Options for fun car under 10k?

[infernouk]

Hey all,

Im in the market for a second car (have a VW UP for shopping and misc stuff), its use will be weekend fun driving and 2 days a week commute to work (5 mile drive), no kids so practicality isnt important.

At the moment im only looking at investing in the car for 12-18 months as ill probably move elsewhere / change jobs, so due to this im not looking at any kind of PCP or lease.

Unfortunetly due to the current climate and not being a home owner, i cant secure any kind of loan under 15% APR which is too rich for my blood, despite having high household income (go figure)

So because of this, im stuck with my budget of 10k cash purchase give or take

What are peoples thoughts on a fun choice?

Previosuly I had a GT86 Aero for a year as my only nice car ever. I loved the coupe RWD, but the engine was abysmal and the breaks screeched like a freight train so I dont miss the driving experience, just the looks.

My lead choices were a Fiesta ST, Pug 208 Gti PS, of a Cooper S...however i dont REALLY like hatchbacks, and im about to hit 30 and everyone keeps telling me im too old work too professional a job for these cars...stuff like the M135i i considered but its 15K for not much more than an ST would offer...?

Am i overlooking some options here? Im not a great fan of very old cars as I do like my tech and mod con's but I wouldnt overlook a great choice if there is one

Cheers for any thoughts! (or any way i can increase the budget without getting wrecked on APR!)

[Jag_NE]

A serious helmsman must demand a RWD steer

[fflump]

Just remember that on the tech front nothing will beat a dashboard mount for your iPhone and some bluetooth speakers.

[Caddyshack]

Try a boxster S manual. A lot of car for £10k, don’t worry about the miles, buy on condition.

[ChrisH72]

I have a Fiesta ST3 and it's great. I'm 48 by the way and couldn't care less what anyone thinks image wise.

But....

For a fun 2nd car with no requirement for practicality surely it has to be a 2 seat roadster? And with short term ownership wouldn't you be better off spending less?

Before I had kids I bought an MR2 roadster for £2500, ran it for 18 months and about 5k miles then sold it for £3000. It's the only car I ever made money on and it was totally reliable and great fun to drive. When my boy is a bit older I'm sure I'll have another 2 seat sports car, you just can't beat it.

[Wagonwheel555]

I wouldn’t compare an ST to an M135i

STs are good cars but M135i is a big step up.

[infernouk]

Caddyshack said:

Try a boxster S manual. A lot of car for £10k, don’t worry about the miles, buy on condition.

I’d love a cayman but I’m terrified of the repair bills on a Porsche!

[fflump]

Caddyshack said:

Try a boxster S manual. A lot of car for £10k, don’t worry about the miles, buy on condition.

At that vintage I guess a boroscope would be needed and the IMS sorting?

[infernouk]

Wagonwheel555 said:

I wouldn’t compare an ST to an M135i

STs are good cars but M135i is a big step up.

I wasn’t comparing them they are just options I’ve considered, I’ve heard from a lot of m135i owners they are straight line weapons but not worth the cost over the ST which is lighter and more of a B road warrior, the ST is closer to 10k, the 135 closer to 15

[Caddyshack]

fflump said:

Caddyshack said:

Try a boxster S manual. A lot of car for £10k, don’t worry about the miles, buy on condition.

At that vintage I guess a boroscope would be needed and the IMS sorting?

I bought one without doing either and it has been fine. 987.1 3.2. I paid 8500 for it.

[infernouk]

ChrisH72 said:

I have a Fiesta ST3 and it's great. I'm 48 by the way and couldn't care less what anyone thinks image wise.

But....

For a fun 2nd car with no requirement for practicality surely it has to be a 2 seat roadster? And with short term ownership wouldn't you be better off spending less?

Before I had kids I bought an MR2 roadster for £2500, ran it for 18 months and about 5k miles then sold it for £3000. It's the only car I ever made money on and it was totally reliable and great fun to drive. When my boy is a bit older I'm sure I'll have another 2 seat sports car, you just can't beat it.

2 seat sports cars at a budget don’t really grab me, my mum has an mx5 which is fine but doesn’t do anything for me vs my old gt86, I think I’d like to try turbo. I can spend whatever I can justify so less is fine, but 10k seems to have a few decent options

Also really don’t like the looks of cloth tops

[Caddyshack]

infernouk said:

Caddyshack said:

Try a boxster S manual. A lot of car for £10k, don’t worry about the miles, buy on condition.

I’d love a cayman but I’m terrified of the repair bills on a Porsche!

Good independent needn’t be expensive. Some jobs are easy diy too.

[fflump]

Caddyshack said:

I bought one without doing either and it has been fine. 987.1 3.2. I paid 8500 for it.

It's a cracking car for the money, but with all due respect what your experience with your car is not that relevant. It is an issue with a significant minority of cars with that engine.

[Caddyshack]

fflump said:

Caddyshack said:

I bought one without doing either and it has been fine. 987.1 3.2. I paid 8500 for it.

It's a cracking car for the money, but with all due respect what your experience with your car is not that relevant. It is an issue with a significant minority of cars with that engine.

True, but having owned many porsches I believed it to be a calculated gamble on an issue that actually seems to be fairly low numbers. If you buy well enough you can have the IMS done and a bore scope is easily done. Many cars have been sorted. I will do the IMS when I do the clutch.

[ChrisH72]

2 seat coupe like a 370Z?

I think they slip below 10k now and other than expensive to tax should be reliable and painless to run?

[cerb4.5lee]

I have a Mini Cooper S and a 370Z Roadster and they are both fun but in different ways. Would you consider a 370Z/350Z Coupe if you don't like soft tops? I always think that a 2 seater does feel that little bit more special when compared to a 4 seater.

[cerb4.5lee]

ChrisH72 said:

2 seat coupe like a 370Z?

I think they slip below 10k now and other than expensive to tax should be reliable and painless to run?

Great minds!(I was writing my post and then I saw yours when I'd finished).

[fflump]

Caddyshack said:

True, but having owned many porsches I believed it to be a calculated gamble on an issue that actually seems to be fairly low numbers. If you buy well enough you can have the IMS done and a bore scope is easily done. Many cars have been sorted. I will do the IMS when I do the clutch.

Spot on. With most of these things the reputation drags the value down bigger than the problem is. If you go in eyes open then you can get a good deal, but a bore scope is a good bet.

It can't be too far in the future that either cars will have been sorted, or be original cars s that escaped the problems.

[infernouk]

ChrisH72 said:

2 seat coupe like a 370Z?

I think they slip below 10k now and other than expensive to tax should be reliable and painless to run?

Yeah my mum actually drove a 370z before the mx5 and I did like it and like the coupe, the tax was insane and it’s quite heavy and thirsty so my concern was it’s just a lot of extra running cost for no better handling than a mx5 or gt86?

They are also more like 13-14k for a decent one and I’d be concerned no one will buy it in a year or so time with the governments agenda!

Edited by infernouk on Wednesday 24th February 22:49

[cerb4.5lee]

infernouk said:

Yeah my mum actually drove a 370z before the mx5 and I did like it and like the coupe, the tax was insane and it’s quite heavy and thirsty so my concern was it’s just a lot of extra running cost for no better handling than a mx5 or gt86?

Yes and the 22mpg and £580 tax definitely grates on me with mine for sure. They are quite different to the MX5/GT86 though, and it depends on what style you like I reckon(quicker/heavy or slower/light). I do really like the brawny nature of the 370Z though, but most do definitely seem to prefer the way that the MX5/GT86 do it for certain.