My first performance car purchase - thoughts?
Discussion
Hi ladies and gents,
I'm planning on buying my first performance car in 2022 (in fact it will the first car I've ever bought).
I'm toying with some different ideas and keen to get some different opinions from either people who have ownership experiences of these cars, or more broadly anyone who wants to chip in with a view on this.
My criteria is roughly the following:
1: needs to be something that will hold it's value since I plan to buy it mostly in cash with perhaps a small loan, I'd like to get a good chunk of this back in ~3yrs
2: therefore it needs to be something a bit special, perhaps something a bit more "collectable" than the mass market
3: ideally 6cyl or more, but open minded
4: something that has reasonable luggage space to keep my girlfriend happy, and ideally +4seats, though I'd prefer 2
5: £20-30k, though the sweet spot is probably ~£25k
6: ULEZ compliant
So far my ideas are:
Porsche Cayman 987 or a higher mileage 981 Boxster. But, I just don't think there's as much value in these with prices currently and will I get sign off...
M240i. A manual which should hold onto it's price a bit more, one with the optional alloys as I think the standard ones ruin the car
e46 M3. Just worried about maintaining an older car, and will I regret not having as many mod cons?
e93 M3. Never been a massive fan of the looks but the sound...
Golf GTI Clubsport 40. 4cyl, but otherwise I'm quite keen
Golf R mk7/7.5. Fast but too common... depreciation? Not as special as the Clubsport?
AMG C63 W204. I love this car but I'm worried about maintenance...
B7 RS4. Loved it at the time but I feel like it might be showing it's age a bit now, not sure of value for money either
Any other s4/s3 within price range, but, they don't excite me as much
These are probably the cars I look at the most. I could go mad, whack more on finance and go up the ladder again but since this is my first purchase I want to keep a lid on it and test the water with car ownership a little. I also want to own most of the car just in case of any life surprises in the near future (never know when you'll need the cash back...).
Do you think I'm missing any other gems, or what is your view on these?
I should add that I don't mind spending ~£2-3k on maintenance in my first year of ownership but I ideally want to keep a lid on it and just chip away each year without any crazy blow ups. Perhaps that rules me out of the older cars but I'm not sure.
Thanks so much for any input - I'm new so go easy
Take care everyone and Merry Christmas
I'm planning on buying my first performance car in 2022 (in fact it will the first car I've ever bought).
I'm toying with some different ideas and keen to get some different opinions from either people who have ownership experiences of these cars, or more broadly anyone who wants to chip in with a view on this.
My criteria is roughly the following:
1: needs to be something that will hold it's value since I plan to buy it mostly in cash with perhaps a small loan, I'd like to get a good chunk of this back in ~3yrs
2: therefore it needs to be something a bit special, perhaps something a bit more "collectable" than the mass market
3: ideally 6cyl or more, but open minded
4: something that has reasonable luggage space to keep my girlfriend happy, and ideally +4seats, though I'd prefer 2
5: £20-30k, though the sweet spot is probably ~£25k
6: ULEZ compliant
So far my ideas are:
Porsche Cayman 987 or a higher mileage 981 Boxster. But, I just don't think there's as much value in these with prices currently and will I get sign off...
M240i. A manual which should hold onto it's price a bit more, one with the optional alloys as I think the standard ones ruin the car
e46 M3. Just worried about maintaining an older car, and will I regret not having as many mod cons?
e93 M3. Never been a massive fan of the looks but the sound...
Golf GTI Clubsport 40. 4cyl, but otherwise I'm quite keen
Golf R mk7/7.5. Fast but too common... depreciation? Not as special as the Clubsport?
AMG C63 W204. I love this car but I'm worried about maintenance...
B7 RS4. Loved it at the time but I feel like it might be showing it's age a bit now, not sure of value for money either
Any other s4/s3 within price range, but, they don't excite me as much
These are probably the cars I look at the most. I could go mad, whack more on finance and go up the ladder again but since this is my first purchase I want to keep a lid on it and test the water with car ownership a little. I also want to own most of the car just in case of any life surprises in the near future (never know when you'll need the cash back...).
Do you think I'm missing any other gems, or what is your view on these?
I should add that I don't mind spending ~£2-3k on maintenance in my first year of ownership but I ideally want to keep a lid on it and just chip away each year without any crazy blow ups. Perhaps that rules me out of the older cars but I'm not sure.
