Fun 5k car, worth the same in 12 months

[Alapeno]

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.

ETA: If it benefits from history I'll get it serviced by a specialist rather than doing it myself.

Edited by Alapeno on Thursday 16th January 11:26

[Alapeno]

Dr G said:

If you're talking very short term resale you'll probably want to maintain verifiable history to protect as much value as possible. Particularly with what is likely to be an enthusiast type vehicle.

EDIT: Something like this

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/h...

Edited by Dr G on Wednesday 15th January 09:14

Realised that after I typed it, good point. I don't mind paying for a service for a bit of history really.

So that's 2 votes for an Integra.


Anyone any opinion on these?

[Alapeno]

All good options.

Would love a Supra but not sure I would find a decent one in budget without a long wait though.

Can a decent S2000 be had for 5k then? The nicer ones were a bit pricier IIRC.

[Alapeno]

Anyone any idea what e36 m3 running costs are like?

Looking at inspection 1 and 2 prices on a few forums, it seems pretty high. In comparison i suspect an Integra or similar is much cheaper.

[Alapeno]

Also any thoughts on this Integra? Ebay link

[Alapeno]

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.

[Alapeno]

Zoobeef said:

Vx220?

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

[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.

[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