The Next Step for Detroit

As I mentioned in my note on the 2010 Canadian International Auto Show, I'm very impressed with the latest products from Ford. What I didn't explicitly mention is that the friend I attended with and I often made a beeline for the stands occupied by the Big Three. We both drive imports, but we were both interested to see how the latest domestics were. We were largely impressed with what Detroit had to offer. The Lincoln MKS and MKZ, Ford Fusion, Fiesta, and new Focus, Buick Regal and LaCrosse, Ford Flex, Chevrolet Equinox, Cadillac SRX, and Dodge Challenger were all either particularly impressive or represented good efforts on the behalf of their respective manufacturers.

The Ford Taurus, Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Cruze, and GMC Terrain SUV were all decent enough. Most disappointingly, however, the Chevrolet Impala and Malibu, Buick Lucerne, and all the midsize and large Chryslers were all very much reminiscent of what the American manufacturers were building ten years ago. These aforementioned cars (the Impala in particular) are all huge sellers. What every car I've just mentioned lacks, however, is an intrinsic "American-ness." A properly American car needs a name with flair, exciting styling, power and room to spare, and solid build quality. What I will attempt to do is to outline what the Big Three ought to do to restore this elusive quality to their product lineups.

In 2006, when Buick replaced the Park Avenue, they named their newest large slushboat sedan "Lucerne." An American car should not, in any circumstance, be named after a quaint Swiss town (note that there was never a Pontiac Geneva or a Mercury Zurich.) Considering that it sits on architecture that is, to say the least, aged, the Lucerne has sold incredibly well. I'm still left scratching my head, however, as to why GM didn't give the big Buick a better name. In the past, the Tri-Shield has marketed cars with some of the following illustrious names:

• Roadmaster
• Riviera
• Century/Centurion
• Wildcat
• Skyhawk
• Electra
• Bolero (show car)

I'd be much more likely to buy a Lucerne were it called "Electra" or "Centurion." And "LaCrosse" What kind of a name is that? Who names a car after a Native American game designed to be essentially war simulation? Couldn't the latest mid-range Buick have been called "Bolero"? The name fits the design, I think. If Buick really is trying to appeal to younger customers, give it a name that implies a powerful history and a racy future. "LaCrosse" makes me think of jocks and a company grasping at straws to connect with the under-forty crowd. To be fair, Ford did revive the Taurus name (although it does have some uninspiring connotations), was going to call the Fusion the Futura, and almost sold the Flex as the Fairlane. But why is Chevrolet selling the Cruze (what is a Cruze anyway -- a boat-trip for the illiterate, perhaps?) rather than the "Biscayne"? Why does Chrysler have the Sebring? There are surely better names in existence for a mid-size family car. Perhaps I'm a little nostalgic, but it seems to me that a proper American car should have an emotive name. And no, "Aveo" doesn't cut it.

Similarly, Detroit needs a styling revolution. The latest Lincolns are an improvement, but the monstrous shiny proboscis of the Ford Fusion does a lot to harm what is otherwise a decent design. It's hard to pinpoint what makes a design "American." Whatever the case may be, a properly domestic car needs a certain flair, a certain swagger, and certain embodiment of our unique, Western way of life. Tacking chrome onto a design that is otherwise understated and "European" doesn't make any car properly American. Likewise, crafting the sheet metal with a chisel (CTS) makes the car neither exciting nor attractive. The Chrysler 300 was a good effort, but it's always been just a little awkward. I'm hoping the 2012 re-boot of the LX cars will rectify this and give us designs that are similar in spirit to, but somewhat more refined than those found on the current models.

Personally, I'm all for a revival of discreet tailfins (Lancia tried it out on the Kappa in the '90s, so such a renaissance wouldn't be without precedent.) A pair of thin dorsals could be just the thing to set aside the current Malibu from the competition. The current low-roof trend isn't that offensive, but all the American manufacturers could design more fluid rooflines. The nation that incubated the fastback should never have produced the awkwardly roofed Chrysler Sebring (Mk II). In this sense, the aforementioned Buick Lucerne (Electra?) is a bit of a winner: the trunkline is gentle and elegant, even if it does look a little like what one would find on a 1997 Toyota Camry. The current trend of slapping oceans of chrome on otherwise pedestrian cars (the aforementioned Fusion; most other Fords save for the Mustang and, possibly, the Taurus) has also got to go. A little chrome, strategically placed, is fine. A mirror-like chrome face is not. In the details and the bigger picture, then, Detroit needs to pick up the pace. A return of "coke bottle" styling (already initiated by Audi on the A5) would evoke the past, as would subtle fins (call them "sight lines", as Mercedes once did) and tasteful (?) chrome accents. Aggressive stances and clean silhouettes would point to the future. The moment in which to begin this revolution in styling is upon us.

An American car must be, in the traditionally held view, a power-house. The Big Three are starting to recognize this again, and are also slowly realizing that power and engine size aren't necessary related. After building the insipid 3.8L "3800 Series" V6 engine for years and years, GM is equipping its new Buicks with more interesting power plants: the 2011 Regal will have a 2.0L turbo four-cylinder, mated to a six speed manual gearbox. Ford has discovered turbocharging, and the 3.5L "EcoBoost" (rated at 365hp, I believe) is now available in the Taurus and the Lincoln MKS. A new 5.0L V8 has arrived for the Mustang, and even Chrysler is bringing to the game its new "Pentastar" six cylinder engines. All told, the Americans are now making some excellent mid-sized and large engines. "But what about the environment?", you say at this point. Well, it is common knowledge that electric engines produce 100% torque of the mark. Imagine a "green" AWD Taurus (or RWD Aussie Falcon, as I'd have it) with the 5.0L V8 and/or a peppy electric assist. Impressive, no? Even I would consider buying one. Through turbo-charging, performance hybrids, and the use of efficient V6 and V8 motors, the Big Three can once again build affordable cars that have power to spare.

Since the 1990s, the American manufacturers have come light-years in terms of build quality. I recall our old Chrysler New Yorker having faux-wood trim throughout the interior; on two of the doors, the trim panels simply fell off. This was, apparently, a common problem on late 1980s and early 1990s Chryslers. With the exception of the Cadillac CTS, I have been quite impressed with the interior fit-and-finish on all the latest models launched by Chrysler, FoMoCo, and the General ("latest" generally denoting 2008 and later; including but not limited to the following: new Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan/Lincoln MKZ, Ford Taurus/Lincoln MKS/Ford Flex/Lincoln MKT, Chevrolet Malibu, Buick LaCrosse, Buick Regal, Chevrolet Equinox/GMC Terrain, and the late Pontiac G8.) The plastics are still a little hard, and the edges are occasionally a little rough, but every indicator represents a giant step in the right direction from the terrible cabins found in many American cars ten years ago (e.g., 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonneville.) When the doors of a Chrysler shut with the same assured sound as the doors of Honda Accord, and when the cabin of a Lincoln blocks out noise as well as that of a BMW, the American forces will have been victorious. The Big Three have come a long way. Up the quality, improve the names, inject the styling with excitement, and the revolution will be complete.

CIAS 2010: Perceptions

A good friend and I attended CIAS 2010 (Canadian International Auto Show) recently. We spent most of our time looking at practical, realistic cars (there was more time spent at the Honda booth than at Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini put together), and here are some of the conclusions I came to (with the aid of a complex 1-10 rating system.)

"LIKES" -- My favorites, cars that impressed me beyond my expectations, designs that were particularly well executed.

1. Lincoln MKS -- I was drawn back to this car. The clean exterior styling and comfortable, slightly conservative interior were very much to my liking. I liked the comfortable seats, the use of real wood in the cabin (as opposed to plastic), and the use, overall, of fairly high quality materials. I would nitpick a few things with Ford -- like the fact that the latest big Lincoln isn't rear-wheel drive and doesn't have a proper V8 -- but overall the split-wing wonder was a pretty slick addition to the showroom floor.

2. Buick Regal GS -- If you thought the Lincoln MKS carried a brand stigma, "you ain't seen nothin' yet." The Regal, however, promises to resurrect Buick. Based on the excellent Opel Insignia, the GS model shown at CIAS will be available with a 2.0L turbo engine and a 6-speed manual (!) On a Buick (!) It looks great too.

3. Hyundai Genesis -- Hyundai's "luxury" sedan had seats that were easily on par with those in the Mercedes-Benz S500 and doors that shut out noise better than those on the BMW 535i. The exterior styling is forgettable, but the cabin is really excellent. Plus, the Genesis comes with, unusually in this day in age, a 4.6L V8 and native RWD.

4. Volvo S80 T6 -- In my quest for well-made interior components, the S80 delivered: the arm-rest action is very well engineered. I've always liked this car; it seemed to be about the right size from every angle, and was quite comfortable for both the driver and front/rear passengers. If I had to buy one, I'd get the top-end version with AWD and the 4.4L V8.

5. Mercedes-Benz CLS -- this car, the least practical in the world, has been on sale for a long time now, but I still like its flowing lines and coupe-like stance. The interior was a little forgettable (as in most Mercedes, I found), but there was more room than I had expected.

Honorable mentions: Chrysler 300C (much better than I expected it to be, and great value for money); BMW 535i (a nicely made car, but likely not worth the $70k asking price); redesigned Ford Fusion Sport/Mazda 6 (both competent mid-size sedans, but each with very different strengths and weaknesses); Hyundai Elantra Touring (the interior felt cheap, but, like most Hyundais, this compact wagon/hatchback represents fantastic value for money); Jaguar XJ "L" (gorgeous styling, brilliant interior that we weren't supposed to sit in, hefty price tag.)

"DISLIKES" -- My least favorite cars on the floor. These either fell extremely short of my expectations or were just plain bad, or both.

1. Cadillac CTS (all models) -- I'm sure these cars are as mechanically excellent as GM says they are, but the astoundingly bad interior fit and finish made the inflated premium price-tag look ridiculous.

2. Toyota Prius -- I love the planet too, but the tree-hugging (?) Prius has an interior fitted with some of the cheapest, ugliest hard-touch plastics I've seen in a long time. Maybe next time, Toyota.

3. Lincoln MKT -- I wanted to like the unusual MKT, I really did, but the car's undoing for me came when the only way I could sit at all upright in the third-row seat was if the tailgate was open. If you're going to have third row seats, make the car high enough so that normally sized people can sit in them!

4. BMW 330d -- The quintessential yuppie uniform felt to me, on the inside at least, more than a little like the quintessential '90s Pontiac or Chevrolet. The cabin design didn't look well-considered, and there was more hard-touch plastic than I would've hoped to find on a $45,000 car.

5. Ford Taurus -- As with the MKT, I really wanted to like the Taurus. The so-so interior quality, claustrophobic back seat (not something you should find on a car only marginally smaller than Buckingham Palace) and terrible rear sight lines made me quite disappointed in Ford's newest large car. Interestingly, as I've noted, I loved the MKS, which is basically a luxurious derivative of the Taurus.

Dishonourable mentions: Lincoln Navigator (the '90s are over: crass, conspicuous consumption isn't cool anymore); Kia Rio (very few redeeming qualities, but that's what everybody expects so some slack must invariably be cut); Land Rover Range Rover Sport (a proper Range Rover should be able to ford the Amazon without difficulty; the Sport model looks more at home on the shores of the Hudson); Dodge Avenger/Chrysler Sebring (stay away unless you like hard-touch plastics, poorly fitted panels, and tinny-sounding doors); Acura ZDX (Stylish wrapping makes for a rather spatially tight interior.)

Those are my perceptions, at least. Feel free to comment.

Cheers!

Saab's new direction

Under the ownership of the quixotic Spyker, Saab has been given a (hopefully) new lease on life. As Saab or as Saab-Spyker, the iconic, quirky Swedish automaker will, at least in the long term, survive. Seeing as Saab is one of my favorite car companies, all this news makes me quite happy. Now, Saab has announced that a new 9-3 will be on the market for 2012. Seeing as the 9-3 is Saab's big seller, many hopes will be riding on the success and reception of this car. The question is begged, what direction should Saab take in the development of this car?

