Honest John

[RgrWynne]

  

 

What's the best big engined car for £3000?

I have a small budget of about £3000 and I see I can afford old Chrslyer 300C, old Audi A8 or A6, old BMW 7 Series and a big Lexus. I like big engined cars, so which do you think ages better and will possibly cost less in the long run? In summary, best stupid car for £3000.

Asked on 29 May 2020 by Chris

 Answered by Andrew Brady

Honestly? They could all cost a fortune to keep on the road. An old Lexus is probably your best option but even then you'll need deep pockets for maintenance and fuel costs

[olliesgrandad]

BMW Z3 2.8 ?

[rich1068]

Fair point with the fuel but that can obviously be said about any large engined petrol motor. But deep pockets for maintenance? Really? 

[jpjsavage]

Unless you can do work yourself, I think it is important to factor in a few £ for maintenance. I had a few bills for both of my LS400s at an independent garage. The expense was never huge, thankfully, but should definitely be factored in. 

[royoftherovers]

40 minutes ago, rich1068 said:

Fair point with the fuel but that can obviously be said about any large engined petrol motor. But deep pockets for maintenance? Really? 

The people who now run and answer are not as knowledgeable or authoritative or as careful with words as HJ was.

[Barry14UK]

I think you need to add rather more information because owners can have numerous reasons and preferences in making a choice  Any large engined car and almost all being large and expensive as originally priced will have the potential for high maintenance cost and you will need to have to set some money aside for this.  Some manufacturers stop stocking parts after a certain number of years and you might have to source some replacements from breakers which seems likely in any event  with a small budget or would you just scrap the car if anything major happened?  Clearly there is going to be more widespread choice in a model that was widely stocked.  You don't say whether you would accept a 2 door with usually reduced seating/seating room.  Convertibles are quite popular though not many have a large engine. A Mercedes W124 3.2 Liter produced in saloon, coupe or convertible was a good model although perhaps £3000 unlikely to get you a convertible.  I had the coupe version and it served me well, only needing a part replacement wiring harness under the bonnet in the several years I owned one. It had an old 'built out of rock' feel about it  and a bit more barge like than the sharper and well equipped older 7 or 5 series BMW's  available in 8 or 6 cylinder form. My E39 5 series 530i has been an excellent car but I have proactively replaced the suspect cooling system parts and control arms and the like during my ownership.  Parts and ownership get get more expensive if you move up to the 'M' models or the 8 cylinder versions. You don't say how competent you are with spanners and whether you have another car or will be dependent on this one and the sort of annual mileage you anticipate.  The foregoing are some of the factors you need to consider and also how well the car has been maintained and what parts replaced as well as mileage and condition.  This aspect is very important whichever model you opt for.

[royoftherovers]

25 minutes ago, Barry14UK said:

I think you need to add rather more information because owners can have numerous reasons and preferences in making a choice  Any large engined car and almost all being large and expensive as originally priced will have the potential for high maintenance cost and you will need to have to set some money aside for this.  Some manufacturers stop stocking parts after a certain number of years and you might have to source some replacements from breakers which seems likely in any event  with a small budget or would you just scrap the car if anything major happened?  Clearly there is going to be more widespread choice in a model that was widely stocked.  You don't say whether you would accept a 2 door with usually reduced seating/seating room.  Convertibles are quite popular though not many have a large engine. A Mercedes W124 3.2 Liter produced in saloon, coupe or convertible was a good model although perhaps £3000 unlikely to get you a convertible.  I had the coupe version and it served me well, only needing a part replacement wiring harness under the bonnet in the several years I owned one. It had an old 'built out of rock' feel about it  and a bit more barge like than the sharper and well equipped older 7 or 5 series BMW's  available in 8 or 6 cylinder form. My E39 5 series 530i has been an excellent car but I have proactively replaced the suspect cooling system parts and control arms and the like during my ownership.  Parts and ownership get get more expensive if you move up to the 'M' models or the 8 cylinder versions. You don't say how competent you are with spanners and whether you have another car or will be dependent on this one and the sort of annual mileage you anticipate.  The foregoing are some of the factors you need to consider and also how well the car has been maintained and what parts replaced as well as mileage and condition.  This aspect is very important whichever model you opt for.

Why don`t you write to HJ Barry and offer your services?

You will need to reduce your 13 lines of answer to something more manageable for the space available in todays publications, but at the very least you will add much needed gravitas to the current crop of poor motoring journalists.

[ambermarine]

Lets put this initial question in some kind of definable order of answer .

My LS400 mark 1 cost me £19500 when it was 6 years old with 50k on the clock with full serviced history  the original purchase price was 33k,I ran it for 14 years and put £2k in it .

That was a very reasonable return on capital bearing in mind the car cost was also written down through tax in my business for eight years to zero depreciation.

Then came along my present Mark 4 Bought for just shy of £4k with 19k on the clock,full service history and in mint condition  the input since by me is approx £1k  and the mileage is now 44k the car is now 22 years old and still in mint condition . 

I have nothing more to say other than the Ls400 is the answer to all the original questions if you find a good un.

 

[GEN]

I do agree with amber marine :  my 1998 Ls400 has now covered 228616 miles but you need to bear in mind that although you can buy one if these cars cheaply maintenance is expensive :  the timing belt, water pump, idler, etc. around £600-700 every 60000 miles, starter motor around £600.  Sadly my transmission has now began to play up and Lexus quoted me £6000 (with a 50% discount as they have serviced my car for many years)! Obviously it will be cheaper if you are handy with a spanner.   And the car itself is so wonderful you have to experience it to believe it. 

[ambermarine]

Get yourself a good indie and a used 100K gearbox and that replacement  fitted should come in at less than £1500. 

[Howplum]

Also consider Jaguar XJ6/8, S Type V8, Mercedes S class or CL500. Jeep Cherokee and Range Rover. Caveat emptor though.

[JamesIS220]

For me it would be an old rear wheel drive Volvo 240, 740 or 940. For my workhorse 4 years ago bought a 1996 940 SE auto LPT estate for £250 and its been great. Same as my daily driver of 10 years a 1989 240 GLT auto estate. Paid £350. Sold 10 years later for £500. 940 now has 203,000. 240 234,000. All drive great. Or the late 90's V90 2.5 or 3 litre.

If Lexus an IS 250. or GS450.

James.

[Barry14UK]

6 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Why don`t you write to HJ Barry and offer your services?

You will need to reduce your 13 lines of answer to something more manageable for the space available in todays publications, but at the very least you will add much needed gravitas to the current crop of poor motoring journalists.

Ha ha! At least it may help OP consider his requirements in more depth and come back to us with any more specific queries.

[PCM]

21 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

The people who now run and answer are not as knowledgeable or authoritative or as careful with words as HJ was.

A sad day when HJ left... 🙁

[royoftherovers]

49 minutes ago, PCM said:

A sad day when HJ left... 🙁

I keep searching for his new persona Piers, but I imagine that he has had to sign some clause or other preventing him from competing with the current (and very dismal) HJ team.

[Malc]

15 hours ago, GEN said:

the timing belt, water pump, idler, etc. around £600-700 every 60000 miles

if you did this every 100k miles / 10 years then this specific cost would ameliorate

[GEN]

Certainly, anecdotally, these timing belts go on well beyond and, of course, everyone has to decide for themselves the level of risk.... 

[ambermarine]

The timing belt on my mark 4 was changed when I bought it because although the car had only done 19k the car was 13 years old the belt had not been changed so under the 10 year criteria it was 3 years over due.

There is a notion that rubber perishes and so the belt maybe suspect but the tech at Lexus who did the job said it was virtually brand new when removed with no obvious deterioration .

The make up of the belt is very strong woven interlaced textile cord which gives the belt its tensile strength and the rubber is impregnated and moulded very similar to the production  process of tyres . Personally I would not risk over running replacement directives but these belts are made to last  beyond the specific time span for the manufacturers peace of mind.

[royoftherovers]

Ask Honest John 

Honest John Ask Honest John » Should I buy an eco car?

 

  

 

Should I buy an eco car?

Is it worth getting a hybrid car? I'm 67, retired and live on the coast. Most of our journeys are local but occasionally we drive further afield.

Asked on 10 July 2020 by Ruby

 Answered by Dan Powell

There are lots of very good hybrids on the market. The Toyota Corolla is one of the best on sale right now. It's smooth, comfortable and well-equipped: www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/corolla-2019/

I'd also recommend the Lexus NX: www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/lexus/nx-2014