Fun daily - £25k - £38k

[AlexNJ89]

Just sold my car this week, which means the beginning of what is probably the most fun part of being a petrol head, the deciding what next.

I'm looking for a car which can turn a boring commute in to an event, something that's going to make me itch to go drive somewhere for the sake of it. I'd also like to do the NC500 post-lockdown.

I had a Mazda RX8 when I was about 24 and I absolutely loved that thing, only 230bhp but revving to redline through the gears on a slip-road was intoxicating. I want that feeling back again.

The car will be a daily driver, I used to do a lot of London city driving so I wanted an automatic, but now strongly considering going back to a manual for the reason stated above.

Practicality is useful, as it's my only car 4 seats would be nice but not essential. I'd like the interior quality to be similar standard to a 2015 BMW or above, so ruling out things like Caterhams, VX220, Elise etc

I do 20,000 miles per year when not in a pandemic, usually a pretty boring commute. 30mpg+ at 50mph would be a nice bonus.

0-60 times aren't important for me, more so the driving experience combined with the ability to comfortably cruise on a motorway

I have a shortlist of cars which I'm considering, each with their own budget so hopefully that can give an indication of where in the market I'm looking.

Shortlist (with budget on what I'd be willing to spend to get in one):
BMW M2 Comp - £38k (Manual)
Jaguar F-Type S - £35k
Porsche 718 Cayman - £38k (Manual)
Porsche 981 S Cayman - £35k
Alfa Giulia QV - £35k
BMW M2 - £30k (Manual - I test drove a DCT one and got a bit bored)
Porsche 981 Cayman - £25k
BMW 440i - £23k
Porsche Cayman 987 - £22k
Audi TTS - £22k

I also own my own company and could take advantage of the insane electric car deals available but there aren't any I like.

I would prefer to spend around £27k, spending anything above that requires a 3.9% bank loan which I've been approved for, but during uncertain times might not be the best idea. Which is the main reason I'm asking for opinions, such as is getting an M2 Comp really worth the extra debt that a base 981 Cayman for example?

Would appreciate opinions on what I should go for and if I've missed anything

[AlexNJ89]

Volvolover said:

For me it would be a 718 Cayman or the F-Type S

A nice non-S F Type has just gone up for sale. Never driven one and 335bhp is less than the car I've just sold

Anyone have any experience with one of these?

[AlexNJ89]

MrOrange said:

"Fun" and "Daily" is the problem here. I had a Porsche as a daily and it was actually dull unless into seriously license losing territory - and no-one let me out of junctions so I'd cross that off your list (although running costs were tiny). C63, again, starts off fun but sub 20mpg, harsh ride and cheapo interior let it down.

Alfa QV is a good shout, but not sure about the running costs for 20k miles a year.

400 hours a year in a car is quite a long time, you're kinda into "barge" territory where an autobox and plush ride is the name of the game. A fast Jag saloon, or 5 series Bimmer is probably a better option. My 2p.

Alfa QV actually has an "Advanced Efficiency Mode", the forums seem to believe you can get mid-30s using it.

It's interesting you mention about the barge, I would consider a 540i from around 2017.

[AlexNJ89]

survivalist said:

If you don’t need more than 2 seats get one of the Porsche’s you listed. Or maybe a Supra if you can make the maths work.

Now I’ve got kids I wish I’d driven always sports car when I didn’t need to accommodate more than one passenger.

I do want to scratch this Porsche itch. I need to know what all the fuss is about they say once you go Porsche you never go back.

I know people hate the 4 cylinder of the 718 but given it has more low down torque it does seem like it'd be more suitable for a daily.

[AlexNJ89]

AJB88 said:

for 38k you could of had my 2015 981 Cayman S (very high spec, basically as GTS and also was Stage 2 tune approx 370ps), I ended up selling it to a specialist who I believe sold it on for 40k.

I used it daily (only 12 miles a day week on, week off) and did the NC500 in it in 2020, was amazing up there, car was PDK (PDK tuned).

Sounds awesome, would you go PDK again?

[AlexNJ89]

jason61c said:

you'd want something to look at


Jaguar F-Type S - £35k
Porsche 718 Cayman - £38k (Manual)
Porsche 981 S Cayman - £35k
Alfa Giulia QV - £35k
Porsche 981 Cayman - £25k
Porsche Cayman 987 - £22k

remove the audi, although it is nice looking. most Bmw's are ugly that were on it, 2 series, just a little 'chavvy'.

I do agree with this, the TTS was very stale when I test drove. I also agree with the M2 being a bit chavvy, I don't mind the M2 comp so much.

[AlexNJ89]

ZX10R NIN said:

Lotus Evora nice reliable N/A engine with better handling than the Cayman yes the interior isn't as nice but it's not that far away:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101278...

Leftfield now if your going to get a mainstream performance car (M2/3/4 etc) then I'd recommend taking a look at one of these:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010094...

Thanks for this, I always look forward to the ZX10R NIN leftfield choice!

The Alpina is definitely something I'd consider if I can find a spec I like.

I like the M3, but I've heard that the power delivery is "spikey" and they can be a bit horrible to drive. I heard they fixed this with the competition car.

Would be interested to hear opinions on this.

[AlexNJ89]

Bordtea said:

I had a similar debate circa 6 months ago but with a max budget of £30k. Ended up with a 2014 Jaguar F Type V6S and extremely happy with my decision. Make sure you get one with the upgraded seats. The switchable exhausts are standard on the S but not on the non-S, so watch out for that.

Thanks, the F-Type is definitely at the top of my list. The looks, price bracket, it's rare and performance but not so fast that you're going to easily get in to license losing territory.

The upgrades seats are nice, but interestingly I thought the standard ones would be better for daily driving?

For me the must is the 770W Meridian sound system as I listen to a lot of music and heard the standard Jaguar one is garbage.

Edited by AlexNJ89 on Saturday 6th February 08:55

[AlexNJ89]

survivalist said:

If you don’t need more than 2 seats get one of the Porsche’s you listed. Or maybe a Supra if you can make the maths work.

Now I’ve got kids I wish I’d driven always sports car when I didn’t need to accommodate more than one passenger.

I saw a new Supra in my rear view mirror this morning, looks incredible, it really ticks a lot of boxes.

But with it being essentially a BMW Z4 M40i with a hard top, I think it's going to suffer mega depreciation.

[AlexNJ89]

ZX10R NIN said:

You can get the V6 S for nearly bang on your lower budget & at that price point they make a lot of sense as well as a great noise:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202101077...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009203...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202102038...

Nice, I'll keep an eye out for a Bi-Turbo.

I think it's going to be an F-Type though, I'm semi-tempted to buy a £1k runaround for 6 months because I feel like car prices are inflated by about 10-20% right now. Then there'll be a mad rush to buy cars post-lockdown, which will increase prices again, but then flood the used market and hopefully crash it.

[AlexNJ89]

Someone has just thrown the idea of a 4.3L V8 Vantage my way.

This would be instead of getting something like the 981 Cayman and would spend up to £28k.

I'd go for the manual.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with these and how they're holding up in 2021?

Heard servicing is £600 - £1,000, clutch is £2,500 and a lottery as to when it'll need doing, front and read lights can go.

[AlexNJ89]

TheAlastair34 said:

What about a EV or hybrid for busniness and a proper weekend car like an Elise?

Cheap to run hold their value if not appreciating

It's funny you mention this, but my accountant alerted me to the amazing tax benefits yesterday.

There aren't many EVs that really light my fire, The Model 3 is very common now. I kind of like the i-pace and Audi e-Tron.

We'd look at leasing and probably have a budget of around £700 per month.

[AlexNJ89]

Zero7 said:

I'm in the same position, had a nicely sorted MX-5 )just sold) and have a merc CLS 350 CDI (Which I'm going to sell) and I'm going down to a one car solution, my commute is only a few miles per week to the station post lockdown so this will be for fun and to the garden centre etc..

I'd like a 4 seater so the wife and child can also go out for the occasional spin, we also have my wife's car for longer journeys. I do need a good boot as do lug compost bags in the summer.

I've done the whole BMW V8 thing and Mustang V8 so not looking to scratch that itch. Looking for something that is an event to drive but also something I can take ot the track and then lug a load of plants and compost.

I really cannot see beyond the Civic Type R (FK8) it ticks all the boxes bar looks, the font is ok but the rear not so but I could live with it. I've looked at focus, Megan etc but out of the Hot Hatches the Civic is the winner for me, I've had some Fast Honda's before and like their engineering.

Anything else I should be considering in the £25- £30k bracket.

My shortlist would be:

BMW 140i (there's a reason they're so popular)

BMW M2 (The obvious choice, but I drove one and it wasn't an event)

Mercedes A35

Hyundai i30n

Or go older and get a Nissan GT-R

[AlexNJ89]

Zero7 said:

I don't see any of those as drivers cars, the GT-R would arguably be too quick for the road to have any fun (not really exploitable), not driven an M2 but not heard great things other than the competition and that is out of my price range.

Yeah, there aren't many cars for you out there.

The perfect car for you is the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio but it's out of budget.