Looking for a unique and fun 2 or 2+2 seater for under £30k

[jimxms]

Hi chaps, here's the situation. I've got a chunk of money burning a hole in my pocket, and after driving nothing but the family hauler; a Lexus LS460 for the past few years, I want something for myself. My criteria is pretty precise and I think I may have already found my dream car, but before I bite the bullet I want to make sure that I'm not missing any other potential candidates...

1) under £30k, ideally under 25.
2) rare (in the UK at least) and a head-turner. I don't want a BMW, Merc, Porsche, Audi, Ford....etc
3) bloody fast in a straight line. I prefer the thrill of being shoved back into my seat, smoking tyres and trying to stay pointed at the horizon rather than twisty country lanes.
4) as already mentioned, a 2 seater or 2+2 would be even better for those occasional school runs.
5) menacing looks.
6) not too old (2000+ ish). I would still like some fairly modern touches.

I narrowed it down to a Corvette (c6 most likely).

I was also considering:

Bentley Continental GT - but I dont think it will be 'raw' enough. I imagine them to be a bit squishy like my Lexus.
Jaguar XK-R - doesnt really meet (2) criteria.
Dodge Challenger SRT - might still be a candidate
Ford Shelby GT 500 - probably cant get them under £30k and their interiors are pap.

Any other potentials I've missed?

[Axionknight]

Save a few quid more and buy an Aston Martin Vantage. You'll need an "oh st, something has broken" fund, though.

[jimxms]

Axionknight said:

Save a few quid more and buy an Aston Martin Vantage. You'll need an "oh st, something has broken" fund, though.

Ah yeah I should have mentioned - that was another thing that turned me off the Bentley. Some level of 'reliability' would be nice.

[Risotto]

How much do you not want a Porsche? A 996 Turbo would otherwise fit the bill. Not exactly ultra rare but hardly common either and fulfils your other criteria. Nor do they suffer from the engine issues that plague the regular 996.

Alternatively, how about some sort of Monaro? Or one of the more powerful Caterhams? No idea how much Nissan GT-Rs are these days, although they seem fairly ubiquotus by comparison with some of the stuff on your shortlist.

Edited by Risotto on Wednesday 2nd September 22:07

[Speed 3]

TVR Tuscan, T350 or Tamora. Don't believe what you've read about reliability. Last of these T-cars can be really well sorted, bespoke design and 350-400 BHP in 1100kg don't make them shabby with the right foot. Latter two now particularly rare.

[minipower]

The C6 is a great choice. Vettes offer a good combination of performance, reliability and cheap running costs. The interiors may be lacking but I would have more confidence in the Vettes overall build quality than its European rivals.

996 Turbo is a good choice too.

[jimxms]

Risotto said:

How much do you not want a Porsche? A 996 Turbo would otherwise fit the bill. Not exactly rare but hardly common either and fulfils your other criteria. Nor do they suffer from the engine issues that plague the regular 996.

Alternatively, how about some sort of Monaro? Or one of the more powerful Caterhams? No idea how much Nissan GT-Rs are these days, although they seem fairly ubiquotus by comparison with some of the stuff on your shortlist..

Edited by Risotto on Wednesday 2nd September 21:55

I did have a 996 Turbo on my eBay list as it goes. I like the car and I'm sure its great to drive too, but It's just not unique enough unfortunately.

Monaro is a great shout, but most people will see it as an old vauxhall with a bodykit tacked on.

GT-R I did consider, but the good ones are still asking £40k and they want to save you, not kill you so doesnt quite fit my criteria.

[jimxms]

Speed 3 said:

TVR Tuscan, T350 or Tamora. Don't believe what you've read about reliability. Last of these T-cars can be really well sorted, bespoke design and 350-400 BHP in 1100kg don't make them shabby with the right foot. Latter two now particularly rare.

I'd totally forgotten about TVR's

Off to the classifieds I go!

[roystinho]

Exige
Clio V6

[NiceCupOfTea]

jimxms said:

Speed 3 said:

TVR Tuscan, T350 or Tamora. Don't believe what you've read about reliability. Last of these T-cars can be really well sorted, bespoke design and 350-400 BHP in 1100kg don't make them shabby with the right foot. Latter two now particularly rare.

I'd totally forgotten about TVR's

Off to the classifieds I go!

T350 is where my money would go - also, Cerbera.

[rehab71]

Marcos?

