They are excellent cars.
You want to get yourself a Series 1 XM V6-24, which is the 3-litre 24-valve version. It will do its book top speed, which is over twice the legal speed limit. It will accelerate far, far faster than any little chav-chariot who tries to race (and they will try). It will make the owner of a brand-new Porsche 911 cry tears of frustration as the crappy old J-reg Citroen just isn't getting further behind, no matter how hard they push their souped-up Beetle.

Best of all, if you get a grey one and you spot someone in an Audi A8, you can re-enact the chase scene from Ronin.
(gordonjcp, Fri 23 Apr 2010, 15:45, 2 replies)

that was the one he had.
It was joy to drive. I've got a Mk 1 Laguna, and even though it has 165k on the clock, it still sweet as (unlike the Mk2 Laguna). On the M62 once, I was tootling along at 75mph overtaking a van when someone in a BMW came barralling up behind me flashing, so I pulled back over to let him past. As he went past he gave me the finger so I thought I'd go after him. I kept with him at about 125mph for a good 10 mins but got bored and backed off.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Fri 23 Apr 2010, 16:07, closed)

Keep your Mk I Laguna
Mine was great. Eventually scrapped at 195k miles. My Mk II died last year. It was shit from day 1.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Fri 23 Apr 2010, 16:55, closed)

Yes !
My old man had one of the XM V6-24 as a company car (one of only 28 in the UK that year so exclusive too), Midnight Blue, black leather interior, fast as eff and when you got it revving as 24valves are wont to do the noise was amazing. I remember the day he said 'I've added you to my insurance, tell you what son why don't you take the car to meet your mates, oh, and don't crash it, I can get another son but not another one of those cars'. I love you dad.
( number5 has been fighting tramps and losing., Fri 23 Apr 2010, 17:21, closed)