£10,000 for a toy. But what should I choose?
Discussion
Hi, basically I have a budget of £10,000 for a car to play with and would love to hear what other people would choose. I can go over budget if needs be. I’m looking for something to be able to track now and again but also a little road use too. It would be a weekend car not a daily. Not bothered about running and service costs as I do a lot of that myself. I like my power and speed too, I’ve been thinking m3 or rs4 but please let me know what you would go for.
Look out for a mk3 Mr2 with the engine conversion done with the 190bhp Toyota Celica vvti.
Quite often cars come up that have had £5-10k thrown at them to give the power they deserve and the handling is already great.
I've seen fully drivable cars sold for £3-5k. Absolute giggle to drive, rest of your cash for maintenance petrol insurance trackdays :-)
Quite often cars come up that have had £5-10k thrown at them to give the power they deserve and the handling is already great.
I've seen fully drivable cars sold for £3-5k. Absolute giggle to drive, rest of your cash for maintenance petrol insurance trackdays :-)
I always think in these threads the op should almost say if the caterham type stuff even has a chance, as I think there are many who just won't entertain their drawbacks for their driving positives.
If they are firmly in one camp or the other (and the cars mentioned suggests he's possibly in the non caterham group?) then the responses/suggestions can be focused better.
If they are firmly in one camp or the other (and the cars mentioned suggests he's possibly in the non caterham group?) then the responses/suggestions can be focused better.
Scootersp said:
I always think in these threads the op should almost say if the caterham type stuff even has a chance, as I think there are many who just won't entertain their drawbacks for their driving positives.
If they are firmly in one camp or the other (and the cars mentioned suggests he's possibly in the non caterham group?) then the responses/suggestions can be focused better.
Also caterham type cars for 10k are often at the raggedy bottom end of the market (ie Robin hood) home brews and often being sold having had a hard life. Then throw in the usual issues with caterhams/westys ie wet weather, big boned drivers etc).If they are firmly in one camp or the other (and the cars mentioned suggests he's possibly in the non caterham group?) then the responses/suggestions can be focused better.
You do see some gems around at £8-10k if you could live with one though.
christopher-vm77g said:
Great replies, thanks. I never thought of a kit car, I suppose that is the ultimate toy. I need a bit of comfort though. I’m quite a big guy and would look like donkey kong in mario kart. I might go test some though, see if they cater for my size.
You'll struggle in most caterham/Westfield/ kit car copies if you are a big un. There are wide chassis options but I wouldn't waste too much time pondering. How big/weight etc? I'm 6ft2 15st and can just about drive one of the wider type but they are a squeeze. I’m 6ft but very broad shoulders, I always remember getting in a friends kit car with him and it was a squash but didn’t know if that was just that model of car. I’ve always liked the kit cars but not sure my body shape is suited to them.
My daily is a focus rs mk3 but I won’t track that.
What are your views on Impreza sti’s?
My daily is a focus rs mk3 but I won’t track that.
What are your views on Impreza sti’s?
Let's face it you can track anything and get different things from it.
If you're considering track days then I presume you've been karting, what's fun and what can you learn about karting, oversteer, learning about balance/weight/conservation of momentum, being low giving the speed sensation.
So on a track whatever the car, things I'd hate would be under steer and just too much grip for the power. Look at caterhams the lowest powered ones have Aygo width tyres the top of the range ones wide'ish road legal semi slicks. This makes them all fun,
If I had a balanced or slightly over steering biased car with enough power that 50-75% throttle openings need to be carefully considered I think I'd have fun on track, whatever the cars make, weight power etc.
If you're considering track days then I presume you've been karting, what's fun and what can you learn about karting, oversteer, learning about balance/weight/conservation of momentum, being low giving the speed sensation.
So on a track whatever the car, things I'd hate would be under steer and just too much grip for the power. Look at caterhams the lowest powered ones have Aygo width tyres the top of the range ones wide'ish road legal semi slicks. This makes them all fun,
If I had a balanced or slightly over steering biased car with enough power that 50-75% throttle openings need to be carefully considered I think I'd have fun on track, whatever the cars make, weight power etc.
A 996. Great road manners. Decent if not amazing on track (but you said you wanted to track it only occasionally).
£10-£12k gets you a good early one, probably high mileage but likely have love and attention lavished on them. They’ll have had the common issues sorted (IMS, RMS etc).
I love mine to bits. I often think it’s time for it to go. Then I drove it and o change my mind. Thanks to covid I might well be forced out of it soon and that thought fills me with dread.
£10-£12k gets you a good early one, probably high mileage but likely have love and attention lavished on them. They’ll have had the common issues sorted (IMS, RMS etc).
I love mine to bits. I often think it’s time for it to go. Then I drove it and o change my mind. Thanks to covid I might well be forced out of it soon and that thought fills me with dread.
Scootersp said:
Let's face it you can track anything and get different things from it.
If you're considering track days then I presume you've been karting, what's fun and what can you learn about karting, oversteer, learning about balance/weight/conservation of momentum, being low giving the speed sensation.
So on a track whatever the car, things I'd hate would be under steer and just too much grip for the power. Look at caterhams the lowest powered ones have Aygo width tyres the top of the range ones wide'ish road legal semi slicks. This makes them all fun,
If I had a balanced or slightly over steering biased car with enough power that 50-75% throttle openings need to be carefully considered I think I'd have fun on track, whatever the cars make, weight power etc.
I’ve done quite a bit of karting and tons of track days in different cars over the years. I totally agree with your comments too. It’s got to be fun and get the heart rate upIf you're considering track days then I presume you've been karting, what's fun and what can you learn about karting, oversteer, learning about balance/weight/conservation of momentum, being low giving the speed sensation.
So on a track whatever the car, things I'd hate would be under steer and just too much grip for the power. Look at caterhams the lowest powered ones have Aygo width tyres the top of the range ones wide'ish road legal semi slicks. This makes them all fun,
If I had a balanced or slightly over steering biased car with enough power that 50-75% throttle openings need to be carefully considered I think I'd have fun on track, whatever the cars make, weight power etc.
christopher-vm77g said:
I’m 6ft but very broad shoulders, I always remember getting in a friends kit car with him and it was a squash but didn’t know if that was just that model of car. I’ve always liked the kit cars but not sure my body shape is suited to them.
My daily is a focus rs mk3 but I won’t track that.
What are your views on Impreza sti’s?
Sti imprezas are fetching strong money. 10k will get you an 04-05 2.0 blobeye, maybe a JDM 01 / 02 bugeye or possibly an 06 / 07 2.5 hawkeye. They are around 30%-40% more expensive than WRX's but, imo they're not worth the extra 30-40%. If you want a fun track car, grab a cheap WRX saloon, strip it out, chuck on a set of decent suspension and budget for an engine rebuild, but in the meantime map it and run it until it explodes.My daily is a focus rs mk3 but I won’t track that.
What are your views on Impreza sti’s?
If you want a road car then keep an eye out for a clean hawkeye STi (not a hatchback on the MY08's / 09's, they had ringland and HG issues). Spec D's are nice (D for discreet - de badged and usually with the low level spoiler), come with leather etc.
Running costs on 07 onwards Imprezas are not cheap, as they fall into the high VED bracket, and enjoy a thirst for 99+ octane fuel.
christopher-vm77g said:
Great replies, thanks. I never thought of a kit car, I suppose that is the ultimate toy. I need a bit of comfort though. I’m quite a big guy and would look like donkey kong in mario kart. I might go test some though, see if they cater for my size.
Many Caterfields are factory built so not specifically a kit car. Those however that are self built are built by enthusiasts and are often as good if not better than factory built.Size wise I think you might be surprised who can fit in them if you go for the widebody versions.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff