Which drivers car would you buy with Circa £50k?

[jMac1]

I’ve had a pretty rotten year with losing my dad, granddad and brother in law withing 9 months so I’ve decided life is too short to browse classifieds and dream about owning a supercar, I need to treat myself and enjoy it.

Once my dad’s house has sold, I will have a budget of circa £50k for a weekend car. The criteria for the car is that is must have a big naturally aspirated engine and be a great drivers car. The car will mainly be used for blasts in the Warwickshire countryside and probably lots of trips to caffeine and machine. Once I get experience on track I would potentially take the car on a few track days.

I’ve got a shortlist of 3 cars below so please let me know if you have experience of any of the cars, how do they compare against each and have you got any other suggestions?

My dad was a massive petrolhead and lotus fan. He owned a 2003 Silver Lotus Elise from 2004 to 2014 which was his pride and joy. So naturally I’m also a massive lotus fan and the first car that came to my mind is a Lotus Exige Sport 350/380.

Pros
• Amazing looks
• V6 soundtrack
• Cracking chassis
• Newer than the other cars on the list

Cons
• The famous LOTUS acronym comes to mind – Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious

Next on the shortlist is a Ferrari 360 manual. Since I was at school I’ve had a Ferrari 1:18 model in my room and never thought I’d be lucky enough to be in a position to own one.

Pros
• Beautiful Pininfarina design
• Famous V8 soundtrack
• Gated manual gearbox
• Childhood dream to own a Ferrari
• Deprciation proof?
• Insurance is surprisingly cheap

Cons
• Top end of budget
• More expensive to maintain
• Warranty will be required, and it will be expensive

The last car on my shortlist is an Audi R8 V10 or V8 manual.

Pros
Naturally aspirated V10 sounds incredible and is a dying breed
Everyday usability if I wanted to
Audi build quality
Gated gearbox
Cheaper to buy than the Ferrari and Lotus

Cons
Interior looks like a normal Audi
Not as nimble as the other cars
Its not a Ferrari

Please let me know your thoughts and any sort of advice will be greatly appreciated.

On a side note the number plate on the my dad’s Lotus when he sold it was L1 0PRA – so if anyone knows the whereabouts of this car please let me know, I would love to know that the car is still being enjoyed 😊.

[griffter]

The Audi is the obvious answer, but I’d prefer the Exige personally. The Exige is supercharged though, not naturally aspirated.

Porsche 911?

Push the budget a bit (you’d have to for a 360 I think) and look at a McLaren MP4/12C?

[p4cks]

Lotuses these days are largely bulletproof so an Exige/Evora is a good shout and you'll get a fantastic toy with that budget. Plus, if anything was to go wrong then the fact they're made up of other manufacturers parts makes them incredibly cheap to run. My Evora has cost me next to nowt to run in the two and a bit years I've had it.

A 360 will be absolutely ruinous in comparison I would have thought.

[jMac1]

griffter said:

The Audi is the obvious answer, but I’d prefer the Exige personally. The Exige is supercharged though, not naturally aspirated.

Porsche 911?

Push the budget a bit (you’d have to for a 360 I think) and look at a McLaren MP4/12C?

Apoogies, I should have said no turbocharged cars as I would be more than happy with a supercharger on and Exige. I do love a 911 but the girlfriend has a boxster and I've got a Macan so would be nice to have a different brand.

Noted on the budget for a 360 and for the right car I might be able to push it a bit (subject to approval from the girlfriend!). The McLaren is an amazing machine but I don't know why I just can't see myself in one. Maybe I need to go have a look at one?

Another plus for the Exige is that the Lotus owners are brilliant and they have a great community

[WonkeyDonkey]

I'd personally go for an Elise/Exige or 4C. Although the 4C I believe is turbocharged.

The Audi R8 does absolutely nothing for me, growing up in Birmingham I just think 'Asian Wedding' whenever I see one so don't seem quite so unique and special.

I had a 2002 Elise for 5 years until recently. Other than a bodged headgasket repair by the previous owner it was faultless over 30,000 miles. This was a rover engined car, I'd imagine the Toyotas are even more reliable.

[cerb4.5lee]

A very nice example of a TVR Tuscan perhaps? A V8 Aston Martin Vantage or V12 DB9? A V8 Mustang?

I do really like the idea of a manual V8/V10 R8 from your list though for sure.

[Actus Reus]

Sorry to read you have had a crappy year.

I’m looking at similar cars and, since I have one garage, I think Exige will win as I’ll do track days and sprints in the car. Could totally understand the R8 if it’s purely for road use (and if I had two garages I’d have a cheaper, dedicated, track car, the R8 and my BMW 330d lease car, but I haven’t the room).

[blueovercream]

I think you need deep pockets to run a used Ferrari. As they say, if you couldn't afford one new, you won't be able to afford to run a used one!

From your list I think the Lotus would be a really good buy. I've not owned a V6 Exige but I've had an S2 Elise and an S2 Exige and loved them. The Toyota engines are solid and the V6 sounds great. Plus they're just a bit different and something you don't see around much.

[ZX10R NIN]

Sorry for your losses & I hope that you find some solace soon, now I'm going to throw a curve ball into the mix.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

These are proper drivers car with an epic 7.0 V8 aligned to a proper chassis makes these a great pick with sensible running costs too, they're special cars that put a smile on your face.

You can also get a C7 for your budget but imo it has to be one with the Z51 Package & if you can get one with the top spec 3LT trim then you've hit the sweet spot.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2014-Chevrolet-Corvette...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CORVETTE-C7-6-2-V8-STIN...

[davek_964]

blueovercream said:

I think you need deep pockets to run a used Ferrari. As they say, if you couldn't afford one new, you won't be able to afford to run a used one!

Absolute rubbish. I couldn't afford one new, but managed to run one for 6.5 years, and that was my second.
While they can throw big bills of you're unlucky, the idea that they're ruinously expensive to run is simply not true.

It would be sensible to make sure you have an emergency fund, but annual servicing and maintenance of a 360 is quite reasonable with independents.

[jMac1]

cerb4.5lee said:

A very nice example of a TVR Tuscan perhaps? A V8 Aston Martin Vantage or V12 DB9? A V8 Mustang?

I love a TVR, they are very special cars however I've heard they are a hideously unreliable and engine rebuilds are very common? Love the idea of an Aston.....V12 Vantage is a great shout and I'm adding it to the shortlist

[Nyloc20]

p4cks said:

Lotuses these days are largely bulletproof so an Exige/Evora is a good shout and you'll get a fantastic toy with that budget. Plus, if anything was to go wrong then the fact they're made up of other manufacturers parts makes them incredibly cheap to run. My Evora has cost me next to nowt to run in the two and a bit years I've had it.

A 360 will be absolutely ruinous in comparison I would have thought.

Absolutely agree with the Lotus content here. Build quality and reliability has improved massively over the past ten-fifteen years and you've got some Lotus history in the family. Depreciation shouldn't be too bad either. Sorry to hear about your family circumstances, you deserve a nice Exige.

[tonyg58]

Lotus would be a good choice for me too.

If you want to try something a bit different (and well under budget) you could do worse than this Cerbera

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10609192?c...

It belongs to a guy i know and i think it was owned by another friend who is an absolute perfectionist.

The actual car was reviewed by JayEmm last year -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq4qBlv5E4s

Whatever you choose i hope things get better for you in a big way quickly.

Edited by tonyg58 on Sunday 2nd August 21:29

[jMac1]

ZX10R NIN said:

Sorry for your losses & I hope that you find some solace soon, now I'm going to throw a curve ball into the mix.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

These are proper drivers car with an epic 7.0 V8 aligned to a proper chassis makes these a great pick with sensible running costs too, they're special cars that put a smile on your face.

You can also get a C7 for your budget but imo it has to be one with the Z51 Package & if you can get one with the top spec 3LT trim then you've hit the sweet spot.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2014-Chevrolet-Corvette...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CORVETTE-C7-6-2-V8-STIN...

I love that curve ball. I hadn’t even thought about a corvette. What are they like on our crappy roads? Is LHD hard to get used to? IMO they got the styling spot on with the C7.

[deeen]

jMac1 said:

cerb4.5lee said:

A very nice example of a TVR Tuscan perhaps? A V8 Aston Martin Vantage or V12 DB9? A V8 Mustang?

I love a TVR, they are very special cars however I've heard they are a hideously unreliable and engine rebuilds are very common? Love the idea of an Aston.....V12 Vantage is a great shout and I'm adding it to the shortlist

Having owned a Tuscan S, I'd say the engine rebuild issue was mainly down to production, so an engine rebuilt with the improved parts by the right people is then a decent engine. You could get a nice one with plenty of change from your budget, with lower running costs than most mentioned here. However if I had 50k, I'd probably be trying to push the budget and get a Gallardo!

[Chainsaw Rebuild]

I am sorry for your losses mate, its awful losing your Dad.

My left field suggestion is a Caterham. It will be very exciting, cheap to run and they hold their money very well. Also you wont need to spend all the money so you could do something else with the remainder of the money too.

[hiccy18]

I had the opportunity to drive a 360 Modena (flappy paddle) around Donington and as excited as I was beforehand the experience was underwhelming. The AM V8 I drove on the same day, by contrast, greatly exceeded my expectations and I could really enjoy long distance journeys in one. So definitely drive before you buy! If it helps at all when I drove an Elise years ago I had a st eating smile the whole time and for about a week afterwards, Evora and Exige would definitely be on my list in your circumstances.

Looking at the PH classifieds Noble M12, C7 Vette and Viper GTS look worthy. MG X-Power

[ZX10R NIN]

jMac1 said:

ZX10R NIN said:

Sorry for your losses & I hope that you find some solace soon, now I'm going to throw a curve ball into the mix.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

These are proper drivers car with an epic 7.0 V8 aligned to a proper chassis makes these a great pick with sensible running costs too, they're special cars that put a smile on your face.

You can also get a C7 for your budget but imo it has to be one with the Z51 Package & if you can get one with the top spec 3LT trim then you've hit the sweet spot.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2014-Chevrolet-Corvette...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CORVETTE-C7-6-2-V8-STIN...

I love that curve ball. I hadn’t even thought about a corvette. What are they like on our crappy roads? Is LHD hard to get used to? IMO they got the styling spot on with the C7.

They're actually very good, I don't find LHD an issue & the C6/7 both have good visibility the manual is good but the auto is still fun, if you can test drive one I think you'll be surprised.

[pmr01]

ZX10R NIN said:

jMac1 said:

ZX10R NIN said:

Sorry for your losses & I hope that you find some solace soon, now I'm going to throw a curve ball into the mix.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

These are proper drivers car with an epic 7.0 V8 aligned to a proper chassis makes these a great pick with sensible running costs too, they're special cars that put a smile on your face.

You can also get a C7 for your budget but imo it has to be one with the Z51 Package & if you can get one with the top spec 3LT trim then you've hit the sweet spot.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2014-Chevrolet-Corvette...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CORVETTE-C7-6-2-V8-STIN...

I love that curve ball. I hadn’t even thought about a corvette. What are they like on our crappy roads? Is LHD hard to get used to? IMO they got the styling spot on with the C7.

They're actually very good, I don't find LHD an issue & the C6/7 both have good visibility the manual is good but the auto is still fun, if you can test drive one I think you'll be surprised.

Amazing suggestion....why wouldn't you want a SEVEN LITRE!!!

[ninepoint2]

F Type V8 is a very nice thing to drive, OK not a "pure" sports car but a really nice place to be