Whats the most exciting daily driver I can get for £50k? - Page 1 - Car Buying

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SgtSlay3r

Original Poster

24 posts

71 months

Wednesday 27th October 2021

Hi guys,

Brief bit of background, after some help from yourselves 18 months ago I decided to get a 2017 Merc E43 AMG. It was the first non 2 litre deisel i've ever had and its given me the taste for something with a bit of power. Got a very strong offer on it from Cazoo a week or 2 ago so have sold it with a view of upgrading to something else that will make me smile.

Main thing to consider:
I've put 50k as the budget but could creep over if necessary
I commute to work couple of times a week (50 miles round, B roads) and then will be doing all other social driving in this car
No kids or pets just me and the wife. She's got a 2016 1 series that becomes the sensible car if I go for a 2 seater.
I'm not mechanically minded so if its more than a few years old i'd need to go approved used / warranty etc

Look forward to hearing your suggestions smile

LordHaveMurci

12,334 posts

197 months

Wednesday 27th October 2021

911, R8, V8 Vantage?

Mo28

907 posts

128 months

Wednesday 27th October 2021

Lotus Evora or Exige if you want something more track focused

ZX10R NIN

30,461 posts

153 months

Wednesday 27th October 2021

georgeyboy12345

4,581 posts

63 months

Wednesday 27th October 2021

Canon_Fodder

1,775 posts

91 months

Thursday 28th October 2021

2nd vote for an Alpine here yes

fflump

3,443 posts

66 months

Thursday 28th October 2021

Exciting and daily don't always make comfortable bedfellows, but a 718 Cayman or a Jaguar F-Type are not a bad balance between ride and handling, and your budget would get you one still in manufacturers warranty.

If you're feeling braver maybe a Noble M12, 997 Turbo, TVR Tuscan?

Stick Legs

8,893 posts

193 months

Thursday 28th October 2021

Audi R8.

Porsche 911's are lovely and amazingly capable but the R8's cabin position still feels like a Supercar. And I think that would take a long time to get bored with that.

If it was to be a 3rd car in the house I'd also say buy an Aston Martin V8 Vantage just for the specialness of them.
But even as a fully paid up Aston nut I wouldn't want to rely on one daily in the same way you could with the Audi.

Ash_

5,965 posts

218 months

Thursday 28th October 2021

Evora, all day long.

Olivergt

2,240 posts

109 months

Thursday 28th October 2021

For someone who is not mechanically minded I would suggest the Lexus:

Very left field, you won't see another one for a while.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202110168...

At least go and try one, see how you get on.

The one thing that you can pretty much guarantee is that it will be reliable and not throw up any big bills. Trips to the dealer should be for normal servicing only and hopefully quite pleasant.

Review here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGf2Z48-R3A

garreth64

664 posts

249 months

Thursday 28th October 2021

If you're going to consider Lexus you can get an LC500 for just over £50k.

Not sure how exciting it is though, more of a cruiser, but it looks good, also has a V8 and is even rarer. Looks like an RC F and i8 had a love child.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108025...

Olivergt said:

nuttywobbler

349 posts

90 months

Thursday 28th October 2021

I’d go for something a little different.

A good colleague of mine had a similar dilemma recently, and decided to recreate his own version of the Renault Espace F1 from the 90’s.

His base car was the superb Ford S Max, with the formidable 2.5 turbo engine (as found in the Focus ST). He fitted a larger turbo, intake and had it remapped to almost 290bhp. Koni struts all around, with lowered springs. He fitted bigger brakes from a Mondeo, along with Mintex fast road pads. Finally, he removed all the seats, then refitted a drivers seat from a BMW E36 M3 Evolution.

The end result was remarkable - and is achievable for less than £50k. Unique, and very fast.

Roger Irrelevant

3,380 posts

141 months

Friday 29th October 2021

I could potentially be in a similar position to the OP before long and was thinking along the lines of A45S, the new RS3 etc, largely because you can get one virtually new for that price - I've got no interest in fixing cars myself either - and the performance is ballistic. However I appreciate they're not as special as R8s, Evoras, GTRs etc. Tbh it's all irrelevant now as the answer was obvious all along - if you've £50k to spend on an exciting car but don't want to get your hands dirty and would like the safety an approved used car brings then what do you do? Why, you heavily modify a Ford S Max of course! I can't believe it wasn't mentioned right at the top; close the thread this one's done.

SgtSlay3r

Original Poster

24 posts

71 months

Friday 29th October 2021

Thanks for all the replies so far guys

I think they look cool but the very raw sports cars like the Lotus suggestions just wouldn't fly with the wife.
The Nissan GTRs are cool, i've not actually seen one up close, just on the road so might see if I can find a local one to check out
There is a local Quadrifoglio that I went to see yesterday but I think I prefer the styles of the M3/M4, the RS5 in that sort of range
F Type i'm going to try drive this weekend. They seem pretty good middle options between being sporty, unique, quick enough, sensible price. Are the 3.0 engines the right version to go for?
There is a yellow 718 Cayman locally that I think looks amazing just a shame its in yellow not something a little bit less in your face. I have been watching lots of Caymans on youtube since. I'd like to drive one but will mean travelling to a dealer if I find the right spec

I'm based in North Yorkshire so I think the weekend will be spent trying out a few different options locally seeing your guys suggestions in person

georgeyboy12345

4,581 posts

63 months

Friday 29th October 2021

The supercharged 3.0 V6 in the F-type is great, but why not go for the supercharged 5.0 V8 R? You can afford it!

Edit: also, isn’t the 3.0 one actually a bit slower than your E43?

Edited by georgeyboy12345 on Friday 29th October 13:24

TurboHatchback

4,236 posts

181 months

Friday 29th October 2021

If exciting is what you really want then something with no roof, no doors and no windscreen will be the ultimate answer. An Ariel Atom or high power Caterham being the obvious candidates. All the big heavy GT cars suggested are fast enough for sure but exciting? I don't think so.

david-j8694

501 posts

76 months

Friday 29th October 2021

TurboHatchback said:

If exciting is what you really want then something with no roof, no doors and no windscreen will be the ultimate answer. An Ariel Atom or high power Caterham being the obvious candidates. All the big heavy GT cars suggested are fast enough for sure but exciting? I don't think so.

I agree with this.

Big, heavy GT cars, even ones with stonking engines, will feel like lovely places to be and hugely accomplished tools for the job, but they don't make you want to grab the keys and go for a blast. An Atom or Caterham might be too far the other way for most, though.

For me, an exciting daily driver is going to be a proper sports car that isn't too compromised - a Cayman is hard to beat in this respect.

Edited by david-j8694 on Friday 29th October 13:59

wilksy61

439 posts

144 months

Friday 29th October 2021

Can't beat the Mustang GT for smiles and price, another £10K gets you a fully fitted supercharger for a nice 725BHP

Super Sonic

13,983 posts

82 months

Friday 29th October 2021

Civic type R

eleveneleven

163 posts

63 months

Saturday 30th October 2021

My neighbor has an R8. It's beautiful, stupid Fast, comfortable enough to live as a daily and feels special being sat in one, I have no idea what they're going for at the moment though, but definitely worth looking at one if in budget

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