Ive seen one on a 52' plate with about 60,000 miles on the clock,the price is just shy of £9000. Looks like a good,fast candidate for a weekend toy? Checked out tax/ins and at 24 all looks pretty reasonable? What are the pitfalls. SMG over Manual?

SMG only for me. Much more interesting than the plane old manual and much better on the track too.

Big costs are insurance, tyres (goes through rears quick and you need good ones to get the most grip), inspection services as it includes shims and now, alas, fuel.

Friend has a CS for sale at the moment, 2005 with 150k on it and a full specification for similar money. Engine was changed by BMW around 55k and the car is in great shape.

Also research head gasket failures, rear subframe cracks and VANOS bolt related issues.

Not trying to put you off but you should go in with as much info as possible in my opinion.

I have decided I will go for one,just deciding if a cabriolet is the right way to go or is it a bit poser-ish. Will be black I know that for sure Seems for under ten thousand a good example can be found. Insurance is around £800 which at 24 it isn't too bad and cheaper than my cosworth

I found the scuttle shake on the Cab slightly off putting and would go for the coupe unless you live somewhere reasonably sunny i.e. not Dublin!

AshCos. Hi. Great choice. If you fancy a Cab then go for it. Scuttle shake/inferior dynamics/whatever are NOT the issues people would have you believe. You've prob already read that a Coupe on 18" wheels is a sweeter drive than one on (the admittedly better looking 19s) and that's quite right. However, I owned an early Coupe on 19s then moved to a Cab on 18s. And suprisingly found that the Cab was every bit as good as the Coupe - the wheels making the difference. Yes if you searched for it there was a little scuttle shake and extra flexibility in the chassis but nothing you'd ever notice day to day. Try to drive a Coupe and Cab back to back then decide. On a day like today (glorious here) you can't beat an early morning top down blast listening to that engine note.
I urge you to make up your own mind re Coupe ve Cab - or at least talk to people who've owned both.

PS. Not having a pop at those who've already voiced their opinions

No probs. I wouldn't base your choice on concerns over reliability issues with SMG - know lots of folks who've had them (and used them very hard) and not had any issues. Obviously there will have been problems for some but, they tend to be the ones that get talked about - thereby making them seem like a major issue. Great fun on track but (IMHO) a bit 'clunky' on road - nothing like as good as the current car for example. Again why not try both and go with what you prefer.

Nice to have such a 'hard' decision to make. Good luck!

I would be tempted to go the manual route, having owned an SMG for the past 12 months. It negates the danger of a small part going wrong and facing a 4 figure repair bill. For me it was a speed sensor, a part which itself 'only' cost £250 odd, but after the time taken to diagose and replace ended up costing just over £1k.

Saying that, I do love the paddle shift even if it took me a couple of thousand miles to get used to it. I do however miss the ability to smooth out down shifts under braking with the clutch.

If you can get a warranty I would.

Is the M badge a guarantee of anything anyway? The last umpteen 'ultimate driving machines' have been fitted with pastry brakes for example. Would you rather compromise with a slight loss of handling dynamics (on the Cab) or brakes that go all wobbly at the knees at the first sign of a circuit/mountain pass.