Discussion
I am starting to look at options for a weekend car, I have a few ideas but would like to hear what other people think so I can look at all the options. The car will mainly be for weekends but I would like it to be easier to use, I have had an Exige before and while I loved it going to a restaurant in it was less easy for my wife and I.
I drive a quick EV for work, so I want something to excite me, manual gearbox box, 2 seat and an engine that little bit special., I would like to be at or over 300bhp per ton and under £50k.
Finally I am not after a car that going to ruin me over the next 5 years, so while a 996 might seem to fit the engine issues on certain models would put me off
Thanks in advance
I drive a quick EV for work, so I want something to excite me, manual gearbox box, 2 seat and an engine that little bit special., I would like to be at or over 300bhp per ton and under £50k.
Finally I am not after a car that going to ruin me over the next 5 years, so while a 996 might seem to fit the engine issues on certain models would put me off
Thanks in advance
simsith said:
I am starting to look at options for a weekend car, I have a few ideas but would like to hear what other people think so I can look at all the options. The car will mainly be for weekends but I would like it to be easier to use, I have had an Exige before and while I loved it going to a restaurant in it was less easy for my wife and I.
I drive a quick EV for work, so I want something to excite me, manual gearbox box, 2 seat and an engine that little bit special., I would like to be at or over 300bhp per ton and under £50k.
Finally I am not after a car that going to ruin me over the next 5 years, so while a 996 might seem to fit the engine issues on certain models would put me off
Thanks in advance
I assume you could buy a 996 turbo for under £50k, and they don't suffer the same engine issues. Having had one, I don't think they're exciting enough to be a weekend car - but if the only thing that would stop you looking at 996s is the engine problems, then it could be an option.I drive a quick EV for work, so I want something to excite me, manual gearbox box, 2 seat and an engine that little bit special., I would like to be at or over 300bhp per ton and under £50k.
Finally I am not after a car that going to ruin me over the next 5 years, so while a 996 might seem to fit the engine issues on certain models would put me off
Thanks in advance
I loved my Aston Martin Vantage, every drive felt like a special occasion. Unfortunately a V12 is out of budget, but don't discount the V8 even if it does fall slightly below your power requirements.
If power is non-negotiable then I'd be looking at an Audi R8 V10 manual.
I had a 996 a few years ago but never really gelled with it; compared to the (admittedly much more expensive) Aston it felt plain and boring.
If power is non-negotiable then I'd be looking at an Audi R8 V10 manual.
I had a 996 a few years ago but never really gelled with it; compared to the (admittedly much more expensive) Aston it felt plain and boring.
GR_TVR said:
I loved my Aston Martin Vantage, every drive felt like a special occasion. Unfortunately a V12 is out of budget, but don't discount the V8 even if it does fall slightly below your power requirements.
If power is non-negotiable then I'd be looking at an Audi R8 V10 manual.
I had a 996 a few years ago but never really gelled with it; compared to the (admittedly much more expensive) Aston it felt plain and boring.
Ok, so the power is fine on this sort or engine, I'd never really thought about an Aston, in my head I was thinking it would be unreliable, but not sure why, I understand the V8 is characterful so that would work and it's a pretty car too is there any particular spec or cars to look for?If power is non-negotiable then I'd be looking at an Audi R8 V10 manual.
I had a 996 a few years ago but never really gelled with it; compared to the (admittedly much more expensive) Aston it felt plain and boring.
Robertb said:
How about an Audi R8 V8 manual? Gated gearshift, glass engine cover and an 8500rpm dry-sumped V8, lovely. Hard to see it losing much money from here.
R8 is one I had thought about yes, I was thinking 4wd was the only downside, I assume parts are not too dear due to shared bits with other RS models and they sound wonderful, I like the idea of a gated shift and price wise seems a lot of car for the money I assume mainly because a lot were registered and it's not got a special badge on the bonnet, I had also thought lotus Evora as the V6 in that reviews well.Thank you
Squeeze into a later Evora? Smaller sills and a slightly more modern interior
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16278295
Supercharged Mustang GT to get that power to weight ratio along with a load of character.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17522135
F-Type V8 - special engine, usable, character
(None available right now)
Goes against your criteria potentially if an Exige was too much faff, but a Corvette?
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16762249
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16278295
Supercharged Mustang GT to get that power to weight ratio along with a load of character.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17522135
F-Type V8 - special engine, usable, character
(None available right now)
Goes against your criteria potentially if an Exige was too much faff, but a Corvette?
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16762249
simsith said:
Ok, so the power is fine on this sort or engine, I'd never really thought about an Aston, in my head I was thinking it would be unreliable, but not sure why, I understand the V8 is characterful so that would work and it's a pretty car too is there any particular spec or cars to look for?
My 996 turbo was replaced by a V8 Vantage.Was perfectly reliable - had barely any problems, and was a car I liked a lot. Mine was a bit gutless (I had the 4.3) but with your budget I think it would be late enough to have a bit more go.
The Porsche was very fast, but very bland to drive - the Aston always felt special.
A Tuscan has lightness on its side, plenty of theatre and >300/tonne.
An Evora has a delightful chassis to contrast to the EV and certainly isn't slow.
I think a Vantage has charisma but might be too heavy for your needs?
300/tonne under 50k is a tough call.
After a fast EV I think many people would really appreciate a lightweight fun car, even if they don't fully realise it yet!
An Evora has a delightful chassis to contrast to the EV and certainly isn't slow.
I think a Vantage has charisma but might be too heavy for your needs?
300/tonne under 50k is a tough call.
After a fast EV I think many people would really appreciate a lightweight fun car, even if they don't fully realise it yet!
simsith said:
Ok, so the power is fine on this sort or engine, I'd never really thought about an Aston, in my head I was thinking it would be unreliable, but not sure why, I understand the V8 is characterful so that would work and it's a pretty car too is there any particular spec or cars to look for?
Nope, generally very reliable cars. There's a lot of choice out there, I'd recommend getting an e-book called "the definitive guide to Gaydon era Aston Martin" - it'll tell you everything you need to know.
In your position, I'd probably be looking to get the newest manual S or N430 I could, preferably with haptic dash and lightweight carbon seats.
Belle427 said:
A 996 Turbo is a bit of a dream car for me, id get excited just looking at it so in not sure why they always get described as boring.
Because they are - at least to quite a few people. Mine never really felt like a sports car, let alone a car that was exciting to drive.
It was fast, it was very good at some things - but it would be pretty close to the bottom of the list of cars I've enjoyed driving
OP what makes a weekend car for you?
Does it have to be a car you can track or just something that looks and sounds great?
For me the exige is hard to beat, but as you have pointed out comes with comfort compromises!
Obvious more comfortable choice is an Evora which in my eyes is a lovely thing and amazing to drive. Certainly more GT than the Evora and reliability is surprisingly good and lotus servicing is actually quite reasonable. Little bit of budget creep gets you into Emira territory....
An alpine A110 meant to be an amazing drive but not hitting power requirements and maybe not "special" enough?
50k would get you into an early AMG GT.
I also think that a lexus LC 500 in V8 guise is gorgeous but maybe not so much a drivers car.
Of the previous suggested options the Audi R8 would be my driver's choice but the Aston the pretty choice.
Left field thought. Forgot ICE and get a Taycan or an e-tron?
Does it have to be a car you can track or just something that looks and sounds great?
For me the exige is hard to beat, but as you have pointed out comes with comfort compromises!
Obvious more comfortable choice is an Evora which in my eyes is a lovely thing and amazing to drive. Certainly more GT than the Evora and reliability is surprisingly good and lotus servicing is actually quite reasonable. Little bit of budget creep gets you into Emira territory....
An alpine A110 meant to be an amazing drive but not hitting power requirements and maybe not "special" enough?
50k would get you into an early AMG GT.
I also think that a lexus LC 500 in V8 guise is gorgeous but maybe not so much a drivers car.
Of the previous suggested options the Audi R8 would be my driver's choice but the Aston the pretty choice.
Left field thought. Forgot ICE and get a Taycan or an e-tron?
drgoatboy said:
OP what makes a weekend car for you?
Does it have to be a car you can track or just something that looks and sounds great?
For me the exige is hard to beat, but as you have pointed out comes with comfort compromises!
Obvious more comfortable choice is an Evora which in my eyes is a lovely thing and amazing to drive. Certainly more GT than the Evora and reliability is surprisingly good and lotus servicing is actually quite reasonable. Little bit of budget creep gets you into Emira territory....
An alpine A110 meant to be an amazing drive but not hitting power requirements and maybe not "special" enough?
50k would get you into an early AMG GT.
I also think that a lexus LC 500 in V8 guise is gorgeous but maybe not so much a drivers car.
Of the previous suggested options the Audi R8 would be my driver's choice but the Aston the pretty choice.
Left field thought. Forgot ICE and get a Taycan or an e-tron?
Hi, for me it's the joy of driving, I'm not in to tracking my own car, I would always rent one for that, so it's mainly to go for a nice drive on purpose or to drive to a restaurant or pub in, I'd like to be able to go to the lake District for a long weekend which is about 4 hours for me, so it needs to still be usable.Does it have to be a car you can track or just something that looks and sounds great?
For me the exige is hard to beat, but as you have pointed out comes with comfort compromises!
Obvious more comfortable choice is an Evora which in my eyes is a lovely thing and amazing to drive. Certainly more GT than the Evora and reliability is surprisingly good and lotus servicing is actually quite reasonable. Little bit of budget creep gets you into Emira territory....
An alpine A110 meant to be an amazing drive but not hitting power requirements and maybe not "special" enough?
50k would get you into an early AMG GT.
I also think that a lexus LC 500 in V8 guise is gorgeous but maybe not so much a drivers car.
Of the previous suggested options the Audi R8 would be my driver's choice but the Aston the pretty choice.
Left field thought. Forgot ICE and get a Taycan or an e-tron?
The power thing is only from previous experience, I had an Exige s s2 before, while it was an amazing car 240ps from the 1.8 always felt a little lacking if I used it on a duel carriageway, or at higher speed, 0 to 60 is not the aim here.
Evora is high on my list, being a lotus fan, great engine, gearbox and chassis, better room and easier to live with plus the right sort of power, I was unsure on Emira as while I think it looks fantastic it seems to be hot or miss on ownership reviews and the cheaper ones are likely to be paint issue cars, with the Evora I can get a later model with all the improvements.
The Alpine, it just does not do it for me, I don't know why
Porsche is a good option, the Spyder looks great, the roof however may become a faff for regular use, the GTS looks smart and a good package if the price could be worked on a little
Autotrader, this surprised me, but select "manual" and then engine 3.5 or greater and you only get 1,393 hits
Only 460 cars 2015 and newer.
153 £50K or lower (most are Mustangs)
They'll be some other niche/older ones but this is pretty much is and beign over 3.5L doesn't ensure your power requirements.
Only 460 cars 2015 and newer.
153 £50K or lower (most are Mustangs)
They'll be some other niche/older ones but this is pretty much is and beign over 3.5L doesn't ensure your power requirements.
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