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Goodbye GT86. Ownership review on Page 3.


captain

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So.

 

Been in Dubai now since August last year and think I will be here for good.

 

Obviously it is car heaven here so i can't carry on renting a Focus for 300 quid a month any more. The problem is, what to buy? The wish list started like this:

 

370Z/GT-R

Z4 - M Coupe

Caymen/Boxster/911

AMG SL55

Mustang/Challenger/Corvette

 

Test drove most of them and for various reasons, nothing made me that excited. I'll qualify that by saying they are all exciting (SL55 AMG. WTF should have been added to the back of that thing! Wheel spin just about constant) but driving in Dubai is very frustrating. You are NEVER more than 500 metres from a speed camera or a speed bump so the really fast cars above are just about unusable except for posing so out go GT-R and 911.

 

Secondly, I realised I just don't like big cars except for driving around America so goodbye to our US friends.

 

The AMG was top for ages but I just thought that it is big, too fat and how often would I put the roof down? Even today, it is 30 outside and slightly humid.

 

That really left the smaller Porsche's, BMW and 370.

 

Drove a Cayman Type R and at 33 grand it was much cheaper than UK but nearly every car here is a Porsche and nearly every car gets in an accident and as it would be my daily driver as well, i couldn't justify the expense or the risk of accident or depreciation of using it daily. Boxster kind of fell by the wayside using the same criteria as Cayman and also, when would I put the roof down?

 

So I bet by now you are saying "it's a 370". Well. No. Felt good but not special and that engine sound! Awful. Also, why are the seats so high like a bus driver's?

 

The M Coupe was a valiant second. Perfect in every way (2 doors, looks great, nice sound, handles fantastic, rare) except a little old and i wanted something newer.

 

Before I reveal all, can anybody guess? The last clue to add is that i like to drive flat out so because of the limiting nature of the roads here, as well as the above "must haves" it has to be, well, slowish so I can thrash it before I hit the next bump/camera.

 

Here are the criteria again:

 

2 door

Good looking

Good sound

Great handling

Rear wheel drive

Rare(ish)

Less than 3 years old

Manual

Small

Less than 15k sterling

Less than 200 bhp

Easy to mod

 

Anybody??

Edited by captain
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GT86 it is - but modified already. :)

 

Pearlescent white with the following:

 

Milltek unresonated exhaust (the loud one)

Full Eibach suspension upgrade

Oz Racing Allegerrita 17" gunmetal rims

Continental Contisport tyres

 

Pics to follow as only just got it a few days ago. Got to say it FULLY deserves all the awards. The only comparable car for handling was the Cayman R and i haven't had a chance to really push it yet. Gearbox the only disappointment (not as good as my 20 year old Mark 1 MX-5) but other than than, an absolute hoot.

 

Getting in and out is a bit of a struggle for my old bones :lol:

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That was the most depressing buying a new car thread I've ever read!

 

"Here I am in an amazing country, earning a shitload (alright I added that in), the land of 'the car' and with a choice of anything.

 

However it's dusty, bumpy, more cameras than the M6 road works, you can't drive fast and it will definitely get smashed to bits!"

 

Should have just got a 4x4 and wafted around. :lol:

 

I do like the GT86 though

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GT86 isn't less than £15K sterling though :p

 

Paid 80,000 AED so 13k sterling. Good deal seeing as the owner (Porsche Cup driver and runs a motorsport company here) added 4K of mods.

 

If I wasn't completely mullered right now i'd get in it and go for a blast.

 

Hic.......

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