Pistonheads' Brave Pill 4200 Article

FIFTY

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I usually think to myself 'here we go again' with these PH articles but to be fair that is broadly accurate
 

Oneball

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It’s not a facelift car despite the front end, wonder if it was in a smash when it was nicked.
 

doodlebug

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913
Frustrating thing is the comments. People saying they'll buy one, but never do...
But they'll happily recount pub bores whose mate had one.
The thing is they are expensive to run but they are cheap to buy and the overall expense is manageable to most of us on this forum.
Mine is ridiculously cheap to run for what you get...at least until recently. Usually around 1.5k to 2k per annum excluding fuel and consumables over most of the 11 years I've had it. (I'd rather forget about the last couple of years). But , hey, it's a 15 year old car that cost 60k+ new and still makes me grin like a teenager discovering w*nking for the first time.. WTF do they expect?
 
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Corranga

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It’s not a facelift car despite the front end, wonder if it was in a smash when it was nicked.

That's the first thing that came to my mind, only facelift part is the front bumper..

Running costs is a funny thing. Sure, beyond the immediate costly items, clutch for example, I don't think they are that bad.
I recently had to change all pads on my 2016 Mini, which cost me £420 form a Mini main dealer. I was discussing this elsewhere online and someone pointed out that the Brembos on a 500 Abarth mean that front pads alone for one of those are about £120. Obviously it depends where you take it, but assuming you have a competent independent garage, I don't see brakes being that more expensive than these mild hatches.
My Mini wore through both front and rear pads in 15k miles too...
 

hashluck

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1,515
At the other end of the scale. I just purchased a set of front (ventilated) AND rear discs AND front and rear pads for my 1987 Audi 90 quattro for less the £70 including shipping from Germany. They even put in some copper anti-squeal paste!
 

philw696

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At the other end of the scale. I just purchased a set of front (ventilated) AND rear discs AND front and rear pads for my 1987 Audi 90 quattro for less the £70 including shipping from Germany. They even put in some copper anti-squeal paste!
80'S Quattro very nice indeed and always reminds me of Michelle Mouton :)
 

hashluck

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80'S Quattro very nice indeed and always reminds me of Michelle Mouton :)
lol indeed, though this is not the ur-quattro she made famous launching up Pike's Peak but rather the 90 saloon version. Still a fantastic car though, have very fond memories of owning these when new and this recent acquisition proved it was not rose-tinted nostalgia. Way ahead of their time and over-engineered nicely, probably the most comfortable, easiest to live with and easiest to fix car we own.
 

philw696

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lol indeed, though this is not the ur-quattro she made famous launching up Pike's Peak but rather the 90 saloon version. Still a fantastic car though, have very fond memories of owning these when new and this recent acquisition proved it was not rose-tinted nostalgia. Way ahead of their time and over-engineered nicely, probably the most comfortable, easiest to live with and easiest to fix car we own.
Totally agree and a very sensible and useful car to have on the fleet.
Not as simple as my Renault 4 here in France.
 

AT3200AC

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Thought the article was pretty good. The usual commentary always seems to end with a negative on cost but I though the PH did a good job of selling how special these cars are. My reading the article coincided with me catching a documentary on the Ferrari factory and 4200’s kept appearing on the production line. The article and the documentary kinda reinforce the ‘entry level’ Ferrari place for these cars. Bargain!
 

TimR

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Well, I bought one. I blame Petrolicious and Cironi.
I dont get the "Poor man's Ferrari" take on it. But that just means you can buy a wallet busting needy unit that no-one else wants for peanuts...? And the article goes on to explain why it isnt a "wannabe" Ferrari but more accurately perhaps, Ferrari's stepping stone to a departure for their own brand...Im probably reading too much into the association however...?
Never driven a CC, and Im not in the least interested to try it...I m sure it sux everybit as much as they say it does. So I got a "klonky manual" , and love it ! :love4:
 

philw696

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Totally disagree Tim.
If you know how to drive you have F1 or a manual.
If you're not a great driver or lazy you have Auto.
Auto on a F1 is no good for the clutch so its a no no.
In my humble opinion the original 02 was the best car.
There is a great bit of film on YouTube with Schumacher driving one.
For what its worth I know have cars with a choice of gearboxes for my own pleasures.
 

Vampyrebat

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I've seen that one, it's a cabriolet isn't it and he's quite impressed with the box and I think he says it's better than the Ferrari one (though I could be wrong).............Poor bloke, you would think if he was every going to sustain such bad injuries it would be in a car, not a recreational holiday!!
 

philw696

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I've seen that one, it's a cabriolet isn't it and he's quite impressed with the box and I think he says it's better than the Ferrari one (though I could be wrong).............Poor bloke, you would think if he was every going to sustain such bad injuries it would be in a car, not a recreational holiday!!
That's the one and he certainly rated it.
For me that is far more creditable than Clarkson and his Clowns.
 

zagatoes30

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20,759
The reason the 4200 is getting costly to maintain is age related, they are all getting on a bit and parts are getting harder to source. They also need specialist care, I know some of you maintain them but for most of us they are too complicated. I found my 4200 to be the mist expensive car to run ever, even more than my Supercharged Range Rover. OK I had some bad luck gearbox actuator etc but other stuff clutch, heater matrix, wishbones are all common failures on the cars these days and each will sit you back a significant chunk of cash.

That said the same is probably true of similar age fast BMWs, Audis etc never mind comparable sports cars Porsches, Ferraris et al
 

Vampyrebat

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This is true, I just payed out £1200 on new handbrake/disks/pads/springs/laybour (but just maintenance as with any car but you pay more for these parts). Saying that, my wife's Mini Cooper S cost more than twice the cost of the 42 last year. I have had a few issues with mine but not costly really. All in all it has proved to be a reliable day-today car considering it only does 5 miles into work and back on congested roads. I have to take it for a blast every month or so to blow away the cobwebs.