Sports/Performance car for 14k.

[Pete93]

A change in location means my annual mileage will be dropping from 18-20k to 10-12k. Currently my daily duties are being dispatched brilliantly by a 530D which has been a great cruiser for the past 2 and a half years however, with the decrease in annual mileage, I'm looking to go back to something petrol and interesting. Requirements are that it must be capable of 25-30 MPG being driven easily, it must be relatively reliable and that it has decent performance. So far I've thought of;


987 2.7 Boxster - I love these and nearly bought one last year however I have read horror stories about potentially huge running costs. The 3.4 is out of the question regarding bore scoring issues.


S2000 - Haven't driven one of these but I'm a Honda fan and the reliability and lack of depreciation appeals to me. Quite hard to find and seem quite expensive now for relatively low mileage examples.


350/370Z - Lovely engine note and appear quite reliable but not that exciting to drive?


I considered a Fiesta ST/Clio RS and they were great little cars but don't think they're for me. I'm leaning towards the Boxster but I genuinely do worry about reliability. I'll only be keeping the car 1.5-2 years max so I may not encounter any horrendous bills or I could get unlucky.
Other suggestions are welcome and your opinions are greatly appreciated. Very max budget is 14k. Thanks.

[ZX10R NIN]

The 370Z is a very good steer the Boxster will be a better steer it depends on what you want from the cars my pick would be the 370Z:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Then a Cayman:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Pete93]

Going to view a 350Z, 370Z and (unexpectedly) an Mx5 tomorrow. Cheers for the advice.

[stevemcs]

That Cayman looks very nice although i prefer the Boxster, its so much nicer on a sunny day with the roof down.

The first Nissan at Junction 17 (local to me) have a mixed reputation when it comes to stock.

[Red 4]

If you are considering an S2000 be aware that more than a few of the last cars (08/09) suffered catastrophic engine failure at low miles.

It was apparently due to a batch of dodgy crankshaft thrust washers causing "crank walk" (misalignment/ crankshaft endfloat) resulting in much borkage and destruction.

The "death rattle" is quite subtle to begin with but easy to spot if you know what to listen for.

I'm not sure what Honda did about the issue in the end.
Possibly not much considering the cars were out of production when the issue raised its ugly head.
Another problem was that some replacement engines were also affected by the issue.

Not all of the last cars were affected, seemed to be the luck of the draw.
Not exactly Honda's finest hour.

Pre 08 cars are fine though.
FYI.

Edited by Red 4 on Wednesday 13th February 23:20

[300bhp/ton]

I suspect the 350z sometimes gets more of a bad rap than it deserves. They are good to drive and are going to be way more interesting than most “normal” cars on the roads. It’s just some of the sports cars a little sharper.

Personally prefer the look of the 370z. But prices seem oddly strong on these.

[Mr Tidy]

BMW Z4M maybe? Although it'll probably need to be a Roadster to be in budget.

Or what about an E46 M3?

Edited by Mr Tidy on Friday 15th February 01:00

[Mark300zx]

SLK AMG?

[Pete93]

Wasn't madly impressed with the Mx5 NC, may go try an ND. 370z was lovely but wasn't the right spec. There are no Cayman/Boxsters that I like anywhere near me unfortunately. S2000's are crazy money for the mileage and year.

In regards to the SLK, never was a fan of the shape but thanks. The E46 I've always loved but they almost seem stupid money now for a decent example. It's looking like it's going to be a Boxster/Z car unless the ND blows me away.

Thanks for the all the replies and advice. May have to take the risk and go over to England as there's nothing really in NI to my taste at the minute.

[300bhp/ton]

I really liked the ND I drove. It was the 2.0 litre one, I've not been in the small engine one. It felt more than quick enough to me for having fun in.

The 370z I love the look of, but I'd have doubts that it would really make the mpg you state in your op. Not saying they can't be frugal "on a run". But in such a car it will all too easy to keep blipping the throttle and making the most of grunt. I'd be expecting mpg to me more like low 20's as an overall average.

[adz9]

Ive had 6 S2000s and love them. I know them really well having had two engines out etc as well and I have to say I wouldnt buy one if youre planning on doing 12k+ a year in it. They arent the best on the motorway. Revvy, loudish, no cruise etc.

I have also had a couple 350Zs and they are the best all around car I have ever had. They do it all well. The motorway is quiet and cruise is nice, they are brilliant on B roads, they look ace and sound lovely. On a cruise around France I averaged 32mpg and that was in the heavy roadster version with the roof down for much of it. They feel sharper to me than the 370Z and are WAY under your budget.

Thats what I'd get.

My neighbour had a Boxster S the same time I had my 350Z and the 350Z looks far more "manly".

But then what do I know about manly, I own 2 x MX5s as well hahaha!

[Jamescrs]

Pete93 said:

Wasn't madly impressed with the Mx5 NC, may go try an ND. 370z was lovely but wasn't the right spec. There are no Cayman/Boxsters that I like anywhere near me unfortunately. S2000's are crazy money for the mileage and year.

In regards to the SLK, never was a fan of the shape but thanks. The E46 I've always loved but they almost seem stupid money now for a decent example. It's looking like it's going to be a Boxster/Z car unless the ND blows me away.

Thanks for the all the replies and advice. May have to take the risk and go over to England as there's nothing really in NI to my taste at the minute.

The MX-5 NC is quite unpopular generally in the MX-5 owners groups, personally I quite like them and I may buy one myself if I can't find a decent Mk2 to replace my existing one when the rust gets too much but they are more of a comfy cruiser than the earlier MX-5's, the general consensus is the Mk4 MX-5 is much closer to the originals

[covmutley]

Gt86? Should prove cheap to run?