Thanks so much for any input - I'm new so go easy
Take care everyone and Merry Christmas
Ford Focus RS. Bet you wouldn’t lost anything on it. Well used ones from the 90’s and 00’s with plenty of miles still fetching over 20k. Ford RS has a big following that makes their cars depreciation proof.
Loads of 2016 to 2018 models selling between 25k and 30k, which is great seeing they were about 30k new.
Very reasonable servicing costs too.
Was thinking about getting one and fitting Litchfield's suspension kit to soften the ride and appease the Mrs.
Loads of 2016 to 2018 models selling between 25k and 30k, which is great seeing they were about 30k new.
Very reasonable servicing costs too.
Was thinking about getting one and fitting Litchfield's suspension kit to soften the ride and appease the Mrs.
Edited by wyson on Thursday 16th December 14:07
Pretty much everything you listed seems to fall some way short of your Criteria #2, don't they? They're all pretty uninspired generic German cars. Sure some have got their fanboys who can't see past them but they're all mass market fodder few people would spare a second glance at.
I note also that your 4+ seat car list includes a Cayman. That's probably the one I'd most hessitate to accuse of being dull out of the lot - it's a good sportscar actually - but definitely doesn't have 4+ seats. Which of the criteria really matter and which are not really that important then?
Is this to be a daily driver or a special occasions car? The things which make a car something you itch to pick up the keys for tend to make it less than ideal for daily junk miles. It's incredibly difficult to make a genuine all-rounder as the qualities are often mutually exclusive e.g. M3 - too heavy to really chuck around, looks a lot like a 318d, doesn't sound that sexy, doesn't feel that fast, chews through consumables like there's no tomorrow if you try to sling it around, too harsh to be comfortable and soothing on long trips. A Caterham or Lotus is miles better at the fun stuff. A Jag XJ or Merc S Class is miles better at making the unwanted miles pass quickly and painlessly.
You doubtless know the old sailing derived idiom - Jack of all trades, master of none.
I note also that your 4+ seat car list includes a Cayman. That's probably the one I'd most hessitate to accuse of being dull out of the lot - it's a good sportscar actually - but definitely doesn't have 4+ seats. Which of the criteria really matter and which are not really that important then?
Is this to be a daily driver or a special occasions car? The things which make a car something you itch to pick up the keys for tend to make it less than ideal for daily junk miles. It's incredibly difficult to make a genuine all-rounder as the qualities are often mutually exclusive e.g. M3 - too heavy to really chuck around, looks a lot like a 318d, doesn't sound that sexy, doesn't feel that fast, chews through consumables like there's no tomorrow if you try to sling it around, too harsh to be comfortable and soothing on long trips. A Caterham or Lotus is miles better at the fun stuff. A Jag XJ or Merc S Class is miles better at making the unwanted miles pass quickly and painlessly.
You doubtless know the old sailing derived idiom - Jack of all trades, master of none.
wyson said:
Ford Focus RS. Bet you wouldn’t lost anything on it. Well used ones from the 90’s and 00’s with plenty of miles still fetching over 20k. Ford RS has a big following that makes their cars depreciation proof.
Loads of 2016 to 2018 models selling between 25k and 30k, which is great seeing they were about 30k new.
Very reasonable servicing costs too.
Was thinking about getting one and fitting Litchfield's suspension kit to soften the ride and appease the Mrs.
Loads of 2016 to 2018 models selling between 25k and 30k, which is great seeing they were about 30k new.
Very reasonable servicing costs too.
Was thinking about getting one and fitting Litchfield's suspension kit to soften the ride and appease the Mrs.
Edited by wyson on Thursday 16th December 14:07
Thanks for coming back on this, good idea but just never had the "feeling" for any of the newer fast fords. Massively into mk 5 Escort RS Cosworth but just never really grabbed by any of the newer ones. Objectively a very good shout though, cheers - appreciated
jamieduff1981 said:
Pretty much everything you listed seems to fall some way short of your Criteria #2, don't they? They're all pretty uninspired generic German cars. Sure some have got their fanboys who can't see past them but they're all mass market fodder few people would spare a second glance at.
I note also that your 4+ seat car list includes a Cayman. That's probably the one I'd most hessitate to accuse of being dull out of the lot - it's a good sportscar actually - but definitely doesn't have 4+ seats. Which of the criteria really matter and which are not really that important then?
Is this to be a daily driver or a special occasions car? The things which make a car something you itch to pick up the keys for tend to make it less than ideal for daily junk miles. It's incredibly difficult to make a genuine all-rounder as the qualities are often mutually exclusive e.g. M3 - too heavy to really chuck around, looks a lot like a 318d, doesn't sound that sexy, doesn't feel that fast, chews through consumables like there's no tomorrow if you try to sling it around, too harsh to be comfortable and soothing on long trips. A Caterham or Lotus is miles better at the fun stuff. A Jag XJ or Merc S Class is miles better at making the unwanted miles pass quickly and painlessly.
You doubtless know the old sailing derived idiom - Jack of all trades, master of none.
I note also that your 4+ seat car list includes a Cayman. That's probably the one I'd most hessitate to accuse of being dull out of the lot - it's a good sportscar actually - but definitely doesn't have 4+ seats. Which of the criteria really matter and which are not really that important then?
Is this to be a daily driver or a special occasions car? The things which make a car something you itch to pick up the keys for tend to make it less than ideal for daily junk miles. It's incredibly difficult to make a genuine all-rounder as the qualities are often mutually exclusive e.g. M3 - too heavy to really chuck around, looks a lot like a 318d, doesn't sound that sexy, doesn't feel that fast, chews through consumables like there's no tomorrow if you try to sling it around, too harsh to be comfortable and soothing on long trips. A Caterham or Lotus is miles better at the fun stuff. A Jag XJ or Merc S Class is miles better at making the unwanted miles pass quickly and painlessly.
You doubtless know the old sailing derived idiom - Jack of all trades, master of none.
Thanks for your comment! Yeah I've cheated with the Cayman, if I really pushed the mrs I could probably get away with it but I'm not sure if it's worth it.
I guess I lean toward German cars, and yeah they are mass market but my rationale is given most are v6 or more in this day and age I figure they should hold their value and people should still value them in a few years. And I suppose if I go too niche or off-piste then will it be a massive pain to look after. I think it's about trying to find a balance...
It will sit outside my flat in London 90% of the time, then plan to use it for weekends away in the countryside, travelling back home to Wales etc, then if my girlfriend needs to use it to run to the shops of whatever then ideally it would be pretty user friendly... maybe that rules out anything RWD. Hmm, not easy...
Very good points raised though thank you
Crudeoink said:
Just to add to your list and muddy the water some more:
Lexus ISF, may just be able to get a RC-F
Jaguar F-Type
F10 M5
Mustang
DB9
Evora
Maserati Gran Tourismo
Cheers for these - appreciated Lexus ISF, may just be able to get a RC-F
Jaguar F-Type
F10 M5
Mustang
DB9
Evora
Maserati Gran Tourismo
I'd also add Jaguar XE S, I was looking at those for a while, and value for money looks good on paper
F-Type should be on the list I agree, but then probably looking at closer to £30k and harder to get sign off.. haha
The more exotic on this list give me the heebie jeebies though, although Gran Turismo would be very cool
WA1111 said:
Hi ladies and gents,
I'm planning on buying my first performance car in 2022 (in fact it will the first car I've ever bought).
I'm toying with some different ideas and keen to get some different opinions from either people who have ownership experiences of these cars, or more broadly anyone who wants to chip in with a view on this.
My criteria is roughly the following:
1: needs to be something that will hold it's value since I plan to buy it mostly in cash with perhaps a small loan, I'd like to get a good chunk of this back in ~3yrs
2: therefore it needs to be something a bit special, perhaps something a bit more "collectable" than the mass market
3: ideally 6cyl or more, but open minded
4: something that has reasonable luggage space to keep my girlfriend happy, and ideally +4seats, though I'd prefer 2
5: £20-30k, though the sweet spot is probably ~£25k
6: ULEZ compliant
So far my ideas are:
Porsche Cayman 987 or a higher mileage 981 Boxster. But, I just don't think there's as much value in these with prices currently and will I get sign off...
M240i. A manual which should hold onto it's price a bit more, one with the optional alloys as I think the standard ones ruin the car
e46 M3. Just worried about maintaining an older car, and will I regret not having as many mod cons?
e93 M3. Never been a massive fan of the looks but the sound...
Golf GTI Clubsport 40. 4cyl, but otherwise I'm quite keen
Golf R mk7/7.5. Fast but too common... depreciation? Not as special as the Clubsport?
