About great cars for Golf money, let’s mention my other one: Jaguar XKR 4.2, a 2003 model.
This is simply an hell of a car for not even Golf money actually, but Fiat Panda’s. With that budget, at least in the UK and Ireland, you get a future classic with a 4.2 V8 supercharged engine, that pulls like a train with 390 bhp; in 2003 all the XKs and XKRs received a new, bullet proof engine, without tensionaires issues, matched with a more reliable and smooth ZF 6 speed gearbox, Brembo performance brakes and active suspensions.
All the Jags have a bit of a “Jaguar” reputation, but I found mine quite reliable. Of course it needs to be looked after, with a few preventive works to be done to avoid issues and regular servicing a must, but parts are now relatively cheap and the key is to find a good indipendent specialist which, unfortunately, I haven’t found yet in the south west of France…
The Jag is all in all more a GT than a racer, she floats on the active CATS suspension, but the power is all there right from 2000rpm. It is a completely different animal from the Ferrari Mondial. You can actually see how the XKR is tipically British, with none or little drama at all when you push a bit; she is as British as the Ferrari can be Italian in creating all sort of drama when you get over 4000 rpm.
With the classic original shape but improved mechanics, only 936 coupe’ were built in 2003, before the heavy 2004 and 2005 restyling tried to make the XKR a bit more modern reaching, in my opinion , the opposite result.
iboughtaporsche996 