For starters, the compact Saab ought to be a hatchback. In my opinion, the introduction of the (otherwise excellent) Saab 9-3 sedan in 2003 did much to dilute the purity of the brand. The properly classic Saabs -- the 96, 99, 900, and 9000 - were all versatile, sporty hatchbacks. Saab ought to return to its functional roots with the third-generation 9-3. So, in addition to being a hatchback, the Mk3 9-3 also ought to be, like all proper Saabs, turbocharged and driven fundamentally by its front wheels. The iconic 2.3 litre turbo engine must be utilised. A 2.0t version would also be offered, and the 2.8t V-6 would be available on higher-end Aero models. A proper manual would be the most commonly optioned transmission choice. Beyond these surface details, the "soul" of the 9-3 would need to be connected, spiritually at least, to that of the classic Saabs of yore. Some things about the car would need to be, to say the least, a little different from what one might expect to find on an A4 or a TSX. The engine would need to be mounted back-to-front, or perhaps the power seat controls could be somewhere really unusual (a drop-down panel from the roof, say.) Most importantly however, the new 9-3 would have to be a car designed with functionality and driving pleasure in mind. When the original Saab 900 was introduced, it came fitted with a dashboard that placed the car's most essential features within the easy, convenient reach of the driver. The oft-used radio was placed front and center on the console; the gauges were large and easy to read. A return for Saab to this clean, simple philosophy of design would be a pleasure to witness. The "cockpit" design of early Saabs is functional and deserves to survive. Tradition without innovation, however, is a dangerous thing. HUD systems and all the latest techno-gadgets would be, needless to say, essential. Overall, Saab must make a return to building cars, and specifically interiors that are functional, simple, innovative, and, most-importantly, well assembled. When Saab makes this transition away from the bad habits acquired by the 9-3 and post-2006 9-5 (while under the ownership of General Motors) , then the Griffin will have truly returned to its roots and, in doing so, forged a brave new path into the future.

My Bimmer has a name, it's M-K-Z

In a spirit that may not entirely befit this month's Germanic tradition of "Oktoberfest", I realized yesterday that, had I the money to buy a compact Saxon sport sedan, I would buy a Lincoln MKZ. I came to this realization after ascertaining that I wasn't particularly caught up on the styling of the latest C-Class, 3-Series, or Audi A4. The Lincoln has been re-worked for 2010, and now has an elegant, classic appearance both on the road and at a standstill.

The Lincoln's engineering certainly wouldn't be on part with that of the Germans, but it's nonetheless based on the Mazda 6 and thus would still be a fairly well thought out car. Equipped with AWD, the handling should be reasonable, and Ford's 3.5L Duratec V6 no doubt provides the car with more than ample power. Fully loaded ($43,700), the MKZ would be more comfortable than a similarly priced 3-Series. My only concern would be with depreciation.

To make the Lincoln MKZ really competitive, however, Ford would need to tweak it a little more. First order of business, I say, would be to make the Ford Fusion's 6-speed manual gearbox an option on every trim level. The 2.5L turbocharged I-5 Volvo engine used in the Ford Mondeo XR5 Turbo could become an option, and a sport adjustable suspension package and Brembos would be offered. The addition of these key mechanical components would transform the AWD MKZ from an attractively styled car for old people into a brilliant, high-performing sport sedan. Sure, it may not be an M5 competitor, or even an M3 competitor, but it sure could give the Saab Aero cars a run for their money. Ford has a great looking car, and the parts for a fine performance sedan. Now, they just need to put the two together and give Lincoln a little spice for the 21st century.

Shopaholic

We've recently been looking over the market in search of a new vehicle. Restrained by a small-ish budget, the logical thing to do -- and this has been suggested, mind -- would be to purchase a brand-new, base-spec Hyundai Accent. Cost: $9,990.

Well, a Shetland pony econobox isn't really my cup of tea, thank you. Surfing Kijiji and Auto Trader Online, I've found a number of swank-looking, European cars that would fit the bill perfectly. Moreover, they're all cheaper than the Hyundai.

First up is a lovely 1997 Saab 9000 CSE. The asking price is $3,000, and this marvel of Swedish engineering comes fully loaded with a 2.3 L I-4 turbo, tan leather interior, natural wood accents, and the Aero wheel package. The 9000 is a marvelous car, one of my personal favorites, and so I'm sure that, despite the 219,000 kilometers on the clock, this Saab would be a great car for years to come.

Being a Saab fan, I've also scouted out a near-mint condition 1999 9-5 Wagon (with the V-6) and a lovely, silver 2001 9-5 sedan. These were both in the $6,000 range.

Or of course, I could look into a BMW. The Ultimate Driving Machine I found was a 1997 BMW 318i, finished in steel blue with tan leather interior and fitted with the 5-speed manual gearbox. Asking price: $5,000. Condition: excellent. Altogether, not a bad deal.

Staying on the German end of things, there's the Volkswagen Passat. A top-end Passat is as luxurious as a mid-range Saab or BMW. The 2002 GLX V6 model I found, finished in a gorgeous candy-apple red metallic and sporting an immaculate black leather interior, was being marketed at an asking price of $6,500. The mileage wasn't low (somewhere in the 170,000 km range, if I recall correctly), but the VW in question would likely be a good purchase. The V6 was more reliable than the 1.8t, which is also an important consideration.

And how can we forget Mercedes? In this case, the M-B in question was a champagne-colored 1999 C230 Kompressor with 189,000 kilometers on the clock. The dealer didn't list the price, but the Benz seemed like a tight package, and thus I feel it is worth looking into.

Going back to Scandanavia, we find a rather basic 1998 Volvo S70, finished in British Racing Green with beige cloth interior and listed at $5,200. The mileage was in the 150,000 km range, but the ad said that the car had lots of new parts (maybe this isn't a good thing?) and the body and interior both looked very clean. Plus, I've always liked the S70. It was a better looking car than the 850, and I always think of it as the last of the real Volvos.

And of course, if I really wanted to penny-pinch, I also found a snazzy 1994 Saab 9000 CSE listed for just $2,500. Sure, it's old, but the 9000, as I've said before and as I'll say again, it a real tank of a car. Worth looking into? I think so. That's all.

On Beauty

I often tell people that I'd never buy a car based on looks alone. At the same time, I'd never buy a car that I felt was ugly.

Frequently, a company will build a real stunner of a car. When it's released for sale, the car is shown to be unrealiable, or a bad value for your money. No one buys it, and the beauty of design fades into the pages of history.

Today, I'll ignore the usual talk of build quality and ride integrity and fuel efficiency. No, this is a strict triumph of form over function. I'll be listing in a pretty concise manner what I feel are some of the most dazzling and gorgeous cars built in the past thirty or forty years. Occasionally, I'll rationalize my choices. Not very often, mind.

• Lotus Esprit, 1976 - 1986: Giuguaro's "folded paper" sports car spawned a slew of cheap copy-cats from other companies, but the earliest Esprits were, and are, stunningly beautiful, simple cars. Bond drove one twice, and took an Esprit under water in The Spy Who Loved Me.
• Maserati Quattroporte, 2004 - present: The latest Quattroporte is now a few years old, but I feel it remains one of the finest looking four door cars on the market today. The Quattroporte looks particularly good in GTS trim, finished in black or a dark chocolate brown.
• Aston Martin DB7, 1994 - 2003: Jeremy Clarkson praised it on Top Gear, and the DB7 is already widely recognized as being a classic in its own time. Sure, the chassis was a little old, but I personally far prefer the eye candy that is the DB7 to the sheet metal of its DB9 successor -- which, fairly, isn't bad looking either.
• Saab 900 (hatchback coupe models), 1979 - 1993: Not everyone will agree with me on this one, but, being a Saab fan, I can't help but love the awkward profile of the classic 900. An SPG 900 finished in black or silver looks great on the roady even today, and the status of these Saabs as 1980s cult cars should ensure that they'll be regarded as classics a few short years down the road.
• Chevrolet Corvette C2 (especially after 1958): I'm not fond of the Stingray, or the C4, or most Corvettes for that matter, but I do have a soft spot for the original 'Vette. I saw a silver-blue '58 model at a car show recently and couldn't get over how beautifully organic the design was.
• Alfa Romeo 159, 2005 - present: This is arguably the finest looking small luxury car around today. Sadly, we can't get it in America. The 159 is now four years old, but there's still something taut and agressive and a tad enigmatic about its exterior design. Win.
• Alfa Romeo Spider, 1966 - 1993: This is a car I'll always like the looks of. Immortalized by Dustin Hoffman, it was on sale for twenty seven years and even the 1993 model now looks better than most, more modern '93 models built by other car companies.
• Bentley Continental R, 1991 - 2003: All big Bentleys actually, but I like the Conti R in particular because you get the feeling, just by looking at it, that it's the kind of car that could bust through the Berlin Wall and still look good afterward. Perhaps even more magnificent is the convertible Conti, the Bentley Azure, which remains on sale today.

Of course, there are many others. The original Mustangs, a whole wack of Ferraris, the Citroen DS, a few Jaguars, the original Volvo C70, the Rover SD1, the current MB C-Class, the BMW Z8, the boat-tailed Buick Rivieras, and the classic Porsche 911(s) are all beautiful in my eyes.

The question is, what do you think?

Custom spin

Recently, I saw a white Lincoln Mark VIII coupe fitted with 20" chrome spinners. The spinners had all the taste and elegance one would expect to find in a Wal-Mart car add-on, and made the gold-plated Roller seen in Dubai a few months back look positively tasteful and understated. I don't like customized cars, and I see too many of them around for my liking.

