2x Seater Sports car 4-5k
Discussion
If running costs / general budget is a concern, I'd go with the MX5.
The Honda will be the most exciting to drive.
The Z4 seems a bit lardy, though I'm sure would be great for mile-munching.
Don't know much about the TT.
MX5 will probably be considerably slower, more fun and an all round cheaper ownership experience. That said they would probably be the least comfortable of the three for long trips. I'm assuming it would be a Mk2.5 for that money, may stretch to an early Mk3 which is a lot more comfortable, but likely to still be behind the other cars.
The Honda will be the most exciting to drive.
The Z4 seems a bit lardy, though I'm sure would be great for mile-munching.
Don't know much about the TT.
MX5 will probably be considerably slower, more fun and an all round cheaper ownership experience. That said they would probably be the least comfortable of the three for long trips. I'm assuming it would be a Mk2.5 for that money, may stretch to an early Mk3 which is a lot more comfortable, but likely to still be behind the other cars.
gaz1234 said:
My sister is looking at getting either:
Mx5 1.6/1.8
audi tt 180bhp
honda s2000
z4 2.0
She is a tight as and wants best value for money and running costs.
Will also be doing lots of miles
opinions?
I wouldn't bother with the Audi TT. I bought one recently (albeit a 225 coupe) and it was a good drive, the reliability was dire though. Ended up moving it on very quickly! They also have a 'badge tax' applied, and command strong prices at high miles when you consider what you get.Mx5 1.6/1.8
audi tt 180bhp
honda s2000
z4 2.0
She is a tight as and wants best value for money and running costs.
Will also be doing lots of miles
opinions?
The MX5 would be a good bet, she could get a very good MX5 for very little money. In terms of pure value for money, the Mazda will outstrip the Honda and the BMW Z4. The Z4 is more of a two seater GT, to me. Definitely not worth owning as a 'fun' car for sporty driving but nice enough for cruising. The S2000 would be my pick, but mainly for it's styling and the wild VTEC engine. If you sister is not the type of driver who enjoys revving the b
ks off a car to see it sizzle I'd advise she give that a miss too.Worthy of her consideration would be a mk2 or mk3 MR2. Both are very good value and fantastic for people who like a bit of a drive and can cope with mid-engined handling dynamics. The mk3 is a nice little cruiser, famed for it's 'Elise-lite' leanings. The mk2 is also fantastic value these days, fun to drive with a decent level of comfort meaning they'll eat up the miles. The Turbo can be had for little money now and they are very good fun indeed...
gaz1234 said:
should have added more...
she drove the mx5 and thought the road/wind noise was bad, plus rattle. think she prefers the tt.
whats the mpg on the:
mx5
1.6 & 1.8
tt 180 & 225
z4 2.0 & 2.5
s2k
MX5's - I saw late 20's out of my NB 1.6, but I was redlining it everywhere. The come alive after 4000rpm. That said, driving like a granny won't see much better economy so you might as well thrash them like Mazda intended. she drove the mx5 and thought the road/wind noise was bad, plus rattle. think she prefers the tt.
whats the mpg on the:
mx5
1.6 & 1.8
tt 180 & 225
z4 2.0 & 2.5
s2k
TT - again, friends who have owned them said late 20's/low 30's day to day with 225's. The 180 is supposed to return about the same economy despite being 45bhp down on power. Mind you, the Haldex system is heavy so weights the car up, and there is Haldex servicing to consider too, something your sister won't be able to avoid especially if she is doing big miles. Mind you, IIRC some of the 180bhp TT's didn't come with the Quattro AWD. Why you'd want a FWD Quattro is anyone's guess, saying as they aren't exactly a dynamic joy even with the variable AWD provided by the Haldex coupling. Regarding other engines on the TT, there is a FWD only 150 which was never a big seller. The 225 and 180 are the 1.8T in different states of tune.
Z4 - Couldn't say.
S2000 - low to mid 20's, according to a colleague who had one, and was VTEC'ing it all the time. I expect 30+ would be do-able on a run if you kept the revs down. But then, why would you?
By the way, how tight is your sister?
Edited by Baryonyx on Saturday 24th March 20:55
gaz1234 said:
yea i agree with the s2000, and she does drive pretty quick for a woman, and not a bad driver. however i expect most women to not take cars past 6rpm regularly like us men.
what other engines of audi tt are there?
Thing is in an S2000 6k revs isn't like 6k revs insay a Clio sport instead is superwhat other engines of audi tt are there?
Smooth.
Plus remember is an 8,000rpm rev range so using 1-6k revs she will get economy keep it nailed and vetec YO
gaz1234 said:
would i be right in saying the tt would hold its money?
she is only concerned with, in order of - running costs, appearance/looks, badge, handling - unfortunately.
Their prices are gradually falling, though I doubt they'll be shed of the week for a long time. The lowest priced models that haven't been written off tend to be around £3000 and these have upwards of 130,000 miles on the clock. The 180's are keen sellers too, usually for someone who wants a TT but doesn't care about the extra performance of the 225 model. Mind you, it won't 'hold it's money' as such; the market is stuffed with used TT's so there is loads of choice and she won't get back what she paid for it. she is only concerned with, in order of - running costs, appearance/looks, badge, handling - unfortunately.
As far as running costs go, servicing a TT shouldn't be too expensive if you go to a German specialist but main dealer prices are high. It also requires the Haldex oil and filter changes as I have mentioned, in addition to general A/B servicing on the engine.
