$500K: What would be in YOUR garage?
Ducati Minor
I'd spend on a used Lynx XKSS. $400,000 is nothing. Of course, I'd buy loved ones nice cars--a couple of Smarts.
But what would you buy for $500K? The LA auto show is upon us here in SoCal, and a lot of those Astons, Porsches, Benzes, Bentleys, and Ferraris are up there in cost.
Would they top your must have list? Would you buy new? Used? Vintage?
- Discuss (18 comments)
- Digg It
- Del.icio.us
- StumbleUpon
Popular Sections
- European Car Talk (German, British, Italian, Swedish)
- Tuning and Project Cars
- Automotive Technology and the Driver
- Ask It -- Questions/Answers/Observations About Test Vehicles
- Design & Autoshows
Mena
Not too much in my garage for $500k. It would be tough to choose considering there are few new cars that are highly desirable. The new DI Porsches, DI Lambo Gallardo, and F430 Scuderia. The Lambo and Ferrari would eat up a solid half of that budget. Two coupes would be a little too much, for me, so that kind of leaves out buying a Porsche AND a Ferrari. So maybe a Maserati Quattroporte and a F430 Scuderia. I like to drive my cars and have no problems with daily driving ANYTHING but would I really like to submit a prancing horse to beater duty? I suppose if I had $500k to spend on cars, I probably wouldn't be commuting but there ARE multi-millionaires and billionaires that go to work every morning like the rest of us. The new Gallardo DOES get much better gas mileage and is, in reality, as quick as the Scuderia. A road course or a mountain road would favor the Ferrari though. I like near race cars too. Raw, otherworldly grip, loud. Hmmmm. Tough choice.
JWBrothers
Are you talking about buying a single car or a garage full?
Many Thanks
Jim
Ducati Minor
Either.
Mena
Now that I've had some more time to think about this:
1. Porsche 356 Outlaw - from $55k to $90k
2. BMW M5 (used E60) with Dinan S3 (beater duty) - ~$115k
3. Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4- ~$270k
JWBrothers
OK, Ducati, I picked 16 vehicles, checked out the prices on the Internet, and found that I had picked over a million dollars worth of cars. So, after sleeping on it, I rejected some of my favorite cars so that I would have a half million dollars worth of cars in my garage.BTW/ All prices are for good, #2-2 1/2 cars, not Barret-Jackson or show cars.
Rejected arranged by price, highest first.
2005 Ford GT-40 in Sonic Blue with no stripes. Looks even more curvaceous without the stripes. Very, very fast. $135,000.00
1938 Hollywood Graham street rod with LT1 V8, Auto, Vintage Air, 4WDB, Camaro front clip, Ford 9" rear end, leather, cruise and nav. system. $100,000.00 depending on how much I paid for the original car.
2008 BMW M3 in silver or black with a stone interior. The Holy Grail of sports sedans. $60,000.00
1959 Cadillac Series 62 convertible in white with a red leather interior. The iconoclastic finned and chromed giant American car.19'5" of American iron. $60,000.00
1973 Detomaso Pantera with the standard 390 ci Ford V8. Would add over-sized radiator and electric engine cooling fans. The front end was light at speed and it didn't like being driven in traffic, but we didn't care. It was the prettiest car I had ever driven, sounded like a NASCAR stocker with that big Ford V8 and was dead nuts reliable. $39,000.00
2000 Acura NSX in all black with yellow calipers, gauges and piping. A drivable super car. $35,000.00
2000 Jaguar XK8 convertible in cherry red with a biscuit interior and black top. This one is a lot like me. Looks great, very quick, comfortable to drive fast, higher than average maintenance and costly to repair if broken. $25,000.00
1962 Mercedes Benz 190SL in silver with a red interior. I drove one of these in the summer of 1982. This was the only car I ever drove that made my girlfriend want to take her top off every time I put the top down on the car. $24,000.00
1967 Oldsmobile 442 in Gold with a black vinyl top. $20,000.00
My Picks arranged by price, highest first.
2008 Audi R8. My absolute favorite high performance car to drive. Any color with contrasting side wing. $140,000.00
2007 Bentley Continental GT in extra deep green with a cream leather interior. This car is the quintessential Grand Touring car; luxurious, comfortable, exclusive and fast. $140,000.00
1957 Continental Mark II in white with mint green trim. The finest two seat luxury car made in the 50's. At three times the price of the most expensive Cadillac, these cars were the most exclusive American car of the post WW II era. $60,000
2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in any color but red. I love Vettes and this one is fast, fast, fast. $60,000.00
1954 Studebaker Starlight Coupe street rod in copper/orange with a brown leather interior, LT1 V8, Auto, Vintage Air, 4WDB, Camaro front clip, Ford 9" rear end, cruise and nav. system. $40,000.00
2008 Chevrolet Suburban in FBI black. For when I need to haul lots of people, tow something or haul lots of stuff. $38,000.00
1967 Pontiac GTO with 400 ci V8, auto and a/c in red with a black interior. This is my favorite muscle car. With the right tires, you can actually drive this one around a corner. $22,000.00
There are probably 50 more stock cars and trucks that I could name that I would love to own. And I could name 150 more modified cars and trucks, Also, I would pick another group if I was looking for show cars, You'll might want to see if there are other cars that would replace the ones I chose. Then see if you can make the numbers work.
Many Thanks
Jim
Ducati Minor
Christ, Jim, you really took this to the limit. I like it. Forgive me if you're list makes me want to match it--I've gone into deep thought:
For the GF: Mazda6 ($25,000)
For My Boring Duties: Pontiac G8 ($30,000)
For My Restoration Project: Jaguar XKE, Mk. I ($20,000)
For Utter Classic Speed: De Tomaso Pantera ($30,000)
For Two-Wheel Mayhem: Suzuki Hayabusa ($15,000)
For My GT Need: Ford Mustang, Bullitt Edition ($30,000)
For the Simply Bizarre Resto Project: Bricklin SV1 ($5,000)
If I could find a Miura for under $150K, I would jump on it. If I could find a Dino 246 GT for under $100K, the same. That's not all that off--they're down now, selling (from dealers) for $120K. The new Camaro SS looks to be a real smoker for the street, but it's not out yet. The same reason for not selecting the Audi A3 2.0T Quattro.
Mena
For Two-Wheel Mayhem: Suzuki Hayabusa ($15,000)
Might as well add one of these to your death machine. LOL!
http://tinyurl.com/8k9qzf
JWBrothers
I like your list D.M. and have a few thoughts on your picks.
I like the handling of the Mazda 6 and the feel of the Honda Accord. I would probably drive them back to back and pick one. Because I like German cars so much, I would also drive 2 year old Audi, BMW and Mercedes V6 wagons and might choose those for the greater utility.
Your boring duties wouldn't be too boring with a G8:^) Everything about it says ME except those fake hood scoops. I like my Bentley for the same duties, but it is more than triple the price.
The XKE is one of the most beautiful cars ever made, but I didn't pick any cars for restoration Because I can't do it any more since becoming disabled. The XKE would be a good one though.
I like the Pantera a lot, but are you sure you can still get a good one for $30,000.00?
I never got the chance to ride performance bikes on the streets. In my 20's, I had a couple of cousins that rode pro motocross and I got to ride their bikes from time to time, but that was always off road.
To be continued tomorrow. It's getting too late to string two sentences together.
Many Thanks
Jim
Ducati Minor
Jim,
My heart goes out to any hindrance in your love for the motor scene. I do recall you mentioning that and it warms my heart that you are still a firm gearhead. Don't feel a downer about that--I'm handicapped from proper restoration out of sheer incompetence. Just ask my old Alfa.
Auto Trader Classic and eBay Motors is full of Panteras running in the $25,000 to $35,000 range. Some have been crummy, but others have been pre-L (no ugly bumper) models in solid condition. The Pantera was a rough car when it came out, but most problems have been worked out since then, thanks to the early buyers/victims. The Pantera's difficult manners are what turn me on to it. It requires real skill to handle.
I analyzed some of your picks. They were interesting. The standard 'Vette is enough car for me, but the piles of Z06s I saw in Pomona waiting to be sold tempts me to find a deal. The GTO pick made me think of my cherish '69 Mustang fastback (with a Cleveland). The Mk. II Continental is easily one of the finest American cars of the '50s. The Studebaker Starliner coupe, however, ranks as my dearest dream treasure in 1950s Americana. A work of art indeed.
Mena
Can you do a 1 million dollar thread?
JWBrothers
Continued from three weeks ago...
The Bullet edition is the only recent Mustang to make my toes tingle. It is just enough retro look. It is just enough low key. It is just enough fast and it is just rare enough to be the most desirable Mustang.
A Bricklin! That's worse than the AMC Javelin I almost bought. Pure genius...
Many Thanks
Jim
DJSHO91
I would have the following:
1) 2006 Ford GT w/Heritage Trim(gulf blue)
2) 2009 Jaguar XF Supercharged
3) Superformance Cobra Roadster
4) Superformance Brock Coupe (#3 & #4 give the fun without the cost of originals)
5) 56 Chevy Belair Resto-mod 2dr(i.e.Year One)
6) My 91' Taurus SHO w/210,000 miles (what can I say? It's part of the family)
Any change left over would go into a garage where I could eat and sleep cause I would never want to leave(except to drive).
JWBrothers
Sorry that I've been away from this forum since Christmas, but I'm back.
I really like most of your choices. I would like to see you take the GT40 on the Hot Rod Power Tour. That would give you a chance to drive it cross country without spending any time in jail B^)
Everybody is afraid to recommend the Jag XF because of Jaguar's recent, unsuccessful excursion down market. But you may be on to something if they have have improved the product as much as they claim.
Superperformance makes the best looking tribute cars in the business. My favorite is their GT40. I like it better than the Ford because you can completely customize it any way you want to.
I've wanted a resto-mod since I first heard of them. The '56 Bel Air is a good choice, but, if I'm going to have a one off car built for me, I want something a little more obscure (like the '54 Studebaker I chose).
I understand your attachment to the '91 SHO. It's the same way I feel about my daily driver, a '90 Audi V8 Quattro.
I once designed a six car garage with a 1600 sq. ft. apartment above it. (Just for grins) If you ever get those six cars together, email me and I'll send it to you.
Many Thanks
Jim
howard
i would lay out bucks for a ZR-1 Vette
and a new 'new' house with a big 'new' garage to hold it.
$ 500,000 - $ 103,970 +_ should just about do it.
and the new house is going to be smack dab
on the beach somewhere sunny.
Mena
Since the half million is for what is going INTO your garage, what else are you getting?
JoeCamaro
2 new Alfa Romeo 8C Competizioni - one hard top, one convertible.
Don't need a new house or garage, I would just move the current cars out into the street for the Italians.