TQE or V8? - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

oneredED · 04-21-2004, 21:53

I'm deciding whether i should sell me car to get another, but i can't make up my mind! There's a sweeet EB XR8 near my hometown, and it's been sitting on the lot for about 2 years. Reason? It's priced at $12k. I talked to one of the salesmen and asked if (because they cant sell it) $7k was outta the question and he said no. It's really really nice with 16" wheels, manual, full exhaust inc extractors, cruise, and 135000km on the clock, and straight as body. What i wanna know is should i trade my ED GLi for it?
Now while you may say HELL YES, i'm not so sure. The ED was seriously immaculate when i got it a year ago (i've since put an extra 45000 km on it), and remains unchanged except that it has a slightly noisier (sp?) engine (ticking from rocker assembly somewhere). It has cruise, abs, LPG, blah blah blah, and the paint/body looks a million bucks. I was gonna start with some performance mods on the ED (5sp manual first!), but the EB gives me an instant head start in the power stakes. What potential can i get out of the XR8 compared to the 4lt? I know that the heads on the V8 are it's weakest link, so without replacing them, how much can i get out of the 5lt on a reasonable budget? Am i better off sticking with the 6, starting by taking off the LPG, dropping in a cam etc? XR6's were faster than the XR8's i've been told, but which responds better to mods?

Ok, pro's of the ED
-known history -> country car owned by retirees we knew (has high kays tho)
-top condition (was on a lot, not the same one, for $9k, but i didn't pay that)
-better on fuel (has LPG!)
-cost less to insure
-it's bright red

Pro's of the EB XR8
-sounds awesome! (it's illegally loud in VIC - it's a SA car)
-has mags already (look factory?, but aren't same as other XR8 eb's ive seen)
-manual
-tinted windows
-lower km's
-flogs my ED by a mile in their current states

So well, anyone got any ideas as to which road to head down? I'll post pics of both as soon as i figure out how to

Cheers,
Jared

Casper · 04-21-2004, 22:04

If your ED has very high km's already and the EB doesnt, that alone may be the answer to what your looking at. Once a car hits 200,000kms things just start to wear out and need to be replaced.
In the end it's your choice and you probably already know what you want to do. This is a case of listen to your heart, not your head. What do you want?

Oh, and a V8 is just the best to own! I miss mine still!

Troutman · 04-21-2004, 22:12

Well the big question is what you are trying to achieve. If you have many thousands to spend on mods and want an N/A beast, a V8 is a good way to go. If you want big HP on a budget, a turbo six is the bee's knees.

If you don't want to spend much on mods and want a nice stock car, the V8 may be the way to go. But personally I'd be very reluctant to give up on ABS and cruise if the EB lacks it. Maybe consider saving for an ED?

!Gn|T|0n · 04-21-2004, 22:16

Considering your budget, I'd go with the XR8. It already, as you say, has the T5, extractors and exhaust so there's a lot of expenditure you've saved yourself. The mods on the windsor are more expensive than the I6 but there is a priceless romance about the 8 in my opinion. Both are strong engines. I'm in the 14second 1/4 mile club with my windsor sporting the E7 heads and HO manifold still. I haven't had a recent dyno. My vote is for the 8.

oneredED · 04-21-2004, 22:21

http://www.fordgallery.com/showphoto...cat/527/page/1

http://www.fordgallery.com/showphoto...cat/527/page/1

I'm not sure if the EB has ABS, but it has cruise and the sports steering wheel (has the buttons on it) which i've heard is expensive. If i was gonna turbo the six, why not supercharge the 8? I know my car has high kays (220,000) but it doesn't show it. The oil comes still comes out clear/yellow after every 10,000 (something to do with LPG?), and the only woe i have with it is the tick from the rockers (faint, but it's there). Otherwise it's mecanically very very good. Every service i get told it's the best pre-ef motor they've ever worked on condition wise. When i got it checked out professionally B4 buying it, the place said the motor was as though it'd done only 60,000.

But you can't beat the sound of an on-song V8 can you? I just dunno what to do...

EDIT: sorry about the xr8 pic with the fence in it, my mum took it lol and sent it to me. I'm gonna test drive it on the weekend. My younger brother and mum already have, and he said it goes like anything, sounds nuts when ya boot it, and lights the bags at will. I can't wait lol!

Troutman · 04-21-2004, 22:25

To tell you the truth, I'd actually prefer the 8 even though I'm supposed to be a 6 person - I prefer having torque always available rather than having to be the world's best gearshifter to get decent performance. But when we talk about big HP on a budget, generally it's easier and cheaper to do it with a six. But if you're not going down that path, that isn't a factor...

blueoval · 04-21-2004, 22:32

You could go with the saying 'if it aint broke dont fix it' or 'better the devil you know, than the devil you dont', if you were reluctant to sell the ED.

But one thing that worries me is the time that the EB has been sitting there. 2 years is a long time for a car that hasnt really had a good run. Who knows what its like? The coolant for one could be cactus and may have eaten out the waterpump, etc. By all means get it checked out before you decide you want to go this way.

I know as I was burnt when picking up my EBXR8. Luckily I found the problem before the warranty ran out. Heaps of stuff needed doing that was gonna cost the dealer a fortune, mainly for the reason that the car was there for quite a while before I bought it. I didnt get a safety check or anything (stoopid me) and it was because of my persistance that got me where the car is today, or I more than likely would have sold the car because of lack of funds.

Make sure you get it checked before signing anything!

SVO Pete · 04-21-2004, 22:32

I'd go the 8 but I am horribly biased. Just wonder about it having sat there for so long, check how it's running etc

back2thefutura · 04-21-2004, 22:39

what about insurance?

RaceCraft · 04-21-2004, 22:55

2 things jump to mind

2 years is an awful long time for a car to sit in a car yard
If you do 45 000 kays in a year, both not having having the LPG fitted will begin to hurt more so on the 8 and the mileage you will rack up on the 8 sorta defeats the purpose of buying a low mileage car when you know yours is in A1 shape reguardless of the klms