No more 50 mile a day commute after New Year - What now?

[S9JTO]

Hi all,

I currently drive 50 miles a day via the M62/M602 and have done for the past year. I have recently accepted a new job offer which means I will be able to commute via train after the New Year. My first thought after accepting was that I can now opt for a less economical car along with cheaper insurance premiums.

To give some background; I'm 22 years old (therefore I'm going to struggle insuring a C63 AMG for example (I've tried)), I'll have 1 year NCB and 3 years driving experience - I have no real expenses/bills and responsibilities to consider when looking at a new car (allow the hate), I'm looking for something sub £20-£22k ideally with under 20k miles.

I've currently got a 2017 1.8TSI Ibiza Cupra which I pay 1.3k for fully comp with a few mods declared and 15k mileage - I bought as the interior is superior to all others in the class/price-range, it's relatively quick (stated 0-60 6.7s, I reckon 6.4) and relatively cheap to run, frequently see 45mpg+ on my motorway commute - However this no longer matters, I want something faster and bigger potentially. I have been looking at FL M135i's, M235i's, 8V S3's, 335i saloons and even S15 Spec R's, however any modifications declared makes insurance impossible on those.

Be interested in any input, recommendations and running costs of the above cars if you've owned any.

Edited by S9JTO on Friday 17th November 10:20

[greysquirrel]

I had a lotus elise at your age and loved it. Depends what you want to do with it I suppose (girls might not like being picked up in it).

[S9JTO]

greysquirrel said:

I had a lotus elise at your age and loved it. Depends what you want to do with it I suppose (girls might not like being picked up in it).

I have actually looked at Elise's, a colleague of mine had one and he loved it. My only concern is that I'm 6ft 4, would I fit comfortably? Also, where I live you never see Lotus' so I'm not sure whether it'd be safe on the driveway or in a train station car park.

[langtounlad]

Sadly, I think that your options are constrained by having to park your car in the train station car park where the likelihood of door dings & bumper damage is high.
My wife works in the NHS and as such parks in GP surgery carparks daily.
Her car has just had the rear bumper scuffed again. The car gets scuffed on one of the corners on average 2x per year. I'm totally fed up with this and on first name terms with the local bodyshop and smart repair centre.
It is her P&J and so we always end up getting the damage repaired. We've only once managed to claim off the other persons insurance and that was only because there was a witness that took note of the registration plate.

TL/DR I wouldn't buy a nice car to park in a station car park.

[S9JTO]

langtounlad said:

Sadly, I think that your options are constrained by having to park your car in the train station car park where the likelihood of door dings & bumper damage is high.
My wife works in the NHS and as such parks in GP surgery carparks daily.
Her car has just had the rear bumper scuffed again. The car gets scuffed on one of the corners on average 2x per year. I'm totally fed up with this and on first name terms with the local bodyshop and smart repair centre.
It is her P&J and so we always end up getting the damage repaired. We've only once managed to claim off the other persons insurance and that was only because there was a witness that took note of the registration plate.

TL/DR I wouldn't buy a nice car to park in a station car park.

I know exactly what you mean as I've had this happen to me at my previous workplace when having to park on a train station car park - However this time around there is more parking facilities with some decent CCTV so I'm trying to not let it put me off!

I don't want to avoid buying a nice car purely because I have to park it on a public car park (as much as it will pain me)

[ZX10R NIN]

Take a look at a Nissan 370Z or if you can find one look for a Nismo version.

370Z GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

As good as the above is the Nismo is a proper step up as well as being rare, insurance maybe an issue so check first.

Nismo

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

[SonicShadow]

You could get a mint low mileage Honda S2000 with plenty of change spare.

[DoubleD]

Ooh yes an s2000 would be my choice

[S9JTO]

ZX10R NIN said:

Take a look at a Nissan 370Z or if you can find one look for a Nismo version.

370Z GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

As good as the above is the Nismo is a proper step up as well as being rare, insurance maybe an issue so check first.

Nismo

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...

Thanks for the response mate, never really thought about a 370z - It'd have to be a NISMO though, but they're the very top end of my budget plus the running costs look high! Insurance was also 2.5k

[S9JTO]

SonicShadow said:

You could get a mint low mileage Honda S2000 with plenty of change spare.

Interesting...

Definitely something I'll look in to, just from a quick browse I think I've narrowed it down to; a hard top is a must, and 'GT' spec over roadster for the larger exhausts? Sub 60k miles, FSH and a decent colour (no yellow/red )

[flight147z]

S9JTO said:

SonicShadow said:

You could get a mint low mileage Honda S2000 with plenty of change spare.

Interesting...

Definitely something I'll look in to, just from a quick browse I think I've narrowed it down to; a hard top is a must, and 'GT' spec over roadster for the larger exhausts? Sub 60k miles, FSH and a decent colour (no yellow/red )

If you're looking at a 370z you should consider a z4 e86 too (and potentially a TT which will be similar to your current car but a bit more interesting)

[S9JTO]

flight147z said:

If you're looking at a 370z you should consider a z4 e86 too (and potentially a TT which will be similar to your current car but a bit more interesting)

Thanks for the idea however I find z4's very ugly and the only TT I'm interested in is a 2009 onwards TTRS (The insurance is £2k+)

[SonicShadow]

S9JTO said:

Interesting...

Definitely something I'll look in to, just from a quick browse I think I've narrowed it down to; a hard top is a must, and 'GT' spec over roadster for the larger exhausts? Sub 60k miles, FSH and a decent colour (no yellow/red )

Where there's a will there's a way and all that... Still wouldn't be a GT car though!

[S9JTO]

SonicShadow said:

Where there's a will there's a way and all that... Still wouldn't be a GT car though!

That's a very nice spec - I don't know much about s2k's, were some cars made with a factory fitted 'permanent' hardtop or are they all just convertibles with the option of a hardtop?

[S9JTO]

S9JTO said:

That's a very nice spec - I don't know much about s2k's, were some cars made with a factory fitted 'permanent' hardtop or are they all just convertibles with the option of a hardtop?

By having a closer look at that photo it looks like that is a 'permanent' hardtop for want of a better word...

[SonicShadow]

It's an aftermarket hard top made by Spoon, a well known Honda tuning company in Japan. No idea how much the hard top costs but I bet it's expensive!

Sounds like you're after something a bit bigger / softer than the S2K anyway - 350/370Z as mentioned above is a good shout.

[Terzo123]

At 6'4" you will struggle to fit comfortably in an S2K.

[designforlife]

DC5? similar pedigree to the s2k but eminently more practical, and almost as engaging to drive.

[Stu-nph26]

How much is the insurance on a C63 or e93 M3? You can pick up an M3 for well under 20k now and have a little but left to cover the insurance. that's where my money would go. That or an Elise/VX220 as already suggested.

[JBUK]

Terzo123 said:

At 6'4" you will struggle to fit comfortably in an S2K.

What this guy said, a friend of a similar height bought one through sheer bloodymindedness. He's got an extra low seat rail and given the floor a battering to get some extra clearance but still looks like the Ace Ventura rhino birth scene getting in and out. No adjustable steering wheel height either so takes a bit of getting used to.

370Z Nismo would be a good shout for more of a GT car, nice interior and a good noise with aftermarket exhaust (after you have another year or two's no claims).