An European wants a modern American Muscle Car - Which one to buy ?

If he still wants a Mustang there are importers in Germany.
 
You just described my cousin. He is saving up to buy a E36 318is and he wants to put an LPG system so it will be cheap to run...what's the point of having a BMW coupe that will get overtaken by Dacias.

Luckily the E30 318iS is the dog's bollocks, a 140hp 16-valve engine in a light&pretty German RWD car. The E36 is a lot more... Vectra-like.
 
Well, I did specify that he wants the E36. Over the years, and with the LPG installed...I reckon it would have about 80-90whp.
 
Well, I did specify that he wants the E36. Over the years, and with the LPG installed...I reckon it would have about 80-90whp.

So he wants to spend a pile of cash to convert it to LPG, which will then get better mileage to the point of breaking even on the conversion a number of years down the road. At which point he will have inevitably grown bored and want rid of the car, or find himself spending a ton of money on upkeep or some big ticket part that's broken to keep the car going.
 
It won't get better mileage, it's just that natural gas is cheaper.
The conversion will cost him around $1000, which he doesn't have. He can't even afford the E36 itself.

With that said, it probably would be more reliable than his current Alfa 33.
 
I would say Mustang, as Ford has a higher presence than GM or Chrysler in Europe.

BTW, if you ever see a Nissan Altima in your area, chance are it came from the dealership I work at. ;)
 
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Well it's not technically an "American" muscle car, but he should consider the Pontiac GTO. I don't know what it would take to import one, but they are a fantastic car and would blend in to a European car park a lot more nicely than a Camaro or Mustang. AND, if he was so inclined, with some bigger fuel injectors and a little tuning, the GTO can run on E85 bio fuel. It's actually built into the factory computer tuning to be able to run on it.
 
It isn't retro. Which he stated is a requirement.
 
I sure hope they haven't opened any E85 pumps in Serbia lately!

http://img52.imageshack.**/img52/9264/europez.jpg

Our experiment with E85 increased emissions of carbon dioxide with 20 million tonnes over 10 years compared to petrol. It was a political experiment brought about by clever lobbyists from Ford, who dribbled away politicians with fantasy ideas. I hate E85 with all my heart.

Luckily the company making E85 is about to go bankrupt.
 
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Agreed, ethanol gas is shit.
 
I wish the 2011 Mustang was in the official import program here. Even if it isn't, you can still get one as a grey import, I guess, but it's a lot of hassle compared to just walking to a Ford dealership.
 
I only brought up E85 because I saw some earlier meniton of alternative fuels. I personally have only intended to use E85 as cheap race gas. But it's hard to avoid ethanol in the Midwest. You will drive yourself mad looking for a petrol station that sells 93 octane WITHOUT 10% ethanol. The best I can find is 91 octane unless you go to a town with a racetrack.

I also missed the part about requiring a retro car. Sorry about that!
 
*Haven't read anything besides the op*

Did you just say that your friend is buying a muscle car, but doesn't care about power? Does he have any idea where the term "Muscle" in muscle car comes from?
 
I drove a '07 Mustang GT 4,6 Convertible the other day, and I must admit it was somehow a very enjoyable car.

First of all though, like most american musclecars, it's crap. Technically it doesn't stack up to a modern european car, and the same can be said about the interior, which mostly reminded me of a Kia Picanto (even though the Mustang had red "leather"-seats). The dynamics of the car are...well...non-existant really, and the comfort isn't that great either. But of course, all those things are not important. A lazy american musclecar is all about cruising down a long, straight open road, listening to - preferably - the V8 in the front. Yummy!

We don't have mountains in Denmark, so our roads are actually perfectly suitable for a Mustang, Camaro or whatever. The problem is, that long, wide and straight roads are otherwise pretty rare in many other regions of Europe, also in Serbia I guess. The size of the car could become an issue in the long run.

I don't think a Mustang would work as a car to use every day in most european countries. It's just too vulgar and thirsty and...american. Then there's the price. Someone mentioned that you could get a slightly used Mustang for 30K USD in Americaland. In comparison, the car I got to drive had about 30.000 miles on the clock, and still you'd have to pay just over 100.000 (!) dollars to get your hands on it on danish plates. I doubt it's that expensive in Serbia, but frankly, if your friend isn't interested in raw muscle-power anyways, there are a LOT of better alternatives.
 
*Haven't read anything besides the op*

Did you just say that your friend is buying a muscle car, but doesn't care about power? Does he have any idea where the term "Muscle" in muscle car comes from?

I guess he's into the retro-american-look of the cars, he's an older guy, so he doesn't care much about the performance, he's not about to race anyone on ( our bumpy, potholed ) street, and we don't have any racetracks,
so, some V8 or tuned version wouldn't get any real use.

If I were buying a car now, I'd probably go for a Subaru Forester, so please don't ask me about someone else's philosophy of car ownership, because I simply don't know,
I just offered to ask the people on this forum for advice, because I'm a member for three years now, and my friend isn't much into internet, or forums, or english language.
 
I guess he's into the retro-american-look of the cars, he's an older guy, so he doesn't care much about the performance, he's not about to race anyone on ( our bumpy, potholed ) street, and we don't have any racetracks,
so, some V8 or tuned version wouldn't get any real use.

2008-Chrysler-PT-Cruiser-Limited.jpg
 
It was a political experiment brought about by clever lobbyists from Ford, who dribbled away politicians with fantasy ideas. I hate E85 with all my heart.

Oh, you too? Except here it is not Ford, but farming lobbyists. It is stupid and inefficient.
 
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