BMW 530d Estate. Best you can find for 10k
Lotus Elise S1. Best you can find for 10k
Job done.
Inspired by a few other threads on here. If you had to buy two cars with the following requirements:
1. Sensible, good capacity, for the family, maybe EV or Hybrid.
2. A fun drive, maybe two seater, maybe open top, high days and holidays type of car.
Your budget is no more that £20K, less is better, what would you buy and why?
My initial thought, having done almost no research is a TVR Chimaera and a Honda Jazz.
BMW 530d Estate. Best you can find for 10k
Lotus Elise S1. Best you can find for 10k
Job done.
Lexus RX 350h and probably a Honda S2000.
So clever my foot fell off.
How new do you want them to be ? I would go f31 or five series touring and then boxster
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I think the potential issue with the hybrid approach means you blow most of the budget on some really boring Toyota or similar. So get the cheapest boring but practical family mobile you can and then an RS or AMG of some description. And if it can be one car then an RS/S4 Avant or C63 AMG estate or similar.
Looking forward to purchase updates :)
Ian
Family bus 5k on the tidiest people carrier as they truly are the best family wagons, smax or sharahlambraxy.
15k on something a bit mad, there’s a lot out there from 911’s and boxters to amg, m and s cars. I’d probably go Lexus isf which is just about in budget with some hard haggling.
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Mk1 MX-5 on throttle bodies, in mint condition, with all the right mods, £7.5k.
£13k to spend on something else.
"A man of little significance"
I think I'd buy an SL55 for low teens and and e350 estate with the rest.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...to=7500&page=1
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...o=14000&page=1
These 2 only came to £17k and who doesn't want a 500bhp 2 seater!
I'd buy that lovely red mx5 on sales corner and spend the rest on a Volvo xc90 for the family wagon...
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The person who gets the first service bill! I had an older SL and have a friend with that generation car ... the running costs are simply eye watering ...
Perhaps a GT86 or BRZ for the fun car? Interior is a bit low rent but the drive is meant to be excellent.
Or an Abarth 595 ... or a 125i or 135i coupe? I’ve been idly considering a number of options for a second car and a 135i is a heck of a lot of car for the money.
I know it’s a bit of fun but it’s worth pointing out that some of the fun choices suggested could be money pits. If budget is tight as it seems to be then that may not be an option. Some damn fine suggestions so far though. I agree that the practical family car should take up less than 10k and must should be on the fun one
c.2005 low mileage petrol Jaguar XJ saloon
c. 2002 Jaguar XK8 convertible or Maserati 3200/4200 coupe
A lovely well maintained Boxster for circa £13k and then something totally boring and reliable with the rest. Skoda soft roader?
High spec Boxster S with full Porsche service history: https://www.pistonheads.com/classifi...-2006/10471919
Last edited by rico; 28th May 2020 at 10:32. Reason: added link
As already said a nice Lexus hybrid such as a RX450h as the family car but a MX-5 as the fun car or perhaps a 370z if you want something quicker
The 86/FRS/BRZ is like a MK5 with a roof , the S2000 is hard to get a decent one and then the lack of torque is much like the 86
Forget the C63/RS Audi etc they will be money pits at your budget
Some great suggestion so far and lots of food for though. We are a two car family at the moment. Pre-lockdown we only needed 1.1 cars and currently need 0.1. Most family trips are local commute with the occasional 4 hour plus haul. Running costs are a concern. A Boxster is tempting but I'm generally not a fan of German cars.
Only 2 cars?
My "collection" of 7 isn't worth £20k & I think covers all these bases.
2004 E55 AMG Wagon
2005 130i Hatch
2003 Mini Cooper S hatch
2006 Prodrive Rx-8
1989 Mk1 Mr2
2010 Mx-5
xx Tiger SuperCat Kitcar
You could well be right, I've not really thought about it.
Sure, I'm a sucker for "value" and terrible at letting them go, hence the number,
I'll put a range on them & just say all mine are usable examples or project cars, far from concours.
2004 E55 AMG Wagon £8-14k
2005 130i Hatch £2-5k
2003 Mini Cooper S hatch £1-3k
2006 Prodrive Rx-8 £1-5k
1989 Mk1 Mr2 £1.5-8k
2010 Mx-5 £3-5k
xx Tiger SuperCat Kitcar £1.5 - 10k
What sort of person had more than one car?!
Some of you will be telling us you have more than one watch next!
Honda CRV and an MX-5 for around £10k each.
Practical, reliable and fun (at least the latter) in packages that won't cost the earth to run.
A Maserati 3200 would definitely be a high maintenance option. Wonderful iconic cars but definitely for enthusiasts or those with deep pockets and a friendly expert garage.
4200 is a more realistic option but as TFB says you can still spend a fortune on parts if you are unlucky and/or not prepared to be resourceful. eg new fuel pump from the factory - £750. New OEM window regulator - £600. ‘Resourceful’ alternatives a third the price but 3x the hassle. How about £2k to replace the leaky aircon compressor (politely declined)? Or the control valve unit for the convertible roof -£5k for the main dealer to replace, sir (fixed the problem myself with 2m of elastic webbing).
Still love mine :).
Pedantically, the Ferrari has a Maserati engine (at least Maserati used that V8 block first). ;).
If it were me for my circumstances right now I'd go for a renaultsport Megane (£6.5k)
Plus an X150 Jag XKR convertible
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That is one I've been thinking about for a while. I like the idea of a grand tourer.
Maseratis I also like but couldn't live with the running costs. I actually live near a very helpful and sympathetic Maserati garage. They serviced my two current bangers just before the lock down. I do look longingly at their cars as I pass by.
Saab 900 Classic Turbo with aircon, cruise and a factory sunroof, ideally in that dark metallic green and a Triumph Stag, so the kids can share the wind in the hair stuff. If I must go selfish an Elan M100 maybe.
Family and Fun
Family..BMW 530d 535d post 2010 reliability/performance/ practicality/fuel consumption..
Fun...Porsche Boxster amazing value/fun ..only downside is the idiots who claim it’s a poor mans Porsche having never owned one..
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