Daily sports car that I also can park safely on the street?
Discussion
I'm getting an amount in a couple of months and as a full time car nut I can't stop thinking about the possibilities. I want something sporty that I can drive daily if the mood is right and that doesn't require the extra expense of renting a closed garage, i.e. something I can park on the street without worrying too much at night. I know it's very relative to the safety of the area one lives in, but there has to be some fairly under the radar cars out there?
-Practicality, gas mileage or comfort not a priority, but has to somewhat reliable
-Manual transmission is preferred
-Ideally I would have bought something like a Z4 M Coupé, early Honda NSX or a 997 Carrera S...
My first thoughts:
Anything else? I'm a fan of Honda, BMW and Porsche.
-Practicality, gas mileage or comfort not a priority, but has to somewhat reliable
-Manual transmission is preferred
-Ideally I would have bought something like a Z4 M Coupé, early Honda NSX or a 997 Carrera S...
My first thoughts:
- A previous generation debadged SL55 AMG, but can I find this car with a manual gearbox?
- Turbocharged MX-5 Mk1 or a supercharged MX-5 Mk3... But I have had an MX-5 before and don't feel excited about getting a new one...
- De-badged BMW M5 E34
- Porsche 911 (964/993 Carrera, not the Turbo or an RS, obviously)
- Jaguar XK (X150 generation) seems to not attract unwanted attention, but they are only automatic...
- Alfa Romeo 156 GTA is a cool car, although not a FWD fan
- Honda Accord Type R or Civic Type R (would prefer Integra, but it would perhaps attract some attention from joy riders?)
- BMW Z4 3,0 (first generation). Possibly supercharged, so it becomes extra fun? But maybe it will attract joy riders...
- VW Scirocco with the 210+ hp Golf GTi engine, but I think it would be too comfortable to my liking...
- Debadged, supercharged, suspension upgraded BMW 330i E46 Coupé?
- Porsche Cayman? There's one out here in red that has been parked on the same street for years... But is it exciting to drive? (early non-S model)
Anything else? I'm a fan of Honda, BMW and Porsche.
Edited by caraddict on Wednesday 9th May 13:58
Maybe it's a local thing, but it seems anything with Audi RS-, BMW M-, and Honda Type R engines are stolen very quickly only to be butchered for their interior, gearbox and engine and left in the woods afterwards... An M3 on the street would disappear in a week or two, from anywhere in Norway and Sweden in parked in a public street...
Porsche seems like a safe bet, but only the base models... I think an NSX would be safe too, but in terms of getting keyed (jealousy) I wouldn't sleep well...
Edit: Budget is hard to say, as the price difference within our market and yours is significant due to (stupid) tax laws. But from I've seen on PH so far, max 25.000 £ would be a good reference point.
Lotus Carlton is an extremely rare car here. I don't think most people, even car guys, know what that car is capable of - will def. look in to that!
Porsche seems like a safe bet, but only the base models... I think an NSX would be safe too, but in terms of getting keyed (jealousy) I wouldn't sleep well...
Edit: Budget is hard to say, as the price difference within our market and yours is significant due to (stupid) tax laws. But from I've seen on PH so far, max 25.000 £ would be a good reference point.
Lotus Carlton is an extremely rare car here. I don't think most people, even car guys, know what that car is capable of - will def. look in to that!
Edited by caraddict on Wednesday 9th May 14:19
caraddict said:
Maybe it's a local thing, but it seems anything with Audi RS-, BMW M-, and Honda Type R engines are stolen very quickly only to be butchered for their interior, gearbox and engine and left in the woods afterwards... An M3 on the street would disappear in a week or two, from anywhere in Norway and Sweden in parked in a public street...
Porsche seems like a safe bet, but only the base models... I think an NSX would be safe too, but in terms of getting keyed (jealousy) I wouldn't sleep well...
Buy an NSX thats already been keyed. Job done.Porsche seems like a safe bet, but only the base models... I think an NSX would be safe too, but in terms of getting keyed (jealousy) I wouldn't sleep well...
caraddict said:
Lotus Carlton is an extremely rare car here. I don't think most people, even car guys, know what that car is capable of - will def. look in to that!
Well in a similar vein take a look at a Holden Commodore HSV or the Vauxhall Monaro - not sure if they'll be even rarer in your country?! - can't see many people looking twice at them, but at the same time still offering you driving thrills.Captain Muppet said:
caraddict said:
Maybe it's a local thing, but it seems anything with Audi RS-, BMW M-, and Honda Type R engines are stolen very quickly only to be butchered for their interior, gearbox and engine and left in the woods afterwards... An M3 on the street would disappear in a week or two, from anywhere in Norway and Sweden in parked in a public street...
Porsche seems like a safe bet, but only the base models... I think an NSX would be safe too, but in terms of getting keyed (jealousy) I wouldn't sleep well...
Buy an NSX thats already been keyed. Job done.Porsche seems like a safe bet, but only the base models... I think an NSX would be safe too, but in terms of getting keyed (jealousy) I wouldn't sleep well...
Alfa numeric said:
My Elise lives on the street and in the 13 months I've owned it it's never been touched. If you want added security you could always buy a hardtop (or an Exige) or a removable steering wheel.
Elise seems like fun. It's on my list now.PaperCut said:
Well in a similar vein take a look at a Holden Commodore HSV or the Vauxhall Monaro - not sure if they'll be even rarer in your country?! - can't see many people looking twice at them, but at the same time still offering you driving thrills.
Those are probably even rarer... I will look in to it, but maybe that's a car that's difficult to sell later.Depends which street you park it on.
On some anything clean / shiney / worth over £500 is a target.
I ran a £2500 Starion Turbo when I was a student - it was keyed as it was the fastest car in the area and the kids from the street which previously had that accolade were annoyed - Forest Fields - that $hithole was the incentive I had to pass my degree.
On some anything clean / shiney / worth over £500 is a target.
I ran a £2500 Starion Turbo when I was a student - it was keyed as it was the fastest car in the area and the kids from the street which previously had that accolade were annoyed - Forest Fields - that $hithole was the incentive I had to pass my degree.
crocodile tears said:
toned down and debadged rs4?
put crappy wheels on it, a4 badges, change wing mirrors etc
Thought about that.put crappy wheels on it, a4 badges, change wing mirrors etc
Motorrad said:
911, couldn't be more mudane.
Been around so long most people don't pay any attention whatsoever to them. Unless it's in one of the lairy colours.
True. 911 is a boring car to spot in the normal Carrera range.Been around so long most people don't pay any attention whatsoever to them. Unless it's in one of the lairy colours.
redgriff500 said:
Depends which street you park it on.
On some anything clean / shiney / worth over £500 is a target.
I ran a £2500 Starion Turbo when I was a student - it was keyed as it was the fastest car in the area and the kids from the street which previously had that accolade were annoyed - Forest Fields - that $hithole was the incentive I had to pass my degree.
I actually stopped posting so much about my car purchases on a lot of local sites. It seems peoples attitude towards sometime changes if you have a nicer car than them... Part of being a car guy is sharing, so the jealousy one spots from time to time is sad - especially because I'm a nice guy and getting hard time just because I am fulfilling my dreams is not cool.On some anything clean / shiney / worth over £500 is a target.
I ran a £2500 Starion Turbo when I was a student - it was keyed as it was the fastest car in the area and the kids from the street which previously had that accolade were annoyed - Forest Fields - that $hithole was the incentive I had to pass my degree.
I wanted to get get a nice job after college so that I could afford nice cars, that was my motivation.
ApexJimi said:
This depresses the hell out of me.
People should be able to park anything on the street and not worry about some lowlife scumbag either stealing it, or damaging it.
I live in a small village and I still don't park my MX5 on the street.
I know. Everyone here are nice people. I guess nice neighborhoods attract thieves automatically... People should be able to park anything on the street and not worry about some lowlife scumbag either stealing it, or damaging it.
I live in a small village and I still don't park my MX5 on the street.
cheesesliceking said:
Good luck getting insurance on an NSX once you let your insurer know its bring kept on the street!
I have checked, it's lower than M3s, Evo's and other of the usual suspects. When I was 21 and started lusting after the NSX is was too expensive, but I'm in my late 20's now and it's pretty reasonable for the type of car.otolith said:
Personally, I wouldn't want to park an Elise on the street - simple parking accidents do too much damage.
Got to be extra careful picking the spots, no doubt. But it's a small car, door dings shouldn't really be a problem?caraddict said:
I'm getting an amount in a couple of months and as a full time car nut I can't stop thinking about the possibilities. I want something sporty that I can drive daily if the mood is right and that doesn't require the extra expense of renting a closed garage, i.e. something I can park on the street without worrying too much at night. I know it's very relative to the safety of the area one lives in, but there has to be some fairly under the radar cars out there?
-Practicality, gas mileage or comfort not a priority, but has to somewhat reliable
-Manual transmission is preferred
-Ideally I would have bought something like a Z4 M Coupé, early Honda NSX or a 997 Carrera S...
Depends what you want to spend, but a manual V6 SLK seems to tick a lot of those boxes.-Practicality, gas mileage or comfort not a priority, but has to somewhat reliable
-Manual transmission is preferred
-Ideally I would have bought something like a Z4 M Coupé, early Honda NSX or a 997 Carrera S...
Got a few here you may be interested. From what ive heard teh Merc SL AMG can be very expensive to run, just bear that in mind, more so than your other considerations.
I know you were looking at 911's so I though i'd put a couple up here that are very differant.
First is my personal preferance, a 993 version. Nice one here with a bodykit I like, ok ish miles, but I love the colour combo. I admit its over your budget but in terms of depreciation im sure it would fair best out of all of the cars im showing you:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Alternatively there is a 2005 997 Carrera. 39,000 miles, £10,000 worth of extra and just under budget at £24,475:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Secondly I thought you would be able to get a lower mileage V8 M3 for your money, but the Coupes looked better. This one has 25,000 on the clock and costs £24,000. But most importantly it's had its speed limiter removed
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Next is the Jag XK with the supercharged 4.2 V8 (420bhp!. Not much else to say part from that its in a nice colour combo, its one of the newer cars on here and has very low mileage (24,000):
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Finally is the Audi RS4. Some would say that this may be the most complete package. Good value for money, high spec, very good German build quality and pretty damn fast! But the 4wd is a bit safe for me ;-) This car also has 24,000 on the clock:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
I know you were looking at 911's so I though i'd put a couple up here that are very differant.
First is my personal preferance, a 993 version. Nice one here with a bodykit I like, ok ish miles, but I love the colour combo. I admit its over your budget but in terms of depreciation im sure it would fair best out of all of the cars im showing you:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Alternatively there is a 2005 997 Carrera. 39,000 miles, £10,000 worth of extra and just under budget at £24,475:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Secondly I thought you would be able to get a lower mileage V8 M3 for your money, but the Coupes looked better. This one has 25,000 on the clock and costs £24,000. But most importantly it's had its speed limiter removed
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Next is the Jag XK with the supercharged 4.2 V8 (420bhp!. Not much else to say part from that its in a nice colour combo, its one of the newer cars on here and has very low mileage (24,000):
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
Finally is the Audi RS4. Some would say that this may be the most complete package. Good value for money, high spec, very good German build quality and pretty damn fast! But the 4wd is a bit safe for me ;-) This car also has 24,000 on the clock:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2012...
caraddict said:
Got to be extra careful picking the spots, no doubt. But it's a small car, door dings shouldn't really be a problem?
Door dings aren't the problem, it's that there are no front or rear bumpers and the bodywork of the car consists of two large fibreglass clamshells. So a bit of clumsy reverse parking from someone else means you have a damaged clam in need of a few hundred quid's worth of repair or a couple of grand's worth of replacement.Quick troll of SELOC comes up with lots of examples of what happens when some moron reverses into your Elise - this kind of thing:
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