£30k - £40k Fun Daily Driver w/ Boring Commute

[AlexNJ89]

Hi guys,

The last time I posted a thread I thought I had my shortlist nailed, then you guys suggested the SLK55 and it was so on-point I went ahead and bought one 2 weeks later!

It was absolutely the right car for me at the time (and to be honest if I kept it another year I'd still get a ton of enjoyment), but I've been saving pretty hard while owning it and can afford to upgrade in a couple of months time.

Criteria:
- £30k - £40k (I could go to £45k but it would need to be a fuel efficient car).
- 2014 or newer.
- Is something special
- Isn't going to depreciate toooo badly.
- Will get 30mpg+ on a 60mph straight road commute (whilst getting stuck behind some 40mph drivers with no way to overtake)
- I do about 17,000 miles per year, most my commute is a boring road driving at 50mph in a line of traffic with some overtaking opportunities which you need to pounce on when they arise.
- 2 seats or 4, no need for practicality
- Is exciting, does 0-60mph in less than 5 seconds
- Not a license loser, a car you can have fun in without breaking the speed limits (So ruling our an M4 or C63 for example)
- I do London driving once every 2 weeks or so, so something that isn't a pain to drive around town.
- Some decent tech would be nice, I would love a birds-eye view camera and a good sound system.

Frontrunner:
BMW i8 - (if they come down in to the £30k's which I think they will soon. It has lots of low end power from the electric motor, if I get stuck behind a slow driver I can knock it in to electric and chill, then hit sport mode when the road is clear. Downsides are the doors look so so impractical for supermarket car parks and multi-story car parks, almost no cargo space, higher insurance, older interior style so could be hit by depreciation and who knows what kind of repair bills are on the horizon for these.

Others on the shortlist:
BMW 840d (these might drop pretty rapid as most BMW's do and hit my price range)
BMW 540i w/ M performance kit
718 Cayman S
981 Cayman S
Jaguar F-Type V6
Tesla Model S (scared of these as out-of-warranty repair bills look to be eye-watering)
BMW 140i (A cheaper option but I do like them)
Golf R

Any suggestions or insight in to my shortlist will be much appreciated!

Edited by AlexNJ89 on Sunday 19th January 12:09

[ZX10R NIN]

At this price point you really have to factor in depreciation into your costs because you could buy a 540i M Performance, but the depreciation that this car will suffer compared to it's M5 cousin which you could buy for similar money means that you should reconsider your no performance model rule, remember you can lose your license with a 540i.

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Sunday 19th January 18:00

[AlexNJ89]

ZX10R NIN said:

At this price point you really have to factor in depreciation into your costs because you could be a 540i M Performance the depreciation that this car will suffer compared to it's M5 cousin which you could buy for similar money means that you should reconsider your no performance model rule, remember you can lose your license with a 540i.

Yep true, I think to stay in the same price range I would need to go for the older M5 model, I looked at the new M5 and they are still at the £60k mark.

I do agree that depreciation is a bigger factor than monthly fuel costs. I literally have an excel spreadsheet for each car trying to calculate fuel costs and depreciation.

I think in my list the Cayman S and F-Type for around £30k will hold their money best.

[nickfrog]

Have you ruled out a M2, on the same basis as a M4?

[ATM]

I own a 981 Boxster S and I'm surprised how well they've held onto their value. So I'd be pushing you this way because I like Porsche cars - well Porsche Sports cars. The other Porsche cars are nice but drop like a stone.

[ZX10R NIN]

AlexNJ89 said:

Yep true, I think to stay in the same price range I would need to go for the older M5 model, I looked at the new M5 and they are still at the £60k mark.

I do agree that depreciation is a bigger factor than monthly fuel costs. I literally have an excel spreadsheet for each car trying to calculate fuel costs and depreciation.

I think in my list the Cayman S and F-Type for around £30k will hold their money best.

Yes you'll have an older model M5 but you'll hardly be missing out when it comes to features & the handling will still be a level above the 540i.


I'd also say consider these:

Alfa 4C

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Evora often overlooked but as good a steer as the Cayman but slightly less polished inside but personally I'd pick one over the Cayman & F Type.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

As a fillet to the F Type there's obviously the V8V Aston:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

[covmutley]

Cayman will be hard to beat I think. If practically doesn't matter, then I would go 2 seater!

I do like the f type as well though.same engine as in my XE s, which itself is worth a mention if you are considering a more practical golf or m140. You would get a nice one for about £20k, leaving enough for a fun car that would really hold its value!

[Kent Border Kenny]

Low mileage V8 R8?

[AlexNJ89]

ATM said:

I own a 981 Boxster S and I'm surprised how well they've held onto their value. So I'd be pushing you this way because I like Porsche cars - well Porsche Sports cars. The other Porsche cars are nice but drop like a stone.

covmutley said:

Cayman will be hard to beat I think. If practically doesn't matter, then I would go 2 seater!

I do like the f type as well though.same engine as in my XE s, which itself is worth a mention if you are considering a more practical golf or m140. You would get a nice one for about £20k, leaving enough for a fun car that would really hold its value!

Thanks!

I also saw in another thread the 981 actually gets much better mpg than the 718.

Do you guys find your Cayman comfortable enough to drive at 50mph for 30mins twice every day?

Sometimes in my SLK55 I feel a bit silly losing out on comfort at times when I can't even use the power.

[ATM]

AlexNJ89 said:

Thanks!

I also saw in another thread the 981 actually gets much better mpg than the 718.

Do you guys find your Cayman comfortable enough to drive at 50mph for 30mins twice every day?

Sometimes in my SLK55 I feel a bit silly losing out on comfort at times when I can't even use the power.

I've done some motorway trips in mine and it's fine. It's a pretty civilised car. I don't have cruise but that would help if you're planning boring driving. I've seen 39 mpg on a sensible run as its got a very tall top gear. I have the sports seats which are a bit firmer than the standard seats. I have the sports exhaust too which I believe is noisier than the standard even with the switch set to quiet. Although in a Cayman it will be quieter. I have standard suspension which is fine but lots if people rave about PASM which is the active damper setup.

[WonkeyDonkey]

I'd be going for a 4C as that's what i'm lusting for at the moment!

Although I would need it to depreciate a lot further than your budget before i'd ever be able to afford it!

[SydneyBridge]

Increase your budget a tad and get an Alpine A110, meets your criteria (mostly) and dont think you will lose too much money in depreciation

[AlexNJ89]

ZX10R NIN said:

Yes you'll have an older model M5 but you'll hardly be missing out when it comes to features & the handling will still be a level above the 540i.

Damn you've thrown me with this suggestion, I see what you're saying that the less depreciation will offset the increased fuel.

This is the spec I'd go for I think, would probably aim to get one for about £23k - £24k if I can though.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[Gareth1974]

Lotus Evora https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Lexus RCF V8 https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[ZX10R NIN]

AlexNJ89 said:

Damn you've thrown me with this suggestion, I see what you're saying that the less depreciation will offset the increased fuel.

This is the spec I'd go for I think, would probably aim to get one for about £23k - £24k if I can though.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

That's a nice one but at that price I'd go for an M6 GC at this price point these have a slower depreciation curve than the M5:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

I'd advise getting a competition car as they're more sought after:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

But the normal cars are still special & at your lower price point you can get a good non comp car:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/202...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[AlexNJ89]

ATM said:

I've done some motorway trips in mine and it's fine. It's a pretty civilised car. I don't have cruise but that would help if you're planning boring driving. I've seen 39 mpg on a sensible run as its got a very tall top gear. I have the sports seats which are a bit firmer than the standard seats. I have the sports exhaust too which I believe is noisier than the standard even with the switch set to quiet. Although in a Cayman it will be quieter. I have standard suspension which is fine but lots if people rave about PASM which is the active damper setup.

Thanks for the insight!

I would be chuffed with 39mpg on my commute!

[ATM]

AlexNJ89 said:

Thanks for the insight!

I would be chuffed with 39mpg on my commute!

I'm talking steady 65-ish there and just going off the main computer display. More could be possible as I wasn't particularly trying. Just stuck in some traffic and going with the flow. It's also a small light car - compared to most moderns. Road Tax is £300 for 12 months which is band J if you have the PDK. So that might give you an idea. You cant really compare one of these to an M5 or M6GC. I'd be looking at the Evora too and the Lexus could be interesting. if you want to spend less and get some v8 fun then there is also the levus IS-F. I cant imagine these v8 cars being good on fuel though. If you really want economy you could go for the Cayman none S. The 2.7 PDK is Band I or £260 for 12 months. Its still got enough shove to excite and has similar power to the original Boxster S from 2000-2004. For your top budget of 40 you might even get a nearly new 718 from a Porsche dealer with full warranty. That adds some piece of mind.

[Gareth1974]

Gareth1974 said:

Lotus Evora https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Lexus RCF V8 https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

Another to consider - GTR https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

[drgoatboy]

not sure if you are thinking about the Evora (really you should they are awesome and tick pretty much all the boxes apart from the 2014 onwards one) but you need to do research carefully. Several on autotrader are advertised as S but would appear (from the photos online at least) not to be S at all.

[AlexNJ89]

Thanks for the advice guys!

Still looking through all the options.

Right now I'm also looking at a 2015 M6 after the M5 suggestion.

Again if I can get one cheaper it may work out a better place for my money than a more expensive economical car. It just depends if an M6 is going to have £8k repair bills at some point.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...