Can't find a decent, fast car, practical car

[shakermikee]

Or VXR8

[r1ch]

I was also going to suggest the DC5. Ticks alot of boxes. I wouldn't imagine them to be super comfy cruising on the motorway, but i think you may have to make a compromise somewhere in your requirements.

Monaro is another good shout as above, or the usual bmw saloon candidates.

[ambuletz]

Octavia vRS. 200hp. you could tune it to over 250hp if you want.fast, fun, practical (the boot is larger then a ford mondeo).

[Y282]

otolith said:

Seems a bit odd to write those two off as looking forgettable and then suggest something as ubiquitous and unremarkable as a BMW 3-series!

more power, rwd and 2 door. just personal taste obviously but i'd say those are all pretty important. and the M doesn't really count as a normal 3 series, unless you have no experience of them.

[otolith]

Talking specifically about your comments about appearances - an M3 is a fantastic car but in appearance looks essentially like any other 3-series, no more distinctive than a Mondeo or other mass market car. That wouldn't bother me, but then nor would the looks of those two Hondas.

[R4PID]

Dan Friel said:

So you want:

Something unique
Cheap to run
Good mpg
Not a hot hatch
Pace of a scooby
Good on the motorway
Fun to drive

Pass on the answer when you have it..

To the OP, maybe you're just getting old?

Keep 1 reliable motor for the 20k pa. Use what's left as pin money and buy/sell a few modern classics to peak you're interest in cars again:

944 S2
205GTI
Mk2 MR2
Golf GTI
etc etc.

All will give you fun etc, let you tick boxes and potentially get you more enthusiastic about cars?

Or chop in the diesel BM, go for a diesel BM cabrio, a Z4, S2000. Combo of reliable with a small about of uniqueness and bags of fun when the suns out.

[007 VXR]

PeteSBC said:

Monaro VXR everything you need just a little heavier on fuel but well worth it!

thread closed

[300bhp/ton]

torqueofthedevil said:

4 seets and a boot needed. Might consider 2 seats. Yeah unusual is ok, no lhd though, nothing too old, nothing so rare that just topping up the washer fluid costs a fortune

I think there's still a lot of choice for £10-15k although I admit I don't personally have any issues with either LHD or older vehicles.

I can also understand the want of a single car rather than a weekend car and a daily. As I can understand you want to enjoy your daily driving as much as your weekend use.

But the trouble you face is reality and physics:

-You want space and seating which = a bigger car
-Bigger cars then to be heavier, so worse on fuel and running costs
-You don't want a hatch (which is fine as neither do I! ) but the reality is, the vast majority of cars on sale today in the UK are hatches, to not have a hatch means buying something bigger as a rule and thus back to the higher running costs
-You want fast, this on it's own means a car isn't likely to be peanuts to run and maintain, but add in the fact it needs to be a biggish vehicle and it only compounds the issue


I think suggestions of a Monaro aren't a bad bet. The only downside is for doing 20k miles a year it isn't that fuel efficient (although probably better than an Evo).

If a bit smaller is ok I'd also look at a 996 911 C2. And maybe a test drive of some LHD cars would be a wise idea, even if its just to fully decide they are a no for you.

[marky911]

chrisispringles said:

Why not do your 20k a year in the diesel BMW and spend your money on a toy of some sort?

^^^^ This.
As I got older (well I've done it since about 22 actually ) I wanted my special stuff to feel special, eg weekend use, etc.
I also found I didn't want to be washing my daily car religiously, every weekend, hence a normal, comfy car for work, that you don't need to pamper and then something a bit more special for the summer.
Works for me!

Sorry! Just read your post about not being able to justify two cars. Although it's as cheap as running one if you do it right. Nevermind.
In that case I haven't got a single suggestion! There is no sub £20k 4 seater that would excite me. Impress me, maybe. Excite and warrant big running costs? No.

Edited by marky911 on Thursday 9th June 08:15

[robsco]

156 GTA?

[300bhp/ton]

marky911 said:

Sorry! Just read your post about not being able to justify two cars. Although it's as cheap as running one if you do it right. Nevermind.

Edited by marky911 on Thursday 9th June 08:15

I don't know for certain, but I kind of assume the OP meant more the fact that they used the 2nd car so little, that it seemed a waste of money, more than the overall cost.

This I can understand, if you love driving why would you want to spend 95% of your driving time and miles in a boring snotter? And only 5% in your weekend car.

Even with a 2nd car I'd personally still want something interesting and fun as a daily, purely for the simple fact of how many miles and hours I spend in it.

[maser_spyder]

thinfourth2 said:

torqueofthedevil said:

Just out of interest do either of you who suggested it own a second car? .

I own a second car

and a third

and fourth

And I'm contemplating a 'tenth'. Running out of space...

[Colonial]

Monaro is a good shout.

Not my cup (coupe?) of tea, but a damn good car.

[maser_spyder]

Oh, and, DB7.

[hornetrider]

M5?

[marky911]

All valid points 300
20k miles does mean a fair amount of time in the daily snotter but, a snotter doesn't have to be totally crap, my M3 used to return high 20s/low 30s on a run and was a nice old thing to drive.
Plus to be honest, how much fun can you have in a straight line, sitting on dual carriageways, etc?
Anyway, point taken, he wants one car.
I must learn not to skim through topics when I haven't long been awake.

[harryowl]

Lotus Carlton

[Fume troll]

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2885087.htm



330 bhp, 330 lb/ft Torque. 0-60 in 5.3 secs. 0-100 in 13.9.

(As usual!)

Cheers,

FT.

[Gruber]

Z4MC?

Temptingly close to being in budget: http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2886969.htm

And surprisingly practical (given that you're not insisting on 4 seats).

[varsas]

Very difficult to do it all with one car (I also have 4; well, 3 and a landie, how else can I do track days and off roading events?). E46 M3 would seem to stand out but as you say you've had one. I'd be looking at a 911 (993/964 or 996) or if you can't get a decent one for your budget then a Jaguar XKR (might not be as sporty as you want though).