The "best" affordable sports car of the last 20 years?

[cerb4.5lee]

white_goodman said:

cerb4.5lee said:

Yes and I did and I had it for 6 years. The Cerbera 4.5 I had is widely regarded as the most expensive TVR to run. I loved it too bits, but with hindsight I reckon that financially I would have been better off going for the Chimaera instead as my first TVR.

Why is that? Was the Cerbera their first "crack" at their own engine? Cool car though. That and the Tuscan were my favourite TVRs. I still remember the Cerbera trouncing the establishment costing double the money in that old Clarkson vid (although many said they cheated). Was this the only ever 2+2 TVR?

Yes it was TVR's first crack at their own engine. The specialist I used(he used to work at the TVR factory) for the engine said to me that it was the most expensive TVR to run. I did like the 2+2 bit about it and it enabled my family to go out with me in it occasionally.

When it was working it was a lovely and engaging car to drive and the noise it made was so addictive. I'm chuffed I had one but if I was to turn back the clock now(because my pockets aren't exactly deep), I'd go for one of the Rover V8 engined TVR's instead.

[Stinkfist]

white_goodman said:

This is certainly sounding like the "head" and the "heart" choice. As I already said, not many new cars come out that I "want" these days but this is certainly one of them. I remember reading somewhere that you could get the torque dip mapped out but couldn't remember who did it, so thanks for the reminder. Where are they based?

In Warrington. www.tuningdevelopments.uk

Plenty of tuning package options

[white_goodman]

Stinkfist said:

In Warrington. www.tuningdevelopments.uk

Plenty of tuning package options

OK thanks, I think that Fensport might have been the other one that I read about.

ETA: 1500 notes sounds like decent value. How much is yours putting out after the tune? Did you go with the equal or unequal length headers?

Edited by white_goodman on Thursday 26th March 17:55

[Edmundo2]

Hi. I've owned the following so will sum up my thoughts,

Tvr Chim 450
Tvr Griff 500
Lotus Elise S1 111s
Mazda MX5 Mk1 turbo
( + Dad has a 350z )

and I just bought a 987 Cayman S two weeks ago..

The TVRs are lovely to burble about in or a real thrill when you open the taps. Reliability is fine providing you do your homework and buy a good one. They are very easy and cheap to work on for the little bits that need a fix so just make sure the chassis etc is ok..It's great to be able to get the roof down and they are really practical. The down side is the build quality is only so so and the handling is a bit more GT than racing car...

The Lotus was great at full chat but not much fun for anything else. It's more race car like which is great when you're in the mood and the handling and rawness really entertain down a B road but it's not a great place to be if nipping to the shops or just want to have a relaxing drive..

MX5 turbo is a lot of performance for the money. Plenty come up for sale between £4-8k and condition varies wildly. Lots of examples are proper snotters with homebrew turbo conversions and loads of rust. However now and again there'll be a cracker pop up that has been profesionally converted and goes like stink. Cheap tuning makes ownership fun and they are pretty practical as well. All good fun for not a lot of cash but will always feel a bit toy like/low rent vs more expensive metal..

Dads 350z is good. Again pretty cheap motoring. Feels pretty butch and brawny but pretty plasticky at the same time. V6 is nice but probably needs a bit of breathing on to bring it to life..I've not driven it but not sure its the most razor sharp machine and it doesnt really seem special or have any particular stand out features however offers a lot of practicality and being a coupe poss feels a bit more solid than the rag tops and much better on A roads and long haul than the Lotus/Mazda..

My newly acquired Caymsn S is mega. It's a subtley modded version on expensive coilovers with rebuilt everything, a full engine rebuild, retrimmed interior, carnewal exhaust etc..I'm blown away by the quality of the thing and its ability in all areas..The flat 6 is glorious when pushing on, the handling and poise really really good, cruising and pootling it feels at home, practicality is great. However the over arching sensation is just one of quality. I never thought I was bothered about build quality hence my previous cars and I would always choose driver engagement/sensr of occasion etc as a priority but I have to say the Cayman ticks all boxes..Its not as riotous as the TVR, it's not as razor like as the Elise. It's not as small and nimble or frantic as the MX5 turbo and it's a lot more expensive than 350z which is also a 6 cylinder coupe. However it combines a lot of the best traits of all and then some. I should imagine a well sorted boxster would be fantastic as well and offer pros and cons vs the coupe..

All in alI I would say they are all great in their own way but in every case I would say there's big differences between a good one and a bad one...Buy any of them from a real enthusiast that's had lots of documented work done and you'll enjoy. By contrast an average condition car in a vanilla spec that's never had any love heaped on it may leave you cold or frustrated.. In addition I would rarely keep any of them completely standard as you can always improve on the weakpoints. Yes it's easy to spoil a good design but a few choice modifications can realy make the difference..

Whatever you do good luck and hope this helps..

[Mr Tidy]

white_goodman said:

Lovely looking car. I'd go as far to say one of the best-looking cars of the last 20 years. I like the wheels. Are they OEM? They look a bit E46 M3 CSL-like...

Sorry for the belated reply.

The wheels are indeed CSL Replicas.

[Harrison-91xcg]

MX5 - Any