What sports car? £15k budget
Discussion
Depends how brave he is... The list could be endless.
http://www.sovereigncarsales.co.uk/Sports_Gridpos4...
http://www.sovereigncarsales.co.uk/Replicas_gridpo...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
PitmanJack said:
Ideally the car wants to be 2007/2008 or newer. He will probably keep it for 5 or 6 years before selling so anything older than this will really be getting on a bit when the time comes to replace it.
Or... if you get an older car it could become a classic in that time 
Is an SL55 AMG is in budget?
boobles said:
Depends how brave he is... The list could be endless.
http://www.sovereigncarsales.co.uk/Sports_Gridpos4...
great value, very reliable, auto (with tiptronic) or manual, comfortable and if SWMBO doesn't want a vert there's always the coupehttp://www.sovereigncarsales.co.uk/Sports_Gridpos4...
Mazda MX-5, one of the newer ones?
Or how about getting a "bare metal" rebuild of a classic? If it's been properly rebuilt it'll be reliable, look great and weighing as much as a damp feather will feel a lot sportier than most modern "1400Kg needing > 200bhp to move it, so doesn't start to feel alive until you're doing 80mph+" cars. Spitfire? TR6/TR7/TR8? Austin Healey? Volvo P1800? Karman Ghia?
If your dad drove something like that way back in his youth I bet he'd love to get another.
Or how about getting a "bare metal" rebuild of a classic? If it's been properly rebuilt it'll be reliable, look great and weighing as much as a damp feather will feel a lot sportier than most modern "1400Kg needing > 200bhp to move it, so doesn't start to feel alive until you're doing 80mph+" cars. Spitfire? TR6/TR7/TR8? Austin Healey? Volvo P1800? Karman Ghia?
If your dad drove something like that way back in his youth I bet he'd love to get another.
He just might find the S2000 to his liking.
I tried them all, spent a year looking, even bought 3 to try, before I remembered the little Honda.
Provided he can handle having to rev it when he wants some go, it does suit us oldies.
The hood is the best I've found. Watertight & so simple it gives no trouble. It is the easiest to get into with the top up, of the current soft tops, when a knee/back is playing up. This suddenly becomes an important point with low cars & older men.
You can putter around town so quietly no one notices you, unless you give it a big squirt. But still pass that caravan or truck with a quick squirt out on the country.
It is a service & forget for 10K car, like all Hondas I've known. He would probably love driving my 4.6L TR8, but no matter how much money you spend on them, classics are not service & forget cars.
Fortunately he sounds like the sort who will be happy with whatever he gets, as long as it doesn't give too much trouble. Good luck to him.
I tried them all, spent a year looking, even bought 3 to try, before I remembered the little Honda.
Provided he can handle having to rev it when he wants some go, it does suit us oldies.
The hood is the best I've found. Watertight & so simple it gives no trouble. It is the easiest to get into with the top up, of the current soft tops, when a knee/back is playing up. This suddenly becomes an important point with low cars & older men.
You can putter around town so quietly no one notices you, unless you give it a big squirt. But still pass that caravan or truck with a quick squirt out on the country.
It is a service & forget for 10K car, like all Hondas I've known. He would probably love driving my 4.6L TR8, but no matter how much money you spend on them, classics are not service & forget cars.
Fortunately he sounds like the sort who will be happy with whatever he gets, as long as it doesn't give too much trouble. Good luck to him.
Cheers for all the replies they've been a big help. So I've suggested;
Chrysler Crossfire Convertible
He's always liked these but hates the front grille design. But they are cheaper than most of the rest and you get a lot of car for the money.
Porsche Boxster 3.4s
This is probably my pick that comes in just under budget. He likes them but says he'd probably got for a 2.7 instead. This is on the short list.
Nissan 370z Convertible
He's always liked these and likes the look of the convertible version. This has probably made the short list.
Merc SLK 280
Doesn't like them much and prefers others in the category. Off the list!
BMW Z4m
He likes the look and interior of these but thinks 340odd bhp is overkill and doesn't like the BMW brand very much. I'd be disappointed if he didn't buy one of these though! I've suggested slower versions but then he's still buying a brand he doesn't like very much and he's not even getting the performance.
Honda S2000
He likes the looks, the reliability record, the simplicity with enough comfort, and the smaller engine/still good bhp combo, and it'll probably be the cheapest to run and maintain but has pointed out the interior is looking dated compared to others on the list.
Chrysler Crossfire Convertible
He's always liked these but hates the front grille design. But they are cheaper than most of the rest and you get a lot of car for the money.
Porsche Boxster 3.4s
This is probably my pick that comes in just under budget. He likes them but says he'd probably got for a 2.7 instead. This is on the short list.
Nissan 370z Convertible
He's always liked these and likes the look of the convertible version. This has probably made the short list.
Merc SLK 280
Doesn't like them much and prefers others in the category. Off the list!
BMW Z4m
He likes the look and interior of these but thinks 340odd bhp is overkill and doesn't like the BMW brand very much. I'd be disappointed if he didn't buy one of these though! I've suggested slower versions but then he's still buying a brand he doesn't like very much and he's not even getting the performance.
Honda S2000
He likes the looks, the reliability record, the simplicity with enough comfort, and the smaller engine/still good bhp combo, and it'll probably be the cheapest to run and maintain but has pointed out the interior is looking dated compared to others on the list.
[quote=PitmanJack]Cheers for all the replies they've been a big help. So I've suggested;
Chrysler Crossfire Convertible
He's always liked these but hates the front grille design. But they are cheaper than most of the rest and you get a lot of car for the money.
There are several options in changing the front grill. So many "after market" options to chose from.
Chrysler Crossfire Convertible
He's always liked these but hates the front grille design. But they are cheaper than most of the rest and you get a lot of car for the money.
There are several options in changing the front grill. So many "after market" options to chose from.
I looked at the S2000 before going for the SLK . Yes I know its not on your list but maybe get him to have a drive in one. I have been seriously impressed by the SLK. and it has the best roof of any of the cars on the list.
I decided against the Honda as there is a problem with the engines going bang , did a lot of research and it seems to be a case of 'when' not 'if' so I bottled it and went for the SLK. Also my research came up with the fact that me some S2000s get through a lot of oil and you must must must check them every week. This car was for my Mrs and I wasnt sure she'd remember.
I decided against the Honda as there is a problem with the engines going bang , did a lot of research and it seems to be a case of 'when' not 'if' so I bottled it and went for the SLK. Also my research came up with the fact that me some S2000s get through a lot of oil and you must must must check them every week. This car was for my Mrs and I wasnt sure she'd remember.
Budget would see him in a ~40k mile Z4 M Roadster, values of which seem to have been holding very stable for quite a while and even increasing - used to be able to get a 50k miler for £11-12k, now it's pretty much just Cat C or D and/or 100k+ examples around that.
Rare too, relative to Boxters and most other equivalents with ~1,000 of them ever made for the UK, which will help their longer term values too if he's planning to keep it a good few years and not do too many miles.
Onyl real bugbear is that for a low mileage user, the VED works out as pretty poor value at £500pa currently. Maybe offset by being a mature driver and a limited mileage policy.
Rare too, relative to Boxters and most other equivalents with ~1,000 of them ever made for the UK, which will help their longer term values too if he's planning to keep it a good few years and not do too many miles.
Onyl real bugbear is that for a low mileage user, the VED works out as pretty poor value at £500pa currently. Maybe offset by being a mature driver and a limited mileage policy.
PitmanJack said:
Cheers for all the replies they've been a big help. So I've suggested;
Chrysler Crossfire Convertible
He's always liked these but hates the front grille design. But they are cheaper than most of the rest and you get a lot of car for the money.
Porsche Boxster 3.4s
This is probably my pick that comes in just under budget. He likes them but says he'd probably got for a 2.7 instead. This is on the short list.
Nissan 370z Convertible
He's always liked these and likes the look of the convertible version. This has probably made the short list.
Merc SLK 280
Doesn't like them much and prefers others in the category. Off the list!
BMW Z4m
He likes the look and interior of these but thinks 340odd bhp is overkill and doesn't like the BMW brand very much. I'd be disappointed if he didn't buy one of these though! I've suggested slower versions but then he's still buying a brand he doesn't like very much and he's not even getting the performance.
Honda S2000
He likes the looks, the reliability record, the simplicity with enough comfort, and the smaller engine/still good bhp combo, and it'll probably be the cheapest to run and maintain but has pointed out the interior is looking dated compared to others on the list.
No love for the Cayman?Chrysler Crossfire Convertible
He's always liked these but hates the front grille design. But they are cheaper than most of the rest and you get a lot of car for the money.
Porsche Boxster 3.4s
This is probably my pick that comes in just under budget. He likes them but says he'd probably got for a 2.7 instead. This is on the short list.
Nissan 370z Convertible
He's always liked these and likes the look of the convertible version. This has probably made the short list.
Merc SLK 280
Doesn't like them much and prefers others in the category. Off the list!
BMW Z4m
He likes the look and interior of these but thinks 340odd bhp is overkill and doesn't like the BMW brand very much. I'd be disappointed if he didn't buy one of these though! I've suggested slower versions but then he's still buying a brand he doesn't like very much and he's not even getting the performance.
Honda S2000
He likes the looks, the reliability record, the simplicity with enough comfort, and the smaller engine/still good bhp combo, and it'll probably be the cheapest to run and maintain but has pointed out the interior is looking dated compared to others on the list.
I have a 350z, very good, and fairly capable car. Nice cruiser, but not necessarily sporty due to the weight. S2000, you'll have to rev to extract the power. I'd imagine the Porsche, and BMW to have the best chassis if he likes to attack B roads, and also the higher running costs. If I had £15k, I'd go for the Z4M, appreciate he doesn't like the brand much.
He has some exciting test drives coming up. Good luck.
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