Fun 5k car, worth the same in 12 months

[Zoobeef]

Vx220?

[Alapeno]

Zoobeef said:

Vx220?

No decent ones about for 5k I don't think. It would be top of the list if there was.

[Zoobeef]

Alapeno said:

No decent ones about for 5k I don't think. It would be top of the list if there was.

It would be a cat D or C but aslong as its repaired to a decent standard. My track car is a cat d 53 plate that had done 88k miles. Paid £4800 for it last May

[Lefty]

Alapeno said:

Well I found an e36 M3 I like the look of. Insurance is a massive hike though so not sure about this any more. £500+ to current insurance is just a little bit too much.

Surprising as e46 quotes i did about 6 months ago came back similar to the mx5.

Integra was also similar so may be a more sensible option.

Got looking at bug-eye STI Impreza's - not sure if these keep their value though. Going to look into RB5's too as Dad used to have a turbo 2000 when they came out so I can relive some of my boyhood.

You'll get a tatty but sound p1 for £5k...

[aka_kerrly]

VinceFox said:

Alapeno said:

Sorry people, another what-car but, as always, this is my first stop after the classifieds.

I started a thread a while back about buying an e46 M3 but for a few reasons have not ended up doing it. Namely we may now be in a position to buy a house in the next 12 months so have been weighing up where money should go.

I've decided to still scratch the itch but (hopefully) buy a bit wiser. This means I'd like a fun car at 5k that isn't going to depreciate or give me too much trouble until the time comes to sell. I'll probably only put 5k miles on it a year and can service myself so running costs not too great an issue.

I have a mk1 MX5 at the moment so no mx5 suggestions please

Only thing I've really considered so far is an e36 M3. It seems you can get some in decent condition for that kind of money but no idea how running costs compare to the e46 I was considering last year.

So, what are my options? I'd love something a bit different but also want a step up in performance from the MX5.

You were right first time. E36 m3. Get a good one and it'll hold.

Or if you are brave there is a E34 M5 on autotrader for under £5k at the moment.............

[Alapeno]

Zoobeef said:

It would be a cat D or C but aslong as its repaired to a decent standard. My track car is a cat d 53 plate that had done 88k miles. Paid £4800 for it last May

Just seen this on ebay Link



Ends in just over an hour and currently at 4500, looks fairly tempting although not seen it.

[james_gt3rs]

Alapeno said:

Just seen this on ebay Link



Ends in just over an hour and currently at 4500, looks fairly tempting although not seen it.

That's the colour I like on VX220s, very cheap too... (Cat C) I'm suspicious though as the Lightning Yellow models go for more money generally - I wonder how bad the damage was?

[Zoobeef]

Thats been discussed on vx220.org.uk
Its not actually a lightening yellow, its missing too many things they normally have. One being the individual number plate inside.

[Alapeno]

Seller cleared the LY issue up on the page as it's had quite a bit of interest by the looks of it.

Never bought a car blind before let alone a cat c.

ETA: I'm too chicken to do it

Edited by Alapeno on Friday 24th January 12:45

[joema]

Unless you are mechanically handy, I would be very careful looking at cars that ought to be more expensive than £5k.

A good example of something should always be aimed for.

Although I like the TVR suggestions...

[Chris71]

joema said:

Unless you are mechanically handy, I would be very careful looking at cars that ought to be more expensive than £5k.

A good example of something should always be aimed for.

Although I like the TVR suggestions...

Sound advice.

If you were going for a TVR I'd think S-Series or Wedge - both of which peak at around £5k for the ordinary examples - rather than Chimaeras, which normally start at about £6k.

You will always get someone who got a really good car for half the going rate on eBay, but you need to be very careful. I'd say this applies to mass production cars too (not just TVRs!)

[TheJimi]

Is c£6k DC5 ITR got much more to drop in a year?

Would it bark and fetch sticks at that price?