Old (non-Porsche) cars that are still cool
11-06-2010, 01:11 AM
#1
Old (non-Porsche) cars that are still cool
I didn't find an appropriate forum for this... feel free to move if there is a better subforum available.
I was just thinking, there are lots of affordable (but desirable) cars that I would just LOVE to own if I had enough space and time to maintain them. Being in Europe, I'm sure my favorites are entirely different than the guys who were born and raised in the US.
Well let's start... these are on my list.
Ford Capri II/III 3.0S / 2.8i
This was my first car. It had Recaro interior and Essex 3.0 engine. It didn't produce a lot of HP but because the car was very light it was very fast (for the standards back then). Handling wasn't from a real sports car but fast enough to win 99% of the street races.
Kinda European Mustang, really.
Opel Monza 3.0 GSE
This was a coupe-model of the Opel Senator. It was very, very rare. You were able to buy a BMW or Mercedes for the same price so it's only natural that Opel's expensive coupe wasn't very popular. Opels don't have much prestige, but Monza was pretty good looking and massive, and because of its rarity it would be nice to have.
Audi Coupe MKI
This was the "poor man's quattro". For a casual observer it looked like quattro, although it was powered with just 2.0 liter 5-cylinder engine. Not a fast car but it had the looks. Genuine, original quattros are sick expensive in Europe right now, in the 30K range but you can buy these Coupes for about 2K.
Corvette 1985 - 1996
You can buy a nice old Corvette like this for about 5-7K now. What there is not to like? 5.7 liter V8, nice sounds, timeless design, etc. Yeah, it's not a Porsche but it's still lots of car & american spirit for the money.
BMW 8-series
Definitely the coolest BMW ever made. Some design details from Italian sports cars and M1. A nice one can be bought for about 8K. Just imagine how expensive this car was when new, it cost like 120.000 Euros back then! I did a bit of research about this, and the maintenance costs aren't as bad as people think (if you find a good example). I will def. own one of these eventually.
BMW 6-series
Why doesn't BMW make cars like this anymore? This had all the "vintage BMW spirit". Old cars were much better looking. Not to say the new 6-series isn't cool, but I would respect an old 635 CSi driver a lot more.
BMW M 535i (E28)
I owned a E28 528i and I loved it. Loved it!!! M5 model of this is ultra-rare but there are a few nice M535's out there. E28 is def. my all-time favorite 5-klasse. Maybe it's nostalgia but I'd love to own one of these again.
Peugeot 504 Coupé
The coupe version is extremely rare car, designed by Pininfarina. Very pretty. It's probably not very "affordable" though (because of its rarity). I don't know what it is with these old Peugeots, but I love them. 205 GTi is quite legendary rally car too.
Mercedes 420/560 SEC
Finding an all-original SEC is bit of a challenge these days. Bubba and Luke have often installed tasteless aftermarket garbage (spoilers, smoked lights, etc.) on these beautiful cars and completely ruined them. But damn at original shape this is a classic Merc if anything is.
Jaguar XJ6 1996-> models
Let's put one sedan here too. You can buy one of these for just a few grand. And nobody could even tell if it's from 1995 or 2010. It's timeless and the interior is just second to none. These have pretty bad reputation as unreliable cars with sky high maintenance costs, but if you can do things yourself I don't think it's that bad, really. I'd love to own one in British Racing Green.
Post your favorites. I'm sure I can come up with many more too.
I was just thinking, there are lots of affordable (but desirable) cars that I would just LOVE to own if I had enough space and time to maintain them. Being in Europe, I'm sure my favorites are entirely different than the guys who were born and raised in the US.
Well let's start... these are on my list.
Ford Capri II/III 3.0S / 2.8i
This was my first car. It had Recaro interior and Essex 3.0 engine. It didn't produce a lot of HP but because the car was very light it was very fast (for the standards back then). Handling wasn't from a real sports car but fast enough to win 99% of the street races.
Kinda European Mustang, really.Opel Monza 3.0 GSE
This was a coupe-model of the Opel Senator. It was very, very rare. You were able to buy a BMW or Mercedes for the same price so it's only natural that Opel's expensive coupe wasn't very popular. Opels don't have much prestige, but Monza was pretty good looking and massive, and because of its rarity it would be nice to have.
Audi Coupe MKI
This was the "poor man's quattro". For a casual observer it looked like quattro, although it was powered with just 2.0 liter 5-cylinder engine. Not a fast car but it had the looks. Genuine, original quattros are sick expensive in Europe right now, in the 30K range but you can buy these Coupes for about 2K.
Corvette 1985 - 1996
You can buy a nice old Corvette like this for about 5-7K now. What there is not to like? 5.7 liter V8, nice sounds, timeless design, etc. Yeah, it's not a Porsche but it's still lots of car & american spirit for the money.
BMW 8-series
Definitely the coolest BMW ever made. Some design details from Italian sports cars and M1. A nice one can be bought for about 8K. Just imagine how expensive this car was when new, it cost like 120.000 Euros back then! I did a bit of research about this, and the maintenance costs aren't as bad as people think (if you find a good example). I will def. own one of these eventually.
BMW 6-series
Why doesn't BMW make cars like this anymore? This had all the "vintage BMW spirit". Old cars were much better looking. Not to say the new 6-series isn't cool, but I would respect an old 635 CSi driver a lot more.
BMW M 535i (E28)
I owned a E28 528i and I loved it. Loved it!!! M5 model of this is ultra-rare but there are a few nice M535's out there. E28 is def. my all-time favorite 5-klasse. Maybe it's nostalgia but I'd love to own one of these again.
Peugeot 504 Coupé
The coupe version is extremely rare car, designed by Pininfarina. Very pretty. It's probably not very "affordable" though (because of its rarity). I don't know what it is with these old Peugeots, but I love them. 205 GTi is quite legendary rally car too.
Mercedes 420/560 SEC
Finding an all-original SEC is bit of a challenge these days. Bubba and Luke have often installed tasteless aftermarket garbage (spoilers, smoked lights, etc.) on these beautiful cars and completely ruined them. But damn at original shape this is a classic Merc if anything is.
Jaguar XJ6 1996-> models
Let's put one sedan here too. You can buy one of these for just a few grand. And nobody could even tell if it's from 1995 or 2010. It's timeless and the interior is just second to none. These have pretty bad reputation as unreliable cars with sky high maintenance costs, but if you can do things yourself I don't think it's that bad, really. I'd love to own one in British Racing Green.
Post your favorites. I'm sure I can come up with many more too.
11-17-2010, 11:58 AM
#2
Rennlist Member
I used to own a '86 560 SEC, great car.
Some of the non-Porsche cars I would want to own...
'92 E30 M3
'68 Mustang GT (Bullitt)
'69 Z28
'70 Trans Am
'90 Nissan 300ZX TT
'89 Ferrari Mondial T
Some of the non-Porsche cars I would want to own...
'92 E30 M3
'68 Mustang GT (Bullitt)
'69 Z28
'70 Trans Am
'90 Nissan 300ZX TT
'89 Ferrari Mondial T
11-18-2010, 08:46 AM
#6
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, but at least we bought another P-Car with the cash. 
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05-24-2011, 01:48 AM
#8
I don't consider myself a huge BMW fan anymore (I loved the E28 and old 6/8-series), but I drove my friend's 2001 BMW 540i today (E39), and that's gotta be one of the best sedans I've ever tried. It actually drove much nicer than the newest 5-series. Awesome compromise... E39 was comfortable like big Peugeot's and Citroens but also sporty and "rough" like the sports cars. Much nicer than my company Mercedes E200 without a doubt.
It's a great car and definitely affordable. And despite being 10 years old, it was very modern but still had the old BMW "spirit".
I actually fell in love with this car... maybe I'll buy one for my wife.
PS: Not my friend's car in the picture but it looked like this one.
It's a great car and definitely affordable. And despite being 10 years old, it was very modern but still had the old BMW "spirit".
I actually fell in love with this car... maybe I'll buy one for my wife.
PS: Not my friend's car in the picture but it looked like this one.
