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The Toyota 86 is rightly viewed as one of smartest ways to spend $30-odd grand on a fun set of wheels. But fun means different things to different people.
The 86 is perfect if you want to carve some corners, but if you crave $30-odd grand of grunt (sorry, Russell Crowe) then you’re going to need to look elsewhere.
We’ve outlined a variety of options below, everything from US muscle cars to more exotic screamers from Japan and Italy, but one of the tastiest tempters was a 2003 Mercedes-Benz S55 AMG.
In the early 2000s AMG was beginning to play a major part in Mercedes’ product strategy and the introduction of its 5.4-litre supercharged V8 was a game-changer, transforming everything from the SL55 to the E55 into tyre-frying tyrannosaurs.
Up until 2002 the biggest dog in the super-sedan yard was the BMW M5 with 294kW/500Nm, a paltry amount of power compared with the AMG’s 368kW/700Nm.
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The S55 was one of the more incongruous homes for this engine, gifting this two-tonne palace on wheels the ability to sprint from 0-100km/h in 4.8sec or, more accurately, perform rolling burnouts for hundreds of metres – it’s an immense amount of car and performance for the money.
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New vs Used
Go in with your eyes open as there’s a lot to fail on these cars, but the mechanicals are pretty good and you’ll feel like a king.
| 2018 Toyota 86 GTS | vs | 2003 Mercedes Benz S55 AMG |
| 1998cc flat-4, DOHC, 16v | ENGINE | 5439cc V8, SOHC, 24v, s/c |
| 152kW @ 7000rpm | POWER | 368kW @ 6100rpm |
| 212Nm @ 6400rpm | TORQUE | 700Nm @ 2750rpm |
| 1275kg | WEIGHT | 1985kg |
| 6.9sec (claimed) | 0-100KM/H | 4.8sec (claimed) |
| $36,640 | PRICE | $32,990 (used) |
Classies Watch
Modern classic tempters we found on tradeuniquecars.com.au
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2013 Chrysler 300 Core – $32,990 6.4L V8, 350kW/637Nm, 135,572km, Homebush, NSW The SRT Core was basic, but it still looks good, goes hard and sounds mega.
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2008 Lexus IS F – $34,990 5.0L V8, 311kW/505Nm, 149,991km, Homebush, NSW Japan’s M3 can’t quite match its German rivals, but it’s depreciated a lot harder.
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2006 Maserati 4200GT – $35,000 4.2L V8, 287kW/452Nm, N/Akm, Malaga, WA Those looks, that noise – if you can stomach the Cambiocorsa gearbox.
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2002 Ford Mustang – $29,500 4.6L V8, 240kW/430Nm, 73,300km, Pymble, NSW Can’t wait for current Mustangs to depreciate? Here’s one to consider.
