Time to buy something more sensible? £5k-£8k

[Mubble]

At the moment I drive a lightly tuned MR2 turbo. I've owned it for 4 years.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a63/bluestorm77/D...

The thing is, it's costing me far too much to run. Recent headgasket and gearbox work just added to the bottomless pit of spending. Plus what with having 90k miles on it and being 18 years old, I'm starting to get that itch for something more reliable and less expensive to run.

One nail in the MR2's coffin was driving a Golf GTi (58-plate) courtesy car for a few weeks during the MR2's gearbox work. Smooth, quiet, nippy, and newer! However, I'm on the fence with regards to ditching the MR2 as it owes me about £10k and would only get £4k for it. Plus 300bhp in a car weighing 1280kg is fairly addictive!

One extreme would be a BMW 330ci (E46) but feel I'd be disappointed having driven a 2 seater, mid engined turbo car. Another car tempting me is the S2000 - a friend drives a DC2 Type-R and the call of V-tec is in the air!

Then I realised TVR Chimaera's are within budget, but don't think this would remove me from the downward spiral of running costs.

What are your feelings?

[DuncanM]

Hello,

Your car looks great .

It must be tough knowing you've spent as much as you have, what's more is the MR2 is a great car and with 300bhp it will be a tough act to follow!

The running costs on anything that comes close performance wise are going to be similar surely?

I think the S2000 might be on the right track as it should be reliable.

What is your budget?

Duncan

[NiceCupOfTea]

mubble said:

Nice.

The trouble with the Mr.Two Turbo as far as I can see is that there is nothing to touch it with the same level of performance/looks/handling for the price.

Whatever you do you will be exchanging it for something:

• slower, or
• less interesting, or
• just as expensive to maintain, or
• more expensive and not necessarily better.

Turbo cars feel quicker than they are anyway.

A Golf GTI IMHO will feel dull after a couple of weeks. Slower, less special, more sanitised, and you will lose money it on it.

e46 will be likewise.

S2000 will be quick and feel very different to the MR2T I would imagine, special, and hopefully reliable, but ultimately I should think a step backwards in terms of performance.

Chimaera - special, quick, but as you say it will not be cheap to run and some would recommend against running as a daily...

Tough call

A few more ideas:
e36 M3 Evo
Mk.2 MX-5 + turbo
RX-8
e39 M5

[shoestring7]

Buy a Boxster S.

SS7

[NiceCupOfTea]

shoestring7 said:

Buy a Boxster S.

SS7

For 8k?

944 Turbo with a couple of mods

[sc4589]

Depends if you want a complete character change or not...

Comfy cruiser- get an E39 or W202 E-Class. Maybe that much will snag you a more than OK E55 AMG... or a ropey M5.
Hot hatch- maybe an old-shape R32..? Might get lucky for the higher end of that budget. Maybe.
Sports car- Porsche 968..?
Japanese madness- Integra Type R mayhaps.

Just a few ideas...

[Chris71]

Mubble said:

Then I realised TVR Chimaera's are within budget, but don't think this would remove me from the downward spiral of running costs.

They can be, but it's not necessarily the case. If you didn't mind a slight drop in performance you could look at an S-Series; all the visceral thrills of the later TVRs (I actually prefer the noise to the RV8s), surprisingly close to the basic 4-litre V8 in performance and even cheaper to run. They really are pretty a 'safe' ownership prospect as classic British sports cars go.

Failing that, do you nee to run it every day?

If so, what about another rice rocket of some description (Evo? 200SX? Impreza?)

If not, you could get a very rapid fun road/track kit car for £8k. Realistically even the more sensible end of the kit market is going to struggle to compete with a sound MR2 for comfort though.

[KrazyIvan]

Golf - you'll be looking to buy another MR2 within the month
BMW - Would be good but would never have the "special" feel about it.

S2000/Tvr - They'll be vastly different from your MR2, but the sense of occasion they would bring with the sun out, top down and a screaming V-tec/Rumbling V8 will make up the lack of light weight turbo you have with the Mr2.

My money would be on an s2000, as your used to a car with a dodgy back end in the wet

[300bhp/ton]

Mubble said:

At the moment I drive a lightly tuned MR2 turbo. I've owned it for 4 years.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a63/bluestorm77/D...

The thing is, it's costing me far too much to run. Recent headgasket and gearbox work just added to the bottomless pit of spending. Plus what with having 90k miles on it and being 18 years old, I'm starting to get that itch for something more reliable and less expensive to run.

One nail in the MR2's coffin was driving a Golf GTi (58-plate) courtesy car for a few weeks during the MR2's gearbox work. Smooth, quiet, nippy, and newer! However, I'm on the fence with regards to ditching the MR2 as it owes me about £10k and would only get £4k for it. Plus 300bhp in a car weighing 1280kg is fairly addictive!

One extreme would be a BMW 330ci (E46) but feel I'd be disappointed having driven a 2 seater, mid engined turbo car. Another car tempting me is the S2000 - a friend drives a DC2 Type-R and the call of V-tec is in the air!

Then I realised TVR Chimaera's are within budget, but don't think this would remove me from the downward spiral of running costs.

What are your feelings?

all cars cost money. And esp fast ones and ones you are likely to tune and tinker with. I don't think you can avoid some risk.

A TVR can be reliable, but niggles are likely to be common. Maybe something like a DC5 or a 350z would be a sensible thing to look at?

[superman84]

Just as expensive to run in fuel costs but the only cars which will match up for that price are an Evo 5/6 or a classic STI/P1.

Edited by superman84 on Tuesday 27th July 12:06

[NiceCupOfTea]

• Fast.
• Cheap.
• Reliable.

Pick any 2.

[shoestring7]

NiceCupOfTea said:

shoestring7 said:

Buy a Boxster S.

SS7

For 8k?

944 Turbo with a couple of mods

Find one less than 18 years old.

SS7

[RobCrezz]

Mubble said:

At the moment I drive a lightly tuned MR2 turbo. I've owned it for 4 years.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a63/bluestorm77/D...

The thing is, it's costing me far too much to run. Recent headgasket and gearbox work just added to the bottomless pit of spending. Plus what with having 90k miles on it and being 18 years old, I'm starting to get that itch for something more reliable and less expensive to run.

One nail in the MR2's coffin was driving a Golf GTi (58-plate) courtesy car for a few weeks during the MR2's gearbox work. Smooth, quiet, nippy, and newer! However, I'm on the fence with regards to ditching the MR2 as it owes me about £10k and would only get £4k for it. Plus 300bhp in a car weighing 1280kg is fairly addictive!

One extreme would be a BMW 330ci (E46) but feel I'd be disappointed having driven a 2 seater, mid engined turbo car. Another car tempting me is the S2000 - a friend drives a DC2 Type-R and the call of V-tec is in the air!

Then I realised TVR Chimaera's are within budget, but don't think this would remove me from the downward spiral of running costs.

What are your feelings?

I was in the same position as you. I wanted a DC2 Integra Type R, but got bored of looking through high mileage tatty ones for £5k. Went for a Ep3 Civic Type R in the end, newer and way less miles than the DC2, but not quite as good. However it is huge fun and feels very well made and reliable, whereas I felt like the MR2 was getting fragile.

I miss the turbo power, but the CTR will keep me entertained for a while.

[NiceCupOfTea]

shoestring7 said:

NiceCupOfTea said:

shoestring7 said:

Buy a Boxster S.

SS7

For 8k?

944 Turbo with a couple of mods

Find one less than 18 years old.

SS7

He didn't say it needed to be new!

For £8k you could get a well looked after one that shouldn't cost too much to run. I haven't checked but if you can get a Boxster S for £8k I would imagine it would be a moneypit!

[shoestring7]

NiceCupOfTea said:

shoestring7 said:

NiceCupOfTea said:

shoestring7 said:

Buy a Boxster S.

SS7

For 8k?

944 Turbo with a couple of mods

Find one less than 18 years old.

SS7

He didn't say it needed to be new!

