How To Grand Tour In Style On The Cheap

"Speedmonkey" (Speedmonkey) 11/07/2013 at 11:01 • Filed to: GT cars

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You might want a Grand Tourer to, you know, grand tour, but not be able to afford to buy and run one. Here are some suggestions.

GT cars, or Grand Tourers, are my second favourite style of cars, after coupes. Many coupes are also GTs, but not all. Hang on in there - I'll explain.

A Porsche Cayman is a coupe but not a GT. Why? A Cayman is for fun over short to medium distances but after a day in the saddle your butt would be numb and your ears would be ringing. A Lotus Exige is also a coupe but not a GT. After all if you're touring you need somewhere to put your bags.

The !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! or !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! are coupes and GTs, and all rather magnificent cars too. A BMW 5-series GT is not a GT because GT cars have to look stylish.

What is the point of a GT? By its very name its must be able to tour. And by tour I mean at least one day on the road and a good 300 miles covered. So it must be comfortable and have space for a few squishy bags - possibly even camping equipment if the ultimate destination is Le Mans or somewhere similar. To my mind the word grand in the name means it must have gravitas and look half decent.

I once travelled from the UK to Monaco in the back seat of a 1998 Ford Galaxy people carrier, with six other people. It might have been transport but it wasn't travelling in style. GTs mean style.

But all the GT cars mentioned above cost lots. The cheapest is the Jag, at £78k. And none will do more than 25mpg.

So what about those of us who want to Grand Tour but don't have access to £80k and spend £100 a day on fuel bills.

Being totally biased I'd have to say the best budget Grand Tourer is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , or, if you're going to slum it, a 944 S2. It looks fantastic, is rear wheel drive, has squishy seats, has a superb ride, has the engine under the bonnet (so you can hear yourself talk in the cabin), does 30mpg and has acres of space on the back seat and in the boot.

Because it's a 2+2 you can recline the seats and have a snooze in a grotty French lay-by. Because it's got a standard fit stereo you can spend £100 on a replacement head-unit with iPod connectivity and iPhone charging. And it has the fiercest heater I've ever encountered.

I've travelled 400 miles in the 924S in a day and could do the same several days on the run with no problems. It doesn't even overheat in traffic. And it's got electric windows (although the passenger side window doesn't open). And the coup de grace, the massive sunroof comes out and fits in it's own bespoke bag and slides into the boot.

Other candidates for a budget grand tourer would have to be:

Mazda MX5/Miata as it's cheap to buy and run, looks ace and won't wee oil all over the autobahn.

Audi TT which is stylish, practical and four wheel drive. Front wheel drive just won't do in a GT car.

BMW E36 coupe, although its stiff throttle pedal lets it down for long journeys.

Mercedes E-class W124 coupe is comfortable, good looking, spacious and uber-reliable.

VW Golf V6 4Motion. Strictly an outsider because it's not a coupe, but I had a 3-door V6 4Motion and did UK to the Nurburgring and UK to Le Mans in total comfort.

Can you think of any more? Just don't mention the MGF. We want to tour interesting places, not garages.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:08

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W140 S600 Coupe, with V12. Dat V12.

Anon > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 11/07/2013 at 11:14

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Dat tow truck

desertdog5051 > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:15

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"BMW E36 coupe, although its stiff throttle pedal lets it down for long journeys".

A proper GT should have cruise control.

Anon > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:16

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Lincoln town cars. I know it's not your general gt car, however it has a v8 that gets 20 mpg, a massive trunk, a plush ride, comfy seats, and an eight man trunk!

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Anon 11/07/2013 at 11:18

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Nah, Tow truck is normal.

Dat bills tough.

As a former W140 owner i can comfirm bills sucks. 1250 bucks for seatbelt extender!

Speedmonkey > desertdog5051 11/07/2013 at 11:20

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Most older cars cruise control doesn't work, in my experience. My old Subaru Outback and Saab 9-3 both had cruise control but it was intermittent on both

Speedmonkey > Anon 11/07/2013 at 11:23

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"Eight man trunk". Woah! Body storage

Turk > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:30

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You forgot the reborn Pontiac GTO / Monaro etc. Still miffed that they never made a fastback version, but reasonable if not copious luggage and people space, LS power and IRS with decent stock brakes, 27 mpg highway at legal speeds in 6th gear around 1800 rpm, and no silly cartoonish muscle car looks (not that I have a huge problem with those).

That is, unless the GTO in question has been nudged towards a dual-purpose everyday / autox car... like mine has. The all-day comfort declines pretty quick, but it is still doable.

GhostZ > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:36

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The Porsche 924 is the best budget Gran Tourer?

What?

The Shark has some words with you. Sure, the S4 and later models are pretty expensive still, but the 80s 928 (with more than sufficient power and speed) are sexy. Plus, they have the winning RWD V8 2+2 Transaxle Hatch layout.

I think you're confusing "Weekend" car with "Gran Tourer". The MX-5 would make a terrible gran tourer. It doesn't accelerate easily at high speeds (>90mph) it doesn't have tons of cargo room, it isn't quiet or comfortable, and it oversteers naturally. A Gran Tourer is basically a commuter car with sports-car like performance characteristics. That means relatively light, big engine, great top speed, great acceleration, and good enough handling.

The MX-5, Audi TT, and Golf V6 are not gran tourers. The Ferrari 458, Mclaren MP4-12C are also not gran tourers. A gran tourer is not a coupe version of a luxury sedan . It is a luxury sports car for high-speed driving.

SpeedSix > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:37

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Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5

Convertible, 3.5L V8 Engine, Rear-Wheel Drive, Classy as Hell

SpeedSix > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:39

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Jensen FF

Classy British Styling, American V8 Power, British Luxury, AWD

AutoSavant > Turk 11/07/2013 at 11:39

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This! I will occasionally have to drive 500+ miles in a day for work. My GTO's seats are awesome, and the instant power from any speed is just what you need. 24+ MPG (US) on the highway is just fine with me.

SpeedSix > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:40

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Volvo 1800ES

Because Volvo Shooting-Brake

Milky > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 11:42

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I want my cheap grand tourer to actually be a grand tourer. Because V8 and RWD.

911e46z06 > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 12:21

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I don't think the 435 or e36 could be considered GTs. Nor the Golf, Miata, TT, or E-class.

A GT to me is a big car with a long hood, 2 seat or 2+2 layout, RWD, plenty of power without being violent, smooth if not necessarily quick handling, luxury/class, and a certain presence. Corvette is out because it doesn't have the right type of power. Golf is out because no hatchbacks allowed. E-class has too many doors. Miata is too small. TT doesn't have the right look. E36 has too many seats. And so on.

The big omission here is the e24. It ticks all the right boxes, and you can get a nice example for around 5 grand. If you have some extra cash and love beautiful things, you could also opt for an e9. If you have 17 grand and enjoy electronic babysitters, unreliable engines, and Bangle-butts, you could buy a 2008 vintage 6er.

The next biggest omission is the last gen XK8. These things have been a bargain for the last 10 years, and somehow keep getting cheaper. Just be sure to have a mechanic check it out before you buy one. On a related note, I found an early current-gen XK on Craigs the other day for under 20 grand, so we can expect more of the same in the future.

There are also quite a few depreciation-special GTs available from our friends at Mercedes. But these don't hold up quite as well as the BMWs, either mechanically (fact) or aesthetically (opinion).

Aside from that, the only other true GT cars I can think of that you can get on the cheap have already been mentioned: The SC400, P1800, and FR Porsches. Because after all, Grand Touring is a rich man's game.

Tony Montana > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 12:24

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First gen Jaguar XKR. Smallish (4.0) V8 but with 400 horsepower thanks to a supercharger, rear wheel drive, and a good balance between comfort and handling. It's also prettier than the new generation.

Speedmonkey > 911e46z06 11/07/2013 at 12:36

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Oh oh oh that 6-series is purrrdy

911e46z06 > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 12:42

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Indeed. I can't even tell you how many times I've had to be talked off the ledge from buying an e24, but it's well into double digits.

Cool post btw, even though I pretty much disagreed with you across the board. I have spent much time considering cheap GTs. I have way too many cars, but no proper GTs, which kind of bugs me. Usually one of the e39s ends up getting road trip duty, but I've done a couple in the M3 recently, and it has made a strong case for itself.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Speedmonkey 11/07/2013 at 13:23

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Last generation Buick Riviera with the supercharged 3800. The quintessential american GT. It handles decently for its size and has boatloads of power and torque. Plush ride and lots of room and space make it a winner for cheap.

GazEdwards > Speedmonkey 05/23/2014 at 04:15

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Awesome article, the Grand Tourer subject always devides opinion, especially when you add the word "budget". To me, if money was no object, a true GT would be an Ferrari 550 Marranello, McLaren SLR, Jaguar XKR, Maserati Grand Turismo etc. Must be RWD, must have the engine up front, must be hard top, must have plenty of power and must definitely be an eye catching beast that dominates anyone's rear view mirror on the motorway!! Unfortunately, like many petrol heads, my budget is not unlimited :-( But, there are budget GT's if you are willing to compromise in some respect... You just need to decide what's important to you and go from there. For me, I'm saving for a Porsche 928 S4 as I believe it is the true "budget" GT. I'll be the first to admit that there is a huge list of alternatives which I "should" buy, including Porsches own 944 and 968. However, the 928 represents a car that truly appeals to me on many levels and it's unique position in motoring history concretes it's position in my mind. A true technological masterpiece which is only set to appreciate in the next 5 years. Obviously, any 928 owner needs to take the rough with the smooth when it comes to running and repair bills, that's a given. The only other car that I would entertain is a BMW 635 CSI (E24). My other budget GT suggestions are: Porsche 944 S2, Jaguar XK8/R, Toyota Supra MK3/4, Mercedes 500 SEC/SL.