Fast car/sports car... what do I want?
Discussion
Hi, I woke up the other day thinking... I need to own a 'really fast' car one day. Fastest I've had was an Impreza STI with a 0-60 of 5.2 seconds. Now AutoTrader tells me a 'really fast' car is 0-60 under 5 seconds, so the Impreza doesn't count, right!
I started looking on AutoTrader filtered from cheapest. First cars you come across are 650i which doesn't make sense to me; just not special enough. I thought yeah, if this is going to be a third car (between me and the wife) it'd have to be manual for an engaging weekend blast. So changed that parameter. First results come in with TVR... now I know there's a lot of love for them here, and I love them too, but I am not particularly mechanically minded, nor do I have the space/time/equipment/patience to be continually tinkering; it's just not what I need from such a car. So, onward the search went, until I came across M235i/M240i - Wonderful cars I'm sure, but just not special enough for that sense of occasion. I realised as I continued scrolling, the price range was getting ridiculous.
So, back to the drawing board. What do I really want... as said, special, weekend blasts, different to what I have (a hot hatch and boring family MPV) okay how about a coupe or even convertible, which I'd never considered before. So I knocked the price back down, and changed the 0-60 time to under 8 seconds instead, and started again.
I came across MX-5 (obviously) but... my brother has one of those, and I want to be different. Boxster? Most of the cheaper ones seem to have issues. Audi TT V6? Is it really a sports car, not sure and just doesn't have that wow factor to its looks. Then I saw something that jumped out at me; Z4 - Specifically the 3ltr. 0-60 in 5.9 seconds is definitely nippy enough. Look great, roof down, bit of a classic?
This is only entering the thought stage at the moment. However I now have the image in my head of driving the missus around at the weekend with the wind in my hair (which is pretty impressive for a bald bloke)
I managed to find 4 of these cars under £4.5k which seems pretty decent. The tax would be a bit painful mind you for a car that would be doing under 2k miles a year.
This is 'what car' and I've just said what car... but what I'm asking is, is this the experience I'm missing? Is this what I really want lol. Not a bullet in accelleration, but a different experience from a weekend blast. I've only ever had hatchbacks apart from that Impreza. I've always loved buying and modifying cars, but other than a few track days here and there over the years, can't say I really 'enjoy driving' as I never go for a drive for the hell of it. Maybe this is what I'm missing?!
Any advice appreciated, or other cars I've overlooked!
I started looking on AutoTrader filtered from cheapest. First cars you come across are 650i which doesn't make sense to me; just not special enough. I thought yeah, if this is going to be a third car (between me and the wife) it'd have to be manual for an engaging weekend blast. So changed that parameter. First results come in with TVR... now I know there's a lot of love for them here, and I love them too, but I am not particularly mechanically minded, nor do I have the space/time/equipment/patience to be continually tinkering; it's just not what I need from such a car. So, onward the search went, until I came across M235i/M240i - Wonderful cars I'm sure, but just not special enough for that sense of occasion. I realised as I continued scrolling, the price range was getting ridiculous.
So, back to the drawing board. What do I really want... as said, special, weekend blasts, different to what I have (a hot hatch and boring family MPV) okay how about a coupe or even convertible, which I'd never considered before. So I knocked the price back down, and changed the 0-60 time to under 8 seconds instead, and started again.
I came across MX-5 (obviously) but... my brother has one of those, and I want to be different. Boxster? Most of the cheaper ones seem to have issues. Audi TT V6? Is it really a sports car, not sure and just doesn't have that wow factor to its looks. Then I saw something that jumped out at me; Z4 - Specifically the 3ltr. 0-60 in 5.9 seconds is definitely nippy enough. Look great, roof down, bit of a classic?
This is only entering the thought stage at the moment. However I now have the image in my head of driving the missus around at the weekend with the wind in my hair (which is pretty impressive for a bald bloke)
I managed to find 4 of these cars under £4.5k which seems pretty decent. The tax would be a bit painful mind you for a car that would be doing under 2k miles a year.
This is 'what car' and I've just said what car... but what I'm asking is, is this the experience I'm missing? Is this what I really want lol. Not a bullet in accelleration, but a different experience from a weekend blast. I've only ever had hatchbacks apart from that Impreza. I've always loved buying and modifying cars, but other than a few track days here and there over the years, can't say I really 'enjoy driving' as I never go for a drive for the hell of it. Maybe this is what I'm missing?!
Any advice appreciated, or other cars I've overlooked!
Thanks, a V8 would definitely be on the agenda, but I'm just not sure the Mercedes really calls to me.
Budget wise I started at £4k then £8k then £12k then before I knew it I was looking at £16k which really isn't a viable option right now.
So I took it back to £4k and started again (bit more for the right car, as most people say)
There's also MR-2 I suppose but these look a bit bland to me. Wouldn't rule out Japanese cars though
my brother is actually thinking about selling his MX-5...
Budget wise I started at £4k then £8k then £12k then before I knew it I was looking at £16k which really isn't a viable option right now.
So I took it back to £4k and started again (bit more for the right car, as most people say)
There's also MR-2 I suppose but these look a bit bland to me. Wouldn't rule out Japanese cars though
my brother is actually thinking about selling his MX-5...That's pretty much where I am. Where you say £50 extra on the insurance... is that per year or month?!
Wow I knew the MR-2 was light, but not under a ton. I had a R5 GT Turbo back in the days and never thought I'd get anywhere near that again in terms of weight! I'm not 100% convinced on the looks, but something like this looks decent:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
I don't like the wheels, but the little bodykit, double exit exhaust and red seats make it a bit more special. Was there an official kit for this? TRD isn't it for tuning?
That's a point worth making by the way. Although my budget maybe relatively small at £4k - I don't mind spending the same amount again over time, modifying and improving a car.
Evil.soup said:
If 0-60 isn't a factor and roof off fun is something that may work for you, how about these options?
Nissan 350z, lots of noise and sense of occasion, especially if you swap out the exhaust. Not the quickest, but a fun GT cruiser.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304136...
For pure driving pleasure, the MR2 Roadster is epic. More capable than the MX-5 and will keep your pulse racing. Again, not big power, but this weights in under 1000kg and handles like an Elise, I owned one for a few years and still miss it 18 years after selling it.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303285...
You know I nearly pulled the trigger on a 350Z coupe just before my kids came along... never did get the chance. Not a bad option at all, although I do think the coupe is slightly better looking.Nissan 350z, lots of noise and sense of occasion, especially if you swap out the exhaust. Not the quickest, but a fun GT cruiser.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304136...
For pure driving pleasure, the MR2 Roadster is epic. More capable than the MX-5 and will keep your pulse racing. Again, not big power, but this weights in under 1000kg and handles like an Elise, I owned one for a few years and still miss it 18 years after selling it.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303285...
Wow I knew the MR-2 was light, but not under a ton. I had a R5 GT Turbo back in the days and never thought I'd get anywhere near that again in terms of weight! I'm not 100% convinced on the looks, but something like this looks decent:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
I don't like the wheels, but the little bodykit, double exit exhaust and red seats make it a bit more special. Was there an official kit for this? TRD isn't it for tuning?
That's a point worth making by the way. Although my budget maybe relatively small at £4k - I don't mind spending the same amount again over time, modifying and improving a car.
I know I mentioned the TVR but I would still go for fast and cheap lol... I don't mind fixing stuff, as long as the broken part can be upgraded 
what I would actually love with the car being a 'spare' is getting back into doing stuff myself. With a full time job, and a missus who works weekends and evenings (and 3 kids at home) it's just impossible to find time to actually do anything. Also I realise now I might be substituting 'fast' for 'handling' to some degree.
The one you have linked is an early MK3, these suffered with pre-cat failure and could end up throwing parts into the engine leading to excessive wear and oil use. They fixed this on the face lift model, front bumper has fog lights so they are easy to spot. The front and rear wheels were also different sizes on the facelift car, 185 - 15" front and 205 - 16" back. The earlier car was 15" all round but 185 front and 205 rear.
Genuinely the closest car to the Elise I have ever driven, and I have driven a number of Elise over reasonable distances, so I can compare like for like.
Downside is of course, it does lack torque, but the VVTi engine works well if you work the gears and run the revs out, it does like to rev and has a Honda Civic Type-R feel to it as it has a second spike of power at the higher end of the revs.
Handling is outstanding, but it needs care in the wet and you can't use miss matched or crap tyres, you will be facing the wrong way in a blink if you don't treat it with respect. It is very controllable on the limit but if you are not paying attention it can bite you.
I absolutely loved mine, did long road trips in it and used it daily for work, it was fantastic and I still look at getting another one day.Thanks! That's great information. Are they really that much better than an MX-5?! I know my brother considered one, but chose not to go that route in the end. Well documented faults don't really bother me, as long as I'm a bit prepared.
what I would actually love with the car being a 'spare' is getting back into doing stuff myself. With a full time job, and a missus who works weekends and evenings (and 3 kids at home) it's just impossible to find time to actually do anything. Also I realise now I might be substituting 'fast' for 'handling' to some degree.Evil.soup said:
CrippsCorner said:
That's pretty much where I am. Where you say £50 extra on the insurance... is that per year or month?!
Wow I knew the MR-2 was light, but not under a ton. I had a R5 GT Turbo back in the days and never thought I'd get anywhere near that again in terms of weight! I'm not 100% convinced on the looks, but something like this looks decent:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
I don't like the wheels, but the little bodykit, double exit exhaust and red seats make it a bit more special. Was there an official kit for this? TRD isn't it for tuning?
That's a point worth making by the way. Although my budget maybe relatively small at £4k - I don't mind spending the same amount again over time, modifying and improving a car.
The kit on that one looks like standard TRD stuff that was under the options list from Toyota. Loads of after market options for them though, mine was black with red interior and a custom built quad exit exhaust system, they do sound lovely with an after market exhaust. Evil.soup said:
If 0-60 isn't a factor and roof off fun is something that may work for you, how about these options?
Nissan 350z, lots of noise and sense of occasion, especially if you swap out the exhaust. Not the quickest, but a fun GT cruiser.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304136...
For pure driving pleasure, the MR2 Roadster is epic. More capable than the MX-5 and will keep your pulse racing. Again, not big power, but this weights in under 1000kg and handles like an Elise, I owned one for a few years and still miss it 18 years after selling it.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303285...
You know I nearly pulled the trigger on a 350Z coupe just before my kids came along... never did get the chance. Not a bad option at all, although I do think the coupe is slightly better looking.Nissan 350z, lots of noise and sense of occasion, especially if you swap out the exhaust. Not the quickest, but a fun GT cruiser.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304136...
For pure driving pleasure, the MR2 Roadster is epic. More capable than the MX-5 and will keep your pulse racing. Again, not big power, but this weights in under 1000kg and handles like an Elise, I owned one for a few years and still miss it 18 years after selling it.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202303285...
Wow I knew the MR-2 was light, but not under a ton. I had a R5 GT Turbo back in the days and never thought I'd get anywhere near that again in terms of weight! I'm not 100% convinced on the looks, but something like this looks decent:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304076...
I don't like the wheels, but the little bodykit, double exit exhaust and red seats make it a bit more special. Was there an official kit for this? TRD isn't it for tuning?
That's a point worth making by the way. Although my budget maybe relatively small at £4k - I don't mind spending the same amount again over time, modifying and improving a car.
The one you have linked is an early MK3, these suffered with pre-cat failure and could end up throwing parts into the engine leading to excessive wear and oil use. They fixed this on the face lift model, front bumper has fog lights so they are easy to spot. The front and rear wheels were also different sizes on the facelift car, 185 - 15" front and 205 - 16" back. The earlier car was 15" all round but 185 front and 205 rear.
Genuinely the closest car to the Elise I have ever driven, and I have driven a number of Elise over reasonable distances, so I can compare like for like.
Downside is of course, it does lack torque, but the VVTi engine works well if you work the gears and run the revs out, it does like to rev and has a Honda Civic Type-R feel to it as it has a second spike of power at the higher end of the revs.
Handling is outstanding, but it needs care in the wet and you can't use miss matched or crap tyres, you will be facing the wrong way in a blink if you don't treat it with respect. It is very controllable on the limit but if you are not paying attention it can bite you.
I absolutely loved mine, did long road trips in it and used it daily for work, it was fantastic and I still look at getting another one day.
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