500 quid massive engine challenge

[Dobloseven]

This week we has mostly been buying a £500 Jaguar,which my son has now taken back with him.He messaged to say he's happy and I jokingly messaged back to ask what 500 quid car should I look out for next."Something with a massive engine" he replies.Set me thinking,what would the biggest engined car for the money be,with the provisio it must have 3 months MOT.minimum,and be immediately usable,as the X Type was. Don't worry, it's just a bit of fun(I think).

[HMC]

get a ropey s500 w220  v8 5.0 . used to be doable but high bork factor at that price level and they break for more so not so easy anymore. I recon displacement for £ , turnkey that would be hard to beat. £750 - £1000 might be more realistic these days. anything older as an s class has classic tax, and the successor model is too new.

[autopaul]

2.7 derv Jag, has "long" MOT but needs trailering away because of cruddy brake pipe, which probably translates to rotten underside 

[Schaefft]

Yeah, pre-facelift W220 S500 or S430, although not easy at all to find for 500 quid. CLK430 might be slightly more doable if it's crusty although rarer. X308 4.0l V8 XJ is another easy find but most likely rotten. I see quite a few pre-fl D2 A8s with the 4.2 but mostly borked.

[GeordieInExile]

MOT till May. Engine running like a dream but "needs some work". Hmmm...

https://www.gumtree.com/p/ford/ford-mondeo-hatchback-2006-manual-2967-cc-5-doors/1491203259

[Imhotep]

Can’t think of much I’d want less than a Cat C 2.3 Golf V5 with a gearbox that doesn’t change gears properly but…

[eddyramrod]

There's a 3.2 Crossfire in this bracket in the ebay thread...

[Dobloseven]

Hmmm.

42 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

There's a 3.2 Crossfire in this bracket in the ebay thread...

No MOT,spares or repairs,needs recovery......And 50 quid over budget.Apart from that,would be perfect!Looks like it's quite a big ask to go much over 2 litres these days with engines getting smaller.The Mondeo looked a possible,but the advert has gone.

[Boycie]

21 hours ago, Imhotep said:

Can’t think of much I’d want less than a Cat C 2.3 Golf V5 with a gearbox that doesn’t change gears properly but…

Back in 2000 we took a batch of Bora V5s on the fleet , glorious engine and a real sleeper ...... In no way did I test the 0-60 time in between roundabouts 10 times in a row ...... 

[Imhotep]

34 minutes ago, Boycie said:

Back in 2000 we took a batch of Bora V5s on the fleet , glorious engine and a real sleeper ...... In no way did I test the 0-60 time in between roundabouts 10 times in a row ...... 

I have wanted to try a V5 Golf/Bora, just not that specific one I posted!

[2flags]

Not a massive engine, but has some ticket, likely to go higher but, cars for sale used | eBay

[Boycie]

Gearboxes .....they're overated , buy it and just sit gunning the engine on your drive 

[Rustybullethole]

'Merican no? 

A monkey is likely to land you a shit piece granted. 

[Dobloseven]

2 hours ago, 2flags said:

Not a massive engine, but has some ticket, likely to go higher but, cars for sale used | eBay

Now one with a V6 might be more like it.Surprised there's been no six cylinder BMWs yet.Actually got on on the drive that fits the bill apart from very short MOT.

[HMC]

If its an absolute for the cc / £  I recon 5 litre w220 has that mix of age, numbers (ie not a rarity) and the ccs. Potentially an ML500 w163?Harder to find,  same engine, and most likely quite scabby.  But unloved which helps £ wise. 

Anything US, or Jag (v12) are probably an entry level of £2.5k min with any hope of using it. Plus classic tax.

The largest engined x300 is a 4.0 if you can stomach loosing 1000cc so thats a possibility, xj40s are not really around anymore for £1000 , let alone £500 as they once were.

honourable mention to the 4.6 v8 p38 i got off e bay locally last year; £400 or maybe £450 IIRC? mot, usuable.

[Dobloseven]

10 minutes ago, HMC said:

If its an absolute for the cc / £  I recon 5 litre w220 has that mix of age, numbers (ie not a rarity) and the ccs. Potentially an ML500 w163?Harder to find,  same engine, and most likely quite scabby.  But unloved which helps £ wise. 

Anything US, or Jag (v12) are probably an entry level of £2.5k min with any hope of using it. Plus classic tax.

The largest engined x300 is a 4.0 if you can stomach loosing 1000cc so thats a possibility, xj40s are not really around anymore for £1000 , let alone £500 as they once were.

honourable mention to the 4.6 v8 p38 i got off e bay locally last year; £400 or maybe £450 IIRC? mot, usuable.

That's going to take a bit of beating!

[HMC]

At one stage i wondered if we would see phaeton v10 tdis at banger money but relative rarity seems to keep prices up. Cheapest id seen was £1500 for a cosmetically poor one/ cat c  a couple of years ago.

[2flags]

10 minutes ago, HMC said:

At one stage i wondered if we would see phaeton v10 tdis at banger money but relative rarity seems to keep prices up. Cheapest id seen was £1500 for a cosmetically poor one/ cat c  a couple of years ago.

I think we might eventually. It's the OMGWFM tax that will put most people off.  I mean, £1500-£3000 cost for the car, then £760+ for the tax makes it very unappealing. 

[Schaefft]

They are worth more in parts than the lowest asking prices you are seeing for them right now. Even completely disabled 3.0 TDI Phaetons don't go much lower than just under a grand. I've been watching them more lately.

As mentioned, 5.0l Mercedes is really the way to go, followed by the 4.3l Mercedes, followed by the 4.0 Jag. Anything below is hardly a massive engine, nor are there many driveable examples to be had of anything else unless you are super lucky.

[Bren]

42 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

They are worth more in parts than the lowest asking prices you are seeing for them right now. Even completely disabled 3.0 TDI Phaetons don't go much lower than just under a grand. I've been watching them more lately.

As mentioned, 5.0l Mercedes is really the way to go, followed by the 4.3l Mercedes, followed by the 4.0 Jag. Anything below is hardly a massive engine, nor are there many driveable examples to be had of anything else unless you are super lucky.

Spot on. Given the prices of brand new parts there is plenty of demand for used parts for luxobarges. Even the likes of the worst BMW series are £1500 - 2k.

I am old enough to remember when you could get a decent 3.5 SD1 or 2.8 granada for a few hundred quid....

[Bren]

Just now, Bren said:

Spot on. Given the prices of brand new parts there is plenty of demand for used parts for luxobarges. Even the likes of the worst BMW series are £1500 - 2k.

I am old enough to remember when you could get a decent 3.5 SD1 or 2.8 granada for a few hundred quid....

I missed the number 6 before series 🤭

[GlenAnderson]

Back in May/June 2000 I bought an Iveco 190/38 for £250. That had a 17-litre V8 diesel in it; does that count? 🤣

[camryv6]

On 05/01/2025 at 00:40, GlenAnderson said:

Back in May/June 2000 I bought an Iveco 190/38 for £250. That had a 17-litre V8 diesel in it; does that count? 🤣

@Cavcraft ?

[hairnet]

*buys tinfoil hat

eddys jag

[Dobloseven]

46 minutes ago, hairnet said:

*buys tinfoil hat

eddys jag

Seems to remember a while back, eddy took it to WBAC and that was about it.

[rob88h]

V8 110 Defender, D701 SWL?

[Schaefft]

13 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

Seems to remember a while back, eddy took it to WBAC and that was about it.

It was parted out on FB marketplace and probably banger raced eventually.

[Dobloseven]

1 minute ago, Schaefft said:

It was parted out on FB marketplace and probably banger raced eventually.

You're thinking of his Cadillac,Huggy,which he swapped the Jag for,with HMC.

[Schaefft]

Just now, Dobloseven said:

You're thinking of his Cadillac,Huggy,which he swapped the Jag for,with HMC.

Ah, misread the comment. Nevermind!

[Barry Cade]

£500 is not even a headlight nowadays.. youd have to double the budget i reckon...Few Astros kicking around .. 4.3 V6.

I bought my Dodge D100 for £350, taxed and Motd .. 400ci or 6.5 litre.. many years ago though. Engine alone would be 2k+ now.