For £8k you could get a well looked after one that shouldn't cost too much to run. I haven't checked but if you can get a Boxster S for £8k I would imagine it would be a moneypit!

For a bit more he'd get his 300bhp, mid engine and all alot more modern and refined.

SS7

[furball330i]

Why not buy my 330i??

[bga]

NiceCupOfTea said:

A Golf GTI IMHO will feel dull after a couple of weeks. Slower, less special, more sanitised, and you will lose money it on it.

My GTI still feels fun & "special" after 2 years. What it does lack is a sense of occasion which IMO MR2 turbo's have.

[Mubble]

Thanks for the compliments and input guys.

In reply to your comments:

NiceCupOfTea said:

A few more ideas:
e36 M3 Evo
RX-8
e39 M5

I have considered all these! Lol

The M3 E36 is a great car, but looks a little dated now. Plus I’d be concerned that it’s been driven hard for all its life. And then there’s the image of 30 year old M3 drivers.

I actually went to view an RX8 a while back as I could bag a 54-plate 50k miler for near £5k. But the performance and lack of torque left me disappointed. That’s the reason I’m hesitant over an S2000 also.

E39 M5 – Superb car but would struggle going from a light, nimble 2 seater to a chunky 4 seater. But the V8 soundtrack is appealing!

sc4589 said:

Depends if you want a complete character change or not...

To be honest, I'm undecided. Hence why I’ve considered almost every type of sports car.

sc4589 said:

Hot hatch- maybe an old-shape R32..?

Been looking at these recently. I respect Golfs and the thought of a rumbling 3.2L V6 is appealing. It's on the list at the moment.

sc4589 said:

Japanese madness- Integra Type R mayhaps.

My friend drives a DC2 and it's a great car with a stunning noise at 8k rpm! But the fact it's a front wheel drive 4 seater kind of ruins the appeal a little. But again, I wouldn't be disappointed if I owned one.

Chris71 said:

Would you need to run a TVR every day?

Yes. I'd need to run it 4 days a week - 8k miles a year.

Chris71 said:

If so, what about another rice rocket of some description (Evo? 200SX? Impreza?)

I've looked in to the Evo VI but again, it's a minefield and guaranteed to have been ragged all its life. I'd rather stick with my MR2 and play it safe as I don't feel I'd be gaining anything by getting a different turbo'd Jap car. Unless it was a Skyline R32 which I simply adore. But making that step doesn't tackle the running cost issues.

KrazyIvan said:

Golf - you'll be looking to buy another MR2 within the month
BMW - Would be good but would never have the "special" feel about it.

S2000/Tvr - They'll be vastly different from your MR2, but the sense of occasion they would bring with the sun out, top down and a screaming V-tec/Rumbling V8 will make up the lack of light weight turbo you have with the Mr2.

My money would be on an s2000, as your used to a car with a dodgy back end in the wet

I totally agree with all you say. Plus that's the appeal of the S2000 and TVR.

300bhp/ton said:

Maybe something like a DC5 or a 350z would be a sensible thing to look at?

I love the 350Z!

One issue I have, however, is regarding my budget. With a limit of £8k I'd only be able to afford a high mileage, early model. What with there being 296bhp, 309bhp and new 370Z models, I'd feel a little disappointed at only being able to obtain the bottom of the range 276bhp model. Maybe that's me being pedantic?

• **********************************

Overall, I'd sell my MR2 tomorrow if the S2000 came with a 3 litre V6 for example. Dropping from the 290lb.ft of my MR2 down to 140 might make me regret selling up. I've not driven the S2000 (only the Integra DC2).

Or maybe I just save the additional £4k I plan on spending on a new car and put it towards the MR2 over the next few years until I can afford either an E46 M3 or TVR T350T – two midlife dream cars of mine.

Sorry, I'm just waffling now as I really don't know what to do.

Thanks for the input guys.

[Tazio1]

Have look at the Ford Racing Puma, built by tickford and originally sold for 25k, now from 5k and great fun to drive by all accounts.

Good Luck

Darren