Can’t find a car...
Discussion
The new stuff is dull or heavy, the old stuff unjustifiably expensive (in my eyes) and supercars are out of range...
Currently drive an S3 which was only meant to be a stop gap but I’ve now had it for 3 years- it is immense (dull to some I know...and they’re wrong!). This was following on from e92 M3.
About 10 years ago there was loads of stuff I liked... now nothing (exotica aside which is out of my league anyway) takes my eye. The only thing to come close is the Giulia QF.
Am I just becoming a grumpy old git before my time or is it more challenging to find something interesting these days? And is that why stuff I believe should be cheap (e46 M3, S2000 for example) is now a bit rich in price for what they are?... subjective I know but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the funds people want for them.
Currently drive an S3 which was only meant to be a stop gap but I’ve now had it for 3 years- it is immense (dull to some I know...and they’re wrong!). This was following on from e92 M3.
About 10 years ago there was loads of stuff I liked... now nothing (exotica aside which is out of my league anyway) takes my eye. The only thing to come close is the Giulia QF.
Am I just becoming a grumpy old git before my time or is it more challenging to find something interesting these days? And is that why stuff I believe should be cheap (e46 M3, S2000 for example) is now a bit rich in price for what they are?... subjective I know but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the funds people want for them.
whp1983 said:
Am I just becoming a grumpy old git before my time or is it more challenging to find something interesting these days? And is that why stuff I believe should be cheap (e46 M3, S2000 for example) is now a bit rich in price for what they are?... subjective I know but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the funds people want for them.
That's pretty much how I feel, I seem cursed an need to be more spontaneous, every time i start thinking give it a year or so an I quite fancy a M3/s2000/dc5 integra/z4 coupe/944t/ the prices start climbing. Is the very worst M3 worth 3-4 times what a good 330ci is when the was circa 20% more expensive new.My other second hand car moan is silver cars, far too many of them with everyone being told buy silver cars they are a safe bet blah blah, well then, I want a Carbon black, Laguna seca blue or Imola Red M3 but some are upwards of 50% more than a silver one.
Well, I have just driven four and a half hours, which should have taken three and a half. Just traffic and road works. Too many people blocking lane 2 on dual carriageways, if they had pulled in, I could have passed without impeding them. It is the overcrowded roads.
I have a silver car, because they show little dirt. To me there are zillions of ŵhite cars around. Next car will probably be a Forester and I will explore wilder pastures.
I have a silver car, because they show little dirt. To me there are zillions of ŵhite cars around. Next car will probably be a Forester and I will explore wilder pastures.
aka_kerrly said:
That's pretty much how I feel, I seem cursed an need to be more spontaneous, every time i start thinking give it a year or so an I quite fancy a M3/s2000/dc5 integra/z4 coupe/944t/ the prices start climbing. Is the very worst M3 worth 3-4 times what a good 330ci is when the was circa 20% more expensive new.
My other second hand car moan is silver cars, far too many of them with everyone being told buy silver cars they are a safe bet blah blah, well then, I want a Carbon black, Laguna seca blue or Imola Red M3 but some are upwards of 50% more than a silver one.
Agreed.... dread to think how much a techno violet or oxford green M3 would be priced for example. My other second hand car moan is silver cars, far too many of them with everyone being told buy silver cars they are a safe bet blah blah, well then, I want a Carbon black, Laguna seca blue or Imola Red M3 but some are upwards of 50% more than a silver one.
whp1983 said:
The new stuff is dull or heavy, the old stuff unjustifiably expensive (in my eyes) and supercars are out of range...
Currently drive an S3 which was only meant to be a stop gap but I’ve now had it for 3 years- it is immense (dull to some I know...and they’re wrong!). This was following on from e92 M3.
About 10 years ago there was loads of stuff I liked... now nothing (exotica aside which is out of my league anyway) takes my eye. The only thing to come close is the Giulia QF.
Am I just becoming a grumpy old git before my time or is it more challenging to find something interesting these days? And is that why stuff I believe should be cheap (e46 M3, S2000 for example) is now a bit rich in price for what they are?... subjective I know but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the funds people want for them.
I'm a bit confused. I'd love to recommend you a car, but the cars that you've listed as liking are all fairly lightweight (for what they are) rear drive cars without too much refinement and offering old school thrills without flashing lights and fancy gearboxes, but the car you've got right now and like isn't anything like that, in fact it's the exact opposite; it's a quiet, efficient, grippy hatchback with a turn of speed. What are you looking for in a car? A pure driving experience without modern trickery, or a grippy and efficient performance car capable of speed without involvement?Currently drive an S3 which was only meant to be a stop gap but I’ve now had it for 3 years- it is immense (dull to some I know...and they’re wrong!). This was following on from e92 M3.