Another custom job I saw recently -- actually, horridly, I may have been factory-spec -- was a splendidly awful GMC Sierra finished in black with chrome door handles, rims, and a grille the size of France. It had xenon headlights, which I don't believe are available on the regular Sierra. I'll get back to you on that one.

All this raises a question: Why do people customize their cars? The Sierra is a capable pickup (see "Home on the Ranger" for my full take on that issue) and the Lincoln Mark VIII was an elegant, luxurious buy in its day. The cars I saw were fine without $15 bargain rims or body kits. But I'm not going to berate tuners and boy-racers, serious or otherwise. No, today, I'm going to plan out what I'd do if I were given a $10,000 budget with which to buy and customize a used car (labor costs not taken into consideration.) Bear with me.

Task one would be to find a suitable car. Obviously, I'd want my custom ride to be a good car before I got at it. A quick search on AutoTrader reveals that, if I had a little money to spend randomly on a (very) used car, I could get a well-maintained 1995 BMW 525i and have change left from $3,000. Not a bad start, if you ask me.

Now at about this point, you'll be saying, why not an M3? Well, I like bigger cars, and the 525i is quite capable in and of itself. So I go out and buy the 525i. This is purely fictional, mind. I'm left with $7,005 and a lovely, 14-year old 6-cylinder German sport sedan. What changes shall I make?

I'm going to start by putting new headlights on the Bimmer. Now, I'm not sure about this, but I think aftermarket HID lights are illegal where I live. This is just fictional anyway, so I'll throw a pair on my proverbial 5-Series. The conversion kit and high/low bulbs, rated at 8000 K, will set me back $165.

Funds remaining: $6,840.

Now, braking is important to me. I like to be able to stop. I'm sure the 525i has great brakes, but we have money to burn, so why not up the ante a little? I'm trying to stay as close to stock as possible. So let's take our brake rotors (front and back) from the E34 BMW M5. These cross-drilled Brembos will cost me $715 for the materials alone. Worth it, though. No idea what the pads will cost, don't even wanna know, but I'll guestimate that they'll be another $350 of parts. That brings my materials spending for brakes up to $1,065.

Funds remaining: $5,775.

I'll need some rims to accommodate those big new brakes. Staying true to form, I'll invest in some M rims. There's no need to pay thousands of dollars for new wheels here, as a quick look on Kijiji reveals that a set of E34 BMW M5 alloys can be had for as little as $1,000. Check.

Funds remaining: $4,775.

Now, to the engine bay. A scan of the online BMW community's blogging activity reveals that a popular engine modification on the 5-Series comes in the form of the addition of a high-performance air filter and NJK iridium spark plugs. This apparently will give the I-6 a slight horsepower boost and will improve the car's acceleration. Cost: about $750.

Remaining funds: $4, 025.

Handling and suspension are important things in any car. This is especially true in a modified used BMW. The next investment will be an Eibach Pro Sportline suspension kit. These racing-grade springs will lower the car ever so slightly (I don't like lowering, but that's beside the point) and will set me back a clean $270. Taking that further, I'll also buy Eibach's Pro-Damper kit, which is rather more expensive and will drain my budget of $529. These aren't even the most expensive suspension kits, not by a mile.

Remaining funds: $3,226.

When we replaced the decimated exhaust system on my 1995 Saab 900S, the car became noticeably peppier. I'll do the same with my make-believe Ultimate Driving Machine. Magnaflow Performance Exhaust lists the exhaust system for the E39 M5 as costing $1800. For the previous-gen 525i, I'm willing to bet it will cost about $1000.

Remaining funds: $2,226.

For a thorough tune-up of the engine and moving part systems, excluding the purchase of any of the parts we've already covered, let's be prepared to pay $750. Oh, let's make the $726. The math will be easier.

Remaining funds: $1,500.

Of that $1,500, I'll spend part of it getting the interior leather reconditioned, part of it touching up any rusty or otherwise damaged bodywork, and part on a new stereo (seeing as my '95 525i doesn't have a CD player.) And there you have it. Budget ten grand and get yourself an M5, but an M5 with the fuel-sipping inline-six and without the body kit. And with the 525i badge on the back.

I'd spend my ten grand on something newer, or on something really classic like an old XJS or a Cadillac Allante or an early Miata. But if you're mechanically minded and have the time, why not? Auto Trader awaits. Get your parts suppliers on the line, would you?