£10k drivers car?
Author
Discussion

Mashley

Original Poster:

55 posts

114 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
Hey guys,

I know these questions are often asked but the truth is the fluctuation in certain car prices has lead most of the previous threads to be irrelevant... Essentially any 80's hot hatch is far outside of budget, 90's car such as Clio Williams are also either already outside budget, or heading that way (which isn't a bad thing if I buy one).

My current situation is that I own a Lotus Elise, an MX5 track car and an Astra for the daily. I'm selling the Elise and the MX5 to release funds to use towards an offshoot of my current business, however I will have circa £10k left to spend on a car/build to be used for the weekend. I do not have a garage or a driveway so something such as caterham alike would not be practical from a security point of view. E46 M3 would appear to be a money pit at that price (happy to be proved wrong on this). I would like a proper drivers car, and I'm very open to everything from Clio 182 Trophy to e39 M5, I'm just finding it a bit hard to go from the Elise to something that I'd view as a little bit more practical if you know what I mean.

Whats everybody's suggestions?

Cheers

Pistonheader101

2,206 posts

125 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
Stretch a little for a gt86.

stuthemong

2,462 posts

235 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
Not even barely answering your question.

But rx8.

Go try one, hoot to drive, 2k or so!

Way more fun to drive than my e46 M3 was - from elise to e46 you'll struggle IMO. Rx8 quite playful but more grown up than elise in terms of comfort etc...

Just a random thought if you're trying to free cash up for the business.

Best of luck with the new venture!

Quickmoose

5,093 posts

141 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
keep/develop the Elise
or
S2000

kiethton

14,344 posts

198 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
I was going to suggest Elise until you said you have one....I'd say to keep it

deltashad

6,731 posts

215 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
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Save a few k more and you could have a Z4M coupe.

Monkeylegend

27,870 posts

249 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
Westfield or similar, difficult to beat them if the "drivers car" stakes, no compromise, and you won't lose any money.

designforlife

3,742 posts

181 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
Integra DC5, or a K swapped DC2.

g7jhp

7,019 posts

256 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
I swapped from an Mk1 Elise to a Caterham 7 it was a much better drives car IMO and with removable steering wheel and battery cut off switch security is OK, but no driveway would be more of an issue. Plus I'm not sure you'd get the right 7 for £10k.

All hot hatches and bigger cars will feel bloated after an Elise.

Guess it depends on if you need a change.

I'd keep the Elise as you'll struggle to find a better drivers car for £10k.

CABC

6,011 posts

119 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
buying and selling normally comes at a cost. rarely get top price for your sale then you often have to fix things in the new car. PH trading gods don't suffer this, so probably it's just me. So if your Elise is cared for, i'd be thinking of keeping it.

fenby9

76 posts

188 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
Z4 coupe or Porsche Boxster? RX8 would be up there too as someone pointed out, even the later ones are looking like decent value.

Mashley

Original Poster:

55 posts

114 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
Hi guys,

Thanks for all your replies. I appreciate a lot of you have said to keep the Elise, however to be clear these cars are all owned with no finance. As such I have quite a significant amount of equity tied up which I need to release for further business expansion (short term pain, long term gain). By selling the cars I cover the business investment, plus leave myself £10k to spend on a weekend car that will be parked on the street 365 days a year. This isn't a change of car for the sake of it, it's a requirement for increasing my business. I am also short term self employed without even my first years finalised accounts so finance is a non-starter.

I live in Scotland where the car will see significant fast road use and occasional track days. I have no problem with modifying the car, and I'm not overly fussed on resale value. Things that have interested me lately have been oddities such as a clio 172 cup with Turbo conversion, Megane R26 with a lot of inspiration from the R26.R, and an E36 track car which is on eBay for £9k and looks a superb build.

Mashley

Original Poster:

55 posts

114 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all

Mashley

Original Poster:

55 posts

114 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
And this e36 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/292220251822

Things like this still look and feel special on a crisp Sunday morning.

edc

9,442 posts

269 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
986 or 987 Boxster.

FIREBIRDC9

746 posts

155 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
I don't think £10k will get you a better drivers car than the Elise you have already.

My 2p

Mashley

Original Poster:

55 posts

114 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
Guys, thanks for the input regarding DC5, RX8, Boxster etc.

With regards to the multiple posts telling me to keep the Elise, or that I won't find a better car for £10k than the Elise, etc. I'm not sure where the confusion has stemmed from but again, I cannot keep the Elise. The Elise is worth a lot more than £10k. I need to sell the Elise so that I can release the cash tied up in the car to buy equipment for my business. I am then setting aside £10k to still have something fun for the weekends. I fully appreciate that a £10k car in majority of cases may not be as good as an Elise, but as per the two links I've shared above, you can still buy/build some amazing drivers for £10k. I mean you can buy a rough clio 172 cup for under a grand, you can buy an amazing one for £2,500. Trust me, my mates just bought one and it's epic. The only reason I'd shy away from one myself is I'd rather we didn't have the same drivers cars given he spent 2 years trying to find the perfect one, potentially it would take the shine away from his.

So again, £10k drivers car, needs no more practicality than the fact it needs to be watertight and secure from thieves. Nissan 350Z, BMW Z4 3.0 coupe, remapped golf GTi with an LSD and a chunk of interior weight saving. This is pistonheads, not the Sunday times driving section...

24 Lemons

643 posts

114 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
A non rusty fresh import DC2 from Torque GT.

Terminator X

18,290 posts

222 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
BMW 130i? Really loved mine when I had it, first ever car that I contemplated keeping for a long time.

TX.

ZX10R NIN

29,503 posts

143 months

Wednesday 23rd August 2017
quotequote all
It's very hard to look past the Megane RS.

RS265 Trophy

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

RS250 Lux with the Cup Chassis

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...