My first what car ;D

[PaulB81]

Hi

So my mate has just changed his car and thats tipped me over the edge. I have been holding out for a lump sum of money that is due to come my way but it keeps getting delayed so I'm going to buy something cheaper and hold onto that for a while instead.

Help me out guys.

Budget: 5-8k

Requirements:
Not french
Not a hot hatch
Not an Impreza, had one before, loved it but dont want the same car twice
Not an RX8 as that is what my mate has just bought
Doesnt have to be practical in any way as I already have a 3 series and a discovery
Doesnt have to be good on fuel as it will be a weekend only car and only do small miles
Not bothered about depreciation
Probably not a convertible as they have all had a bit added on for 'nice weather tax' at the moment and I have no garage but wouldnt completely rule one out
Good fun
Quick
Not going to be a huge money pit in terms of repair bills
Almost all driving will be done on country A / B roads
Probably not relevant but im 29 y/o

I know I'm asking a lot.

350z is one idea thats popped into my head. They arent mega quick but might be good fun.

Lets have some ideas !!

-Paul

[YBTurbo]

Nissan Skyline R33 GTR

[Ozzie Osmond]

PaulB81 said:

Doesnt have to be practical in any way as I already have a 3 series and a discovery. 350z is one idea thats popped into my head. They arent mega quick but might be good fun.

It's your money so do what you like. But I wouldn't do that. Why add the cost and hassle of a third car, especially if you're turning away from convertibles? Just get a better 3 series.

[Darren156]

Can't you flog the standard 3 series and get an M3 instead?

It would obviously cost more than the boggo 3'er to run, insure, tax etc, but you'd be upgrading a 2nd car rather than having to go all out and get a 3rd car.

[PaulB81]

Darren156 said:

Can't you flog the standard 3 series and get an M3 instead?

It would obviously cost more than the boggo 3'er to run, insure, tax etc, but you'd be upgrading a 2nd car rather than having to go all out and get a 3rd car.

I would love to do this, however, the Mrs sold her car and now uses the 3 series for her daily commute (I work from home). At the moment if I need to run errands I'm plodding around in the Disco. Whilst it is loads of fun off road and we do offoad it regularly, its soul destroying to drive around in on road. I need to drop to 2nd to get up the slightest of hills and we live in a valley lol.

EDIT - to add, also chuck the dogs in the back of current 3 series so it gets all manky. I want this car to be non-manky.

Edited by PaulB81 on Saturday 19th March 14:26

[ambuletz]

someone ought to invent a 'what car' app. in a similar manner to how this site http://uk.akinator.com/ can guess the person you're thinking in under 21 questions (most of the time).

[Darren156]

Umm, what about a TVR Cerbera then mate??? Decent ones can be picked up for around the 10k marker if youre willing to spend a bit more. I think the 4.2 has around 380BHP on tap and clocks 0-100 in about 10 seconds If memory serves correct.

[PaulB81]

Cerbera would be awesome but being mechanically inept I dont think I would risk it without having a pot of money put by.

If I could stretch to 10k I would be more inclined to look to an S1 Elise as I think they start about that money.

[Darren156]

Have you thought about an old classic American Muscle car at all mate, or is that not your cup of tea?

[Jw Vw]

Porsche 928 or 944?

[Lefty]

Vx220?

Fury?

[Ozzie Osmond]

PaulB81 said:

Disco. Whilst it is loads of fun off road and we do offoad it regularly, its soul destroying to drive around in on road.

also chuck the dogs in the back of current 3 series so it gets all manky. I want this car to be non-manky.

Sounds odd to me. One car for the wife and dogs; one car for you. Or a small trailer for the dogs. Job done.

[Hasbeen]

I'm about to buy a Honda S2000 after a couple of months asking the same question.

I've bought a couple of things that looked & felt OK in a 20Km test, but didn't have the goods on a long trip.

They only do 14s for the quarter, but I rented one, did 290Km on back roads, in the wet, had a smile on my face when I got out, & could still walk. Oh & yes, it's a soft top, but it didn't leak.

[tyranical]

Just an idea but why not buy your wife something as a runaround and replace the 3 series with an M3?

[PaulB81]

S2000 is an interesting one, had not thought of that.

Maybe I am making a mistake ruling out convertibles I just know having looked at Mx5's recently and every one I looked at was sold before I got back to it that they are at a premium.

Looks like 5-8k budget is going to be a bit limiting for something fun as a few quite nice cars are only just out of reach.

Keep the suggestions coming

[PaulB81]

Well I went on a total tangent and ended up picking up a very nice RX8 on a bit of an impulse buy.

The car is in very nice condition, has full service history (its actually had quite a few more services than neccesary given the mileage). Its done 57k miles, runs and drives really nice. For the price I paid I'm really happy with it. Its not rocket ship quick but on the roads round here should be good fun!!

And here she is:



and



Thanks for the advice guys. This came it right at the very bottom of my original budget so I have plenty left to spend on fuel. Insurance was only £25 more than my 320d!?

[cheadle hulme]

ambuletz said:

someone ought to invent a 'what car' app. in a similar manner to how this site http://uk.akinator.com/ can guess the person you're thinking in under 21 questions (most of the time).

Never seen that before. It knew I was thinking of Scarlett Johansen!

[Darren156]

Looks great mate! You and your buddy can go around cruising together now, lol. A friend of mine has a 2005 RX8 231 and I love them to bits.

[vit4]

ambuletz said:

someone ought to invent a 'what car' app. in a similar manner to how this site http://uk.akinator.com/ can guess the person you're thinking in under 21 questions (most of the time).

Holy st!!

Off topic sorry but I'm amazed, right all 3 times so far

[ensignia]

How much did you pay if you don't mind me asking?