PH I need you! Car advice please

[Pig benis]

I am writing this with a possible broken hand (accidently fell off my road bike and punched a concrete wall at the same time, if anyone wants to know how), so could the grammar police politely take a back seat?

A while ago I posted a thread about buying a new car and the general opinion was for me to save up and buy a motor outright. Well I kept my head down at work and did a lot of car detailing on the side and I now have £5k to spend on a new car. This is the most amount of money that I have ever saved, and therefore I'm very impressed with myself.

It's my birthday very soon (23rd) and I want to buy a car to celebrate it, so I have been thinking of which motor to go for. This is my list so far -

Pre 2001 Honda S2000
Honda Civic Type R on a 2004/5 plate
Seat Leon Cupra R 225
Mazda MX5 (I would LOVE one, but the lack of power doesn't appeal)

I don't want a car which is going to cost an absolute fortune to run, but I want something with plenty of overtaking power and generally a fun car to drive. So I am happy to spend a few bob keeping it on the road, but not Subaru Impreza running costs, for example.

Out of my short list there, the CTR and the Leon stand out massively. I love the touring car personality of the CTR and the noise of the thing is very addictive. However, the Leon looks more grown up in my eyes, probably easier to drive sensibly and more room to get more power from the car. However, I keep hearing bad things about the VAG lump and this is putting me off. Are they really that bad? Also, I've never bought a turbo'd car before and again this puts me off, partly down to some muppets who don't have mechanical sympathy.

Are there any other great cars I'm missing from my list? Service history is a must, low miles would be great and I am SO fussy with cars, so it just has to be perfect. I don't want a project, nor do I want to be faffing about with spanners on my day off, as I would rather be out enjoying the car.

Thanks everyone,
P.B

[obob]

S2000 no question out of those. But you'll need the geometry set up properly for it to be as fun as an mx5

[mobile chicane22]

Get insurance quotes on them all the s2000 is a lovley car ( I had one for 4 years before getting my 996) but the insurance is silly high due to the number of them that folks crash.

I "sold" my tatty s2k ( 1999 ) for £3800 ish.

[Pig benis]

mobile chicane22 said:

Get insurance quotes on them all the s2000 is a lovley car ( I had one for 4 years before getting my 996) but the insurance is silly high due to the number of them that folks crash.

I "sold" my tatty s2k ( 1999 ) for £3800 ish.

I've been getting insurance quotes over the past week. At first Direct Line wanted £1,200, but by going through my dads broker this went down to £900 and the CTR to £700. The biggest shock was a 1.8 MX5 at £850 from the same insurance company. I asked why a Mx5 is £50 cheaper to insure than a S2k and their answer was "It's sporty, but not as sporty". Not even sure if that makes sense.

Is there anything to look out for on an S2k? Also, would it be better to go for a hardtop? I quite like the idea of having one

[Wafflesmk2]

Doesnt the s2k cost a fortune to run and insure? At 23, that would eliminate it for me.

Saying that, i hate most (all) convertibles anyway.

[HustleRussell]

Don't get hung up on the whole power thing. In my eyes a CTR is a shopping car and an MX-5 or S2000 is a sports car. Two more grand could get you in a reasonable early Boxster which would be my preference.

[Pig benis]

HustleRussell said:

Don't get hung up on the whole power thing. In my eyes a CTR is a shopping car and an MX-5 or S2000 is a sports car. Two more grand could get you in a reasonable early Boxster which would be my preference.

I do see your point, however to me they are a hot hatch and I really like hot hatches. I've had a few of them now and I don't need anything bigger yet.

7k for me is too much to be spending on a car right now, especially as I will be setting up my own business in the for coming months, so tying up all my money right now is a bit stupid. Right now I just want a cracking car for the summer and then flog it on after that.

Are there any great cars that I am missing from my list? I am open to all suggestions, I would really consider an E46 300ci too. That S6 engine is a peach

[HustleRussell]

Oops, I made a mistake in my post. I meant to say the Leon was a bit of a shopping car, the CTR is obviously an all round more sporting proposition. If you're going for a short summer ownership, surely a less practical but more fun sportscar makes more sense?

[66comanche]

I don't understand ruling the Impreza out on a running costs basis - IME they are very reliable and therefore running costs are reasonable, not particularly short service intervals like the Evo. I could understand ruling it out on insurance cost but you're including the S2000 which must be in the same ballpark.

Even if it's not something that floats your boat I would advise a test drive as you may be hooked from the moment you drive it like I was. The S2000 would be my choice from your list even though I'm not a fan of convertibles.

[Arenki]

HustleRussell said:

Don't get hung up on the whole power thing. In my eyes a CTR is a shopping car and an MX-5 or S2000 is a sports car. Two more grand could get you in a reasonable early Boxster which would be my preference.

I wouldn't touch a boxster at the value you are suggesting. The likelyhood of them being broken in some form is high and they do cost a fortune to repair if something big goes wrong. S2000 is a corker. the ex had one. they are great entertainment, but watch the wet roundabouts. you've been warned.