Two car suggestions - £40k budget

[Colin_86]

With my current Golf R Estate going back in September I’m trying to decide my next move. The the R has been the perfect daily driver. It’s practical, comfortable, fast and grippy however I’ve found the driving experience rather stale. Due this and wanting to get back into track days I’ve decided to go down the two car route.

The first will be used for nice evenings, weekends drives to motorsport events and trackdays of which I plan on doing around 8-10 per year including some abroad.

At the moment I can’t think past a Lotus or Caterham with a Lotus Exige being the current favourite. The main reason for this is the lack of garage and the practicalities of taking a Caterham on longer trips. I have no intension of trailering the car at this stage.

The only criteria for this car is:

-Track focused
-RWD
-Manual gearbox
-Low depreciation
-Reliable enough to cope with driving to and from trackdays and trips to Europe
-Ability to store a helmet, overnight bag and small tent

The second car will be used for everything else however as my commute is now only 2 miles each way I’ll most likely walk / ride in on nice days during the summer months when not away for work.

-Reliable
-Cheapish to run / maintain
-Comfortable enough for long journeys
-Lowish depreciation
-Ideally 4 seats
-Some toys would be nice - AC, DAB, Cruise and Android Auto would be great however unlikely at this age / price point

Current thoughts are Renaultsport Megane, Toyota GT86, Mini Cooper S / JCW, Honda Integra DC5…However I do feel I may be being greedy and might be better getting something dull but newer, comfortable and loaded with toys. I would also consider leasing the daily however there does not appear to be any great deals at the moment.

Max budget £40k.

Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated!

[ZX10R NIN]

My first thought was an Elise S:

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

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

Then I thought about the European trips & weekends away at which point the Evora covers all bases:

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

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

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

Now depending on what one you'd hypothetically choose there's a couple of cars that fit your brief for your daily but you may or may not end up over 40k, they're more boring but for me this works as I like the contrast between my daily & my weekend toys.

IS250 Facelift

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

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

IS300

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

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

2.0T Q50 Sport they come with everything you listed:

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

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

If you can live with the fuel & tax the G37's are a good leftfield pick:

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

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

Or go & find the best last of the line 2.5T Focus you can get:

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

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

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

[Colin_86]

Thanks for taking the time to reply ZX10R NIN.

Some great suggestions especially that green Elise! I had only been looking at the S2 models but that is exactly what i’m after and very very tempting.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Lexus range to be honest and my main concern with something like that is whether it would actually get much use. I suspect on all but the very long journeys I'd end up taking the Elise which I why I was thinking of a hot hatch. The Focus is a good shout though and i'll definitely add it to the list.

[CABC]

depends on balance of euro trip vs track and w/end.

Evora clearly more comfortable but not such an event on track or w/end. the Elise can cover several hundred miles per day easily. soft ear plugs can help (it's not that noisy, but reducing the drone while on motorway lessens fatigue)

in your situation i'd lean towards the Elise.

[Colin_86]

I'm a huge fan of the Evora and would love to own one at some stage. I did consider them originally however It seemed that my budget was at the lower end of the range and would only allow the non S models.

The euro trips will likely only consist of Le Mans 24h, Spa 6/24h and a trackday or two so I think an Elise or Exige would be perfect.

I'm struggling to find much info on the Elise S CR model. Is the one posted lacking anything spec wise and is the price fair? I see that it has been reduced recently but unsure what it was on at originally.

[Michaelbailey]

If I had 40k I would probably be an idiot and go for a Noble M12 and a £100 polo daily and then never drive the polo. Not a good suggestion but god I adore those things (the Nobles that is).

Sensible hat sounds like a lotus of some sort or maybe a Caterham. Estate diesel of pretty much any variety for a daily would be my thought. Whether it be an Audi (fanboy myself), Beemer, Merc, VW, Ford, Seat, Skoda. I think they're all the same now anyway.

[ZX10R NIN]

Colin_86 said:

Thanks for taking the time to reply ZX10R NIN.

Some great suggestions especially that green Elise! I had only been looking at the S2 models but that is exactly what i’m after and very very tempting.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Lexus range to be honest and my main concern with something like that is whether it would actually get much use. I suspect on all but the very long journeys I'd end up taking the Elise which I why I was thinking of a hot hatch. The Focus is a good shout though and i'll definitely add it to the list.

Then I'd recommend the Focus as it has the ability to do all the other journeys you don't want to do in the Elise & it has that characterful 5 pot.

[Composite Guru]

Colin_86 said:

Thanks for taking the time to reply ZX10R NIN.

Some great suggestions especially that green Elise! I had only been looking at the S2 models but that is exactly what i’m after and very very tempting.

If you like that green then you may like the Toxic Green they do too.
I go to Belgium to the Ypres Lotus Day every year and love the journey on the other side. So many nice back roads to drive.

[Colin_86]

Composite Guru said:

If you like that green then you may like the Toxic Green they do too.
I go to Belgium to the Ypres Lotus Day every year and love the journey on the other side. So many nice back roads to drive.

Fantastic looking car. I'd love the cup model but they are out of my price range unfortunately.

How is the hard top to live with? Are they easy to remove / fit as required? I assume it can't be stored in the boot so how do you cope with sudden downpours?

[longblackcoat]

I went for a similar 2-car approach - have settled with a Porsche 996 and a Mercedes S-Class. Total cost considerably under £20k, but I like high-miles cars.

[CABC]

longblackcoat said:

I went for a similar 2-car approach - have settled with a Porsche 996 and a Mercedes S-Class. Total cost considerably under £20k, but I like high-miles cars.

Good combo.
I feel torn on this issue.
Nothing wrong with miles per se, esp high annual mileage. I run a fleet, and so this is relevant unless you're a rich guy. My own long term cars do ok but my high mileage purchases often cause issues. Might be bad luck or something more relevant. 2-3 yrs old is normally ok. Anything boring Japanese of ANY age seems to be fine. Maybe my 05 Mini is still a sore point...

[Composite Guru]

Colin_86 said:

Composite Guru said:

If you like that green then you may like the Toxic Green they do too.
I go to Belgium to the Ypres Lotus Day every year and love the journey on the other side. So many nice back roads to drive.

Fantastic looking car. I'd love the cup model but they are out of my price range unfortunately.

How is the hard top to live with? Are they easy to remove / fit as required? I assume it can't be stored in the boot so how do you cope with sudden downpours?

EDIT. I just realised you had £40k for 2 cars.

I paid £37k for this car 2 years ago. If you have £40k that will get you a Cup easy. Ok you might not have a massive choice as they are a pretty rare car.
Prices are holding really well on them to do a good car to buy if you don’t want to loose much in ownership.
Only go for the big aero version. They are more sought after.
As for the roof, I never take mine off. I bought the car because it had a hard roof.
It’s only 6 bolts to remove it and the soft top doesn’t take much to fit.

When I say big aero I mean the ones with the oversize diffuser and side barge boards. The MY17.5 onwards don’t have them fitted.

Edited by Composite Guru on Thursday 20th June 20:09

[Colin_86]

Composite Guru said:

EDIT. I just realised you had £40k for 2 cars.

I paid £37k for this car 2 years ago. If you have £40k that will get you a Cup easy. Ok you might not have a massive choice as they are a pretty rare car.
Prices are holding really well on them to do a good car to buy if you don’t want to loose much in ownership.
Only go for the big aero version. They are more sought after.
As for the roof, I never take mine off. I bought the car because it had a hard roof.
It’s only 6 bolts to remove it and the soft top doesn’t take much to fit.

When I say big aero I mean the ones with the oversize diffuser and side barge boards. The MY17.5 onwards don’t have them fitted.

Edited by Composite Guru on Thursday 20th June 20:09

Thanks Composite Guru, yes the budget needs to accommodate two cars so I think the S CR may be my best bet. Many thanks for the info.

[Composite Guru]

Colin_86 said:

Thanks Composite Guru, yes the budget needs to accommodate two cars so I think the S CR may be my best bet. Many thanks for the info.

Yes the CR is a great car. Pretty much a Cup without the kit.
I love the seats in them.
Good luck in finding the right car.

[Colin_86]

Composite Guru said:

Yes the CR is a great car. Pretty much a Cup without the kit.
I love the seats in them.
Good luck in finding the right car.

Thanks, I've contacted the dealer regarding the toxic green CR to see if it's still available and arrange a viewing.

[TheAlastair34]

I have an Elise 111r & a Mini Clubman JCW as a daily both great fun but i do fancy adding something like a big auto cruiser to the fleet as the JCW is a very hard ride and after 3 years is starting to annoy me

[gwsinc]

How about this Cayman S as your first. It’s PDK which clearly isn’t manual, but is great around town and great on track. It’s arguably the most track focussed gearbox around in manual mode. PM me if you want more details.

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

I have a bog standard Mini Cooper as my second car which is cheap, reliable and efficient(ish).

[Colin_86]

gwsinc said:

How about this Cayman S as your first. It’s PDK which clearly isn’t manual, but is great around town and great on track. It’s arguably the most track focussed gearbox around in manual mode. PM me if you want more details.

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

I have a bog standard Mini Cooper as my second car which is cheap, reliable and efficient(ish).

Thanks for the suggestion gwsinc. I'm a huge Porsche fan but as I'm aiming to do around 10 trackdays a year I feel the Lotus is probably better suited for me at the moment. I definitely hope to own one at some stage though. Good luck with the sale.

[Welshbeef]

Composite Guru said:

Yes the CR is a great car. Pretty much a Cup without the kit.
I love the seats in them.
Good luck in finding the right car.

But OP must also consider if he is of ahem “larger build “ or carrying timber fitting in race seats will eothsr not be possible or not comfy/painful.

Ps lovely Lotus.

[Colin_86]

Welshbeef said:

Composite Guru said:

Yes the CR is a great car. Pretty much a Cup without the kit.
I love the seats in them.
Good luck in finding the right car.

But OP must also consider if he is of ahem “larger build “ or carrying timber fitting in race seats will eothsr not be possible or not comfy/painful.

Ps lovely Lotus.

Luckily i'm a short ass at 5"6 and the beer guts not that bad yet so should be ok