warren_cox
03-03-2009, 15:34
As I am completely (and when I say completely I can't stress enough how completely) rubbish I am at making decisions, the arrival of the '09' plate on a passing Porsche 911 at the weekend prompted for the forefront of my mind that in less than a year we will be saying goodbye to the S3.
This leaves me with 2 options. Buy new (very unlikely), or buy used (very likely).
But then another thought cropped up in my mind. I've had 4 cars on the trot that are forced induction, and to be honest whilst I like the perky power delivery and the cheap tunability, I'm growing tired of boost / air leaks, pipes blowing off, failed MAF's, heat soak, dodgy OE DV's, limp mode, etc......
Whilst it's great having a car with 300 odd BHP that only spits out 217g/km of emission and thus a fairly cheap tax bill, I am coming round to the point of view that a big fat V lump would be more consistent, less troublesome, and for the sort of middle aged driving I do, more appropriate.
I came within a gnats chuff of signing on the dotted line for an '03 plate E55 AMG before finally buying the S3 (both in the £32-35k bracket in 2007), but backed away from the E55 at the last moment when I eventually got to see the service manual (bills were regularly £1100 per service with not much done - over £2k with 2 rear tyres - dealer sourced-fitted).
There are some very interesting second hand 'V' engined cars around at sweet FA money. The reason I am looking this far in advance is on the off-chance I buy new, I need to put a few quid in the pot from my annual bonus to contribute (in Mar 09 & Mar 10), and maybe put in a pre-order in advance (long waiting lists on Focus RS / Audi TT-RS - in my dreams!).
I guess the ultimate question to those in the know is this:
Are normally aspirated V-engines more reliable overall than the slightly stressed turbo charged cousins?
Tempters in the used car 'V engine' camp on the shortlist are:
RS4 (V8)
S4 (4.2 V8)
S5 (V8)
M5 (V10)
M5 (V8)
M3 CSL (V6)
However I am mindful some of these cars are likely to carry some pretty big repair bills if anything goes horribly wrong (prepare for the worst, hope for the best!).
Also I guess it makes my modification passion pretty dead as you won't get much from these cars for 'beer money' like you would with a tubby.
Part of me would love to buy a nice straight Ibiza Cupra (R) 2002 and do a full BT / stage 2/3 rebuild - no corners cut. But if I do and it causes me loads of grief I'd be compromised as I am starting to have to do a lot of business miles of late. Also the S3 has given us a lot of comfort and I'd be gutted to lose that whereas the big 'V' motors offer a bit more middle aged cruising comfort when you turn the taps off.
I hate decisions - any wise advice for an old fool with an addled brain?
This leaves me with 2 options. Buy new (very unlikely), or buy used (very likely).
But then another thought cropped up in my mind. I've had 4 cars on the trot that are forced induction, and to be honest whilst I like the perky power delivery and the cheap tunability, I'm growing tired of boost / air leaks, pipes blowing off, failed MAF's, heat soak, dodgy OE DV's, limp mode, etc......
Whilst it's great having a car with 300 odd BHP that only spits out 217g/km of emission and thus a fairly cheap tax bill, I am coming round to the point of view that a big fat V lump would be more consistent, less troublesome, and for the sort of middle aged driving I do, more appropriate.
I came within a gnats chuff of signing on the dotted line for an '03 plate E55 AMG before finally buying the S3 (both in the £32-35k bracket in 2007), but backed away from the E55 at the last moment when I eventually got to see the service manual (bills were regularly £1100 per service with not much done - over £2k with 2 rear tyres - dealer sourced-fitted).
There are some very interesting second hand 'V' engined cars around at sweet FA money. The reason I am looking this far in advance is on the off-chance I buy new, I need to put a few quid in the pot from my annual bonus to contribute (in Mar 09 & Mar 10), and maybe put in a pre-order in advance (long waiting lists on Focus RS / Audi TT-RS - in my dreams!).
I guess the ultimate question to those in the know is this:
Are normally aspirated V-engines more reliable overall than the slightly stressed turbo charged cousins?
Tempters in the used car 'V engine' camp on the shortlist are:
RS4 (V8)
S4 (4.2 V8)
S5 (V8)
M5 (V10)
M5 (V8)
M3 CSL (V6)
However I am mindful some of these cars are likely to carry some pretty big repair bills if anything goes horribly wrong (prepare for the worst, hope for the best!).
Also I guess it makes my modification passion pretty dead as you won't get much from these cars for 'beer money' like you would with a tubby.
Part of me would love to buy a nice straight Ibiza Cupra (R) 2002 and do a full BT / stage 2/3 rebuild - no corners cut. But if I do and it causes me loads of grief I'd be compromised as I am starting to have to do a lot of business miles of late. Also the S3 has given us a lot of comfort and I'd be gutted to lose that whereas the big 'V' motors offer a bit more middle aged cruising comfort when you turn the taps off.
I hate decisions - any wise advice for an old fool with an addled brain?