What 4 seat super(-ish)car? - £20k

[Jonty355]

Its another 'What Car' thread. Sorry!

I've recently sold one of the Ferraris to make way for something a bit more family orientated. I have a budget of £20k (which can maybe stretch a little).

I'm after a 4 seater car that's fun to drive and a bit special. My original plan was to buy an early Aston Martin DB7 with the straight six engine, which I could potentially use on a daily basis, but having looked at a few in the past month it would appear that most have now been abused and unloved when they became an affordable Aston!

My other option is a TVR Cerbera, but I've read a few forum threads and reviews saying that the running costs of these cars could be rather ridiculous (engine rebuilds etc). Also that they're not really very useable if I were to have it as a daily - engines needing warming through for a good few minutes before going anywhere.

I know there is the Porsche 911.... but tbh, I'm just not a Porsche fan.

What else is there? Main criteria is:

Not too ridiculous to run
relatively practical and useable
good/interesting looking sportscar
Space for 2 adults and a 2 year old
£20k Budget.



ETA - Doesn't have to be £20k, the less expensive the better. If there's something fun for £5k then great!

Edited by Jonty355 on Tuesday 26th May 16:54

[Jonty355]

KungFuPanda said:

hornetrider said:

Maser 32/4200?

Around £20k should get you a Maserati Gransport.

It shares a lot of parts with the Ferrari F355 - and believe me I know how much they are!!! Not sure if they're another moneypit?

[Jonty355]

Fittster said:

If a DB7 has big enough rear seats what about a Jag XKR? A 20K Jag will be a lot fresher than an Aston.

Seems like there's a lot of them about. Plus I'm not sure I could cope with it being an automatic.

[Jonty355]

Mr Roper said:

Mk1 Escort Mexico.

As much as I love them and want one, I just couldn't bring myself to pay £20k on an old Escort!

[Jonty355]

Nige_GTI said:

Not a supercar but what about an E90 M3 or E60 M5. They will be just as fast as anything from Aston/Jag/ferrari around that price range?

Or possible the alternative from Mercedes, C63 AMG?

Can Nissan GTR's be had for £20k yet?

BMW E90 M3 is a good shout. Didn't know they were in my price range.

Mercs never seem to age well. When new they look great, but after about 5 years they just look old and bland for some reason.

Do you mean the new GTR's? Thought they were at least £30k - unless a Cat C or D and potentially had the sh*t ragged out of them?

[Jonty355]

Mr Roper said:

Nissan R34.

Out of all the slylines, that is probably my favourite one, but they just don't feel very special inside. The interiors just feel so cheap which is a big shame.

[Jonty355]

Mr Roper said:

Ok...

I was trying to avoid the usual as I suspect you know all too well what they are but I will anyway...The RS4 Avant.

Or if you don't mind sticking out..

Focus RS

Edited by Mr Roper on Tuesday 26th May 16:38

RS4 - definitely not! Too big and too 4wd.

Focus RS is nice, just see too many of them about though.

[Jonty355]

TTwiggy said:

Bentley Arnage Red Label?

The problem you have is that the answer to this question is '911'. But if you don't want one of those then it's a bit of a struggle/compromise.

Bentley is just too big and more than likely too ridiculously thirsty!

Yeah, I know the perfect car for my criteria is the 911 - but I just don't really want one for some reason.

[Jonty355]

schmalex said:

BMW M6. Coupe or Convertible, it doesn't really matter.

What they like to run? I guess they definitely have supercar performance! Lot of car for the money!

[Jonty355]

jamieduff1981 said:

A Cerbera. If you ran a Ferrari you can run a Cerbera. You will easily fit a 2 year old in with your wife and all clobber in the ridiculously large boot.

They're not hard to drive gently and are perfectly commutable if that's what you want.


They're also appreciating quite appreciably so this will offset maintenance costs somewhat compared to other more vanilla choices which are still shedding money.

It will definately excite and it always feels special.

Thats the problem, the expensive to run Ferrari is the one I kept! I sold the cheap to run one... it wasn't fast enough.

[Jonty355]

I just get the impression a Masser will cause a lot of headaches. Brera is a beautiful car but got the impression they can be a bit of a big front wheel drive barge to drive?

Jag XK is nice, especially the later shape. Main problem with it is that on my way into work this morning at 5:30am, I dont see many cars on the road, yet I saw 2 XK's. Ticks all the other boxes though so I may have to go have a look at some. Can you get them with a manual or are the flappy paddle gearboxes ok in them?

[Jonty355]

Tuvra said:

These are pretty epic, would have to stretch the budget a bit though:

Not very special though is it? Its effectively a rebodied Golf and there's tons of them about. Then add to which is currently above budget but 2 years will be worth 50p. Dont get me wrong, they're great cars, but its just not for me.

[Jonty355]

jonny996 said:

Going completely left field here but what about a Cayenne Turbo, might not look like a sports car but could keep up with most of the things being discussed & you son could play a game of footy in the back.

I want to walk away from the car and look back because its good looking. I'm afraid to say that a Cayenne turbo I would never want to look back at it as I would . Not to mention, I'm not a footballer or drug dealer, so definitely not me.

Also, I don't have a son, I have a daughter. And we don't like football, we like sports cars!

[Jonty355]

Crosswise said:

I disagree with a lot of your reasons for discounting a Cerbera. Disregarding the SP6, it's perfectly capable of doing 100k Miles without an engine rebuild and if it is a big concern, buy one with a rebuilt engine by a reputable TVR specialist. I don't know where you heard you need to warm the engine before being able to drive it, it simply isn't the case. What I would say is be very careful of chassis rust, with few exceptions, if you aren't looking at a car which has had a body off chassis rebuild, it's probably going to need one soon, it's a fibreglass car built by a small company in Blackpool, it doesn't feel like a Jag or a Ferrari, bits are held in place by Sikaflex and velcro. Parts are from Ford, Rover, Citroen, Vauxhall etc, but none of that detracts from the experience of driving one, or even how special they feel to sit in, it really is a well designed and incredible looking car. I'm not sure how much of a usable 4 seater you'll find it though, there isn't a whole lot of space.

It was a guy at Britannia car sales in Dinnington. Cant remember if he was referring to the AJP or straight six engine or both.

Good to know engine rebuilds aren't too regular, I like the Cerb a lot put there seemed to be a lot of bad press about them. I guess its just going to be a struggle to find a good one though?

[Jonty355]

Crusoe said:

For practical family transport a M5 or C class estate would fit the bill.

Nice M5 Touring http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

C63 V8 Touring http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

Way to practical!!!!

If at a weekend we'd planned to go away for a few days and I turned to the missus and said 'shall we take my car' then she should be able to reply with 'Why? We won't fit everything in' to which I can reply 'yeah but I really want to take the fun car! I don't mind spending 3 hours working out how we can fit us and everything in if it means we can take the XXXXXX'.

If the conversation went like 'shall we take my car' and her reply was simply 'ok' then where would the fun in life be? I may as well just hang up my PH coat right now!

[Jonty355]

Crosswise said:

I'm far from knowledgeable on the speed 6, but I believe the problem with the engine was oil pressure not being consistent, in any case, most would have been rebuilt by now and it was developed into a powerful and reliable engine. Speed 6 cars are easily the cheapest but also had softer suspension and were generally designed as more of a comfortable GT car than the AJP engined cars. The early 4.2 V8s have a tendency to shear the crankshaft, but again this has been pretty much resolved now. If you look for a 4.5 with a good chassis and comprehensive history you should avoid most of the known problems and it'll be the best investment.

I'm sure there's a buyer's guide somewhere which will give you far more information than the few things I can remember.

Comfortable GT would not be a problem as thats more what it'll be getting used for. I have the 355 still for the mad moments, although I'm trying not to use it quite as much these days. Its just had a medium sized restoration after 7 years of abuse constant use in all weathers.

I'll try and locate a decent straight six in my area to go and have a nose at.

[Jonty355]

Tuvra said:

How about something like this?

Love em, but what they like to live with? Are they not a bit big on UK roads? And not sure on having a LHD as my wife will be driving it too and I'm pretty certain she wouldn't want to drive a LHD car.

[Jonty355]

Calza said:

Have you heard either of these engines though? They are both as good a noise as you'll get from anything.

Being able to use that without argument from the missus or dropping luggage is surely a plus?

I get your point, but I like trying to be practical with impractical cars. And practicality comes at the cost of looks.

They're not bad looking cars, but they're not good looking either. Screw the luggage!

[Jonty355]

GreatGranny said:

928?

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

Yes maybe it won't be the cheapest car to run but:

1. You won't see another on your commute
2. IMO its a great looking car
3. V8
4. Just look at that interior :-)

Certainly different I'll give you that. Cant decide on the looks and if I like them or not.

[Jonty355]

Crusoe said:

put the back seats back in and you'll be the coolest dad at the school gates.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C593398

Oh my!!!! That is nice isn't it. The only problem is that its in Dorset and I'm in Yorkshire, so by the time I'd driven it home it would have probably shaken its old italian parts to pieces! And if it rained on the way back I'd have to sweep it into the garage! But what a pretty car!