Sell my S2 after 11 years and buy ?????????????
Discussion
Hi guys
I am contemplating selling my beloved S2. Having had my baby daughter, i may not use it enough and need to get a weekend toy with 4 seats !!
On that basis, if i have a £12k budget, what should I buy ?
My thoughts are:
Jaguar XKR ?
Vauxhall Monaro 5.7V8 ?
Keep the S2 ?
Anything else ?
Thanks
I am contemplating selling my beloved S2. Having had my baby daughter, i may not use it enough and need to get a weekend toy with 4 seats !!
On that basis, if i have a £12k budget, what should I buy ?
My thoughts are:
Jaguar XKR ?
Vauxhall Monaro 5.7V8 ?
Keep the S2 ?
Anything else ?
Thanks
£12K - that makes it easy.
Start with a 4-seater glassfibre sportscar from a low volume British manufacturer, something that will go reasonably well, handle beautifully,not cost an arm and a leg to run and almost certainly appreciate = Lotus Excel. Don't laugh, a well sorted one will keep you very happy and I think that the understated design has weathered the years really well. You'll need to spend £6k for a good one although they start at £2-3k - but the familiar TVR advice of buying the best you can find also applies. There is one top-end car in the classifieds at the moment - Reference #1607562.
.and the clever bit is that you'll still have enough change to buy an S3C.
Start with a 4-seater glassfibre sportscar from a low volume British manufacturer, something that will go reasonably well, handle beautifully,not cost an arm and a leg to run and almost certainly appreciate = Lotus Excel. Don't laugh, a well sorted one will keep you very happy and I think that the understated design has weathered the years really well. You'll need to spend £6k for a good one although they start at £2-3k - but the familiar TVR advice of buying the best you can find also applies. There is one top-end car in the classifieds at the moment - Reference #1607562.
.and the clever bit is that you'll still have enough change to buy an S3C.
Tricky!
Do you want a type of car e.g RWD, big, small etc..
If it was me I would miss how 'raw' the S is, so maybe you need something a little older? Maybe an e30 M3?? Or older M5? Or this beauty! http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1742954.htm An old school Quattro?
New'ish options could be the over-looked MG ZT V8 jobbie? Bargain, but still gives you that great noise!
You could also go down the hot hatch route?
Mk1 Focus RS? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1675052.htm
Practical for most things, plus a great car for sunday blasts ot track use! Plus hold their value well.
Could get a Seirra Cosworth or Escort Cosworth in low state of tune?
I know Skylines are now in the hands of the 'chav' but if you could find a standard, clean R33 GT-R it would be a great motor.
Or you could but something like a Peugeot 306 GTI-6 or a Renault clio williams and keep the S2!!
Do you want a type of car e.g RWD, big, small etc..
If it was me I would miss how 'raw' the S is, so maybe you need something a little older? Maybe an e30 M3?? Or older M5? Or this beauty! http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1742954.htm An old school Quattro?
New'ish options could be the over-looked MG ZT V8 jobbie? Bargain, but still gives you that great noise!
You could also go down the hot hatch route?
Mk1 Focus RS? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1675052.htm
Practical for most things, plus a great car for sunday blasts ot track use! Plus hold their value well.
Could get a Seirra Cosworth or Escort Cosworth in low state of tune?
I know Skylines are now in the hands of the 'chav' but if you could find a standard, clean R33 GT-R it would be a great motor.
Or you could but something like a Peugeot 306 GTI-6 or a Renault clio williams and keep the S2!!
I have certainly loved my S2 and would shed a tear to see it go, which is why i have to LOVE the replacement enough not to dwell on my loss. If I had the garage space I would keep the S2 and buy something else, but with the costs of running too many toys and then not using them, I think the time has come to move on.
XKR is winning at the moment
Monaro is too chavy = need to wear a shellsuit & always explain its not really a vauxhall
M3 is worth a look. im not a big BMW fan (plain boring cars IMO)but cant overlook the M3 which does everything so well......just has no soul
911 (996 carrera) too expensive and the back seats are awful
Have i missed anything ?
XKR is winning at the moment
Monaro is too chavy = need to wear a shellsuit & always explain its not really a vauxhall
M3 is worth a look. im not a big BMW fan (plain boring cars IMO)but cant overlook the M3 which does everything so well......just has no soul
911 (996 carrera) too expensive and the back seats are awful
Have i missed anything ?
+1I was going to suggest the 911 (996) but you seem to have discounted that one. That's a shame - a friend of mine got one for £12500, fantastic car 
My first proper car was one of these http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1688522.htm but only because I couldn't afford the old skool kool of the Quattro at the time.
Only drawback with the Quattro is it has a roof, which for a fun car would be an issue for me. SO what about one of these? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1748322.htm Might be too drafty in the back for the family but will be fine when you're on your own.
At the end of the day don't be hasty; see how much you use your S for a year then decide. My S has not got used as much as it used to since my daughter arrived but (and this is the important bit!) I'd still rather have it for the opportunities I do get to drive it, rather than having a compromise car that I could drive more often
Good luck....!
wanacoop said:
Or this beauty! http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1742954.htm An old school Quattro?
Given the other choices, that would get my money in a flash and not just so I could say "Fire up the Quattro" My first proper car was one of these http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1688522.htm but only because I couldn't afford the old skool kool of the Quattro at the time.Only drawback with the Quattro is it has a roof, which for a fun car would be an issue for me. SO what about one of these? http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1748322.htm Might be too drafty in the back for the family but will be fine when you're on your own.
At the end of the day don't be hasty; see how much you use your S for a year then decide. My S has not got used as much as it used to since my daughter arrived but (and this is the important bit!) I'd still rather have it for the opportunities I do get to drive it, rather than having a compromise car that I could drive more often
Good luck....!
Giles,
For similar reasons but 3 kids not 1 my brother recently sold his Lotus Eclat Excel and bought a Merc CLK. He loves it - all the toys, a roof that goes down, 50K on the clock and at 10 years old under half your budget. Even my fussy old man said "thats some car for the money!".
At half your budget you can even use that as an everyday car, as a toy when the suns out and family need to go as well but keep the S for your own enjoyment. Go on keep the S, you know you want to!!!!
Mark
For similar reasons but 3 kids not 1 my brother recently sold his Lotus Eclat Excel and bought a Merc CLK. He loves it - all the toys, a roof that goes down, 50K on the clock and at 10 years old under half your budget. Even my fussy old man said "thats some car for the money!".
At half your budget you can even use that as an everyday car, as a toy when the suns out and family need to go as well but keep the S for your own enjoyment. Go on keep the S, you know you want to!!!!
Mark
I now run a Griff and previously an S3. When it was necessary to ferry offspring around I ran a Scimitar GTC. Hugely under rated car in my opinion. Similar engine to your S2, galvenised chassis, mostly Ford parts, weatherproof hood, 4 seats, reasonable performance and there are a few good ones around which don't cost a fortune. Look for a manual box with o/d. Nice car.
The reason your S2 is so much fun is because it is a small, light, moderately powerful convertible. The M3, Monaro, XKR etc etc are all big, heavy, very powerful hardtops (I know convertible options are available). They are not a bigger version of your S2. Be very careful that you don't fall into the trap of buying a car that you think ticks all the boxes, but in fact ticks none of them.
If you have small kids and have been living with an S2 for 11 years then you don't need a big car. My mum (don't laugh) picks up here Renaultsport Twingo today and I think that could be a great choice for you. Bang on budget, rear seats that slide back and forth and loads of fun. I've done big, heavy and powerful and it is off-the-scale boring.
If you have small kids and have been living with an S2 for 11 years then you don't need a big car. My mum (don't laugh) picks up here Renaultsport Twingo today and I think that could be a great choice for you. Bang on budget, rear seats that slide back and forth and loads of fun. I've done big, heavy and powerful and it is off-the-scale boring.
Hi Giles
As others have suggested you should keep the S (think how difficult and expensive it will be to get another good one in a few years time...) looking at the cars you have already considered I think you should not overlook a Scoobie... four door lightweight 4x4 flying machine and with a prodrive exhaust it even sounds great. So you get an exciting car and get to keep the Tiv = win-win
I know many of them have been Chavved but there are still some excellent examples out there for well within your budget. They are bullet proof too - which is just as well as Sccoby servicing doesnt come cheap.
I drove mine all over europe and covered 120,000 miles in 2.1/2 years and she never let me down... I still miss that car
good luck whatever you decide
K
As others have suggested you should keep the S (think how difficult and expensive it will be to get another good one in a few years time...) looking at the cars you have already considered I think you should not overlook a Scoobie... four door lightweight 4x4 flying machine and with a prodrive exhaust it even sounds great. So you get an exciting car and get to keep the Tiv = win-win
I know many of them have been Chavved but there are still some excellent examples out there for well within your budget. They are bullet proof too - which is just as well as Sccoby servicing doesnt come cheap.
I drove mine all over europe and covered 120,000 miles in 2.1/2 years and she never let me down... I still miss that car
good luck whatever you decide
K
S2 Giles said:
M3 is worth a look. im not a big BMW fan (plain boring cars IMO)but cant overlook the M3 which does everything so well......just has no soul
Maybe consider the e30 M3 as I suggested in previous post? Not as boring as the new breed, and will hold it's money. I feel the same about beemers, this old beaut is what I would test drive, didn't EVO mag rate it as the bast M3 last yr?Gassing Station | S Series | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff