What to do? Something to replace the F-Type, for six months?
Discussion
I want to buy a car for the next six months. In July I will be changing job, and I'm not sure if that will mean going back to the UK or staying here in Luxembourg. So anything I buy I will potentially have to move on again when that time comes (so this rules out new / leases etc.)
Mrs Robbo and I just welcomed our first child into the world last week. We got a second hand Stokke Xplory buggy which with the bassinet is f
king massive.
Right now I have an F-Type R RWD, but it's sold and is going next week.
Mrs Robbo drives an E61 530d SE, which is really comfortable and of course very practical, but is getting a bit long in the tooth now at 13 years old and 170K miles.
I had a 997.2 before the Jag, and I really enjoyed getting up early to give it a blast around the fantastic B-roads I'm lucky to be living near in Luxembourg. I never really got the same from the Jag - it didn't feel nimble enough and in anything other than the bone dry, it felt like I was a split second away from sticking it in a field. We had some epic trips around Europe in it, and it felt like as a GT was when it was at its best.
So the way I think about it, I have a few options:
1. Be sensible, drive the 530d for six months and save some money until my next few years are known.
2. Get a pure weekend / toy car that won't really be practical for the family and I going anywhere, and keep the 530d as the family car
3. Try for that holy grail of one car that does everything. (We are hoping to do a trip of about 3 weeks back to the UK, so an option #3 car will need to accommodate that.)
For option 2, top of mind are:
Elise S1
+ As good as it gets dynamically
+ Depreciation should be pretty much flat
- Would be looking at K-series era, so reliability is a question
- May be hard to sell-on as the market over here is small
987 Boxster
+ Should get me that Porsche B-road blast feeling that I've been missing
- Expensive
- Will lose a few grand on it
For option 3:
Guilia Quadrifoglio
+ Seems to tick every box for a driver
- Rear seats don't fold, suggesting storage might be a bit tight for a long trip.
- Depreciation is likely to be awful
M3 (would have to be a 2015 one for budget, which I read have a hard time getting their power down vs the 2017 refresh)
+ Great interior
+ Good practicality
+ Known quantity and reliable
- Dynamically not the best in class
So what am I missing? Any cars I haven't thought of? Any issues or man-maths that I should be considering?
Mrs Robbo and I just welcomed our first child into the world last week. We got a second hand Stokke Xplory buggy which with the bassinet is f
king massive.Right now I have an F-Type R RWD, but it's sold and is going next week.
Mrs Robbo drives an E61 530d SE, which is really comfortable and of course very practical, but is getting a bit long in the tooth now at 13 years old and 170K miles.
I had a 997.2 before the Jag, and I really enjoyed getting up early to give it a blast around the fantastic B-roads I'm lucky to be living near in Luxembourg. I never really got the same from the Jag - it didn't feel nimble enough and in anything other than the bone dry, it felt like I was a split second away from sticking it in a field. We had some epic trips around Europe in it, and it felt like as a GT was when it was at its best.
So the way I think about it, I have a few options:
1. Be sensible, drive the 530d for six months and save some money until my next few years are known.
2. Get a pure weekend / toy car that won't really be practical for the family and I going anywhere, and keep the 530d as the family car
3. Try for that holy grail of one car that does everything. (We are hoping to do a trip of about 3 weeks back to the UK, so an option #3 car will need to accommodate that.)
For option 2, top of mind are:
Elise S1
+ As good as it gets dynamically
+ Depreciation should be pretty much flat
- Would be looking at K-series era, so reliability is a question
- May be hard to sell-on as the market over here is small
987 Boxster
+ Should get me that Porsche B-road blast feeling that I've been missing
- Expensive
- Will lose a few grand on it
For option 3:
Guilia Quadrifoglio
+ Seems to tick every box for a driver
- Rear seats don't fold, suggesting storage might be a bit tight for a long trip.
- Depreciation is likely to be awful
M3 (would have to be a 2015 one for budget, which I read have a hard time getting their power down vs the 2017 refresh)
+ Great interior
+ Good practicality
+ Known quantity and reliable
- Dynamically not the best in class
So what am I missing? Any cars I haven't thought of? Any issues or man-maths that I should be considering?
I'd go with what others are saying here.
If you needed a car for a year or more, then we might be coming up with all sorts of suggestions.
But 6 months? Why complicate your life unnecessarily, and potentially cost you money if your circumstances do indeed change in 6 months.
If you REALLY must scratch an itch that only buying a car will satisfy (I feel you, brother), buy something sheddy and interesting. With any luck (and a decent wash), it'll be worth more than you paid for it in 6 months time.
If you do decide to go shedding, start a thread, and we'll all chip in with some wacky (and cheap) options.
If you needed a car for a year or more, then we might be coming up with all sorts of suggestions.
But 6 months? Why complicate your life unnecessarily, and potentially cost you money if your circumstances do indeed change in 6 months.
If you REALLY must scratch an itch that only buying a car will satisfy (I feel you, brother), buy something sheddy and interesting. With any luck (and a decent wash), it'll be worth more than you paid for it in 6 months time.
If you do decide to go shedding, start a thread, and we'll all chip in with some wacky (and cheap) options.

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