I would double vote for an S2000, but c'mon how can you NOT love an E55 AMG? That's the best fastest most comfortable way to haul your mates and cargo around eh?
R34 GTRs are very rare in Australia. The R32s are a bit rare and the R33s are as common as S15s. Well at least in Sydney anyway. An R34 costs about 100K here too.
On the up side, I see at least one R35 on the way to school each day. The current record is 3 outside the dealership.
I'm not making things up, but if I totally misunderstood, then an apology on my behalf is in place. I just got the impression you tried to tell Rue he can give other sportscars a "run for their money", also known as streetrace other sportscars. But if that wasn't your intention than I must apologize.
yes you did misunderstood and that was not the impression i was giving to rue as i myself and several people i have known over the years have been involved in car accidents over the years due to "street racers" and "street drifters".
Thanks for all the great feedback. It's quite amusing that so many of you recommended the Chaser as that basically one of my favourite cars ever (hence my old username 'chaser_fan'). It's reassuring to know that it's a strong reliable car too. My only issue with is it is the larger engine size which will cost me more tax, but still it's the car I hold closest to my heart. It would be my number one choice if I could find a straight one. They aren't rare here though, I see them everywhere.
I was surprised to see the Legnum is winning so many recommendations too. I was always under the impression that the Mitsubishis of this era were quite unreliable. Again it has quite a large engine though.
The Altezza is also something that I am definately leaning toward as I always think of it as a drivers car and bullet-proof with it. I;m somewhat surprised that the Legacy and Forester haven't had much love. I would have expected these to have had loads of good comments.
Once again, thanks for your input guys. Any more you have would be more than welcome.
The GT-Four is a pretty cool car. I have found one for sale with 60k on the clock but it doesn't have the classic spoiler and it's silver. I would rather one in white or black, maybe even red with some black details.
Whilst searching the classifieds I have started to form an interest in the Honda Accord Euro-R (CL1). They seem reliable, sporty, good-looking and they're cheap. Anyone have any opinions on these?
Whats the cost of an early Honda S2000 around there? Early ones in the US are becoming fairly cheap, and that certainly would be my pick.
Otherwise, I'm giving the thumbs up to the Mazda MX-5. Cheap, reliable, and fun to drive. Can't go wrong. Although, are you only interested in the NA? Are there NBs readily available for a good price?
S2000's seem to hold their value well and are a bit out of budget. The MX-5's I have seen for sale tend to be the pop up light version and if I was to buy one I'd get one which had already been modified a little (Wheel arch extensions, lightweight alloys, etc.) which I don't seem to be able to find.
JCE, I think you mentioned the E55 AMG? Awesome, but HK has the world's most expensive fuel and the tax on a car with and engine that big would be enough to pay off a small country's national defecit.
Whilst searching the classifieds I have started to form an interest in the Honda Accord Euro-R (CL1). They seem reliable, sporty, good-looking and they're cheap. Anyone have any opinions on these?
I was surprised to see the Legnum is winning so many recommendations too. I was always under the impression that the Mitsubishis of this era were quite unreliable. Again it has quite a large engine though.
The Altezza is also something that I am definately leaning toward as I always think of it as a drivers car and bullet-proof with it. I;m somewhat surprised that the Legacy and Forester haven't had much love. I would have expected these to have had loads of good comments.
The Galant/Legnum VR4s can be problematic, but they seem to hold up just fine if you take care of them.
The first gen TT Legacy is quite notorious for reliability issues (I blew both the turbo's on my pretty much stock one), but they are meant to be a lot better for the newer ones (i.e. the one you posted in the OP).
If you're looking at the WRX/GTB etc, the Forester is a bit redundant IMO. It makes good sense if you need a large wagon, but if you can have the same engine/drivetrain in a smaller, lighter but still practical bodystyle, not sure why you'd go down that route.
Also if you get an Altezza please keep the standard exhaust on it. They make one of the worst car noises in the world with aftermarket exhaust parts.
You mention tax, how much of a difference does that extra 500cc make in terms of cost?
Whilst searching the classifieds I have started to form an interest in the Honda Accord Euro-R (CL1). They seem reliable, sporty, good-looking and they're cheap. Anyone have any opinions on these?
Ooh, I hadn't thought of that. Could be a lot of fun, and the 2.2 is a wonderful engine. It always amuses me that they called it the "Euro" R though, as the car we got in Europe had substantially different bodywork, even if the running gear was the same.
IMO we got the better looking car, but if the Euro-R is as good as the Type R over here then it's definitely worth a look. Have you found examples of any of these to drive? It's certainly worth trying out a few to see which you'd actually prefer to live with.
Hi all. Thanks for the great feedback. I have been rushing around HK and Macao the last few days so haven't had a chance to read through all the replies. I will soon..
I did have a look at some cars in Macau; ALtezza, Evo VII, Galant VR-4, BMW E36, Aristo V300 Vertex. I actually really liked the latter. They're so cheap and are loaded beyond belief. Also very comfortable to sit in and solid too.
On the AMG. Too bad, its one hell of a car.