AMG C63 W204. I love this car but I'm worried about maintenance...
B7 RS4. Loved it at the time but I feel like it might be showing it's age a bit now, not sure of value for money either
Any other s4/s3 within price range, but, they don't excite me as much
These are probably the cars I look at the most. I could go mad, whack more on finance and go up the ladder again but since this is my first purchase I want to keep a lid on it and test the water with car ownership a little. I also want to own most of the car just in case of any life surprises in the near future (never know when you'll need the cash back...).
Do you think I'm missing any other gems, or what is your view on these?
I should add that I don't mind spending ~£2-3k on maintenance in my first year of ownership but I ideally want to keep a lid on it and just chip away each year without any crazy blow ups. Perhaps that rules me out of the older cars but I'm not sure.
Thanks so much for any input - I'm new so go easy
Take care everyone and Merry Christmas
Given your concern over maintenance costs of older German/Performance cars then I'd look at the RC-F but they'll be up near the top of your budget, but it does mean you can get a full Lexus Warranty on it until 2025:I'm planning on buying my first performance car in 2022 (in fact it will the first car I've ever bought).
I'm toying with some different ideas and keen to get some different opinions from either people who have ownership experiences of these cars, or more broadly anyone who wants to chip in with a view on this.
My criteria is roughly the following:
1: needs to be something that will hold it's value since I plan to buy it mostly in cash with perhaps a small loan, I'd like to get a good chunk of this back in ~3yrs
2: therefore it needs to be something a bit special, perhaps something a bit more "collectable" than the mass market
3: ideally 6cyl or more, but open minded
4: something that has reasonable luggage space to keep my girlfriend happy, and ideally +4seats, though I'd prefer 2
5: £20-30k, though the sweet spot is probably ~£25k
6: ULEZ compliant
So far my ideas are:
Porsche Cayman 987 or a higher mileage 981 Boxster. But, I just don't think there's as much value in these with prices currently and will I get sign off...
M240i. A manual which should hold onto it's price a bit more, one with the optional alloys as I think the standard ones ruin the car
e46 M3. Just worried about maintaining an older car, and will I regret not having as many mod cons?
e93 M3. Never been a massive fan of the looks but the sound...
Golf GTI Clubsport 40. 4cyl, but otherwise I'm quite keen
Golf R mk7/7.5. Fast but too common... depreciation? Not as special as the Clubsport?
AMG C63 W204. I love this car but I'm worried about maintenance...
B7 RS4. Loved it at the time but I feel like it might be showing it's age a bit now, not sure of value for money either
Any other s4/s3 within price range, but, they don't excite me as much
These are probably the cars I look at the most. I could go mad, whack more on finance and go up the ladder again but since this is my first purchase I want to keep a lid on it and test the water with car ownership a little. I also want to own most of the car just in case of any life surprises in the near future (never know when you'll need the cash back...).
Do you think I'm missing any other gems, or what is your view on these?
I should add that I don't mind spending ~£2-3k on maintenance in my first year of ownership but I ideally want to keep a lid on it and just chip away each year without any crazy blow ups. Perhaps that rules me out of the older cars but I'm not sure.
Thanks so much for any input - I'm new so go easy
Take care everyone and Merry Christmas
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109067...
The IS-F is a good call but the RC-F is better value imo:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110118...
As someone else said the XE-S is a very good car & you'll get a nice one for 25k:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112120...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111179...
The VXR8 is another stonking car prices are solid & they have sensible maintenance costs:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185108093309?hash=item2...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105152...
cerb4.5lee said:
If you're feeling brave...what about a TVR Cerbera?
Do you get ULEZ compliant Cerberas? It definitely doesn't sound like it would fit his brief though which seems to be usable modern daily sports car. Certainly wouldn't stick your partner in a cerbera for the run to the shops for milk!
fflump said:
If you want something a bit special the Gran Turismo fits the bill IMO and arguably no more bork potential than a 996.
If the GT requires too large a brave pill then a Ghibli V6 S (404 bhp) is a proper modern performance saloon (ZF gearbox etc) and values holding up very well.
As an owner of a Ghibli S, I can confirm that they are great cars! If the GT requires too large a brave pill then a Ghibli V6 S (404 bhp) is a proper modern performance saloon (ZF gearbox etc) and values holding up very well.
Fast, loud and different enough.
Cold starts in sport mode are
Not much beats asking the question "should we take the Maserati today"
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff