Need advice on cheap-ish driver's car
Discussion
Hi folks, been lurking on the site on and off for a while 
I moved to UK ~14 years ago and since then have not had a car, as London's transportation is pretty good (when it works!), however my itch to own a fun car for pleasure is stronger than ever and with the current situation seems like prices might drop down a tad in the coming months, so I'm starting to search a bit more seriously now
I'm looking for a driver's car, for fun weekends out and the occasional visit at Costco, no regular commute (I work from home), that I can can do alright been left in the outside parking of the estate I live in (think weather but also the area I live in use to be a s
t-hole, and it's now *up and coming*)
I'd love a Cayman or a 997, but I'm skeptical as I've read around they need a little support with keeping the battery alive while parked, plus I'm worried about potential theft, even though there is a police station 2 blocks away). And I'm a bit worried about IMS and bore scoring.
While I could stretch the budget to 25/30k, I'm thinking to get something cheaper for a year or two, just to get used to things so my more realistic criteria are:
- budget around 10/20k
- light, RWD or AWD, mid engine is a plus
- viable for some grocery shopping / weekend bags with a medium size doggo
- holding value well is a plus
Initial thoughts are:
- Toyota MR2
- Honda S2000
- VX220
- BMW Z3/4
And there is a part of me that just says screw it maybe you're overthinking and a Cayman would do just fine and the issues mentioned above are non relevant.
Am I overthinking the theft and battery potential for 981/997? Is there some other car I should be looking at? I'm also not too concerned about the age of the car.
I moved to UK ~14 years ago and since then have not had a car, as London's transportation is pretty good (when it works!), however my itch to own a fun car for pleasure is stronger than ever and with the current situation seems like prices might drop down a tad in the coming months, so I'm starting to search a bit more seriously now
I'm looking for a driver's car, for fun weekends out and the occasional visit at Costco, no regular commute (I work from home), that I can can do alright been left in the outside parking of the estate I live in (think weather but also the area I live in use to be a s
t-hole, and it's now *up and coming*)I'd love a Cayman or a 997, but I'm skeptical as I've read around they need a little support with keeping the battery alive while parked, plus I'm worried about potential theft, even though there is a police station 2 blocks away). And I'm a bit worried about IMS and bore scoring.
While I could stretch the budget to 25/30k, I'm thinking to get something cheaper for a year or two, just to get used to things so my more realistic criteria are:
- budget around 10/20k
- light, RWD or AWD, mid engine is a plus
- viable for some grocery shopping / weekend bags with a medium size doggo
- holding value well is a plus
Initial thoughts are:
- Toyota MR2
- Honda S2000
- VX220
- BMW Z3/4
And there is a part of me that just says screw it maybe you're overthinking and a Cayman would do just fine and the issues mentioned above are non relevant.
Am I overthinking the theft and battery potential for 981/997? Is there some other car I should be looking at? I'm also not too concerned about the age of the car.
Edited by davo84 on Saturday 5th November 10:00
If you're worried about theft, get some insurance quotes for cars you're looking at. If it's truly a likely event, the quotes will reflect that. Conversely if an insurance co. is happy to take on the risk of a Cayman left in your estate parking, then what's to worry about?
IMS & bore scoring are resolved on the 997.2 and the 987.2 and onwards, which got an all new engine designed not to fall apart. So if you're shopping in that bracket then you can forget those concerns. (Mostly direct injection cars, but the 987.2 2.9 non-S Boxster/Cayman has the new engine but without DI, but is still safe).
ETA: I'd hope a solar trickle charger would be enough to keep the battery healthy, unless there was an issue with the car causing an unusual drain.
I think most of the cars you're considering are in the 'holding value well' phase of life.
The article on PH front page has some more £30k suggestions.
I'd add the MX-5 (likely NC or early ND) and GT86 to your suggestions in the lower price bracket, I know front-engined but I think the MX-5s are 50/50 weight balance so will tend to pivot around the centre nicely.
IMS & bore scoring are resolved on the 997.2 and the 987.2 and onwards, which got an all new engine designed not to fall apart. So if you're shopping in that bracket then you can forget those concerns. (Mostly direct injection cars, but the 987.2 2.9 non-S Boxster/Cayman has the new engine but without DI, but is still safe).
ETA: I'd hope a solar trickle charger would be enough to keep the battery healthy, unless there was an issue with the car causing an unusual drain.
I think most of the cars you're considering are in the 'holding value well' phase of life.
The article on PH front page has some more £30k suggestions.
I'd add the MX-5 (likely NC or early ND) and GT86 to your suggestions in the lower price bracket, I know front-engined but I think the MX-5s are 50/50 weight balance so will tend to pivot around the centre nicely.
Edited by samoht on Saturday 5th November 12:41
davo84 said:
Hi folks, been lurking on the site on and off for a while
I moved to UK ~14 years ago and since then have not had a car, as London's transportation is pretty good (when it works!), however my itch to own a fun car for pleasure is stronger than ever and with the current situation seems like prices might drop down a tad in the coming months, so I'm starting to search a bit more seriously now
I'm looking for a driver's car, for fun weekends out and the occasional visit at Costco, no regular commute (I work from home), that I can can do alright been left in the outside parking of the estate I live in (think weather but also the area I live in use to be a st-hole, and it's now *up and coming*)
I'd love a Cayman or a 997, but I'm skeptical as I've read around they need a little support with keeping the battery alive while parked, plus I'm worried about potential theft, even though there is a police station 2 blocks away). And I'm a bit worried about IMS and bore scoring.
While I could stretch the budget to 25/30k, I'm thinking to get something cheaper for a year or two, just to get used to things so my more realistic criteria are:
- budget around 10/20k
- light, RWD or AWD, mid engine is a plus
- viable for some grocery shopping / weekend bags with a medium size doggo
- holding value well is a plus
Initial thoughts are:
- Toyota MR2
- Honda S2000
- VX220
- BMW Z3/4
And there is a part of me that just says screw it maybe you're overthinking and a Cayman would do just fine and the issues mentioned above are non relevant.
Am I overthinking the theft and battery potential for 981/997? Is there some other car I should be looking at? I'm also not too concerned about the age of the car.
Your concerns over your car being stolen will be at the lower end of potential ownership issues on any car.I moved to UK ~14 years ago and since then have not had a car, as London's transportation is pretty good (when it works!), however my itch to own a fun car for pleasure is stronger than ever and with the current situation seems like prices might drop down a tad in the coming months, so I'm starting to search a bit more seriously now
I'm looking for a driver's car, for fun weekends out and the occasional visit at Costco, no regular commute (I work from home), that I can can do alright been left in the outside parking of the estate I live in (think weather but also the area I live in use to be a s
t-hole, and it's now *up and coming*)I'd love a Cayman or a 997, but I'm skeptical as I've read around they need a little support with keeping the battery alive while parked, plus I'm worried about potential theft, even though there is a police station 2 blocks away). And I'm a bit worried about IMS and bore scoring.
While I could stretch the budget to 25/30k, I'm thinking to get something cheaper for a year or two, just to get used to things so my more realistic criteria are:
- budget around 10/20k
- light, RWD or AWD, mid engine is a plus
- viable for some grocery shopping / weekend bags with a medium size doggo
- holding value well is a plus
Initial thoughts are:
- Toyota MR2
- Honda S2000
- VX220
- BMW Z3/4
And there is a part of me that just says screw it maybe you're overthinking and a Cayman would do just fine and the issues mentioned above are non relevant.
Am I overthinking the theft and battery potential for 981/997? Is there some other car I should be looking at? I'm also not too concerned about the age of the car.
Edited by davo84 on Saturday 5th November 10:00
VX220:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209139...
Turbo:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210311...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107265...
Elise 111R:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210301...
111S:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202208108...
S:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205266...
Elise
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210281...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206307...
Another car well worth a test drive that's not on your list is the 370Z Nismo (which if you're considering a Z4M) is a car worthy of at least a test drive.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211011...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210220...
If the Z4M is a bit to much, then the Z4 in 35i M Sport guise is a good shout:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210020...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202211021...
At the lower end the regular 35i makes good sense:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202209099...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210261...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210241...
As does the regular 370 GT:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210160...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210251...
2.9 Caymen:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202111219...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202210261...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204084...
ZX10R NIN said:
Your concerns over your car being stolen will be at the lower end of potential ownership issues on any car.
Thanks all for the suggestions, definitely will look more into the 370z, the GT86 might be a little on the sluggish side I think.ZX10R, what did you mean on the car being stolen being at the lower end of potential ownership car issues? As in, is not that common except for some specific cars?
Ive owned a VX220 turbo and now have a Z4 3.0si coupe. I also live in London in zone 3 and park on street, in some cases that improves the insurance quote as 'on drive theft' is a big impactor on insurance quotes as I understand it.
In terms of throwing shopping in and or/luggage, the Z4 coupe has a decent sized boot and is pretty practical for a two seater. The VX220 has surprisingly decent boot space BUT you need to fit everything in through the small aperture, so you can fit a few small bags, not one large one. If you have a dog, the VX220 interior is pretty plasitcy and will scratch easily, also the passenger side seat does not move so the space you see in there is the space you get. The VX will definitely get a lot more attention, as boxy as it looks in photos in the metal they look sleek and very sporty.
In terms of driving, out of the two, the VX is much much more of an event to drive, in either NA or turbo form (there are modified superchargers around also) - absolutely epic even if going to the shops. The trade off is that getting in and out is not dignified, it requires pretty much crawling out on hands and knees especially with the roof on. The Z4 is definitely more livable with day to day, but is compromised in terms of performance and feel vs the VX.
Both are great cars, I sold the VX because I just needed something more day to day, I did a 5 day road trip around Scotland in the VX and i honestly wanted to die on the way home sitting in 10 hours of traffic in baking hot sunshine with no air con. But, what a machine the VX is, very fast and as I say an epic drive that makes even the hottest hot hatches feel like you are driving a van
The Z4 though is brilliant for the GT moments, loads of grunt, the straight six is a peach and howls with your foot pushed in.
In terms of throwing shopping in and or/luggage, the Z4 coupe has a decent sized boot and is pretty practical for a two seater. The VX220 has surprisingly decent boot space BUT you need to fit everything in through the small aperture, so you can fit a few small bags, not one large one. If you have a dog, the VX220 interior is pretty plasitcy and will scratch easily, also the passenger side seat does not move so the space you see in there is the space you get. The VX will definitely get a lot more attention, as boxy as it looks in photos in the metal they look sleek and very sporty.
In terms of driving, out of the two, the VX is much much more of an event to drive, in either NA or turbo form (there are modified superchargers around also) - absolutely epic even if going to the shops. The trade off is that getting in and out is not dignified, it requires pretty much crawling out on hands and knees especially with the roof on. The Z4 is definitely more livable with day to day, but is compromised in terms of performance and feel vs the VX.
Both are great cars, I sold the VX because I just needed something more day to day, I did a 5 day road trip around Scotland in the VX and i honestly wanted to die on the way home sitting in 10 hours of traffic in baking hot sunshine with no air con. But, what a machine the VX is, very fast and as I say an epic drive that makes even the hottest hot hatches feel like you are driving a van
The Z4 though is brilliant for the GT moments, loads of grunt, the straight six is a peach and howls with your foot pushed in. davo84 said:
Thanks all for the suggestions, definitely will look more into the 370z, the GT86 might be a little on the sluggish side I think.
ZX10R, what did you mean on the car being stolen being at the lower end of potential ownership car issues? As in, is not that common except for some specific cars?
Exactly that.ZX10R, what did you mean on the car being stolen being at the lower end of potential ownership car issues? As in, is not that common except for some specific cars?
VX220 fuel consumption is pretty good, unless hooning it. It only has a 35 litre fuel tank though so you will be visiting forecourts pretty frequently. You can get larger replacement fuel tanks which hold 50 litres though.
I went to a mini 350z/370z meeting on the weekend and my E86 Coupe definitely had a better boot space in terms of being able to fit stuff in.
The 370z though is a different beast, its not as nimble and was built as a GT car very much in mind.
And yes I would agree on your comments on the GT86 it is just a 200bhp coupe, it handles lovely but when you want that acceleration fix you arent going to get it.
I went to a mini 350z/370z meeting on the weekend and my E86 Coupe definitely had a better boot space in terms of being able to fit stuff in.
The 370z though is a different beast, its not as nimble and was built as a GT car very much in mind.
And yes I would agree on your comments on the GT86 it is just a 200bhp coupe, it handles lovely but when you want that acceleration fix you arent going to get it.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff