£35k raw drivers car
Discussion
This, or a Boxster 987 Spyder.I’ve been really impressed by my Speed Six Cerbera, wonderful performance, full of theatre, very impressive steering and perfect tactility in all the controls- long wheelbase makes it very predictable too. Not too intimidating to muck about in.
Late build (‘02) means remarkably good build quality also, compared to my ‘93 Chimaera you’d think it was built by a different company. A lot of earlier cars have rough edges around the interior which takes the shine off the wackiness, but a well finished Cerbie interior is a truly wonderful thing. Hopefully the same is true of most later cars (including T350 era), though the T350/Tuscan/Tamora interior isn’t quite a cosseting place to be.
I had a budget of £20k, if I had your budget I’d be straight into the best 4.5 AJP I could afford. It is a brutal monster of an engine, I’ve never experienced anything else like it. It was only budget (and oh s
t factor) that led me to the six, though it’s still a great engine. Look for a rebuild on any Speed Six, Powers, Str8six, any other trusted builder but trusted is the key word as the factory rebuilds were pants and there have been several unscrupulous sorts carrying out TVR engine work over the years, mostly easily researched and found out.
But that 4.5 will blow your bks off, it really will. The engine dominates the car, which I daresay my Speed Six (though lovely) doesn’t quite manage.
Late build (‘02) means remarkably good build quality also, compared to my ‘93 Chimaera you’d think it was built by a different company. A lot of earlier cars have rough edges around the interior which takes the shine off the wackiness, but a well finished Cerbie interior is a truly wonderful thing. Hopefully the same is true of most later cars (including T350 era), though the T350/Tuscan/Tamora interior isn’t quite a cosseting place to be.
I had a budget of £20k, if I had your budget I’d be straight into the best 4.5 AJP I could afford. It is a brutal monster of an engine, I’ve never experienced anything else like it. It was only budget (and oh s
t factor) that led me to the six, though it’s still a great engine. Look for a rebuild on any Speed Six, Powers, Str8six, any other trusted builder but trusted is the key word as the factory rebuilds were pants and there have been several unscrupulous sorts carrying out TVR engine work over the years, mostly easily researched and found out.But that 4.5 will blow your b
ks off, it really will. The engine dominates the car, which I daresay my Speed Six (though lovely) doesn’t quite manage.Edited by CanoeSniffer on Monday 19th October 15:08
rotaryjam said:
Belle427 said:
Will a Noble fit in a single garage?
I was also unsure of this and asked the question in the noble forum. They are 1828mm including mirrors I'm told which isn't too wide at really, I thought the wing went wider apparently not. So it will fit.
The noble looks like it will be tricky, necessitating the window to be down so you can contort yourself in. I’ve had to do that with an Elise and a 911.
braddo said:
The car itself fitting is not the issue. Being able to open the door enough to get in and out is the real question! Even an Elise or exige can be a struggle because of long doors and wide sills.
The noble looks like it will be tricky, necessitating the window to be down so you can contort yourself in. I’ve had to do that with an Elise and a 911.
Elise or exige will be easy, roll the soft top across and step out The noble looks like it will be tricky, necessitating the window to be down so you can contort yourself in. I’ve had to do that with an Elise and a 911.
Having driven both Exige S3's and Caterham 7's i'd go with the 420R, you wont get a more raw driving experience than a Caterham 420R at 35k!
If that's not practical enough, i'd only be looking at the Exige S3 V6S. I think would be all you can afford at 35k, the Sport 350s which are the ones you really want are just over 40k but prices are coming down now..
If that's not practical enough, i'd only be looking at the Exige S3 V6S. I think would be all you can afford at 35k, the Sport 350s which are the ones you really want are just over 40k but prices are coming down now..
ZX10R NIN said:
Anything tick your boxes OP?
Lots of great suggestions! However I think its a toss up between the Exige S and the Noble M12.Most of the suggestions its simply the looks that don't quite do it for me, I'm very particular.
Currently leaning towards the Noble M12 if I can get one for my budget, love the look and no downsides I can see.
simonrockman said:
There is an Evora on Auto trader for that money: a sports Racer wit a 430bhp upgrade. You'd also get a Ferrari 456.
I do like the Evora and 456! The Ferrari would put me off just because if maintenance costs though. I went off the Evora purely because I don't need 4 seats so for about the same price (Evora S that is) I could get a slightly more raw and IMO better looking Exige S3
stuthe said:
said: 4.5 cerber is worth a look IMO. Brill fun, very interactive and rewarding drive for me. Not the fastest AtoB, but bloody fun whilst doing it!
In theory yes but again just can't get in with the look of them, I like generally like short stubby cars rather than long ones like the cebera.rotaryjam said:
blueg33 said:
Ginetta g40
Interesting proposalI did look at them and crucially I like the way they look.
Discounted the engine/performance which isn't quite at the level of the others cars. I'd also worry about resale value and general difficulty selling it
Definitely the Noble. I recently sold mine after over 11 years ownership. Fantastic cars and most are now much better than when they left the factory due to upgrades/improvements. Plenty of big power ones out there too (700+bhp (mine was ‘only’ 520bhp)).
First 8 years it spent in a single garage, no problem at all, just be careful when opening the door (I stuck a bit of carpet on the wall).
There are a lot of Noble owners who are ex TVR and Ultima owners, and I’ve yet to come across one who doesn’t rate the Noble as a MUCH better drive. Much faster than an exige in a straight line and a match through the bends.
I purchased mine in 2008 after driving it back to back with an Exige S, drove the exige first and enjoyed it, however after 10 minutes in the Noble there was no way i was going to buy the lotus! In a way it feels like a better equipped, grown up exige.
Only issue may be your budget, it’s at the bottom end. Mine sold for 15k more than I pad for it in 2008.
First 8 years it spent in a single garage, no problem at all, just be careful when opening the door (I stuck a bit of carpet on the wall).
There are a lot of Noble owners who are ex TVR and Ultima owners, and I’ve yet to come across one who doesn’t rate the Noble as a MUCH better drive. Much faster than an exige in a straight line and a match through the bends.
I purchased mine in 2008 after driving it back to back with an Exige S, drove the exige first and enjoyed it, however after 10 minutes in the Noble there was no way i was going to buy the lotus! In a way it feels like a better equipped, grown up exige.
Only issue may be your budget, it’s at the bottom end. Mine sold for 15k more than I pad for it in 2008.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff