Four-seat fun - suggestions?

[Chris71]

It's possible that I'll have to swap the TVR for something a bit more practical next year. I'm also looking to economise a bit, so the budget won't be huge, say, £5k. This is pipe dreaming at this stage, but what would people suggest as a fun car with four-seats?

It doesn't need to accommodate a fully grown adult in the back, but it must have a proper lap and diagonal belt with enough room for a baby seat.

I would prefer something a bit different and I tend to go for sports cars or coupes in preference to hot hatches, but I'm open to suggestions.

Always talked about getting a Lotus Excel, so that's definitely on the list (although good ones seem to have doubled in price since I last looked, so maybe not!) I've had a couple of front-engined Porsches already, but wouldn't rule out another if the deeply dished rear seats allowed a baby seat. Also tempted by any Impreza, although that feels more like a daily driver than a weekend toy.

[Chris71]

kambites said:

How about an RX8?

Good point. A colleague used to have one and it was good drive, but it did fulfill absolutely all the rotary engine cliches when it came to reliability and running costs. Depends how much I was going to use it, I suppose.

[Chris71]

jamieduff1981 said:

Buy clothes from ASDA and upgrade Chimaera to Cerbera

If only.

And yes, I guess I could do what my parents did and get a Tasmin 2+2.

200SX is a good shout, although like you say it comes down to finding one that's not been slammed and boosted to a million horsepower.

The M3 is an interesting one. I know it's a brilliant car and I'm sure I'd be won over if I actually drove one, but I've always found it difficult to get excited about saloon-based coupes. Don't get me wrong, I realise the M3 is a very different prospect to a normal 3-Series (not that I'd say no to a good 328i Coupe) but I see it more as a daily driver. I'd prefer something a bit more leftfield.

It's a shame ... I can remember when an Integrale Evo 2 would have been in-budget.

I realise this is outwardly a contradiction to my M3 comments, but I do quite like the idea of an MG ZT 260. Again, it's a question of whether the purchase and running costs make sense. While I say it's intended as a weekend toy the idea is to use it for work trips and things like that too.

What's the going rate for a 4th gen Camaro over here? Not a fan of the styling or the LHD layout, but the concept sounds quite amusing.

Edited by Chris71 on Monday 22 December 13:54

[Chris71]

balls-out said:

I paid £3k for mine - 6sp manual V8. for that money you are talking Lt1 engined. Later post face lift have the Corvette LS1 motor which makes more bhp, but you will need a bit more cash.
Other than petrol, running costs are generally low - the engine is unstressed and the mechanical parts are umm tried and tested?

£3k? That's pretty tempting.

The bhp-per-dollar you can get with LS/LT/Small Block engines is just insane. I go to a couple of the US trade shows with work and you can buy a 500 bhp crate engine for about $5,000. If only the same applied to Rover V8s over here ... even considered an LS-conversion for the Chimaera when it blew up.

[Chris71]

james_gt3rs said:

Impreza?

Definite possibility. Considered getting one of these as a daily driver recently. To be honest the only thing that stopped is that it took ages to get round to sorting a couple of niggles on my current car.

LasseV said:

What about n/a mk4 Toyota Supra? It will offer the same performance as 968 and it has proper inline 6 engine. With suspension refresh and a new exhaust it is hood to drive AND its is good car to own. Back seats are practical enough for your purpose.

Now there's an interesting thought. Certainly one to consider, although I wonder if I'd end up wishing I had the turbo? Coincidentally, the one thing I don't like about the 968 is the rather dull four-cylinder engine, so a nice six would be quite an interesting proposition.

I do like the more leftfield Japanese cars - Colt Starion and Celica GT4 spring to mind now you mention the Supra. I presume AE86s are way out of budget now?

[Chris71]

Thinking about this again recently (the requirement for rear seats - our first baby - arrived last week).

What about an Alfa GTV?

Sadly I think a decent Alfetta is out of budget these days, so I'm talking about the '90s FWD one. My thinking was that the 2.0 TS can be picked up very cheaply, although I am a sucker for a decent engine note, so the V6 appeals. Going against, I guess something like an RX8 would be more practical, better to drive quickly and probably not much more to run compared to the bafflingly thirsty Alfa. Had a read through threads on here and most GTV V6 owners seemed to get about the same mpg as I do from my 5-litre TVR.

This plan all hinges on the ability to get a baby seat in the back. We've got a Maxi Cosi with a separate base unit and it requires a surprising amount of rear leg room to get the supporting strut down. Anyone had experience with a similar setup in a 2+2 coupe? As mentioned, another thing that sprang to mind is that some cars have very deeply dished rear seats, which wouldn't provide a flat surface for the car seat.

Hmm.

[Chris71]

Pesty said:

Integra dc2

Not a bad idea. I'm a sucker for an engine that sounds like it's putting some effort in.

On a Japanese theme, I guess an unmodified 200 SX (if such a thing exists would be fun too). Ditto a Celica GT4.

[Chris71]

danp said:

IME 4 doors are very handy if you are putting young children in and out...a slightly leggy BMW 130i?

It's not something I plan to do regularly, but it legitimises us having two cars. Also, while I realise some of them are brilliant, I find it harder to get excited about sports saloons or saloon-derived coupes. That said, a 3-Series of some description is in the back of my mind. I fear an E36 M3 would be too pricey for me to run as a regular car, but a 328 coupe is an option - can't see a half decent one losing much money now.

ETA Car and Classic has a (RWD) Alfa GTV6 for sub-£5k. Didn't realise they could be had for that sort of money any more. Hmm.

Edited by Chris71 on Thursday 29th January 20:17