A 14k summer car conundrum
Discussion
A verbose 'what car' post with a caveat: I may well buy nothing so this could be just all talk with no action.
Got my eye on three motors at the minute, all of which happen to be 2-seater RWD convertibles with asking price of £14k.
Must haves: precise, forgiving handling, sense of occasion, must be able to handle taxing 2,000 mile Spain/Portugal tour coming up with September (driving 250 miles per day at eight to nine tenths) without breaking.
Car 1: Z4M, 78k miles, KWs fitted (not sure yet if v3 or Clubsports). Been looking at these for 10+ years but never pulled the trigger as reports of poor handling always put me off. KWs may go some way to address but even still not sure it's a car to push really hard on the road given my less than massive kahoonas. Standard brakes are s
t. And it's a bit lardy for my taste at 1.5 tonnes. But that S54 is such a massive draw and the rawness of it is appealing.
Car 2: Boxster 987.2 S, factory standard, 121k miles. Much cheaper than the usual 987.2 thanks to miles. The miles themselves don't bother me but resale might be an issue. Strong probability I'll need to drop a couple of thou on a suspension refresh to get it driving properly. Doesn't excite me that much if I'm honest but I can't deny how competent they are out of the box (drove a 986 in in the Alps in 2013 and it was brilliant).
Car 3: VX220, supercharged, Nitron N40s. Another car I've been wanting for a long time. Excellent spec and paintwork is very good unlike most of them. Lotus handling and 900 kgs weight really appeal. But parts are getting hard to find now (headlights etc. retailing for a grand). And will it handle a week's thrashing in hot weather? Do I have the skills to handle a 270 bhp VX220? And without AC it will make the early-September Iberian weather much harder to deal with.
Thoughts?
Got my eye on three motors at the minute, all of which happen to be 2-seater RWD convertibles with asking price of £14k.
Must haves: precise, forgiving handling, sense of occasion, must be able to handle taxing 2,000 mile Spain/Portugal tour coming up with September (driving 250 miles per day at eight to nine tenths) without breaking.
Car 1: Z4M, 78k miles, KWs fitted (not sure yet if v3 or Clubsports). Been looking at these for 10+ years but never pulled the trigger as reports of poor handling always put me off. KWs may go some way to address but even still not sure it's a car to push really hard on the road given my less than massive kahoonas. Standard brakes are s
t. And it's a bit lardy for my taste at 1.5 tonnes. But that S54 is such a massive draw and the rawness of it is appealing.Car 2: Boxster 987.2 S, factory standard, 121k miles. Much cheaper than the usual 987.2 thanks to miles. The miles themselves don't bother me but resale might be an issue. Strong probability I'll need to drop a couple of thou on a suspension refresh to get it driving properly. Doesn't excite me that much if I'm honest but I can't deny how competent they are out of the box (drove a 986 in in the Alps in 2013 and it was brilliant).
Car 3: VX220, supercharged, Nitron N40s. Another car I've been wanting for a long time. Excellent spec and paintwork is very good unlike most of them. Lotus handling and 900 kgs weight really appeal. But parts are getting hard to find now (headlights etc. retailing for a grand). And will it handle a week's thrashing in hot weather? Do I have the skills to handle a 270 bhp VX220? And without AC it will make the early-September Iberian weather much harder to deal with.
Thoughts?
Edited by plenty on Friday 1st April 09:34
Before Cerb4lee turns up, what about the 370Z convertible?
Definite sense of occasion, fun handling (depends on how you define precise I guess but the aftermarket is your oyster with 370Zs), would shrug off a 2000 mile journey and unlikely to break a sweat reliability wise.
Weighs about the same as the Z4M though.
Definite sense of occasion, fun handling (depends on how you define precise I guess but the aftermarket is your oyster with 370Zs), would shrug off a 2000 mile journey and unlikely to break a sweat reliability wise.
Weighs about the same as the Z4M though.
By all accounts the Boxster is a great choice especially the generation you’re looking at. You’ll just have to drive them and see what you prefer but just because a car is capable of quick cornering speeds it doesn’t mean you have to go flat out straightaway, if you feel you aren’t good enough just take it easy and build confidence in the car first. Good budget there so hopefully find something decent
TVR Chimaera?-
You would be getting a reasonable 400 for that, maybe a 450 if you were lucky, most of them are all sorted now reliability wise, huge boot, sense of occasion in spades, and make very good long distance cruisers.... And even if they only have 220-280 Hp depending on cam health engine etc, they have torque in spades, and are v. light..
Whilst they don't have the precision of an Elise of VX220- they aren't that in precise, and can handle very well. And if you don't "drive like a d&*k!", they are fairly easy to drive, but you need to actually drive them, not rely on ESP, ABS etc...
(but out of the list you gave, I'd probably for boxster)
You would be getting a reasonable 400 for that, maybe a 450 if you were lucky, most of them are all sorted now reliability wise, huge boot, sense of occasion in spades, and make very good long distance cruisers.... And even if they only have 220-280 Hp depending on cam health engine etc, they have torque in spades, and are v. light..
Whilst they don't have the precision of an Elise of VX220- they aren't that in precise, and can handle very well. And if you don't "drive like a d&*k!", they are fairly easy to drive, but you need to actually drive them, not rely on ESP, ABS etc...
(but out of the list you gave, I'd probably for boxster)
Thanks all for the comments - keep 'em coming!
370Z is an interesting option. I'd have to drive one but on paper it doesn't really anything especially well - not a brilliant handler but the engine isn't anywhere as special as an S54 either to compensate. If I did go that direction I'd go for the hardtop not the convertible. I actually prefer hardtops but 987.2 Caymen and Z4MCs are an order of magnitude more than £14k.
Chimaeras - love 'em, and certainly tick the 'occasion' box but too agricultural I'm afraid. Handling is my absolute top priority.
370Z is an interesting option. I'd have to drive one but on paper it doesn't really anything especially well - not a brilliant handler but the engine isn't anywhere as special as an S54 either to compensate. If I did go that direction I'd go for the hardtop not the convertible. I actually prefer hardtops but 987.2 Caymen and Z4MCs are an order of magnitude more than £14k.
Chimaeras - love 'em, and certainly tick the 'occasion' box but too agricultural I'm afraid. Handling is my absolute top priority.
if you're sticking to back roads and taking your time to cover 2000 miles then VX.
the more days you spend on fast A or highway then Boxster.
I've never found AC needed even on quite hot days with roof off. I wear long sleeves and cream up... and expect a sweaty back
no guarantee AC on old cars would survive either.
in later years I reckon you'd look back on sweeter memories with the VX.
supercharger - well it's not a trackday. on a thrash take opportunities to short shift occasionally and cruise to get air flow going.
are you going by ferry or via France?
the more days you spend on fast A or highway then Boxster.
I've never found AC needed even on quite hot days with roof off. I wear long sleeves and cream up... and expect a sweaty back
no guarantee AC on old cars would survive either.
in later years I reckon you'd look back on sweeter memories with the VX.
supercharger - well it's not a trackday. on a thrash take opportunities to short shift occasionally and cruise to get air flow going.
are you going by ferry or via France?
The VX220 sounds like it could be what you're looking for, I bias but have you looked at the SLK55?
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203193...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203193...
That AMG V8 is glorious. But the SLK is more of a cruiser not a honed driving tool which is what I'm looking for. And for me three pedals are non-negotiable.
A BBR MX-5 is another option but I just can't get excited by them. It doesn't actually have to be a two-seater or a cabrio, by the way. Just needs to be special, robust, a great handler, min 180 hp and lbs ft/tonne and preferably small and light.I keep coming back to a Megane R26 actually but I've already got a Clio and there's a lot of overlap, and I only sold my R26.R last September.
A BBR MX-5 is another option but I just can't get excited by them. It doesn't actually have to be a two-seater or a cabrio, by the way. Just needs to be special, robust, a great handler, min 180 hp and lbs ft/tonne and preferably small and light.I keep coming back to a Megane R26 actually but I've already got a Clio and there's a lot of overlap, and I only sold my R26.R last September.
Mr E said:
p4cks said:
PH User said:
I would go for the VX220, they are fantastic cars.
This. Absolutely untouchable when you're in the OP's situation. Mr E said:
Not sure I’d want to go touring in an elise or elise derivative.
I certainly wouldn't. Brilliant steer for track days or Sunday morning blasts but repeated 250 miles daily drives in Spanish heat, no thanks. And I am only 6ft1 and far from big but they just are too small for me. The OP might be smaller though or not too bothered. Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff