Keeping it simple? - what simple daily sports car for £10k??
Discussion
Ok - not sure how viable this, but for my 40th I wanted a V8 convertible. It had to seat 4 so I got myself a bmw 645ci cabriolet.
Approaching a year later I fancy a change, but I've had enough of the many bings, bongs and constant messages most modern cars keep giving out.
I just want together in it and enjoy the simple sensation of driving. I know it's cold, i put a coat on - I don't need a car to tell me when it's 3 degrees outside.
So what to get then? Criteria are 4x seats, coupe but preferably convertible. Used daily for station commute but regular motorway rubs, reliable but something straight forward without going too far classic. Just the 1 car please, budget £10-12k thoughts so far are;
Cerbera
Pre-89 911
968
80's mercedes SL
E30 325 is or cabriolet
Anything I've missed?
Approaching a year later I fancy a change, but I've had enough of the many bings, bongs and constant messages most modern cars keep giving out.
I just want together in it and enjoy the simple sensation of driving. I know it's cold, i put a coat on - I don't need a car to tell me when it's 3 degrees outside.
So what to get then? Criteria are 4x seats, coupe but preferably convertible. Used daily for station commute but regular motorway rubs, reliable but something straight forward without going too far classic. Just the 1 car please, budget £10-12k thoughts so far are;
Cerbera
Pre-89 911
968
80's mercedes SL
E30 325 is or cabriolet
Anything I've missed?
I guess I have missed out on price movements lately but can you really still get a decent pre '89 911 3.2 for 10k?
If so that would be the winner for me.
Heaters are not great in old 911's but can be sorted and otherwise you end up with a very usable, fantastic to drive, reliable,etc etc car !
Have to allow for looking after the body but I think the early 80's cars are all generally ok as long you keep on top. I had the less desirable 3.0 ('79) and it was fabulous but the body work was begining to suffer and was going to cost a lot to fix so had to let it go unless I could find a nice home for it.
If so that would be the winner for me.
Heaters are not great in old 911's but can be sorted and otherwise you end up with a very usable, fantastic to drive, reliable,etc etc car !
Have to allow for looking after the body but I think the early 80's cars are all generally ok as long you keep on top. I had the less desirable 3.0 ('79) and it was fabulous but the body work was begining to suffer and was going to cost a lot to fix so had to let it go unless I could find a nice home for it.
Rakoosh said:
I guess I have missed out on price movements lately but can you really still get a decent pre '89 911 3.2 for 10k?
If so that would be the winner for me.
Heaters are not great in old 911's but can be sorted and otherwise you end up with a very usable, fantastic to drive, reliable,etc etc car !
Have to allow for looking after the body but I think the early 80's cars are all generally ok as long you keep on top. I had the less desirable 3.0 ('79) and it was fabulous but the body work was begining to suffer and was going to cost a lot to fix so had to let it go unless I could find a nice home for it.
Not a chance, think 2x that budget for a 'decent' one.If so that would be the winner for me.
Heaters are not great in old 911's but can be sorted and otherwise you end up with a very usable, fantastic to drive, reliable,etc etc car !
Have to allow for looking after the body but I think the early 80's cars are all generally ok as long you keep on top. I had the less desirable 3.0 ('79) and it was fabulous but the body work was begining to suffer and was going to cost a lot to fix so had to let it go unless I could find a nice home for it.
SS7
I would worry the XK range are going to cause the same problems - just too complex.
Early 911's seem to have gone through the roof value wise recently. Occasional targa or cab turns up but guess there is a greater risk of buying a basket case at this end of the market which costs the same again to get going.
S2000 is nice, but don't think the boot is big enough for my 2
Early 911's seem to have gone through the roof value wise recently. Occasional targa or cab turns up but guess there is a greater risk of buying a basket case at this end of the market which costs the same again to get going.
S2000 is nice, but don't think the boot is big enough for my 2
To be honest I'm a massive Cerbera fan and they do not burst in to flames every day, however they do come with supercar running costs despite the purchase price appearing to be within your budget.
Obviously I don't know the rest of your financial circumstances, but unless you can average a few thousand quid each year on maintenance - sometimes more, often less, but on average it's about that - without resenting it then being realistic I'd look elsewhere. Although lots of magazines and websites will tell you that you'll get a Cerbera for £10-12k, the reality is that you won't get a sorted one with evidence of maintenance history. I deliberately avoided saying service history there. You want a car with a recent clutch and slave cylinder change, recent dampers, recent bushes, recent rear brakes, evidence of corner weighting and full geo setup, proof that there's plenty meat left in the inlet valve tappet shims, a good chassis etc etc. You're looking at close to double your budget for a well cared for example with most of that inexhaustive list taken care of. £10k Cerberas are either in need of all the above expense, or have a chassis in need of restoration in the next year or two, or are un-rebuilt early Speed Six engines which although possibly fine are seen as high-risk because it's only really post-TVR that the specialists identified what caused the failures and eradicated the problem. A more recent rebuilt Speed Six however usually comes with a warranty that would shame most mainstream manufacturers...
They're also at the 'hardcore' end of daily drivers. Ok, they have a roof and some semblence of heating and cooling inside but they're too raw for my tastes day in, day out. I do use mine regularly, but I would tire of it if it were my only car.
HTH
Obviously I don't know the rest of your financial circumstances, but unless you can average a few thousand quid each year on maintenance - sometimes more, often less, but on average it's about that - without resenting it then being realistic I'd look elsewhere. Although lots of magazines and websites will tell you that you'll get a Cerbera for £10-12k, the reality is that you won't get a sorted one with evidence of maintenance history. I deliberately avoided saying service history there. You want a car with a recent clutch and slave cylinder change, recent dampers, recent bushes, recent rear brakes, evidence of corner weighting and full geo setup, proof that there's plenty meat left in the inlet valve tappet shims, a good chassis etc etc. You're looking at close to double your budget for a well cared for example with most of that inexhaustive list taken care of. £10k Cerberas are either in need of all the above expense, or have a chassis in need of restoration in the next year or two, or are un-rebuilt early Speed Six engines which although possibly fine are seen as high-risk because it's only really post-TVR that the specialists identified what caused the failures and eradicated the problem. A more recent rebuilt Speed Six however usually comes with a warranty that would shame most mainstream manufacturers...
They're also at the 'hardcore' end of daily drivers. Ok, they have a roof and some semblence of heating and cooling inside but they're too raw for my tastes day in, day out. I do use mine regularly, but I would tire of it if it were my only car.
HTH
Yeah after reading the OPs post and responding I had a quick look and not only have they firmed up they have gone higher than I remember!
Fabulous cars hence rightly priced I would say.
Loads of 996's sub 10k now ... wow.
Fabulous cars hence rightly priced I would say.
Loads of 996's sub 10k now ... wow.
shoestring7 said:
Not a chance, think 2x that budget for a 'decent' one.
SS7
SS7
jamieduff1981 said:
To be honest I'm a massive Cerbera fan and they do not burst in to flames every day, however they do come with supercar running costs despite the purchase price appearing to be within your budget.
Obviously I don't know the rest of your financial circumstances, but unless you can average a few thousand quid each year on maintenance - sometimes more, often less, but on average it's about that - without resenting it then being realistic I'd look elsewhere. Although lots of magazines and websites will tell you that you'll get a Cerbera for £10-12k, the reality is that you won't get a sorted one with evidence of maintenance history. I deliberately avoided saying service history there. You want a car with a recent clutch and slave cylinder change, recent dampers, recent bushes, recent rear brakes, evidence of corner weighting and full geo setup, proof that there's plenty meat left in the inlet valve tappet shims, a good chassis etc etc. You're looking at close to double your budget for a well cared for example with most of that inexhaustive list taken care of. £10k Cerberas are either in need of all the above expense, or have a chassis in need of restoration in the next year or two, or are un-rebuilt early Speed Six engines which although possibly fine are seen as high-risk because it's only really post-TVR that the specialists identified what caused the failures and eradicated the problem. A more recent rebuilt Speed Six however usually comes with a warranty that would shame most mainstream manufacturers...
They're also at the 'hardcore' end of daily drivers. Ok, they have a roof and some semblence of heating and cooling inside but they're too raw for my tastes day in, day out. I do use mine regularly, but I would tire of it if it were my only car.
HTH
Thanks Jamie - perfect, reasoned feedback - massively valuable - love the look and sound of the Cerbera, but don't fancy buying a basket case which sounds like the budget would be looking at. better scrub that from the list.Obviously I don't know the rest of your financial circumstances, but unless you can average a few thousand quid each year on maintenance - sometimes more, often less, but on average it's about that - without resenting it then being realistic I'd look elsewhere. Although lots of magazines and websites will tell you that you'll get a Cerbera for £10-12k, the reality is that you won't get a sorted one with evidence of maintenance history. I deliberately avoided saying service history there. You want a car with a recent clutch and slave cylinder change, recent dampers, recent bushes, recent rear brakes, evidence of corner weighting and full geo setup, proof that there's plenty meat left in the inlet valve tappet shims, a good chassis etc etc. You're looking at close to double your budget for a well cared for example with most of that inexhaustive list taken care of. £10k Cerberas are either in need of all the above expense, or have a chassis in need of restoration in the next year or two, or are un-rebuilt early Speed Six engines which although possibly fine are seen as high-risk because it's only really post-TVR that the specialists identified what caused the failures and eradicated the problem. A more recent rebuilt Speed Six however usually comes with a warranty that would shame most mainstream manufacturers...
They're also at the 'hardcore' end of daily drivers. Ok, they have a roof and some semblence of heating and cooling inside but they're too raw for my tastes day in, day out. I do use mine regularly, but I would tire of it if it were my only car.
HTH
As i originally thought - there aren't a huge amount of choices out there....
I would have imagined that an rx-8 with a sensible engine coversion could be made to happen for 10-12k. Then you really would be able to seat 4. I can't think of anything else that I'd class as a sports car with 4 useable seats for that budget.
The later ones have some nicer styling touches.
A bit down market compared to your 6 series, admittedly, but if that's not an issue, you could have a good car there, I think.
The later ones have some nicer styling touches.
A bit down market compared to your 6 series, admittedly, but if that's not an issue, you could have a good car there, I think.
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