Iconic car for under £10k

[octane83]

Afternoon all,
As a long time sufferer of the 'next car' syndrome that must be familiar to all petrolheads, I'm looking for some help.

Over the last 8 years I've owned some great cars that have gone on to become modern classics and I'm now struggling with what to buy next.

For my next car (budget £10k) I'm looking for a car that:
--will make every drive an occasion in terms of noise and looks ('iconic' is oft misused but I think relevant in this case)
--is petrol
--does not need to be 4 door
--doesn't need to be too quick (my E39 M5 was a 400bhp missile that was unusable on the public roads for 95% of the time), I don't do trackdays either
--fairly reliable and not too bad on fuel (minimum 20mpg in normal driving)
--although it won't be a daily driver, it won't be a garage queen either (don't have a garage and the car will be parked on the drive)

Over to the PH masses!

[octane83]

Pesty said:

First two suggestions I was going to put have gone through the roof wtf has happened to car prices, anyway






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

I keep coming back to TVRs, I know people that own/have owned them and I think they will fall foul of the Reliability criteria, plus I'm not sure how well they take to being left exposed to the elements for 365 days a year.

I'm more than happy to be corrected!

[octane83]

Yep, Monaro seems to be a good shout, any idea on how they are to drive?

E46 M3 has been suggested (I've definitely missed the boat on the E36, silly money now) but I'm really not sure it floats my boat in terms of the sense of occasion, also I'm convinced I can't use the performance on the road (no nice roads near me either).

Any more info on how TVRs stand up to not being garage queens?

Appreciate the responses so far.

PS: Forgot to add to my OP, I've owned the following nice cars so far (E46 320d, Volvo S60 and Mk2 Focus firmly in the not so nice section)
205gti 1.6
E30 325i
E36 328i
E39 M5
E46 330ci
R53 MINI Cooper S

[octane83]

cerb4.5lee said:

You are pretty much spot on and they don't like being outside much and you do need a good sense of humour to use them daily, but with all that said not much comes close to them for thrills and sense of occasion though.

Yes they seem to tick all the boxes otherwise, real shame.

[octane83]

Johnny 89 said:

The more you use a TVR (Chimaera), the more reliable it will be. I used mine daily for quite a while and it was pretty much faultless.
Your main concern when exposed to the weather is water making its way inside the cabin. If you haven't owned one before you won't regret it though!

PS: bright colours are best :-)

Would a car cover of some description help I wonder? I know its a pain to put it on and take it off but if it keeps the car dry then I'm not averse to it.

[octane83]

Al U said:

S2000.

/thread.

ETA - with an aftermarket exhaust and intake for more eventful sound. Still very achievable in budget.

I've been driven in one a few years ago, the fun of revving to 9000 rpm and doing silly speeds as a consequence was lost on me if I'm honest.

[octane83]

Thankyou4calling said:

How about an Alfa Brera.

I've no allegiance and this may not be a good example but it's half your budget and I happened to see one today.

It looked great!

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Yes, always liked those. I was at the launch at the Geneva Motor show in 2005. Good suggestion, will add to the list. I take it the default choice should be the 3.2 V6 (purists will argue that it is not a 'real' Alfa engine I know but its as real as I can get in a Brera anyway)?

[octane83]

Tickle said:

Well kept S1 Elise

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

ETA: may have to haggle a little or save a little more

I was thinking about these a few months ago until I was got a chance to drive one. Definitely too hardcore, I'm not put off by the reliability or the usability though, colleague at work uses his every single day irrespective of weather so I know they are up to it.

[octane83]

Yiliterate said:

Well, this will take a little haggling, and you'd probably want to return it to original condition at some stage - perhaps sooner rather than later?! - but I think this would meet pretty much all your requirements (MPG might be touch-and-go though!)...Clio V6:

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

Or for something a little more grown up; Jaguar XKR:

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

That Clio is looking sorry for itself, seems like quite a lot of work needed to bring it back up to standard. I think it will go on the list though. Cheers for the suggestion.

[octane83]

What is the consensus on an Integra Type R? People rave about them, unfortunately I know nothing about it! Are they all imports?

[octane83]

Al U said:

Why consider integra type r's then? The S2000 is superior.

Also if you don't want a car that revs go buy a diesel.

Must admit I didn't make the connection, they're very similar cars in character.

The suggestion to buy a diesel, although wonderful, I won't be pursuing it.

Read the OP.