Interesting cars mortals can still afford ?

[Rjbell]

If the alfa 4c depreciates like other alfa's they will be affordable soon and much more interesting than a 911.

Just going on average deprecation they will be £20k in 3 years. £10-£15k in 5 years.

Edited by Rjbell on Friday 22 April 10:52

[DeaconFrost]

Honda Beat?
Daihatsu Copen?
Daihatsu Avanzato Trxx r4
Mk2 Honda CRX?

None are particularly quick but all are interesting in their own ways.

[Rjbell]

DeaconFrost said:

Honda Beat?
Daihatsu Copen?
Daihatsu Avanzato Trxx r4
Mk2 Honda CRX?

None are particularly quick but all are interesting in their own ways.

I loved my mk2 crx i was never going to sell it then some muppet drove into me and wrote it off!

[DeaconFrost]

Rjbell said:

I loved my mk2 crx i was never going to sell it then some muppet drove into me and wrote it off!

For me it's the car I really wanted when I was learning to drive - just love the design. I was delighted to park next to a mint one at a Silverstone Sunday service a while back.

[TheJimi]

DonkeyApple said:

I still limp because of that fking car, combined with a tit of a salesman on their stand at a London Motor show. The whole hall seemed to come to a standstill when he slammed the driver's door shut with my knee fulcrumed between it and the steering wheel thus eliciting the loudest cry of '' heard in London since that bloke set fire to the bakery. A worse motoring injury than burning my ballbag on a mini's radiator while peeing into it to get enough coolant to be able to drive home.

Even today, just hearing 'cappuccino' instills me with an overwhelming desire to punch a young salesman in the face. Although, on reflection that could just be a Starbucks thing.

Missed that first time around.

Edited by TheJimi on Friday 22 April 11:04

[AllyBee]

Nissan Skyline R32 or R33 GTRs can still be had for around £10-12k.

[lostkiwi]

oceanview said:

rossub said:

lostkiwi said:

Mercedes SL r129 - not a thrilling car but a stonking car for the money. A 300 will start off around £2500 and a V8 around £4000. These were 73k when new and were a supercar of the time.
It won't be too long before they start to appreciate in value.

People have been saying that for 10 years. Would love to know the % left out of the original number sold - way higher than most cars I would imagine.

Agreed. I think the sheer number of cars out there will limit any great increase in price for some time- blame that on the fantastic build and engineering meaning not many disappear to the scrapyard in the sky!

The bonus of this is you can still get to experience ( in my case I had a 1995 SL500) that superb V8 and build quality and great GT ability for little money (on classic policy as well).

When I bought mine last year there were quite a few 500SL on Autotrader for under £5k. There are none presently and its not until you get to £5.5k the first appears. Plenty of 300s and some 320s but no 500s. If you could find a 600 they are already on the up as they are very rare.
There are fewer

[Alex_225]

There's so many good cars out there for not a lot of money and between £10-15k you can get some great motors.

Hot hatches wise most things with a RenaultSport, VXR or ST badge would put a grin on your face.

An S2000, VX220, Z4 or even a Caterham would be bought and put a huge grin on your face for that kind of money.

If you're prepared to run one then you also have the likes of M5s and M6s coming down that way. Personally I love the CLS55 and other AMG badges beasts but they come with the running costs to match.

[300bhp/ton]

AH33 said:

Civic Type R, Focus ST, most VXRs

or anything that costs more than £200 a year to tax

Are they really what constitutes "interesting" cars?

[james_gt3rs]

£10k mark you are spoilt for choice. Off the top of my head what I would like to own:
VX220, Elise, E46 M3, MR2, MX5, 944, Impreza, Evo, Boxster S, Integra type R, Skyline, 200SX...

[AH33]

300bhp/ton said:

Are they really what constitutes "interesting" cars?

I'd have any of them over a Suzuki Cappuccino, MX5 or an old Saab.

[nunpuncher]

Finding a decent Elise for £10k is not easy. I seem to remember S1's hitting about £6k at one point. I had a mate who bought one new when he got his first job straight out of Uni. He still has it and i remember him saying a few years ago that he'd probably never sell it as it wasn't worth enough. I bet a 1 owner, low mileage cherished S1 with every receipt for every penny ever spent is worth a bit now.

[nunpuncher]

J4CKO said:

Its isnt just credit, its crap interest rates, if you have 20 grand, put it in an ISA and get it back but worth less a few years later or take a punt on an interesting motor ?

+1

I stuck £10k in the highest fixed term ISA I could find last year and came away with a £144 profit at the end of the year. Utterly pointless exercise. It wouldn't be hard to beat that sort of price rise in 1 year with many cars even taking maintenance and running costs into consideration.

[Terzo123]

Monaro VXR.
Impreza P1
350Z

[kambites]

nunpuncher said:

Finding a decent Elise for £10k is not easy. I seem to remember S1's hitting about £6k at one point. I had a mate who bought one new when he got his first job straight out of Uni. He still has it and i remember him saying a few years ago that he'd probably never sell it as it wasn't worth enough. I bet a 1 owner, low mileage cherished S1 with every receipt for every penny ever spent is worth a bit now.

Elises are generally bought to be used so low mileage original cars tend to be worth less than well-modified higher-mileage ones. You occasionally get someone thinking their 9000 mile car which is still on its original tyres and suspension is worth £20k, but I don't think anyone actually ever pays it.

But yes, if you're buying on a £10 budget the VX220 is a far better proposition.

Edited by kambites on Friday 22 April 11:44

[culpz]

Affordability is obviously very subjective. I still believe that these products from Renaultsport are some of the best value driver's cars out there while being fun and still a hoot to drive.

Clio 172's and 182's are becoming dirt cheap now. As far as i know they don't seem to suffer with huge rust issues unlike alot of cars of similar age.

Clio 197's and 200's are dropping in price more and more these days for something a bit more modern but still very similar driving dynamics.

Megane 225's/230's/250's are becoming bargains right now. Bit more comfortable and better as dailys but still fantastic on track and spirited drives.

Any of the above to suit your budget really.

[TommoAE86]

AllyBee said:

Nissan Skyline R32 or R33 GTRs can still be had for around £10-12k.

Would check that on the R32 GTR's now that the USA has got their teeth into it. R32 GTST's though are still relatively cheap. If you wanted to go right down the pecking order my R33 GTST only cost me roughly £6k a year ago and is very good for a 20+ year old car.

[TheJimi]

300bhp/ton said:

AH33 said:

Civic Type R, Focus ST, most VXRs

or anything that costs more than £200 a year to tax

Are they really what constitutes "interesting" cars?

Yes.

No-one saying they are THE most interesting cars you can buy for the money, but they are, nevertheless in the scheme of things, interesting cars against the sea of white goods banality that one normally sees on the roads.

Hopefully this is as much of a reply as you'll get and no-one rises to the argument you're obviously looking for.

[Daston]

Dare I say RX7? Prices seem to be slowly on the up but a good one can be had for around £6-7k. Looks good, rather rare and exotic engine with a factory 270bhp not slow either.

[Greig300]

I'd say Audi B5 S4 is one to look out for.