Which Car To Buy?

[greg.harvey]

I think the Esprit would be cheapest to run, followed by the E-type. My eyes water at the thought of the cost of a full service for either of the Italians!! And not servicing something like a Ferrari is a total false economy. One of the reasons they're cheap is obviously because they cost a fortune to run.

I'd personally opt for the E-type. I'd be happy with a later one too, since they get quite a lot cheaper. A late +2 would still turn a lot of heads, be nearly as much fun, a little more practical and a heck of a lot cheaper!

Should be reasonably cheap to service and repair too (as classics go) - but you've got to really watch the coolant circulation on the engines though, apparently. They have a tendancy to cook the head gasket at one end of the head.

[Guara0007]

The Quattroporte is a very nice car, but I would prefer a Deauville.
Nearly the same chassis, the same dimensions and weight, but the much more sporty car. I had two of them for several years. Cheap to maintain and a lot of fun to drive.

[Guara0007]

Page 4, 5 and 6.

[greg.harvey]

Nicer looking car, I agree.

[austin healey]

E-type easily of those just cause of looks but another car to think about would be the maserati indy it is cheaper than an e type with 4 seats and nice looks

[Sei cilindri]

Just go for the car you like most I should say
All cars from your shortlist are not exactly cheap to run
As you know I have a QP III as a daily driver
To be fair I have to admit that I drive very little as I have my shop at home
The running cost for the QP II are not cheap. Spare parts are very expensive and the fule consumtion is very heavy
Further more as you live in the Netherlands like I, expect to pay € 1000+ in road tax annually if it is not 25 years old

Expect to pay 800 Euro for a valve tuning job (but : no cambelt worries as they have chains) and once a while perhaps a tuning of the 4 dual (effectively 8) carbs) On the other hand: the engines are rock solid and if well maintained seldom go wrong.
The engines are not over stressed as they only pump out a little under 300 DIN HP .
Parts are availeable but VERY expensive
On the other hand: with a little bit of creativity you will not need expensive parts often as many technical parts can also be found in other cars of that area such as Jaguar, Fiat etc
Build quality, contrary to what someone here remarked is rather good.(for Italian standards) Remember that these were the last Masers which were truly hand build before the Bi turbo area .
That is the reason , when new, they cost twice as much as a bi turbo
Nowadays the QP is a very cheap car and I would never pay 11.900 voo a QP without APK (at Big Boys ?)
Running a Lotus is also a costly affair and engine wise excpect to have trouble along the way !

As for the Jag: parts are readily available but are not very cheap too and you will need them often.....

The Ferrari 400 is a defenitive no imho. That one is increadibly expensive to run
The Mondial could be an alternative I would say

[greg.harvey]

Running a Lotus is also a costly affair and engine wise excpect to have trouble along the way !

I would dispute that!

I don't know about the Esprit, but I run a 1974 Lotus Elan and have very few problems, and spares are plentiful and cheap. You shouldn't tar an entire marque like that - you're falling for the old Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious line, which in my experience is a total fallacy. They get a bad rap and if well maintained will give you little trouble...

To give you an idea, I have owned mine for three years and apart from tuning and general maintenance (oil changes, plugs & filters, etc.) and a new starter motor it has needed no work. In fact, the only thing going now is the clutch master cylinder, which is really easy to replace and a very cheap part.

[D'ARTOIS]

Thanks a lot for your opinions, I will buy a Alfa Romeo 2L spider Duetta from '91 as a daily driver and next to that, for the obligatory round around the church, I will opt for a Ferrari 412 of extreme beauty. It is the silver Ferrari as in the picture.
As Sei cilindri points out, it is an extremely expensive car to run and I have established that the annual costs only of maintaining the car will run into 4-5000 Euro's. I could see that from the bills the present owner has paid.
Al mektub, mektub, the Arab would say.
Keeping a racehorse will cost you the 10 fold and I used to have some of them in the past.
The car has a very low mileage (57000) but is roadtax free and insurance might be not that expensive.
With a true Enzo Ferrari car you are never sure of it's quality. Enzo Ferrari was sometimes without money and then his cars suffered from cheap parts, or insufficient engineering. For example: the wheelbearings of the 250 GT are the same as for the Fiat Dino. High quality bearings from SKF or similar manufacturers were to expensive and therefore the much cheaper FIAT quality was chosen.

In any case, we will see what will come out of it.

[PerfAdv]

Good choice! Apart from the rareness of the Jags the Ferrari is by far the most appealing and was my first pick. Do post some pics when you get it. The Silver one is a beauty...

[greg.harvey]

Nice. Have fun!

[Revo]

Nevermind the Ferrari, excellent choice for a daily driver.

Have fun.

[D'ARTOIS]

Ok Guys, the first obstacle has been taken: the daily driver is a 2002 166 2.0 L twin spark Alfa Romeo - the spiders are difficult to find and when, they are not in the very best condition.
Therefore I choose for the 166 - a splendid car that I have now for a few days.

Unfortunately the 412i Ferrari was sold before I had the chance to see the car.
So my quest for the classic car that I shall buy is still going on.
I will keep you posted.

[LandQuail]

I never really warmed up to the Ferrari 400 or Mondial series. The idea of opening up the hood of one's car and finding a Ferrari V-12 should be the sort of thing that makes the hair on the back of one's neck stand up... But I think that the sight of a 400's V-12 would bring about a wave of expense-induced nausea instead... How many 400's will have been cared for properly in those heady days of the late 80's-early 90's when even 308's and 346's were allowed to become ratty? Also, the Mondial is ill-proportioned. I would always open the garage door and think to myself "eww... Wish I'd gotten a 308..."

The Maserati Fourdoor (arguably sexier in translation) has weathered the sands of time to become a clasic Icon. Unfortunately, this particular Icon now stands for rather unsavory images of topless underage nymphomaniac waifs sipping champagne from the novelty codpiece of a leering, sneering, mustashio'd porno director as he pilots his quatroporte down dark alleyways somewhere in the baddest part of Prague's bad section... I know, it appeals to me too, but could you really stand being seen in one Every Day? Maybe they have a different image elsewhere, but that's my view from America. Great cars though, and in a totally different vein than the Biturbos, especially the early ones that rendered any city in which Maserati built a dealership much, much more dangerous to live in for everybody. Anyway, great car, but with an image problem for me personally.

Now, that withstanding, it seems contradictory to declare an E-Type any less seedy, as it looks in profile just exactly like a big throbbing penis. But leave it to the Brits to accompany blatant and unapologetic phallic imagery with class, good taste, and a thoroughbred's excellent pedigree.

The Lotus would be the hoot to drive, among this company, but dodgy build quality could scare some away, as could the fact that the Lotus is in that grey area inbetween cars that are just ratty old sportscars and coveted classics. Probably 90% of the series-1 Esprits on the road could use serious work to make them "excellent" cars, but at the price they're going for today most people settle for the shocks being a bit worn, the heater not working, (A/C? LOL.) and if it's a turbo, then all bets are off as to whether it will deliver the driver safely to work and home again, or melt into a puddle somewhere in between. At this budget, the cars just don't get the treatment they deserve. (for obvious reasons.)

I'd have to go with the Jag on this one. There are maybe 25 E-Types in Arkansas, so it's not as though you're going to be stereotyped as E-Type owners in Britain are for owning one. Hell, most people would just think it was an old Camaro, or something, in this hellish state where anybody not driving backwards in circles while asking passing motorists "Am I there yet?" deserves a knowing nod of appreciation, with the Lotus Esprit recieving honorable mention. If it was a Europa Special, however...

[DESTIN]

i am selling this 1984 classic FERRARI 308 gts quattrovalvole (PRUGNA & TAN ) $39,000--48k miles(954)822-4930
will also take a trade plus cash--a air cooled PORSCHE coupe & cash-------OR other interesting trade plus cash
looking for a F1----what have u ?

[Gracysmith]

Assume that you have some Euro's to spend, which classic car you would buy?

Is it: A Ferrari 400 (valued at 25.000)
A Mondial ( same price)
An E-type (same price till 34.000)
A Maserati Quattroporte (1981 model)
A Lotus Esprit

Ok guys, fire!

I would love to have Ferrari....