New or Used: Help Me Build My Fleet

by Sajeev Mehta and Steve Lang

Published: May 12th, 2011

Bruce writes:

As of today I have a: 997 ‘06 Carrera, E39 ’02 525i Sport Wagon, ‘08 LR3. The cars I wish to own include a Boxster Spyder, VW GTi gen VI and an ‘07/08 AMG E63 wagon. I can have four vehicles, three in the garage, one in the sun.

The LR3 is my wife’s company vehicle and our family hauler, three kids under 10 and hopefully a forth soon. So the LR3 will stay. That leaves my 12 000 mile Paint to Sample, Maritime Blue, Carrera and my 70,000 mile Sport Wagon. The Carrera is unique and a keeper, it’s won two concours awards and enjoys lapping VIR. The E39 Sport Wagon is immaculate with new brakes, next up I’ll be replacing the water pump as a preventative measure.

Soooo, I miss the top down driving of my now departed 986 Boxster S and think the Spyder is damn cool if a bit “spendy” as of today. The AMG wagon (I like me a wagon), spendy too for sure, can seat the entire family as a bonus (2 rear facing jump seats in back) and I’ve always loved that AMG naturally aspirated V8 sound. Get a big V8 while the oil lasts! Then there’s the GTI: I’ve always wanted one, it would be more frugal than my Sport Wagon, or the AMG for sure, but then I work from home most of the time anyway. However in 8 years when my eldest starts driving I think a 4 cycl. man tran is best for her.

Desperate for help! ;-)

Sajeev answers:

While I understand the allure of an AMG wagon (my brother owns an E55 of that variety) I don’t see why you’d want it after owning the best: E39 wagons rock. More to the point, you want a convertible and you really like V8s: those two items came up frequently in your email. So broaden your horizons.

Handling is a must, considering your current fleet. Why on earth aren’t you looking at an LS-1 powered Miata? It will eat your 997

alive on most any track, sounds kinda like an E63 wagon and you won’t mind letting Mother Nature have its way with it in your driveway. Its obvious you have money, a passion for cars and a desire for owning the best of the breed, so do things right with the best machine known to man. Several shops do this for you, and plenty of conversions show up on eBay on a regular basis.

Steve answers:

I would keep the Carrera.You won’t get that much of a bump by dumping it and getting yet another sports car. That model is among the best of the decade. Boxsters however tend to have issues as they age (engine, electric, suspension) and I would definitely sell that.

Your idea of buying a convertible is spot on. Everything you will have is already a hardtop and Sajeev’s idea of a souped up Miata is on

target. Although I think since you folks have kids, a Jaguar XKR would be a far better choice. This model has all the power you would ever want for the open road. Add a world class interior and seating for at least four (five hypothetically), and you have a world class touring convertible for the warm months. I do love the Miata; especially the 4000 or so Mazdaspeed’s that were released. But if I already had two Porsche’s and planned on ridding myself of one, I would opt for a soft top.

Not just any convertible mind you. But one that would have the right combination of ride, luxury and other-godly levels of horsepower. You already have a Mercedes. BMW’s have cheap interior parts and a Bangle butt design that’s as overwrought as it is copied. I would get the Jag (XK).

#Advice #NewOrUsed?

Sajeev Mehta and Steve Lang

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2 of 43 comments

Dcecr on May 13, 2011

Until recently i had a similar set up '06 C2S Cabriolet '99 528it sport wagon '06 Jeep Grand Cherokee Unfortunately I got rid of the E39 because the repairs, while not too expensive, were growing too unpredictable. I ended getting an '07 GX470 with a third-row which is the family-hauler now. Anyway, the E39 was awesome (even in the snow when fitted with Dunlop WinterSports) so keep it. I regret getting rid of it every time I look the JGC. I would suggest selling the 997 and buying the same model year in a cabriolet. Cash out will be modest, you'll scratch the convertible itch, and be able to keep an icon in the collection. Although it can't match the visceral sensation of a V8, if you step up to the S version of the cabriolet, you'll get a little extra punch that may make you forget about anything AMG-tuned (for a little while, anyway). Four seats in the convertible comes in handy - the 997 is a near daily driver for me and allows me to take the kids to school. good luck.

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Frizzlefry on May 13, 2011

A VW GTi gen VI? Honestly, great car BUT I would seriously consider a 2009 Audi A3 3.2 S-Line instead if you can find one. I traded in my A6 for one and its AWESOME. Launch control, Quattro, fast as all hell and an adaptive magnetic suspension with sport mode...the same suspension only found in the R8 now...used its a great buy. In canada it was 57,000 brand new. Got mine with 30,000km on in it (previous owner was the shop manager at the Audi dealership) and only paid 35,000. More than 20 grand less than new.

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