Performance Car 15K Budget

[anonymous-user]

Morning All,

Currently in the market for a performance car, after having owned too many standard cars in the past (Last was a Honda Civic 1.6 Diesel).

15K Budget. Saloon, Coupe or Hatchback. Any age. Looking for smiles per gallon, fun around the twisties. Doesn't have to be practical as I'm under 30, single and no kids.

Current list:

- Renault Megane RS265
- Vauxhall Astra GTC VXR
- Honda Civic Type R FN2/EP3
- Toyota GT86
- Mini John Cooper Works

(Not a fan of Audi or VW)

Open to more suggestions and feedback on the listed cars. Thank you.

[classicfred]

If you're looking at Meganes, should be able to get a 275 cup for under £15,000

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008252...

https://www.gumtree.com/p/renault/2016-renault-meg...

Cayman
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10632796?c...

Renault 5
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10276539?c...

911

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10784553?c...

Lotus Elise
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10798902?c...

Edited by classicfred on Monday 21st September 11:52

[Actus Reus]

VX220 Turbo. You could have had my 290hp car for £13k (it's now sold, though).

[BopoWarls]

e92 M3

[cerb4.5lee]

370Z?

You will enjoy the twisties in a JCW MINI I reckon, and I really love driving my Cooper S on nice country roads.

[croissant]

My choices would be either:

BMW Z4M Coupe
BMW e92 M3
Nissan 370z
Mercedes SLK55
Jaguar XKR

[cerb4.5lee]

croissant said:

My choices would be either:

BMW Z4M Coupe
BMW e92 M3
Nissan 370z
Mercedes SLK55
Jaguar XKR

I've had 3 off that list. Had a E92 M3/Z4M(Roadster) and currently got a 370Z(Roadster). If the SLK55 and XKR were offered with a manual gearbox then I'd love either of those as well.

[Xcore]

Z4m
Chimaera

[tomwilliams0326]

Chimaera will also be an investment car as well, as they are on the rise and if you want something that sounds amazing then this is unbeatable

[Quickmoose]

S2000
analogue goodness for the commited

[anonymous-user]

Thanks for those.

Couple of recommendation for the 370z there. I was looking at the 350z just yesterday. Very easy on the eyes, and I don't remember the last time I've seen one on the road. Lots of performance for the money, and the V6 sounds delicious.

Love the little Renault 5 Turbo! Massive fan of the old hatchbacks. Not a bad price considering the likes of the 205 GTI have absolutely went through the roof.

E92 M3 is another good choice. Always did love the look and sound of older BMW's (Much more than the modern types)

Love the Honda S2000 as a screamer. Don't see many ads for them, but they always catch my attention (Plus those revs would be addicting like nothing else).

Will take into consideration the others listed as well and look into them. Spending this month to research and narrow down my options for test drives.

[urquattroGus]

Alfa 147 GTA with subtle suspension mods

High mile Z4M

[Pistonheader101]

M140i surely

[tejr]

Another vote for Cayman or e92 m3

[Trevor555]

One of the most memorable cars I've had for smiles was an Abarth 124 spider.

They're nearly down to 15k

S2000 is a good shout

A Porsche in that budget could turn into a massive moneypit, so get it inspected by a specialist.

[Mr Tidy]

I bought a BMW Z4M Coupe in that budget last December and love it!

But for some reason Roadsters are considerably cheaper so you could get a really good one, especially if you wait a couple of months for the cold and rain to arrive.

I'm liking some of the other suggestions too!

Any TVR would be a riot!
Nissan 370Z.
Honda S2000

Enjoy the search anyway.

[DUBS73P]

Stretch that budget to 16k! LY 275 Trophy, Ohlins, Akrapovic, Recaros
Saves looking for a well specced 265



Had a few of the mentioned cars here;
S2000 - A fantastic weekend car, nothing but fun when just going for as drive but a pain for the commute, especially if you are mechanically sympathetic when warming it up. You’ll struggle to lose money if you buy a good one

Z4 Coupe - Great car, had this after the S2000 and seemed like the perfect change, its much much better as a daily, loads of overtaking potential compared to the honda and still great fun

E92 M3 - Was one of my bucket list cars, I had a manual and I still feel to this day it really needed the DCT, worth it for the sound alone, but 12mpg and far from being the best daily, also a bit too big to have as much fun as the above

[anonymous-user]

Do it properly and get a Monaro. Every journey will make you smile!

[classicfred]

How about a Escort RS Turbo - shouldn't go down in price too much either ?

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10681428

or a Ford Capri 2.8 injection

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10869284

Edited by classicfred on Tuesday 22 September 01:39

[Magnum 475]

Spend about £12k on a good 987 Boxster 3.2, use some of the remaining funds to do a few upgrades, including the LN IMS bearing kit. This gives you a bork-proof Boxster for less that £15k.

Has to be a Boxster, as the 3.2 never went in the Cayman, and the 3.4 gen 1 Cayman engine is very high risk for very expensive borkage. You might get a Cayman Gen 2 for that budget, but it’s likely to be quite leggy and in need of some TLC (and money, probably lots of money).