£15-£18k, is there a better 2 seater than SLK55 AMG?
Discussion
A mate had one of the 1st SLK55's from new, kept it for 10yrs!
Not my kind of car but bloody hell, the noise!
Personally I'd be looking at Z4's, Boxsters & possibly 996's though none of them sound anywhere near as good they are all very nice.
Not my kind of car but bloody hell, the noise!
Personally I'd be looking at Z4's, Boxsters & possibly 996's though none of them sound anywhere near as good they are all very nice.
Edited by LordHaveMurci on Tuesday 28th April 13:09
TVRJAS said:
No mention of what mileage OP's other half will be doing but if the daily drive involves city and the BMW Z4's clutch was heavy then I think she will find the clutch more of an issue than the reliability.
Around 1,000 per month. Probably split 60/40 in favour of motorway miles. sharon1967 said:
Around 1,000 per month. Probably split 60/40 in favour of motorway miles.
I think I got a little confused (Not difficult) So the car is for a male driver and used by female from time to time?Either way putting 12k on a TVR would mean two services per year so the maintenance bills can start to play into affect. As much as I'm a TVR lover I'm thinking JJ's suggestion of a Chimaera is not for you
I don't know anything of the running costs of the Mercedes SL500 or 350 but they sure do have an appeal,that's where my vote goes so far. I'm sure more people that have had experience may put you in the right direction. (Have fun on your car searching)
^^ Define "better" - I think my Elise is better for my purposes than anything that's been mentioned, which is why I have it and not any of those.
Might be better to say what it is that you like about the SLK55 and ask if anything else does it better - I suspect probably not, it's quite a niche proposition.
Might be better to say what it is that you like about the SLK55 and ask if anything else does it better - I suspect probably not, it's quite a niche proposition.
It totally depends what you want. I love the SLK55 AMG - as you say it's got a fantastic sound track, the driving position is also spot on (in fact it's the only road car I'd say I've ever got truly comfortable in), the handling is not extraordinary (that folding hard top is to blame) but very neat indeed, and it feels very well made. However, they do only come with an automatic gearbox and they guzzle fuel. I'm not sure what rarity's got to do with it though?!
Regarding the Cayman or Boxster, they're both great cars and I wouldn't let engine worries put you off - just buy wisely and research the issues fully.
Shame about the Z4M - have you tried a Z4C? Plenty fast enough for most people and very nice to drive; I owned one for a year or two and save for a few personal niggles that you may not be bothered about, I really enjoyed it.
Have you thought about an Elise? They're nowhere near as raw as they used to be and in my experience of running one as my only road car for three years, they cope with daily duties just fine. Elises and Exiges do require you to prioritise driving pleasure over comfort though, as whilst many get used everyday, nobody's going to pretend they're as luxurious as an SLK55 AMG or a Boxster. ETA: I missed the 60% motorway use bit - scrub that idea.
Regarding the Cayman or Boxster, they're both great cars and I wouldn't let engine worries put you off - just buy wisely and research the issues fully.
Shame about the Z4M - have you tried a Z4C? Plenty fast enough for most people and very nice to drive; I owned one for a year or two and save for a few personal niggles that you may not be bothered about, I really enjoyed it.
Have you thought about an Elise? They're nowhere near as raw as they used to be and in my experience of running one as my only road car for three years, they cope with daily duties just fine. Elises and Exiges do require you to prioritise driving pleasure over comfort though, as whilst many get used everyday, nobody's going to pretend they're as luxurious as an SLK55 AMG or a Boxster. ETA: I missed the 60% motorway use bit - scrub that idea.
Edited by RobM77 on Tuesday 28th April 14:38
TVRJAS said:
Either way putting 12k on a TVR would mean two services per year so the maintenance bills can start to play into affect. As much as I'm a TVR lover I'm thinking JJ's suggestion of a Chimaera is not for you
Good post - my Chimaera was very reliable (and ran better when used daily) and my wife used to commute in it, but agree regarding maintenance - probably not the right call.I envy him the decision - superb list of cars to choose from, and hard to go very wrong! I say test drive a bunch of them, and just buy the one he likes the most - I'd probably go for a £10-12k Boxster S, pre-inspected by a specialist, over the SLK, for the tactile niceness of the gearbox and the superb handling. That'll give you a few £k contingency fund too. Worth a test drive of an E46 M3 too, perhaps? Elise would also be great, but doesn't feel quite right as an only car with 7k+ motorway miles/year.
User33678888 said:
Mike22233 said:
Why not?
Apparently "If used daily they will be as reliable as most other cars".
Yes, but you won't be able to use it daily as it'll break. Therefore, it won't be as reliable as most other cars which are used daily.Apparently "If used daily they will be as reliable as most other cars".
Driving an 18 year old performance car is allowed to have things replaced are they not
But when I was using mine as daily drives they covered 6-7k a year Not 12k which meant just one service.From your comment you are like the many people who when knowing I drive a TVR can't help themselves with all the TVR reliability banter. None of these people of course have ever owned one just following the sheep comments from the other ill informed. Yes of course there are bad ones out there,you try naming a car that has a 100% reliability record (Good luck)
But many of the bad ones have been in the wrong hands of ownership,not servicing correctly,cutting corners and not being sympathetic to a cold engine,and of course there is always the Friday cars knocking about. TVRJAS said:
As much as some of you are stuck in your views,I've used two TVR as daily cars and never needed roadside assistance. My 3rd one being a Chimaera that's not used everyday but 12k in 22 months has also never broke down. But maintenance on these type of cars are high compared to something more mundane,but keep them maintained and don't drive it hard until the engine has chance to warm up(Use a bit of common sense) then they are as reliable as any car. Mine played up the other day Fuel pump relay having an old dizzy fit,not a breakdown as I just switched over the ECU relay to the fuel relay which started the car and ordered two new ones at £9.99 each.
Driving an 18 year old performance car is allowed to have things replaced are they not But when I was using mine as daily drives they covered 6-7k a year Not 12k which meant just one service.
From your comment you are like the many people who when knowing I drive a TVR can't help themselves with all the TVR reliability banter. None of these people of course have ever owned one just following the sheep comments from the other ill informed. Yes of course there are bad ones out there,you try naming a car that has a 100% reliability record (Good luck) But many of the bad ones have been in the wrong hands of ownership,not servicing correctly,cutting corners and not being sympathetic to a cold engine,and of course there is always the Friday cars knocking about.
How do you know what people have owned?Driving an 18 year old performance car is allowed to have things replaced are they not
But when I was using mine as daily drives they covered 6-7k a year Not 12k which meant just one service.From your comment you are like the many people who when knowing I drive a TVR can't help themselves with all the TVR reliability banter. None of these people of course have ever owned one just following the sheep comments from the other ill informed. Yes of course there are bad ones out there,you try naming a car that has a 100% reliability record (Good luck)
But many of the bad ones have been in the wrong hands of ownership,not servicing correctly,cutting corners and not being sympathetic to a cold engine,and of course there is always the Friday cars knocking about. Mike22233 said:
How do you know what people have owned?
If you mean the ones talking to me in the pub(Which is what I was saying) then I would say i know 100%. I'm the only one who has ever owned a TVR in large circle of people I know outside the TVR club that is.I'm not denying niggles prop up,but I regularly meet up with TVR owners all the time and breakdowns are very VERY few and far between.
And as for people I don't know then 90% of people on here fill out their garage of owned and previous. Shame that of those 90% only about 5-10% keep blogs of all costs to help others who may have interest in a particular car.
EDITED..
But lets stay on track... Sorry OP it's gone into a TVR debate
SL 350 is still my voteEdited by TVRJAS on Tuesday 28th April 19:12
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