[Parisien]

Maserati 4200 or if budget stretches the Gransport

P

[chris watton]

Well, we've just had a great time blasting around Cornwall in our Tamora (less than 250 left in the UK), it is great fun, and relatively unique. Still get plenty of people taking pictures of it!

[rehab71]

Cobra?

[SteveS Cup]

A Tuscan, Tamora or a T350 would fit the bill. The 3.6 is still very quick, it will scare passengers let alone you behind the wheel and will turn heads everywhere. Everyone likes them as well! I've been a passenger in one quite a bit being very anti sociable and you get nothing but positive reactions to them.

[CR6ZZ]

Nissan? 350Z, 370Z or, if you can find one, 240Z.

[Axionknight]

jimxms said:

Speed 3 said:

TVR Tuscan, T350 or Tamora. Don't believe what you've read about reliability. Last of these T-cars can be really well sorted, bespoke design and 350-400 BHP in 1100kg don't make them shabby with the right foot. Latter two now particularly rare.

I'd totally forgotten about TVR's

Off to the classifieds I go!

Ooooh, good call by Jimxms, I hadn't considered TVR either.

Yep, that'd be job jobbed for me, well recommended.

[anonymous-user]

I really don't want to be "that guy", but I can't help it, it's like fingernails on a blackboard. Something can't be "quite unique" or "not unique enough", it's either unique or it isn't.

I know. I'm a tt. I'm sorry.

[Thorny]

No connection to Mole Valley - just happened to be browsing their website:

Ginetta

http://www.mole-valley.co.uk/ginetta-g40r-in-dorki...

XKR

http://www.mole-valley.co.uk/jaguar-xkr-supercharg...

Morgan 3 wheeler!

http://www.mole-valley.co.uk/morgan-3-wheeler-in-d...

Over budget but v, quick - Noble

http://www.mole-valley.co.uk/noble-m12-gto-3r-in-d...

Tuscan

http://www.mole-valley.co.uk/tvr-tuscan-in-dorking...

Also re your comment re Vantages being unreliable - not sure where this info is from but they're not.

[300bhp/ton]

jimxms said:

Hi chaps, here's the situation. I've got a chunk of money burning a hole in my pocket, and after driving nothing but the family hauler; a Lexus LS460 for the past few years, I want something for myself. My criteria is pretty precise and I think I may have already found my dream car, but before I bite the bullet I want to make sure that I'm not missing any other potential candidates...

1) under £30k, ideally under 25.
2) rare (in the UK at least) and a head-turner. I don't want a BMW, Merc, Porsche, Audi, Ford....etc
3) bloody fast in a straight line. I prefer the thrill of being shoved back into my seat, smoking tyres and trying to stay pointed at the horizon rather than twisty country lanes.
4) as already mentioned, a 2 seater or 2+2 would be even better for those occasional school runs.
5) menacing looks.
6) not too old (2000+ ish). I would still like some fairly modern touches.

I narrowed it down to a Corvette (c6 most likely).

I was also considering:

Bentley Continental GT - but I dont think it will be 'raw' enough. I imagine them to be a bit squishy like my Lexus.
Jaguar XK-R - doesnt really meet (2) criteria.
Dodge Challenger SRT - might still be a candidate
Ford Shelby GT 500 - probably cant get them under £30k and their interiors are pap.

Any other potentials I've missed?

This is a good list. And partly I think it comes down to what you want from the car.

The Corvette C6 is a brilliant beast (also worth looking at the more track focused C5 Z06). But I wonder if sometimes too competent on the road.

For example, I have a Camaro which I love, but I do sometimes think of swapping and upgrading to a Corvette. The thing is, the Camaro is a hooligans car, you can throw it about, light the tyres up and generally have a lot of fun, even at low speeds. A Vette is so much more planted that I think you can't do this sort of thing in them at road legal speeds.

The Mustang GT500 and maybe the Challenger fall into that hooligan category, where you can simply enjoy them in a different way. They won't be the fastest A to B, but you'll always get there with a smile on your face.


I think a Corvette would always make you smile too, but the reality is you are talking about a car with genuine supercar credentials. It'll grip way better in the bends, but also let go in a far more dramatic way.


My advice would be go an drive a C6 and go and drive maybe a supercharged Mustang GT and see which makes you smile the most!


As for other cars to consider, well TVR's are probably the most likely to tick the same sorts of boxes. But I suspect you'd be entering a different realm of running costs. A Vette you'll be able to park up and jump in it and it'll work. Not that TVR's are necessary unreliable, but they are far more likely to require a higher degree of cosseting.