Bargain HiPo SUV's

I've become a bit smitten with an SUV of late, the Mercedes Benz GLC 63 AMG. Admittedly its probably because the squat flared stance reminds me more of a high performance wagon than a inner city fashion accessory, but none the less I like it. And by all the accounts I've read it hustles its way down nice piece of bitumen pretty well too. But what if you can't afford $165,000 worth of 4 litre twin turbo V8 SUV? Here are some bargain alternatives, oh but don''t expect them to be reliable!

     

Mercedes Benz ML55 AMG

Mercedes can actually lay claim to be the inventor of the everyday high performance SUV. Back in 99 they released the ML55 AMG. At the time the big Benz was their only 4x4 offering and someone decided handing it off to the boys at Affalterbach would be a good idea. What came back was a beefed up ML sporting a 255 kilowatt 5.5 litre V8 and lovely set of alloys, the bodywork and suspension was also fettled with. However, unlike today''s GLC don't expect the ML to wow you in the corners, contemporary road tests praised it but by today's standards the big old ML is no dynamic superstar. Ignoring this though it's hard to scoff at something offering so much luxury and straight line pace for under $10,000.

The original high performance SUV

Porsche Cayenne Turbo

If its sports car levels of handling your after though, then may I suggest possibly the worst financial decision of your life? The original Porsche Cayenne Turbo. A car that made the Porsche purists wretch and everyone else just plain sick when they caught a glimpse of it, the Cayenne Turbo had a stretched 911 face that only a mother could love. But oh my could it handle, under the surface lurked a chassis tuned by some of the best engineers in the business, not to mention it wasn't even that bad off road. Cayennes came in a few flavours starting with a base V6, but its the range topping Turbo you want, complete with 331kw 4.5 litre twin turbo V8 the Cayenne could dispatch 0-100 in 5.6 seconds. Early cars (2003/4) can be had for under $20k, however these cars are notoriously unreliable. So maybe best to make a slightly less financially crushing decision and pay about $28k for a later car.

     

BMW X5 4.8is 

If the Porsche is just too ugly for you though and forced induction makes you feel dirty then how about the BMW X5 4.8is. The original X5 despite the controversy over its release back in 1999 has aged beautifully and makes the latest gen look like a bloated whale. It wasn't the hottest thing off road with 285 section rear tyres but it made up for it on road with BMW's signature driving dynamics woven into its suspension set up. A lovely 4.8 litre naturally aspirated V8 pushing 265kw and capable of 0-100 in 6.1secs rounded of a pretty compelling SUV package. As little as $5k will get you into an X5 with a V8, but best budget a little more for maintenance and fuel bills!

       

Range Rover Sport 

Lastly how about a wildcard in a group of, well, wildcards. The original Range Rover Sport is now 14 years old and begging to burn its way through your savings account, all in the name of a wailing supercharged V8. Another 4.4 litre to be exact with 220kw, despite the supercharger though the Rangie is actually the slowest of the group clocking a 8.9 second sprint to 100 and despite the Sport nomenclature it is probably the least sporty of my quartet on the road. However show it some dirt and it will pretty much walk over the others. $15-$20k should get you into a well cared for early one.

Four high performance SUV's that can all be had for less than the cost of a mid spec Corolla. What could possibly go wrong I ask you? Well we all know quite a lot and don't even get me started on the fuel costs. However isn't depreciation a wonderful thing, especially if you've got a bit of maintenance money lying around, fancy a roaring V8 soundtrack and want some road presence. One of these bad boys could be just the car for you.     

Car of the week: Porsche Cayenne

It might be uglier than a bottom feeder fish that has been hit in the face with a frying pan but did you know that the Porsche Cayenne is now 15 years old? And nowadays they represent a rather good second hand buy, I mean you cant argue that you get a lot of excellent engineering for your money.

How much?

What sort of money am I talking? $20,000 will get you behind the wheel of a well serviced, cherished example. Meaning that this side of a 986 Boxster the Cayenne is the cheapest modern era Porsche you can buy. And its important to point out that the Cayenne isn't a hulking great whale in Porsche clothing either, the companies first SUV stunned the world by actually driving like a Porsche too, so your not just buying a badge.

Performance

Performance ranged from brisk in the base V6 engined Cayenne to properly absurd in the Turbo S. I'm talking a 0-100km/h of just over 7 seconds in the V6, not bad for something weighing over 2 tonnes. While the updated Turbo S cracked the same sprint in 4.7 seconds! In the twisties it was impossible for Porsche to totally disguise the cars bulk but direct steering, stiff suspension and all wheel drive grip do their bit to deliver a entertaining steer. Both manual and auto where available, although I'd bet almost everyone chose the latter when they splashed out the $130,000+ for a new one back in the day.

Interior

Inside things are suitably Porsche, with a familiar instrument cluster, steering wheel and lashings of leather. All finished to the very highest standards, it is a bit of a button frenzy inside though, as was the theme in the mid noughties.

Reliability

Now the burning question, I bet your all asking. Won't a 15 year old used Porsche just break? I argue that no, with proper regular maintenance the Cayenne is more reliable than you might imagine. From the outset the Cayenne was over engineered. And as a company Porsche regularly top reliability charts across the globe. Sure when something does go bang the repair costs will be high, but buy sensibly and you could get yourself a performance luxury bargain. For some proof check out the Everyday Driver Youtube channel, one of their hosts has been doing a video diary on his experience of used Cayenne ownership and concludes that it isn't too terrifying.

That whole gag of once your inside you don't have to see it definitely applies to the first generation Cayenne, I doubt even the very judgemental internet will argue with me there. However, if you are in the market for a luxury SUV for less coin than a new Korean hatchback please take one for a spin. Get inside past the bottom feeder face and revel in what is quite an achievement from a one time niche sports car maker.

2003 Porsche Cayenne S: $17,990

Car of the Week: Porsche 924

The last two weeks has seen the blog take a French turn, with a Renault 12 and super rare Citroen BX taking the crown as car of the week. So in a bid to diversify lets hop back over the border into Germany and delivery another iconic brand that I didn't think could be so affordable in Australia. This week's car is the Porsche 924.

A bit of background

With a front mounted watercooled engine and rear wheel drive layout the 924 marked Porsche's first foray into making sports car with a more traditional setup. It was a trend which lasted almost 20 years with this cars successors the 944 and latterly 968 produced until 1995. Despite it being somewhat of a revolution for Porsche sports cars though, the 924 was never far from criticism. Developed in conjunction with Volkswagen the car was intended to wear a VW badge as well as Porsche one. However when the oil crisis hit in 1973 VW thought a sports car project probably wasn't what they should be focusing on and pulled out. Porsche bought the design of them and continued unabated but still, come it's launch the joint nature of the 924 led some to believe the car wasn't a thoroughbred Porsche.

   

Performance

The 2 litre Audi derived engine didn't help the 924 initially either. With a very un sporty 93kw and a 0-100km/h time of 11 seconds the car was never going to break lap records. Under powered it might have been but it was at least reliable, something that can't be said of many other sports cars of the era, the engine was so dependable in fact that Volkswagen later put it in a van. Porsche did rectify the speed deficit with a 130kw 924 turbo in 1978, however early cars were dogged by reliability issues that the non turbo car didn't have. A 2.5 litre 944 engine was transplanted into the 924S in 1986 for the final years of production with more success.

Simplicity = success 

Sales speak louder than some Porsche purists complaining though and the 924, despite it's VW connection and under powered engine was one of the companies most successful models with over 150,000 produced between 1976 and 1988. The reasoning, it drove like a Porsche damn well should. Simple mechanical's teamed with a slightly rear biased 48/52 weight distribution meant the handling balance of the 924 was spot on. Once up to speed the entry level 924 delivered the sort of driving experience that previously only the privileged could afford. Porsche had brought a luxury sports car to the masses and the masses approved.

 

Go get yourself one

There aren't many cars from manufactures of bona fide supercars that you can pick up for such little money, but the wrongly and often overlooked 924 is one of those cars. It is a properly reliable classic and one that given the badge many previous owners will have cherished. From the few cars I've looked at the relatively low km's covered by them further confirms this. The 924 has clearly been the fun weekend car for many and it could be the one for you too.

This weeks car has been laid up for a few months, but it looks remarkably neat with only 86,000km, the only noticeable flaw being a tear in the drivers seat. The seller says it starts and drives well and is only asking $300 more to get it rego'd which would imply that mechanically it's all good. Prices for 924's can't stay this low forever so now might be the best time to pick up a classic Porsche.
1977 Porsche 924, $2800

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