In that respect, something like an MX5 is much, much cheaper to run and service. Mechanically very simple, unlike the Audi TT. The TT is also fairly pricey to insure compared to the performance it provides. I suppose plenty of them have been binned over the years, mainly by posers who bought it because it was an Audi coupe rather than wanting a sporty AWD car for driving pleasure.
I'm going to agree with whoever said Mk3 MR2. In line with the MX5 for running costs, though it's been a while since I've driven one and I can't remember what the wind noise was like.
To be honest, if she's not particularly interested in performance/handling and is short on cash, it seems odd to go for one of the more expensive cars to buy / run, when they're main advantage over cars like the MX5 / MR2 is performance.
But, other cars she could look at:
Smart Roadster (Probably won't like it. Looks small and cheap)
MG TF
Daihatsu Copen
Suzuki Cappucino
None of those have really strong badges though, so might be on to a loser.
Cheap old SLK?
To be honest, if she's not particularly interested in performance/handling and is short on cash, it seems odd to go for one of the more expensive cars to buy / run, when they're main advantage over cars like the MX5 / MR2 is performance.
But, other cars she could look at:
Smart Roadster (Probably won't like it. Looks small and cheap)
MG TF
Daihatsu Copen
Suzuki Cappucino
None of those have really strong badges though, so might be on to a loser.
Cheap old SLK?
Edited by mx5tom on Saturday 24th March 21:37
mx5tom said:
I'm going to agree with whoever said Mk3 MR2. In line with the MX5 for running costs, though it's been a while since I've driven one and I can't remember.
To be honest, if she's not particularly interested in performance/handling and is short on catch, it seems odd to go for one of the more expensive cars to buy / run, when they're main advantage over cars like the MX5 / MR2 is performance.
But, other cars she could look at:
Smart Roadster (Probably won't like it. Looks small and cheap)
MG TF
Daihatsu Copen
Suzuki Cappucino
None of those have really strong badges though, so might be on to a loser.
Cheap old SLK?
Yes she did mention slk a while back.....To be honest, if she's not particularly interested in performance/handling and is short on catch, it seems odd to go for one of the more expensive cars to buy / run, when they're main advantage over cars like the MX5 / MR2 is performance.
But, other cars she could look at:
Smart Roadster (Probably won't like it. Looks small and cheap)
MG TF
Daihatsu Copen
Suzuki Cappucino
None of those have really strong badges though, so might be on to a loser.
Cheap old SLK?
Look the S2000 is a car that will never be super cheap as in it will always have value due to the fact it is so good.
The others well TT it's always going to have that appeal it's design was so way ahead of the pack when launched.
MX-5 well if that's your thing.
Z4 if it's a 2.0 ltr then don't if it's 2.5ltr or 3.0 ltr then yea thats a good one.
Personally it would be the S2000 nice looks amazing engine good handling quickest of this list. Only thing is of you want a big I6 in the Z4 I'd not touch a MX-5 or TT too slow and or too common and not that dynamically good.
The others well TT it's always going to have that appeal it's design was so way ahead of the pack when launched.
MX-5 well if that's your thing.
Z4 if it's a 2.0 ltr then don't if it's 2.5ltr or 3.0 ltr then yea thats a good one.
Personally it would be the S2000 nice looks amazing engine good handling quickest of this list. Only thing is of you want a big I6 in the Z4 I'd not touch a MX-5 or TT too slow and or too common and not that dynamically good.
gaz1234 said:
She drove the 2.7 thought it was crap
ElaborateVrap as on too slow?
Crap as is need to rev it hard to get anywhere
Crap as in handling? She doesn't like mid engines
Crap as in steering
Crap as in driing position?
Etc
Giving answers to these will give a strong idea as to which of the others will be ideal. I'm guessing she things they look dated in which case wide berth of the TT
Welshbeef said:
Look the S2000 is a car that will never be super cheap as in it will always have value due to the fact it is so good.
The others well TT it's always going to have that appeal it's design was so way ahead of the pack when launched.
MX-5 well if that's your thing.
Z4 if it's a 2.0 ltr then don't if it's 2.5ltr or 3.0 ltr then yea thats a good one.
Personally it would be the S2000 nice looks amazing engine good handling quickest of this list. Only thing is of you want a big I6 in the Z4 I'd not touch a MX-5 or TT too slow and or too common and not that dynamically good.
Wouldnt really want to say something bad about my possible next car, but are they really for someone who wants low running costs?The others well TT it's always going to have that appeal it's design was so way ahead of the pack when launched.
MX-5 well if that's your thing.
Z4 if it's a 2.0 ltr then don't if it's 2.5ltr or 3.0 ltr then yea thats a good one.
Personally it would be the S2000 nice looks amazing engine good handling quickest of this list. Only thing is of you want a big I6 in the Z4 I'd not touch a MX-5 or TT too slow and or too common and not that dynamically good.
Tax and insurance a bit silly, and they have to run on super unleaded so won't be that cheap.
Welshbeef said:
gaz1234 said:
She drove the 2.7 thought it was crap
ElaborateVrap as on too slow?
Crap as is need to rev it hard to get anywhere
Crap as in handling? She doesn't like mid engines
Crap as in steering
Crap as in driing position?
Etc
Giving answers to these will give a strong idea as to which of the others will be ideal. I'm guessing she things they look dated in which case wide berth of the TT
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