£60k (ish) what to do?

[ThisInJapanese]

Greetings and welcome to the arena of first world problems!

I recently sold my 18 month Civic Type R and picking up a 17 year old S40 the plan is the save a bit more towards a car that has the headline of £60k (ish) and must be special.

This was all started by the release of the Lotus Emira, then sent into a tailspin by the Cayman GTS and it lead me to putting a deposit on a build slot for both cars. The earliest I have to commit to anything is by December this year, until that point everything is refundable.

So, the shortlist goes:
Emira - I have an approximate delivery slot of January 2023, but anything could happen in that timeframe and we still have no confirmed soecs5 or prices

Cayman - March 2022 delivery or June if I want to go to the Boxster. Both can be wrangled into budget, but I'm still trying to get a test drive of a 4.0. I've driven thr 4 cylinder and that's a no no

Outsiders
Toyota Supra - Good value, but doesn't really feel special
Toyota GR86 - No idea when it will hit these shores, is it unpowered or is it perfectly powered.
Alfa Guilia QV - Can something with 4 seats be special
Merc A45 - Don't know if I want to do another shout hot hatch

Thoughts, opinions and left field suggestions please!

[georgeyboy12345]

A V6 Emira seems like the best option, but that wait would kill me! I’m bad enough waiting a week for a used car!

I guess you could have something else for a year or two, then get a lightly used Emira, but then you won’t be able to spec it yourself and what’s to say that prices for used ones won’t go up, given the waiting lists and the current market conditions? I’ll have a trawl through AT later for some other suggestions

[anonymous-user]

Up your budget a smidge and have a look at a 981 GT4.

[nickfrog]

Out of interest, how do you get a new 4.0 within your £60k budget? I can't get one for less than £67k, however hard I compromise the spec.

[shiversaint]

R8 manual? V10s are achievable for that money.

F type SVR

C63 - you could get a nearly new blown W205 or it'd get you into a special edition W204, like a 507 maybe.

AMG GT - so much car for the money and a really eye catching design. Genuinely rare on the road. Small bit of budget creep needed probably but man maths should sort you out on that front.

[cerb4.5lee]

shiversaint said:

AMG GT - so much car for the money and a really eye catching design. Genuinely rare on the road. Small bit of budget creep needed probably but man maths should sort you out on that front.

This is the direction I think I would go in too.

[mikiec]

I’m sure a cayman or boxster is a great drive but they are not a car I’d walk away from and look back at, the Emira definitely would be one.

Assuming the lotus drives well it’s so much more desirable a car than a Porsche IMO. Otherwise the V10 Audi, love mine.

[DodgyGeezer]

cerb4.5lee said:

shiversaint said:

AMG GT - so much car for the money and a really eye catching design. Genuinely rare on the road. Small bit of budget creep needed probably but man maths should sort you out on that front.

This is the direction I think I would go in too.

Me 3

[LeeM135i]

Mercedes C63S Coupe or AMG GTS for the win.

Ive had the same dilemma for the last year, really wanted a 911 but it was just a little too small inside.

Looked at a few AMG GTS, lovely but you will be buying a 5 year old car. Fell in love with the C63S coupe, 95% of the AMG GT but you can take a couple of short mates with you, its a special car!

The C63S coupe is so different to the standard C coupe that they only share the boot lid, doors and roof panel. Its a bit heavy and numb when pushing on but the noise and speed and noise and cornering speeds and noise and noise, its a special thing!

[ZX10R NIN]

If you're happy to wait then it would be the Lotus if you don't want to wait then it would be the Lotus but in the form of the Evora/Exige:

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107165...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107145...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108116...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107265...

[sjc]

https://www.kerridges.co.uk/vehicle/noble-m12-gto-...
I’ve seen this one in the flesh whilst having mine serviced.. it doesn’t get much better.

[A500leroy]

Stick with the Merc, wait a year , buy the Lotus for 40k, leave 20k in the bank.

[nickfrog]

A500leroy said:

Stick with the Merc, wait a year , buy the Lotus for 40k, leave 20k in the bank.

You predict an Emira at £40k in 12 months time. I really hope you're right but I suspect you're way off the mark.

[A500leroy]

nickfrog said:

A500leroy said:

Stick with the Merc, wait a year , buy the Lotus for 40k, leave 20k in the bank.

You predict an Emira at £40k in 12 months time. I really hope you're right but I suspect you're way off the mark.

Id be surprised if Lotus were here in 12mths time..

[georgeyboy12345]

As promised, some rather left-field suggestions


This manual Ferrari 360 Modena should give you some depreciation-free motoring, unlike the Emira
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106234...


Kind of a shame this Dodge Viper is in Northern Ireland. I bet it'd be an absolute hoot to own for a year or two
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010295...


Low mileage Jag F-type R
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107285...


More of a GT than an out and out sports car, but these Lexus LC500s are just lovely, especially in this Sonic Red colour
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108276...


Something more track-focused, should also be depreciation free - Noble M12 GTO-3R
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107175...


Low mileage Nissan GT-R
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108206...


TVR Tuscan S
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010195...

[nickfrog]

A500leroy said:

Id be surprised if Lotus were here in 12mths time..

Are you also predicting that they will have ceased trading within 12 months?

[A500leroy]

nickfrog said:

A500leroy said:

Id be surprised if Lotus were here in 12mths time..

Are you also predicting that they will have ceased trading within 12 months?

yep.

[georgeyboy12345]

nickfrog said:

A500leroy said:

Id be surprised if Lotus were here in 12mths time..

Are you also predicting that they will have ceased trading within 12 months?

Don’t feed the troll. He said something idiotic and rather than concede he might be wrong, he’s persisting with his idiocy to try and save face. Just ignore him.

[A500leroy]

georgeyboy12345 said:

nickfrog said:

A500leroy said:

Id be surprised if Lotus were here in 12mths time..

Are you also predicting that they will have ceased trading within 12 months?

Don’t feed the troll. He said something idiotic and rather than concede he might be wrong, he’s persisting with his idiocy to try and save face. Just ignore him.

Can you really see a little company like lotus making a model line of ev's?. It must have damn near made them bankrupt getting the first one to market.

[fflump]

You get a lot more special by buying used