Theres two types of car I like. Big ones with big V8's and big ones with big V8's. There are lots of reasons why I like big cars with big V8's and I will try to explain this to you. Reading is not enough though, unless you actually get in one and drive it you will never know.
The V8 is the perfect engine. You can say what you like about your screamy 4 cylinder engines, your whiney turbos and your rattley diesels but the big petrol V8 rules in my eyes. Sure it might cost less to make a 1.4L 16v petrol engine and sure you might get more miles to the gallon out of your stinky diesel, but remember this, you always get what you pay for. Like I said the V8 is the perfect, anything else is a financial compromise.
Earlier on I said I like big V8's and I like big V8's, what did I mean by that? Well it's simple. The V8 can be anything you want it to be. It can be your luxury, silent, smooth, limousine or it can be your roaring, loud ferocious dragster. Either way it will always be the most fantastic thing you ever drove. Continuous power throughout the rev range and enough torque to pull the world of its axis. A sound like nothing else on this earth and a responsiveness that is just beyond compare.
It's no good having a good engine if you've nothing to put it in. So what do you put it in? Well it's simple really. If you're engine is a poxy little 4 cylinder effort then you dont have much choice. You either put it in a lawnmower where it belongs or you make your car small and out of plastic so it is light enough to actually move under the pathetic ammount of torque you can just about muster. If your engine is a nice big V8 with valves the size of dinner plates then you can put it in whatever you want. You can even make your car big, comfortable, and out of cast iron if you want. Who cares?
Now I dont know about you but I like to feel that when I drive my car I am actually driving a car not taking a yogurt pot to the dustbin. So I like my cars to be big and metal. Now contrary to popular belief this doesn't mean it has to be an old car, it just means it has to be built properly and have a reasonable ammount of size and weight to it. Most people think this also equates to it being expensive so they buy a Euro yogurt pot, they are of course wrong. For the price of a new yogurt pot you can have a lovely old American V8, or even a second hand quality German car like a big BMW or Mercedes. Either way you will still have better reliability than some of the pop-fitted cheap rubbish about at the moment.
OK I'm not going to lie to you, petrol is expensive and V8's use alot of it, but once you come to terms with this owning a real car is not that expensive really. The insurance on a typical 5 Litre plus V8 American car or even classic British motor is actually much much less than your average GTI. The parts are not expensive and as long as your willing to get your hands dirty maintenance is easy and alot less than the service bills on a modern motor. Also a big V8 as long as it is treated right will run for ever and ever and ever. Your 4 pot Euro box is good for 100 thousand and then it's at the end of its life.
Buying the car is also cheap. OK you have to look out for duds like you do with any car, but on average a good V8 will set you back hardly anything compared to a newish normal car. My advice is this: Pick the car you like, join the owners club, get the owners club insurance, buy the car and enjoy it. Remember though, this isn't really a hobby for idiots, you must be sensible even if it's just to keep the rest of us V8 fans out their in low insurance!
