Help me choose a second car
Discussion
Having spent last summer enjoying the open air delights of a 968 cab (subsequently sold) I'm now lucky enough to be looking at getting another cab for this summer (although keeping the 993 C4 vario coupe as my main car). Budget is £10-18k and I'd prefer something more modern that a 964/944 cab & don't want another 968.
I'm having trouble deciding what to go for......
Boxster - on the positive side it's a Porsche!. On the negative side (and i know this is shallow) will i just want to put a sticker on the back saying "my other car's a 911"
.
993 cab - is it a bit silly to just go for the cab version of the coupe i already own? i could shake things up by going for a completely different spec, eg LHD, tip, different colour, non-vario etc. it's also pushing the budget & will need to be a high-miler.
Z4 cab - I'm actually quite taken by this car. I like the looks (Bangle's best?) and they're good to drive. But it's not a Porsche. And will the overall package better the Boxster? Probably not, but see above for problems with that choice?
I'd also thought about the Alfa Spider and Fiat Barchetta (and saving a few quid) but I'd prefer RWD. And I just can't get myself to like the S2000.
Anyone have any thoughts?
I'm having trouble deciding what to go for......
Boxster - on the positive side it's a Porsche!. On the negative side (and i know this is shallow) will i just want to put a sticker on the back saying "my other car's a 911"
. 993 cab - is it a bit silly to just go for the cab version of the coupe i already own? i could shake things up by going for a completely different spec, eg LHD, tip, different colour, non-vario etc. it's also pushing the budget & will need to be a high-miler.
Z4 cab - I'm actually quite taken by this car. I like the looks (Bangle's best?) and they're good to drive. But it's not a Porsche. And will the overall package better the Boxster? Probably not, but see above for problems with that choice?
I'd also thought about the Alfa Spider and Fiat Barchetta (and saving a few quid) but I'd prefer RWD. And I just can't get myself to like the S2000.
Anyone have any thoughts?
nodz17 said:
Having spent last summer enjoying the open air delights of a 968 cab (subsequently sold) I'm now lucky enough to be looking at getting another cab for this summer (although keeping the 993 C4 vario coupe as my main car). Budget is £10-18k and I'd prefer something more modern that a 964/944 cab & don't want another 968.
I'm having trouble deciding what to go for......
Boxster - on the positive side it's a Porsche!. On the negative side (and i know this is shallow) will i just want to put a sticker on the back saying "my other car's a 911".
993 cab - is it a bit silly to just go for the cab version of the coupe i already own? i could shake things up by going for a completely different spec, eg LHD, tip, different colour, non-vario etc. it's also pushing the budget & will need to be a high-miler.
Z4 cab - I'm actually quite taken by this car. I like the looks (Bangle's best?) and they're good to drive. But it's not a Porsche. And will the overall package better the Boxster? Probably not, but see above for problems with that choice?
I'd also thought about the Alfa Spider and Fiat Barchetta (and saving a few quid) but I'd prefer RWD. And I just can't get myself to like the S2000.
Anyone have any thoughts?
Lotus elise?.Good cheap fun. I'm having trouble deciding what to go for......
Boxster - on the positive side it's a Porsche!. On the negative side (and i know this is shallow) will i just want to put a sticker on the back saying "my other car's a 911"
. 993 cab - is it a bit silly to just go for the cab version of the coupe i already own? i could shake things up by going for a completely different spec, eg LHD, tip, different colour, non-vario etc. it's also pushing the budget & will need to be a high-miler.
Z4 cab - I'm actually quite taken by this car. I like the looks (Bangle's best?) and they're good to drive. But it's not a Porsche. And will the overall package better the Boxster? Probably not, but see above for problems with that choice?
I'd also thought about the Alfa Spider and Fiat Barchetta (and saving a few quid) but I'd prefer RWD. And I just can't get myself to like the S2000.
Anyone have any thoughts?
Get over yourself and this Image issue - and start driving the best 2-seat Roadster that has graced the roads in recent years.
Get the Boxster. If you must, then get the sticker for the back... but Boxster owners will tell you... the driving pleasure more than makes up for the 'Hairdressing' label.
Having said that, the Z4 with a decent engine is quite good... just not as good as a potent Boxster.
Get the Boxster. If you must, then get the sticker for the back... but Boxster owners will tell you... the driving pleasure more than makes up for the 'Hairdressing' label.
Having said that, the Z4 with a decent engine is quite good... just not as good as a potent Boxster.
nodz17 said:
Thanks Kayc - the Elise is perhaps a bit hardcore for me. I'm no speed merchant and like the idea of a car that can cruise comfortably as well as push on where necessary.
Fair point.Boxster s has to be best choice then unless you go for a four seater cab...m3 cabs and s4 cabs both very good imo. LL - it's not a very informed view (I've never driven one). But the looks just don't do it for me (not special enough), and neither does the badge (I'm such a snob!).
I have a very good friend who keeps telling me to get one though. And the reviews are all pretty good too. Clarkson, I know, loves them.
Have you owned one then?
I have a very good friend who keeps telling me to get one though. And the reviews are all pretty good too. Clarkson, I know, loves them.
Have you owned one then?
nodz17 said:
Have you owned one then?
Two of them
I also moderate over on s2ki.co.uk, the S2000 forum. I guess the looks are very subjective - beauty being in the eye of the beholder and all that. I personally like them (more so the 04+ version with the restyled front end and the 17" wheels) but I'd accept that it's perhaps starting to look a tad dated.
Badge snobbery has never really been an issue with me either but I certainly wouldn't disagree that saying you drive a Honda doesn't have the cachet of saying you drive something like a BMW (Z4) or Porsche (Boxster). It's not your average Honda though - it has more in common with the NSX than a blue-rinse Civic
It's a proper "driver's car" - a lightweight RWD roadster with 240bhp, an engine that revs to 9,000 rpm and no electronic driver aids. You have to work the gearbox to get the best out of it, especially since there's not a whole lot of torque low down. That's the usual criticism but it kind of misses the point as far as I'm concerned.
It takes a while to get used to and to work how to get the best out of it - personally, I think that's why so few motoring journos just didn't "get" it - but, rather like the 911, it rewards you for learning its foibles and how to make them work to your advantage.
I'm biased but I'd recommend you have another try before making a decision. If the looks and the badge are insurmountable barriers, fair enough
If the Elise is too Hardcore and you dont want a Japanese S2000, then an SLK230 for cruisng or an SLK320 for cruising with speed is an option, one of the best engineered cars i have ever owned. Also worth considering is the Z3M, 155mph, 0-60-sub 5.5 seconds and would leave a boxster in its dust. Personally the 2.7 Boxster at the moment is a bargain and is what i would go for.
Get a Boxster or sell your coupe and get a 993 Cab or... for fun... get a 80's Alfa Spider. Beautiful and actually not that badly built, very stylish, very good fun to drive without setting the road on fire, and still has a "special" feel to it (not special needs before anyone starts slating is because it's an Alfa).
Like this:
Or do what i'm doing and buy a Honda Blackbird
Like this:
Or do what i'm doing and buy a Honda Blackbird
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