Another "What Car?" as I know we love them so much!

[dave-therave]

Good afternoon!

I currently drive an 04 MG TF 160 and as much as I like the car, I’ve decided I want to change it for something a little more special.

I have about £7k - £8k (£10k at the top end although I’d have to sell my current care before buying) to spend and I’m looking for something that will meet the following criteria:

• Preferably a convertible though it isn’t the deciding factor
• Doesn’t get awful MPG (I do approx 130 miles a week so not an awful lot)
• Won’t cost a fortune in road tax (though I guess age is the biggest factor here)
• Feels special
• Nice to drive, though doesn’t have to be particularly fast
• Approx 40k – 60k on the clock
• Age isn’t too important though I’d prefer a car the same age as mine or newer
• Isn’t going to depreciate an awful lot

Any ideas PH? As much as I’d like an MX5 I want something that’s a little bit more special.

[walm]

dave-therave said:

As much as I’d like an MX5 I want something that’s a little bit more special.

Burn him!

[Now following thread because I have a similar question...]

[Simbu]

S2000? Z4? 350Z?

No 'special feeling' roadster is going to be great on fuel IMO, but the Z4 wouldn't be horrific in 2.5 or even 3.0 guise.

[walm]

This fails to meet most of your criteria but still...
(Too much tax, too high miles, out of budget etc...)
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2850581.htm

[Chris71]

What do you class as awful mpg? You can get low 20s out of a Chimaera and the best part of 30mpg out of a TVR S-Series in relaxed driving. They're deceptively practical, cheaper than you might think to maintain and they have about as much sense of occasion as you'll get for £7k.

ETA To add, tax is charged at the pre-2001 'over 1600cc' rate, so quite cheap relative to the performance, specialist insurance makes them dirt cheap to cover (my old S3 was £250 a year for a 25 year old in London!)

Elise also sounds like a good idea if you can live with the boot space and tempramental hood.

Edited by Chris71 on Friday 15th July 14:05

[Zippee]

BMW Z4 would be my choice, ideally a 3.0.

[kazste]

Elise? Same engine but would be quicker, cheap to run good mpg and always feels special.

[dave-therave]

Forgot to say, I used to have an elise. It was a great car but the lack of a boot and crap roof would sadly put me off having another as a main car.

Looking for something along the lines of an S2K, Z4, 350Z etc but wanted to make sure I hadn't missed anything off the list

[was8v]

Apparently the 4cyl Z4s are great fun too - being a bit lighter (think I read that in an evo review) so don't rule them out, although they maybe too similar to the mx5 in character.

[kazste]

Could you get one of the Brian brodie racing mx5's for that price? Seem to get good review stating all the same benefits of normal mx5 with a bit more power.

[chalky123]

S2000.

The rich mans MX5

[kazste]

S2000' s IMHO are absolutely stunning always lust after them when I see one on the road. Black with red leather for me please.

[anonymous-user]

If you do only 130 miles a week mpg shouldn't really make a huge difference, the difference between 25mpg and 35mpg is less than a tenner a week.

Similar story with road fund licence, the differences in bands of cars you're likely to look at spread in weekly/monthly terms isn't great.

Therefore, get a Honda S2000

[Bonefish Blues]

Jobbety-job jobbed IMHO.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2011...

[ensignia]

Mazda RX-8? Specifically, mine.

[dave-therave]

ensignia said:

Mazda RX-8? Specifically, mine.

Already had one and I'm afraid I wouldn't have another!

I must admit, the Z4 is winning for me so far.

[kambites]

A Boxster is probably your best bet in that price range. Maybe a VX220 (much simpler roof than the S1 Elise)?

[insanojackson]

vx220 or elise?