction BMW are heading.

I think it’ll be an obvious future classic.

I disagree - a proper M car is naturally aspirated, the M2 is turbocharged and is therefore not a true M car.

I was amazed at how desperate my local BMW dealer was to be rid of a well specced M2 Comp with the right options, in Silverstone Grey. To me that doesn't bode well for residuals. Similar deals seemed to be available for M4 and M5 at the time.

Toyota

GR Yaris

I disagree - a proper M car is naturally aspirated, the M2 is turbocharged and is therefore not a true M car.

Unusually, I agree

Is there really such a thing as a true M car? I don't believe that there is the Aristotelian essence to them. The E30 M3 was a homologation special (and not the greatest saloon car racer), and the E28 M5 was an autobahn stormer so that Hans could get to that meeting in Frankfurt.

I couldn't bring myself to be seen in the current Civic Type R transformer.

What about an RS3?

I don't mind the looks. I'd get it in black or white and yank the badges off.

I tested the RS3. Too uneventfully fast. If they made it in a stick, I'd consider it.

The really real issue - and there are differing opinions on this - is that I'm afraid of the resale combustion engine market is going to weaken dramatically when solid state batteries hit. I don't want to be stuck with a 5 year old low mileage car I can't sell for real money.

Might be why the b6 S4 is the way to go. Low commitment. Obnoxious sounds. Last hurrah before the future.

Is there really such a thing as a true M car? I don't believe that there is the Aristotelian essence to them. The E30 M3 was a homologation special (and not the greatest saloon car racer), and the E28 M5 was an autobahn stormer so that Hans could get to that meeting in Frankfurt.

Burn the heretic!

Mustang?