About 10 years ago there was loads of stuff I liked... now nothing (exotica aside which is out of my league anyway) takes my eye. The only thing to come close is the Giulia QF.
Am I just becoming a grumpy old git before my time or is it more challenging to find something interesting these days? And is that why stuff I believe should be cheap (e46 M3, S2000 for example) is now a bit rich in price for what they are?... subjective I know but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend the funds people want for them.
Edited by RobM77 on Friday 27th October 16:14
Toltec said:
If I were after a new medium size everyday car now I'd probably try an M240i, in some respects a 228i Msport would do, but once you add a few options they are not much cheaper than an M240i due to the discounts.
This, the M240i is a fantastic car. Not perfect, but its close enough that you dont care about the little faults. My biggest issue with my M240i is that it's not a small car any more, it seems closer to a GT than a sports car. Baring that month I owned a Ford Econovan (rebadged Mazda Bongo in Oz) its the biggest car I've owned.Sadly, small, light-weight, powerful and affordable sports cars seem to be rare as hens teeth these days. Toyota is at least trying with the 86 but they seem to be getting universally panned because it hasn't got eleventy bajillion horsepowers.
When looking at the M240i, I also looked at the new 230i. There was only a few grand in it and highly tuned 2L turbos tend to lack overtaking power in my experience (poor 40 to 80 performance seems to be a common trait of cars with small engines and big turbos). Given the 230i wasn't really any smaller or lighter, there was no competition really.
aka_kerrly said:
That's pretty much how I feel, I seem cursed an need to be more spontaneous, every time i start thinking give it a year or so an I quite fancy a M3/s2000/dc5 integra/z4 coupe/944t/ the prices start climbing. Is the very worst M3 worth 3-4 times what a good 330ci is when the was circa 20% more expensive new.
I suggest being a be less, not more spontaneous, i.e.a bit more coldly calculating about your timing. The time to buy an oldish car for not very much money is the time when absolutely nobody wants them, not when signficant numbers of people have realised how much better they are than the new stuff, and they are appearing regularly in the classics magazines. Terminally unfashionable cars with a whiff of council estate about them. All those you mention in your list had that phase and are now out the other side of it, they are now fashionable again.
When you buy a car that you personally like but everyone else says "blimey, why have you bought that piece of old tat, can't you afford something better?", that's the right time to buy them. It's also the period when lots of people will tell you you're mad spending money on properly maintaining and refurbishing the car - "full suspension rebuild? that's more than the car's worth, mate".
I'd recommend a DC5, but it's one of that current crop that's appreciating and showing no signs of stopping.
You have to be pretty dedicated to shell out £9k on a 15 year old car that only cost mid twenties when it was new.
That said if you do buy that, or an s2k, or an m3...values are only going up, so you won't lose money.
You have to be pretty dedicated to shell out £9k on a 15 year old car that only cost mid twenties when it was new.
That said if you do buy that, or an s2k, or an m3...values are only going up, so you won't lose money.
It is how the CS is priced these days. But if you can make do with a standard M3 they're a lot cheaper.
£25K is a biggish chunk of spare cash for most people. If you can do it, and don't mind putting £25K into a fun car, perhaps better to put £25K into a really good example of a car that's likely to hold its value because it's been to the bottom of its depreciation curve.
But if you want to buy a depreciation-free car at nearer, say, £8K, because that's as much as you feel comfortable tying up, you may need to widen your net a little. Normally aspirated 944? Or something newer that's only just bottoming out now.
£25K is a biggish chunk of spare cash for most people. If you can do it, and don't mind putting £25K into a fun car, perhaps better to put £25K into a really good example of a car that's likely to hold its value because it's been to the bottom of its depreciation curve.
But if you want to buy a depreciation-free car at nearer, say, £8K, because that's as much as you feel comfortable tying up, you may need to widen your net a little. Normally aspirated 944? Or something newer that's only just bottoming out now.
Edited by Lowtimer on Friday 27th October 20:10
whp1983 said:
What do I want... great question- I flick from Lotus exige (with a barge during the week) to M4 all rounder and everything in between. Would love an e46 m3 CS but am loathe to shell out £25k+ for one.... but maybe that’s just how it’s priced these days!
You need to know what you want from your potential purchase that way you can work out the kind of cars you could possibly want, as for the prices well that's the way the market is right now people are appreciating cars that don't need ten computers to run them so don't expect that market to loosen up anytime soon.If you don't want to pay the money for a good older model then go & buy a more modern car that's in reality isn't going to be as much fun & will probably depreciate faster.
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