What £5k car for euro roadtrip?
Discussion
rallycross said:
Sounds like a nice excuse to buy something fun.
Have previosuly owned all the ones on that list and I would take a 944 or M3.
944's are brilliant long distance cars, comfy and cover ground in a very relaxed fashion, decent MPG at high speed, long geared, quick, compliant, great seats. Finding one with aircon for £5k will be the problem as its usually the turbo's that have a/c (rare to find on an S2).
S2000 is not great on long motorway trips, a lot of noise with the roof up, cabin has lack of places to put stuff.
350Z not in the same league as any of these but will be quite new so more toys and less chance of breaking down.
So that leaves the M3, £5k will get a decent one, make sure you take it for a decent drive before you buy, including in traffic, the clumsy gearchange and heavy clutch spoil it.
Porsche 944
BMW M3 (E36)
Nissan 350Z
Honda S2000
A very helpful post - thanks!Have previosuly owned all the ones on that list and I would take a 944 or M3.
944's are brilliant long distance cars, comfy and cover ground in a very relaxed fashion, decent MPG at high speed, long geared, quick, compliant, great seats. Finding one with aircon for £5k will be the problem as its usually the turbo's that have a/c (rare to find on an S2).
S2000 is not great on long motorway trips, a lot of noise with the roof up, cabin has lack of places to put stuff.
350Z not in the same league as any of these but will be quite new so more toys and less chance of breaking down.
So that leaves the M3, £5k will get a decent one, make sure you take it for a decent drive before you buy, including in traffic, the clumsy gearchange and heavy clutch spoil it.
Porsche 944
BMW M3 (E36)
Nissan 350Z
Honda S2000
The Big G said:
Craikeybaby said:
That is a good shout - perfect for cruising around Europe. I had also considered something American, but hadn't looked into it further and the TVR S series is another good shout!
The s series is a great shout. Its the car I'd do it in 
Just think of the sound and experience. Thats surely what counts on one of these trips. Should be reliable too. Come and have a look in the s series forum and see the euro tour. An unusually high number in the classifieds too at the moment...
paulmnz said:
Loads of useful stuff.
Lots to think about there. Interestingly you were the first (I think) to suggest FWD cars - I do prefer RWD cars, but Integras had come onto my radar and I had thought about RS Clios, but I don't think they are special enough for this sort of trip. It's the same thing with the Impreza too. Interesting comments about the M3, I think I'll have to drive one as there have been a few remarks about the gear shift - I need to bear in mind that my girlfriend will probably be doing some of the driving too.
I think with the places we want to go/stay we won't be in the alps too much. However, after hating an XKR on roads that I love in my MX5 I understand that a bigger, more powerful car isn't always better.
I'd love an Elise, but don't think I'll be able to afford one, or that it would be the car for the trip.
Have a great trip - it will be interesting to hear how you get on with the S2000.
billzeebub said:
That's a pretty good shortlist you have there. Though, also worth lookng at a Corrado VR6. £5k will get you one of the very best around. Obviously, I am biased but a very individual choice with lovely noise/character. Add a performance exhaust and a BMC Induction Kit and the awesome bark is amplified to spine tingling levels (epic in those roadtrip tunnels). Brilliant grand tourer, very comfy and good storage, seats 4 reasonably comfortably. I get well north of 30 mpg from mine when cruising. The standard set up may 'only' have 190bhp, but the car is rapid and lusty largely due to its relatively low weight. Top speed around 146 mph and mid 6s 0-60... There is currently a 41k mile example up for £5995 on eBay at a specialist dealer.
944S2 or E36 M3 (avoid the SMG cars) would also be brilliant grand tourers.
Another car that I'd not even thought of, thanks!944S2 or E36 M3 (avoid the SMG cars) would also be brilliant grand tourers.
Of my original choices it seems the 944 and M3 are the front runners.
zabba said:
I'm a big fan of the 350z, but for a European roadtrip I'd want a roof that dropped, so I'd take the s2000 or a Z4 3.0.
5k is going to be the bottom of the market for these.
Why?5k is going to be the bottom of the market for these.
I had a 350Z convertible on some nice wheels, it looked ace, sounded great and was just fantastic. I sold it for £4,500. Best car on this list for a long trip IMO, especially with the GT pack.
As for it not being in the same league as an S2000 or 944 or whatever, b
ks TBH.The Big G said:
Craikeybaby said:
That is a good shout - perfect for cruising around Europe. I had also considered something American, but hadn't looked into it further and the TVR S series is another good shout!
The s series is a great shout. Its the car I'd do it in Just think of the sound and experience. Thats surely what counts on one of these trips. Should be reliable too. Come and have a look in the s series forum and see the euro tour. An unusually high number in the classifieds too at the moment...
My old S3 was the best all-round ownership experience I've ever had. Good compromise of B-road chuckability and long distance cruising, reasonably practical for a two seat convertible, wonderful noise (better than the V8s IMHO), reliable and not even particularly expensive to fuel.
http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...
My EP3 did a good job and owes me 25% under your budget after a pre-trip clutch change and service
Working A/C helps though!
My EP3 did a good job and owes me 25% under your budget after a pre-trip clutch change and service
Working A/C helps though!
Audi S8, LuxoBarge, Ronin wannabe, tried and tested!
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/154221/1998...
http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/154221/1998...
kiethton said:
http://www.pistonheads.com/xforums/topic.asp?h=0&a...
My EP3 did a good job and owes me 25% under your budget after a pre-trip clutch change and service
Working A/C helps though!
That was a good read, thanks for sharing. I do like the EP3s, they're on my list of potential cars to look at if I can't find something RWD I like in budget. My EP3 did a good job and owes me 25% under your budget after a pre-trip clutch change and service
Working A/C helps though!
Chris71 said:
I'd be all over this if I had £5k to spare: http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...
My old S3 was the best all-round ownership experience I've ever had. Good compromise of B-road chuckability and long distance cruising, reasonably practical for a two seat convertible, wonderful noise (better than the V8s IMHO), reliable and not even particularly expensive to fuel.
That is nice, there's a maroon one in the classifieds too that I like. My only concern is lack of garage at the moment, but that could be worked around...My old S3 was the best all-round ownership experience I've ever had. Good compromise of B-road chuckability and long distance cruising, reasonably practical for a two seat convertible, wonderful noise (better than the V8s IMHO), reliable and not even particularly expensive to fuel.
Krikkit said:
Early Boxster S imo - they'll be £5k for reasonable ones once the summer's over for this year. Great engine and handling, not too impractical, and in the right colour/wheel combo imo look fantastic too. Definitely a car that's growing more appealing as the years pass.
I've noticed a few Boxster Ss, for some reason they don't seem to be much more expensive than the 2.5/2.7s. Not sure why that is?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff