It will be a sad day! (what car content)
Discussion
For the last 3.5 years my mainly daily driver has been a 1988 morgan 4 seater. I love this car, but I am getting the feeling that I may need to sell it over the next 12 months.
I currently do about 15k miles a year, just commuting - mainly on tedious dual carriageways.
When I first had it the kids were small enough to fit in the back, but its now a bit of a struggle to get them in, so we rarely use it at the weekend.
So the question is what could I replace it with?
I could do with the option of 4 seats, I'd like a car to have something interesting about it, be reasonably able to cope with daily driver use, plus be reliable.
I do currently have a merc 190 for winter duty, but not sure how long it will last (its fab though!)
Budget, cheap as possible but up to 7k
Things I have considered in no particular order:
Mazda rx8 - always liked the look of these, but worried about engine letting go
porsche 924/944 - not sure if the rear seats would be sufficient
audi quattro (the old square cut one)
Lotus Excel
Lotus m100 elan (Yes I know its only a 2 seater)
ford puma
BMW 3 series - the one form late 80's - early 90's whatever the E number is
Fiat panda 100hp for a more modern option
any thoughts - I appreciate its a bit vague/random. I can probably determine what I wouldn't want better than what I would want, if you know what I mean
I currently do about 15k miles a year, just commuting - mainly on tedious dual carriageways.
When I first had it the kids were small enough to fit in the back, but its now a bit of a struggle to get them in, so we rarely use it at the weekend.
So the question is what could I replace it with?
I could do with the option of 4 seats, I'd like a car to have something interesting about it, be reasonably able to cope with daily driver use, plus be reliable.
I do currently have a merc 190 for winter duty, but not sure how long it will last (its fab though!)
Budget, cheap as possible but up to 7k
Things I have considered in no particular order:
Mazda rx8 - always liked the look of these, but worried about engine letting go
porsche 924/944 - not sure if the rear seats would be sufficient
audi quattro (the old square cut one)
Lotus Excel
Lotus m100 elan (Yes I know its only a 2 seater)
ford puma
BMW 3 series - the one form late 80's - early 90's whatever the E number is
Fiat panda 100hp for a more modern option
any thoughts - I appreciate its a bit vague/random. I can probably determine what I wouldn't want better than what I would want, if you know what I mean
Edited by sawman on Wednesday 19th December 21:22
Rx8 would be my vote but I do own one great car 
for 7k you would get a mint one might even get an r3 for that money dont have the engine problems. The only thing would be mpg 22ish maybe more if you do longer journeys.There is loads of room in the back and a big boot and the doors are great for easy access most fun car I have ever owned.
for 7k you would get a mint one might even get an r3 for that money dont have the engine problems. The only thing would be mpg 22ish maybe more if you do longer journeys.There is loads of room in the back and a big boot and the doors are great for easy access most fun car I have ever owned.Gareth1974 said:
Is buying a cheap car for commuting - vectra/mondeo etc, then keeping the Morgan for weekends and sunny days an option?
thats kind of what I am doing at the moment with my £300 merc, but the trouble is that at weekends I don't get much option to use the morgan either - cant comfortably get all the kids in, plus work long hours during the week so often doing chores/other things at the weekend.lycara said:
Rx8 would be my vote but I do own one great car for 7k you would get a mint one might even get an r3 for that money dont have the engine problems. The only thing would be mpg 22ish maybe more if you do longer journeys.There is loads of room in the back and a big boot and the doors are great for easy access most fun car I have ever owned.
is there a year after which the engine reliability improves? for 7k you would get a mint one might even get an r3 for that money dont have the engine problems. The only thing would be mpg 22ish maybe more if you do longer journeys.There is loads of room in the back and a big boot and the doors are great for easy access most fun car I have ever owned.currently most of my driving is trundling at 50-60 on duals and A roads, both morgan and merc manages 30-35mpg. Mid 20's I can live with
ollygogs said:
bmw e30 325 coupe
Thats the one - the last BMW I actually like. I quite like the touring ones, and I was watching that top gear episode on dave when they all bought a cabrio.How does the build quality of these compare with merc of the same age - apart from the rust I am hugely impressed by the integrity of my 1989 190e - its not the most exciting drive with its 2.0 auto, but it does waft nicely and no rattles or creaks
Edited by sawman on Wednesday 19th December 22:03
sawman said:
How does the build quality of these compare with merc of the same age - apart from the rust I am hugely impressed by the integrity of my 1989 190e - its not the most exciting drive with its 2.0 auto, but it does waft nicely and no rattles or creaks
The e30 feels a little bit older and less solidly built than the Merc 190, but a bit more sporty. I've run a few 1980s and early 90s Mercs and BMWs and the Mercs have a sense of "hewn from granite" that the BMWs just don't quite match up to.
At your price bracket I'd be considering an older Merc (maybe a W123) or perhaps the coupe version of the W124? Or you could get a minty mint W124 estate from Nick Frome (www.w124.co.uk) which would give you years of reliable motoring.
Or you could consider a BMW e24 635csi or an e28 5 series. Both are quite rot prone, but you should pick up a good one for your budget. And a bit more space than the 3series.
The new rx8 called r3 2008 onwards had more improvements with the engine. Mazda smoothed out issues with oil and engine going on them. You hear lots of horror stories about them they really are not that bad on oil mine dosent use much at all also people have got 100k plus on orginal engine if you look after them.Engines in newer r3 seem to be better then the s1 old rx8 but if it was me I would get a mint s1 or get one with mint bodywork but dud engine looking at £1000 tops and get a rebuild 2.5k and you would have a perfect rx8 with money left over for mods and fuel.Yes they do need but extra tlc but they drive fantastic handle great and have all the toys. I have a 2004 with everything on it and I love it. Having had a look seems r3 ones are slightly over your budget on pistonheads at least 
. Most people recommend the pz as more driver focused rx8 with prodrive developed also you might get a 40th anniversary for your budget. If you want to learn more about them jump on the rx8 owners club uk they will help you out with getting you a good one. Also tax on the pre 2006 is the same to tax as my old mk2 mx5. Feel free to pm for more info. All I can say is if you do get one you will grin from ear to ear with one and hitting 9,000 revs in the 231 version addictive
. Most people recommend the pz as more driver focused rx8 with prodrive developed also you might get a 40th anniversary for your budget. If you want to learn more about them jump on the rx8 owners club uk they will help you out with getting you a good one. Also tax on the pre 2006 is the same to tax as my old mk2 mx5. Feel free to pm for more info. All I can say is if you do get one you will grin from ear to ear with one and hitting 9,000 revs in the 231 version addictive Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff