If you can avoid frontal rust, rotten brake lines and crankshaft pulley fiasco, a used Honda Accord type R fancy is used to buy
Remember when Honda made interesting cars? It still does (did the Civic Type R, E...), but its critics are convinced that the firm stopped doing so years ago when models like the Accord Type R were shiny new. This is why people still get a little hot under their collar about them.
We found a very neat looking 2002 Reg with 120000 miles for $4500. Here's a TOP for one of them, but with so few good ones left, it's understandable. This is a restyled version (slatted grille, red 'H' badge AND, if not changed, black tailpipes). It comes with a fresh roller and tons of workshop receipts as proof of regular maintenance. The seller claims that this has always been a garage, but we guess he speaks for himself and not the previous four car keepers.
So the first thing we wanted to do was check for rust. With these agreements, he nibbles away in the forward bulkhead, out of sight. Even the owners may not know about it. A fresh mot should provide some reassurance that everything is good in other structural places as well. It can also be hidden behind the window with rubber and wheel arches.
The plastic pan that holds water and debris takes its fair share of scalps in the form of rotten brake lines and fuel lines. The then tester is not allowed to rearrange the undertrays, so don't take the ticket as proof that these components are sound.
Even a healthy engine will slurp its way through a liter of oil every 1000 miles, so check the level and grades used. As long as it warms through, it will sound tappety, but what you don't want to hear are other noises, assuming the connecting rod shells are worn or not the crankshaft pulley.
Jaguar XK 4.2, £10,595: be dressed to impress with the Jaguar HC. It's a 2008 Reg (that's just before the 4.2-liter V8 became 5.0) with 88 miles and full dealer history. The bodywork is described as excellent, but under this problem can hit, so it's on the ramp.
BMW 135i M Sports Coupe, £10,290: unsung hero. The 3.0-liter engine is a beast, the gearbox is precise and the body is so stiff that the car rides great, even on run-flats. Chuck in the lock diff and M Sport body kit and this 2008 Reg with 45000 miles and full BMW SNiP service history.
Audi TT RS Quattro, £13,295: that discreet RS badge, backed up by 335bhp and 332lb ft from the 2,5-liter five-pot turbo, is hard to beat when it comes to TT bragging rights. It's not a Porsche Cayman but, at £13,295 for a 2010 88,000 mile car with heated leather interior, we'll forgive you.
Mini YPC World Championship 50, £12,000: World Championship 50 2010 was released in a limited edition (only 250 copies). However, instead of tweaking its performance, the mini just emptied the options bin into it, and everything was every extra standard.
Auction
Audi S4 4.2 V8 on the car track: Release your inner Mattias Ekström with C4 track car. A 2003 Reg 4.2 V8, with 100 miles on the clock, made £000 at auction. As well as her boyfriend-racer carbon fiber rear spoiler and front splitter, it has more grown-up mods, including fully adjustable, pink-articulated upper and lower camber arms control, a powerflex series of racing bushes, and a second-stage conversion with all-stainless steel exhaust and even battery jump gel behind the passenger seat. This is the front passenger seat, by the way: there are no rear seats. This C8480 does not drive onto the road, so the next day the owner left will be selling the trailer.
Future Classic
Vauxhall Ampère 1.4i IWT Electron, £7995: it may have arrived with pomp and departed with head held high, but the Ampere is a range-extender with a 71bhp electric motor-generator and 85bhp. With. The 1,4-liter petrol engine was a bold move on GM's lineup. Electric only has a range of 25-50 miles. When exhausted, there was up to 310 miles of range available with the gasoline wheel drive engine through a generator to ensure the battery also got recharged. If that was over, there was still four miles of you-you-home charge in the battery. Smart things.
Declaration collision
Short: Find me an interesting HBO-powered machine – money is not an object.
Mercedes-Benz E55 and AMG £13,000
Dodge Ram 5.7 V8, £52,995
Max Adams: LPG cars are a great way to save money on fuel and road tax costs. But it also has the added benefit of dropping half the toxins from conventional gasoline, making this 2004 E55 fantastically profitable in both worlds of a car: kind to local conditions, but still interesting for those of us who like to drive.
Mark Pearson: yes, mine is a bit like that too. My 2018 Dodge Ram pickup is an economy vehicle, primarily thanks to the HBO-ness, so it will help you save loads on running costs. I think someone has finally found a car that is both deeply practical and kind to the environment. What I think most people will appreciate, though, is its subtlety.
Ma: thin! Not only is your ram the size of a truck, but some monster painted it to look like General Lee, too.
MP: but you're ignoring the fact that it has a leather interior and Apple and CarPlay. And it can carry over a ton. Yes, and there is a Hemi V8 engine too.
Ma: my time is not with the latest smartphones, it is more than that in a brutal V8 power. My E55 has 476bhp which is significantly more than yours.
MP: Oh, my God, yes, I forgot that you chose something, mine is also so interesting. Oh. And Mercedes. So glad.
Verdict: HBO is the drink of choice for monsters and generals.
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