15k ish, quick, 25mpg, reliable?

[spud989]

Evening, folks.

I should hopefully finalise the sale of my Z4 3.0i roadster at the weekend (after 2 and a bit good years) and need to get something sorted in the mean time. I've been looking at Z4M Coupés for some while now - mostly enviously whilst owning its little brother. And I like them a lot. But there is a dearth of good quality cars around without spending 19k. The 14/15/16k cars available at the moment are mostly a mixture of those with dodgy/no history, poor options, dull colours (don't want another silver car) and the like.

With that considered, and bearing the parameters of the title, are there any other cars available at around 15/16k which I should be considering? I know the 3.4 Boxster S isn't a lot more, but I'm not a fan of the design and it's not enough to get into the 3.4 Cayman S. Similarly, it's not quite enough to get into an Exige and I don't want to stretch any further financially.

Size is largely irrelevant (weyoo, etc.), but I live on my own and don't need to transport lots of stuff around, so I'm naturally drawn towards coupés.

Any suggestions?

[spud989]

No badge requirement. More of a 'must be noticeably faster than the 3.0i roadster' sort of thing, plus the other title-listed requirements.

SLK - I'm quite ignorant about Mercs, if I'm honest. I think most of them (AMG and Black editions aside, of course) are for old men. Not even sure if any of the quick ones are in budget. SLK 55 AMG could be? Are they as 'detached' in terms of driver involvement as their reputation indicates?

350Z - would view it as a bit of a sidewards step, really.

Elise - not sure I would want the hassle of fitting/taking off the top. Not quite got the presence of the Exige IMHO, either.

Mustangs - I'm totally, 100% ignorant on anything American. Wouldn't know where to start. Any suggestions? Would it fit the mpg requirement?

Z4M roadster - would feel too similar to what I've just had.

[spud989]

Not sure I've got the bottle for a 996 - what's the best tactic for avoiding one that would go bang? Did I read once about some preventative measure that you can have done or was that for Boxsters?

NoisyGriff said:

This is theft at this price:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3285724.htm

That's interesting. Hadn't realised they were available in budget. Is the CS version worth the price hike over the standard one then? The price difference when new was minimal. Be interesting to hear from owners/those in the know.

[spud989]

[redacted]

[spud989]

Aren't Monaros horrendous on maintenance/brakes etc.? Or is that just an unfair rumour?

Quite like the look of the M3 CS, the more I look at it.

[spud989]

300bhp/ton said:

Vx220 Turbo and a couple of tweaks?

Went to view one a while back and wasn't taken by it. Don't know if it was the car itself or the model in general. I know I should like them a lot and I do like them in theory. Didn't drive it, though: just had a passenger ride.

[spud989]

The car above looks weird.

[spud989]

Do many people running those Monaros change the steering wheel? Looks like something out of an early 90s parts bin. Impressive figures, though, certainly. Worth considering.

Those M3 CS are enticing - keep checking the classifieds to see what is appearing. But I can't help thinking that most of them are still a little overpriced bearing in mind the original CS surcharge wasn't very much.

http://www.northfieldcars.co.uk/used-cars/bmw-z4-3...
That Z4M Coupe also looks nice and the mileage isn't too bad. But it's overpriced considering there's no nav. Anyone know what the trade book on that is/roughly what their margin is going to be? Might be a worth an offer.

Still gawping and browsing!

[spud989]

No Impreza I've ever known has achieved 25mpg with a back wind down a hill

[spud989]

Any suggestions from anyone else?

[spud989]

I will admit, I have thought about that. But I just thought that it be too samey in terms of power and, especially, underwhelming in terms of sound.

Never had an engine with real 'character' yet (Fiesta, RX-8, diesel A3, 3 litre Z4), so the pops and the bangs are a real draw.

[spud989]

I'm only attracted to the Sagaris and the T350, both of which are out of my price range, really. And I think the prospect of running one as an only car, whilst being a certified mechanotard, is somewhere daunting.

[spud989]

RobM77 said:

muthaducka said:

SLK 55 AMG - that will give you a nice sound track! Good to use all year round and should be reliable.

For £15k?!

Think I saw a high miler for that (ish) in the classifieds the other day.

[spud989]

Hot hatches are out. Aside from being slightly embarrassing, they'd feel like a big step backwards. Not sure I could stomach running the old Porsches either - as said, that could be a world of financial trouble.