Done to death - suggestions/experiences for 2nd car/toy

[Jcwjosh]

Morning all, long time lurker here !

I am after some stories and experiences and suggestions for a weekend/ long term toy.

I may be in the position in the next 6 months to be able to spend up to 15-20k on a 2nd car.

Currently have an economical daily that t I would keep for my commute and after something fun and special for the b road blasts that I am missing. I haven't had an extensive car history but loved my previous lupo GTi, all I had to do was sort out the handling and I had immense fun. The r56 JCW I had afterwards was also good fun straight out the box I'm a sucker for a set of recaros and I did enjoy my ownership of this too. I like cars that are uncommon and have a rarity factor but not sure what is realistic in the budget above.

Cars I am considering are....

Civic ek9 type r

Are they worth the premium ? Is it hard to find a decent low mileage example ? More usable power more of the time considering the state of the roads these days ? A friend has had various flavours of integra but looks wise I find the civic more special am I wrong to discount the teg ? Are there a lot of subtle aftermarket parts available still ?

E46 M3

No rarity factor. Never owned a real wheel drive car, is it still a special and fun car to drive ? It seems like there are a lot of bad examples out there. It would be good to have something more comfortable at times but I'm not that fussed.

Z4m coupe

Same as above really and are they worth the premium ? Are the running costs identical to the M3 ? Is the engine identical to the M3 I'm sure I read that it was more CSL than you standard m3, but maybe I'm wrong ?

Any suggestions you have on anything else should be looking at would be appreciated ?

I guess I have a jap or rear wheel itch to scratch after owning German cars all my life.

All these best guys
Josh

[Rawwr]

Everything on here is going to be really subjective. I, for instance, wouldn't consider any of your shortlist as a fun, weekend car.

Get a Seven.

[Vaud]

Fiat 124 (or latest MX5) are fun

Caterham or Westfield for real fun

Westfield XI for something VERY left field, but they are rare second hand.

[morebeanz]

If you can afford the insurance, you could pick up a TVR for that...

[blueg33]

Go for a Lotus Elise or maybe even a Porsche Cayman/Boxster.

I also think that none of the cars on your list are fun cars particularly, they are mainly just slightly faster versions of ordinary cars. A fun car needs some sense of occasion IMO. Plus make sure you go for rear wheel drive, its much more entertaining than front wheel drive.

[Jcwjosh]

Rawwr said:

Everything on here is going to be really subjective. I, for instance, wouldn't consider any of your shortlist as a fun, weekend car.

Get a Seven.

I agree that everyone's opinions will differ and I guess I just want a few ideas thrown at me.

I have considered and looked at a 7 but don't currently have a garage to store a vehicle. If I do manage to obtain storage what would you say is a good entry level into the caterham world ?

[cerb4.5lee]

I will throw the 370Z into the mix if you fancy something Jap and rare. I loved my TVR as well as a toy and I also ran a Z4M Roadster as a toy.

I'd also be looking at(as others have said) the Caterham/Elise etc if you want pure driving thrills.

[Jcwjosh]

Vaud said:

Fiat 124 (or latest MX5) are fun

Caterham or Westfield for real fun

Westfield XI for something VERY left field, but they are rare second hand.

What spec Caterham would I be looking at for the budget ? Can you suggest anything you would consider as must haves ?

[Jcwjosh]

morebeanz said:

If you can afford the insurance, you could pick up a TVR for that...

Are there any particular models of TVR that you would recommend/prioritise at that budget ?

[Jcwjosh]

blueg33 said:

Go for a Lotus Elise or maybe even a Porsche Cayman/Boxster.

I also think that none of the cars on your list are fun cars particularly, they are mainly just slightly faster versions of ordinary cars. A fun car needs some sense of occasion IMO. Plus make sure you go for rear wheel drive, its much more entertaining than front wheel drive.

Thanks for your reply. A lotus has been suggested by a friend. I do prefer the looks of an exige if im honest, not sure if that could be attainable. I find the older elise looks a little dated but get that they are fantastic fun. My dad used to have a cayman and he said point to point it was one of the best cars he has owned. Again I find the front end a bit dated, however i have seen a few guys on here that have refreshed them slightly with some subtle changes, I guess I should be considering both of these suggestions too ! Thank you.

[anonymous-user]

Rawwr said:

Everything on here is going to be really subjective. I, for instance, wouldn't consider any of your shortlist as a fun, weekend car.

Get a Seven.

what he said.

whether its a caterham, westfield, tiger, mk, gbs etc etc, it doesnt matter.

[Mogsmex]

blueg33 said:

Go for a Lotus Elise or maybe even a Porsche Cayman/Boxster.

I also think that none of the cars on your list are fun cars particularly, they are mainly just slightly faster versions of ordinary cars. A fun car needs some sense of occasion IMO. Plus make sure you go for rear wheel drive, its much more entertaining than front wheel drive.

carried my suggestion would be exactly that depending on your height - Elise, Boxster, Cayman

[Vaud]

Jcwjosh said:

What spec Caterham would I be looking at for the budget ? Can you suggest anything you would consider as must haves ?

I'd take a day off and hire one. See what you like. Even the most basic model is a lot of fun.

https://www.caterhamcars.com/en/experience

Also they do a standard chassis and a large chassis depending on your build/height.

[cerb4.5lee]

Jcwjosh said:

morebeanz said:

If you can afford the insurance, you could pick up a TVR for that...

Are there any particular models of TVR that you would recommend/prioritise at that budget ?

You will get a lovely Chimaera with your budget, the odd Cerbera will drop into your budget too. I had a Cerbera as my first TVR but with hindsight the Chimaera is a much better bet and it is a lot easier on the wallet to run.

[Vaud]

If you have no garage then the Elise is also a very good suggestion.

[Jcwjosh]

Mogsmex said:

carried my suggestion would be exactly that depending on your height - Elise, Boxster, Cayman

Apologies i didnt realise i had posted in the wrong place !

I dont think height would be a problem, back to the drawing board I think and try and get a ride in a few of the suggestions ! thank you

[blueg33]

Honda S2000. They are fun too but getting on a bit.

or this would be fun - https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/... I had its big brother the G33. Great fun, excellent handling, guaranteed rareity

Edited by blueg33 on Wednesday 15th May 09:45

Edited by blueg33 on Wednesday 15th May 09:46

[Fiisch]

Mitsubishi Evo (I'd have the 5, 6 or 9).

Four doors, so still semi practical, and for that money you could get a great example. Would also be a good investment at the moment with prices increasing....

Look at Harlow Jap Autos - some amazing old school Jap motors for <£20k...

[Jcwjosh]

Fiisch said:

Mitsubishi Evo (I'd have the 5, 6 or 9).

Four doors, so still semi practical, and for that money you could get a great example. Would also be a good investment at the moment with prices increasing....

Look at Harlow Jap Autos - some amazing old school Jap motors for <£20k...

I see you could be fairly local to me Fiisch, do you currently run anything Jap ? I take it you have in the past ? Just looked at the R32 GTR on their site, looks lovely ! Little out of budget though.

[Vaud]

Fiisch said:

Look at Harlow Jap Autos - some amazing old school Jap motors for <£20k...

Holy moly they have some nice stuff.