Lotus, BMW or mazda?
Discussion
Hey new here and would really appreciate some advice.
I'm looking at getting anew car.
Looking for some open top fun in a car that will put some fun back into my driving.
Budget is up to £25k
Current interest list is as follows,
- mx5 sport tech (I can get a good deal on a new car)
- BMW z4 2.0i (can get a year old low mileage car)
- lotus Elise S super touring 1.8 (5 year old very low mileage )
I'm open to suggestions on other cars.
Right this is where it gets interesting I guess :-/
I drove the mx5 a couple of months ago - and loved it.
Then this weekend I went to drive the z4, it felt like driving a 3 or 5 series . Great quality, comfy etc.
Straight afterwards I decided to go drive another mx5 to make a better comparison.
At the dealer they only had a 2 year old car (36k miles), so when they finally got it started (flat battery) we set off in the rain.
Off a bypass onto a sweeping slip road the car swapped ends and ended up in the ditch!
Clearly my fault, maybe a lack of rear wheel sports car experience.
However I'm sure the mismatched rear tyres (one with low tread, 3 different tyre brands on the car) didn't help.
The car gave no warning of letting go and it didn't feel like I was going too fast (obviously for this car I was).
My requirements from the car are as fun daily driver. and every couple of weeks i'll be heading south on the motorway 320miles each way.
I live near Glasgow and head north through the twisty b-roads often (to climb the munros ).
I love the mx5 but the way it spun out has shook my confidence in the car/own ability a fair bit.
The BMW felt sold but a bit boring.
Not driven the Lotus people say it works as an everyday car but I guess I'm concerned about kitcar quality and parking it outside overnight.
I'm hoping to buy next week but I'm changing my mind almost hourly.
Any advice, opinions or suggestions please?
I'm looking at getting anew car.
Looking for some open top fun in a car that will put some fun back into my driving.
Budget is up to £25k
Current interest list is as follows,
- mx5 sport tech (I can get a good deal on a new car)
- BMW z4 2.0i (can get a year old low mileage car)
- lotus Elise S super touring 1.8 (5 year old very low mileage )
I'm open to suggestions on other cars.
Right this is where it gets interesting I guess :-/
I drove the mx5 a couple of months ago - and loved it.
Then this weekend I went to drive the z4, it felt like driving a 3 or 5 series . Great quality, comfy etc.
Straight afterwards I decided to go drive another mx5 to make a better comparison.
At the dealer they only had a 2 year old car (36k miles), so when they finally got it started (flat battery) we set off in the rain.
Off a bypass onto a sweeping slip road the car swapped ends and ended up in the ditch!
Clearly my fault, maybe a lack of rear wheel sports car experience.
However I'm sure the mismatched rear tyres (one with low tread, 3 different tyre brands on the car) didn't help.
The car gave no warning of letting go and it didn't feel like I was going too fast (obviously for this car I was).
My requirements from the car are as fun daily driver. and every couple of weeks i'll be heading south on the motorway 320miles each way.
I live near Glasgow and head north through the twisty b-roads often (to climb the munros ).
I love the mx5 but the way it spun out has shook my confidence in the car/own ability a fair bit.
The BMW felt sold but a bit boring.
Not driven the Lotus people say it works as an everyday car but I guess I'm concerned about kitcar quality and parking it outside overnight.
I'm hoping to buy next week but I'm changing my mind almost hourly.
Any advice, opinions or suggestions please?
Thanks for the advice so far.
The mx5 didn't really feel like it let go,, it felt more like it never had a hold, one rear tyre was on the legal limit (just) the other looked brand new. I'm sure this isn't entirely to blame, but it wouldn't of helped I'm sure.
Had I have been giving it some throttle on a wet roundabout I'd expect the back end to step out.
This was a sweeping slip road in the wet, I simply wouldn't have expected the car to have done a 180, again that could be my lack of rear wheel drive experience I guess.
For information the lotus I'm looking at has a hard top and aircon, as well as sound insulation 7 year old with 3k on the clock.
The mx5 didn't really feel like it let go,, it felt more like it never had a hold, one rear tyre was on the legal limit (just) the other looked brand new. I'm sure this isn't entirely to blame, but it wouldn't of helped I'm sure.
Had I have been giving it some throttle on a wet roundabout I'd expect the back end to step out.
This was a sweeping slip road in the wet, I simply wouldn't have expected the car to have done a 180, again that could be my lack of rear wheel drive experience I guess.
For information the lotus I'm looking at has a hard top and aircon, as well as sound insulation 7 year old with 3k on the clock.
RE92 said:
Off-topic I know, but out of curiosity what did the dealership say about you binning the MX5?
Well,,, I guess a bit of back ground info would help.First I walked into the dealer and asked the guyfor a test drive in a 2ltr mx5 , I said I don't mind if it's a couple of years old as it will give me an idea of how the car is with some miles on it.
He said they don't have any in.
As I walked out there was 6 out the front 4 of which were 2ltr.
When I went back in and told him he said he'd "forgotten about those" (wtf)
Then he started asking about my monthly budget,, I said I may decide to pay cash .
He was abrasive and argumentative to say the least..
In the end I asked for the name of the dealer manager (who wasn't in)
Then the car wouldn't start as it's battery was flat (lights left on).
When we finally got on the test drive he was definitely on the back foot.
After we spun and I pointed out the state of the tyres , his reply was "these things happen"
I guess I'd like reassurance that this isn't typical mx5 behaviour,,
Hatchoo said:
I agree that with £25k to spend you've got to add a boxster to your list, it's a great car to drive and it's got a surprisingly useful boot.
For entertainment and reward the Elise is a class above the others on your list, I'd be a bit wary of regular 640mile round trips in one though. If you really travel that distance every 2 weeks you could add over 15k a year to the car sitting on the motorway and it seems a bit of a waste somehow...
If you felt absolutely nothing before the MX5 let go then there's something fishy going on...it's traditional in these circumstances to blame not only mismatched tyres but also to bung in a patch of oil/diesel.
Hey hands up - it was me driving, so my fault!For entertainment and reward the Elise is a class above the others on your list, I'd be a bit wary of regular 640mile round trips in one though. If you really travel that distance every 2 weeks you could add over 15k a year to the car sitting on the motorway and it seems a bit of a waste somehow...
If you felt absolutely nothing before the MX5 let go then there's something fishy going on...it's traditional in these circumstances to blame not only mismatched tyres but also to bung in a patch of oil/diesel.
I was disappoint with the lack of warning, grip, or my ability to spot the warning maybe
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