Here’s a rare thing: a Tomcat free of
rust. At least, that’s what the seller
says. They also say it has a hugeservice history and recent work
includes a new timing belt and water
pump, and a rebuilt head. It’s a 1998
car that has done 102,000 miles.
They don't make ’em like this any
more... The CE is a wonderful-looking
motor and built like a battleship,
although front wings and undersides
c a n r o t. Fo r tu n a te l y, th i s o n e , a 1 9 8 9 -
reg with 66,000 miles and full Merc
service history, looks to be pristine.
“Don’t buy this A3 if you’re expecting
an entertaining drive,” our 2003review concluded. Not this particular
example (a 2004-reg with 98,000
miles) but the model in general. That
conclusion still stands but we’re willing
to make allowances at this price.
The Bocanegra isn’t the sharpest hot
hatch, but with 178bhp, it can rattle
off 0-62mph in 7.2sec. It’s rare but
we found this 2010-reg with 68,000
miles. It has a seven-speed DSG auto
and Seat’s XDS system that mimics a
limited-slip diff, both standard kit.
QUICK
AND SURE-
FOOTEDRISKY
£ 3 K V 8 GTCOUPÉ
BUY THEM
BEFORE WE DO
WILD CARD
f you think today’s
8 Series is an eyeful, its
for e b e a r of 199 0 t o 1999
made an even bigger
splash. We found a 1999-reg 840Ci
Sport, the version with the later
4.4-litre V8 engine that arrived in
- It has done 100,000 miles and
costs just £2995. It must be whiffy
at that money and there’s certainly
no mention of service history.
Still, it could be worth a punt...
The 4.0-litre motor, the 4.4’s
predecessor, suffered problems with
its Nikasil bore liners. Most cars were
repaired under warranty and the rest
s c r app e d , s o i f y ou f i nd one , it ’s l i k e l y
t o b e ok ay a nd t he y c a n b e c he ap.
We spotted a 1994-reg 4.0-litre
with 140,000 miles for £5600. It’s
not as cheap as our £2995 4.4-litre
find, but in 2006 it had a new engine
at a cost of £11,000. It has since had a
gearbox rebuild (£2500) and a
diff rebuild (£1000).
If you want a V12 engine, then
there’s the 850i and later 850Ci,
and the more powerful 850CSi.
We saw a 1993-reg 850Ci with
118,000 miles for £12,995. If you
can find one, a good CSi can be as
much as £60,000.
But ba c k t o t h at c he ap -a s- c h ip s
4.4-litre 840Ci. If we were serious,
w e ’d l i k e t o k now t he t i m i ng c h a i n
tensioner had been replaced. Then
we’d look for smoke on start-up and
on t he ov e r r u n , s u gge s t i n g pr oble m s
ranging from poor fuelling to worn
piston rings.
Ne x t , w e ’d w a nt t o b e s u r e t he
temperature gauge was sitting
properly and would be worried if the
diff was noisy because parts are hard
to source. Rust can break out on the
jacking points and rear wheel arches,
so we’d check these, too.
JOHN EVANS
I
BMW 840 Ci £ 2995
Seat Ibiza Cupra 1.4 TSI 18 0
Bocanegra £ 5985
Audi A 3 3 .2 Sport quattro
£ 2150
Rover Coupé 1.8 VVC
£ 1795
Mercedes-Benz 3 00 CE
£ 14 ,9 85
STAND OUT
FROM THECROWD
RUST-FREE
PLUS HUGEHISTORY
74 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 7 AUGUST 2019