Talk To Me About Convertibles
Discussion
Good Evening PH'ers,
Currently i'm driving a Smart Forfour Brabus, great little car that i love to bits, that if i'm honest i'm not keen on getting rid of.
However, ever since i've remembered i've wanted a convertible of some sort.
I really fancied a Nissan 350Z as my next car, but the cost of tyres/RFL & fuel is crippling, i've also considered an S2000 but again they seem quite high costs to run, TT's don't really float my boat as there's so many of them around my way.
So i was considering the A4 or a 3 Series M sport, originially the 3.0L versions, again they seem crippling what with the sub 20 MPG & circa £400 RFL.
So i got thinking on the 3 Series M Sport pack 318, is there anything else i should consider, i'm not really all that bothered about out & out pace as if i do change from the Brabus i'd like something that's quite smart, i've considered getting a cheap MX5 to run around in for the summer & to 'scratch the itch' but i just don't get a sense of 'want' when i see an MX5.
Is there any other cars i'm missing out on that i should consider?
Budget is maxed at around £7.5K excluding insurance & ideally i'd like to try and keep the around town MPG above 25 if possible.
Current yearly mileage is circa 10,000-12,000.
Currently i'm driving a Smart Forfour Brabus, great little car that i love to bits, that if i'm honest i'm not keen on getting rid of.
However, ever since i've remembered i've wanted a convertible of some sort.
I really fancied a Nissan 350Z as my next car, but the cost of tyres/RFL & fuel is crippling, i've also considered an S2000 but again they seem quite high costs to run, TT's don't really float my boat as there's so many of them around my way.
So i was considering the A4 or a 3 Series M sport, originially the 3.0L versions, again they seem crippling what with the sub 20 MPG & circa £400 RFL.
So i got thinking on the 3 Series M Sport pack 318, is there anything else i should consider, i'm not really all that bothered about out & out pace as if i do change from the Brabus i'd like something that's quite smart, i've considered getting a cheap MX5 to run around in for the summer & to 'scratch the itch' but i just don't get a sense of 'want' when i see an MX5.
Is there any other cars i'm missing out on that i should consider?
Budget is maxed at around £7.5K excluding insurance & ideally i'd like to try and keep the around town MPG above 25 if possible.
Current yearly mileage is circa 10,000-12,000.
lawrence567 said:
ambuletz said:
What makes the Honda S2000 costly to run?
It's a bit out of budget to start with, RFL is relatively high & i can't imagine the fuel consumption is going to be great...Are you after a roadster or a convertible?
if you don't need a big boot a mk3 mr2?
just put a deposit down on one..cracking little cars, 70% of an elise experience at 25% of the price ;-)...and most likely rather better built and engineered. (also a proper convertible as opposed to more of a targa)
140 bhp and 975kg, 40mpg, reasonably brisk and a great steer..5/6k would buy you a low mileage late one.
just put a deposit down on one..cracking little cars, 70% of an elise experience at 25% of the price ;-)...and most likely rather better built and engineered. (also a proper convertible as opposed to more of a targa)
140 bhp and 975kg, 40mpg, reasonably brisk and a great steer..5/6k would buy you a low mileage late one.
I disagree.
BMW are famed for making some of the best 6 cylinder engines on the planet and now have been forced down the forced induction 4 pot route, as has every other manufacturer, based on emissions and economy.
The 4 cylinder cars are fine for what they are but not a patch on the 6s for refinement, sound and the sheer 'correctness' that should accompany a prestige car. Even the well rounded motoring mags have stated that the new offerings from Mercedes, BMW etc are coarse and rather unpleasant which does not fit well with executive motoring and that is both diesel and petrol flavours. Exec cars should have proper sized engines!
The 318i has no redeeming features over the 320i unless it had a particular spec you are after. That said, the difference in price is the biggest item between the 318i and 330i.
BMW are famed for making some of the best 6 cylinder engines on the planet and now have been forced down the forced induction 4 pot route, as has every other manufacturer, based on emissions and economy.
The 4 cylinder cars are fine for what they are but not a patch on the 6s for refinement, sound and the sheer 'correctness' that should accompany a prestige car. Even the well rounded motoring mags have stated that the new offerings from Mercedes, BMW etc are coarse and rather unpleasant which does not fit well with executive motoring and that is both diesel and petrol flavours. Exec cars should have proper sized engines!
The 318i has no redeeming features over the 320i unless it had a particular spec you are after. That said, the difference in price is the biggest item between the 318i and 330i.
The Crack Fox said:
A manual 330 BMW should do 30MPG on a run, easily. My coupe showed 29.1 MPG combined over 20k miles and was driven quite enthusiastically. I wouldn't want to lose any grunt for the sake of saving a few MPG equating to a not many quid a year.
MX-5's don't look much, but the driving experience, and overall running costs, can't be beaten in my opinion. Try a long test drive and see for yourself
If you do a lot of urban driving it will fall a lot, I average 22mpg on auto cab 330. MX-5's don't look much, but the driving experience, and overall running costs, can't be beaten in my opinion. Try a long test drive and see for yourself
Easy one this.
Mercedes SLK 200K
Strong performance - 0-60 in about 8 seconds and 140mph flat out.
Great economy. I ran one for a year and 15,000 miles and averaged 31mpg over the entire year with a best of 40mpg over 550 miles (and that's calculated properly, not just an optimistic OBC)
Supercharged engine so feels gutsy at low revs but will still rev out.
Six speed manual gearbox (don't get an auto) is quick and wristy.
Well equipped (elec windows, remote locking, cruise, air, power roof, alloys, decent stereo, all standard plus most have leather).
Handles well, good quality, looks fantastic, and practical with the solid roof.
Knocks a BMW 318i into a cocked hat on all fronts!
Here's one that's close to budget (with a bit of haggling), no doubt there are others.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
Mercedes SLK 200K
Strong performance - 0-60 in about 8 seconds and 140mph flat out.
Great economy. I ran one for a year and 15,000 miles and averaged 31mpg over the entire year with a best of 40mpg over 550 miles (and that's calculated properly, not just an optimistic OBC)
Supercharged engine so feels gutsy at low revs but will still rev out.
Six speed manual gearbox (don't get an auto) is quick and wristy.
Well equipped (elec windows, remote locking, cruise, air, power roof, alloys, decent stereo, all standard plus most have leather).
Handles well, good quality, looks fantastic, and practical with the solid roof.
Knocks a BMW 318i into a cocked hat on all fronts!
Here's one that's close to budget (with a bit of haggling), no doubt there are others.
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...
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