“Fun” Car Advice

chrism_scotland

chrism_scotland

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I’ve currently got a Mercedes E Class coupe which I bought a year ago but then a few months later changed jobs so I’m not driving as much as I used to.

I’ve decided I’m going to sell it on as I’d rather have he cash in the bank than in a car I’m not using as much as I should (that and I’m keen to get rid of diesel).

I am however looking to spend around £6k (maybe up to £8k) to keep myself in a set of wheels, I cycle to work but I still need a car for other further away trips throughout the week (site visits, photography, etc).

My wife already has a practical car so I’m looking to pickup something a bit more fun, I was close to pulling the trigger on a Toyota GT86 last year before the wife over ruled saying she’d never get in it and it wasn’t big enough for 4 (since then she’s never got in the Merc and I’ve never had more than 1 passenger!)

I know for my budget that I won’t get a GT86 and the obvious choice is probably a Mk3 Mazda MX5 but I wondered if there was anything else I wasn’t missing as an option?
 
Integra or Civic Type R? More boy racer type fun than actual driving fun but still, you could at a push get your wife in there (FN2 Civic Type Rs have higher seating than the standard models!)
 
MX5 all day long. Classic car and holds value well. Other options could be a 62ish plate Peugeot rcz, looks good! Or something retro like a Ford Capri?
 
Alan Clogwyn said:
Integra or Civic Type R? More boy racer type fun than actual driving fun but still, you could at a push get your wife in there (FN2 Civic Type Rs have higher seating than the standard models!)
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Thanks - have considered a Type R before actually - not too bothered if she won't get in, less grief for me!!!

cambsno said:
MX5 all day long. Classic car and holds value well. Other options could be a 62ish plate Peugeot rcz, looks good! Or something retro like a Ford Capri?
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Yeah seeing a lot of decent MX5's for the £6k - £7k mark and general feedback seems to be that they're relatively bulletproof, I do like the RCZ as well - seems very undervalued actually (probably the Peugeot Badge!)

Need to decide if I'm set on a convertible, had the Merc in for its first MOT on Friday and was given a 67 plate C-Class Softtop for the day, now that was epic and even though it wasn't that warm (or even dry) it was brilliant with the roof down!!!
 
Honda S2000 is probably worth a look.
 
Mini Cooper S or JC model. Handles like a go-kart, has the necessary 4 seats for your Mrs, semi-practical if you need it and has lots of character. The convertibles (probably not available in JC version) are nice as ragtops go, with relatively little buffeting and no scuttle shake.
 
rick448 said:
Honda S2000 is probably worth a look.
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Thanks - have added that, along with the MR2 - older (with Zero storage) but looks fun!

chris954 said:
Caterham. Totally impractical but probably the ultimate affordable fun car.
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Haha, always fancied one of those!

ancient_mariner said:
Mini Cooper S or JC model. Handles like a go-kart, has the necessary 4 seats for your Mrs, semi-practical if you need it and has lots of character. The convertibles (probably not available in JC version) are nice as ragtops go, with relatively little buffeting and no scuttle shake.
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Thanks - I had started "noticing" Mini's the last few days - will dig deeper!

LongLensPhotography said:
A convertible for sure. On the hot end M3, down to the likes of Audi S4, etc.
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Thanks!
 
chrism_scotland said:
Thanks - I had started "noticing" Mini's the last few days - will dig deeper!
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We bought a cooper SD convertible for the wife a couple of years ago, and it's really fun to drive. I appreciate that if you live in a city then you don't want a diesel, of course.
 
Well ... we have an MX5 and it’s a cracking little thing so don’t rule it out. Practical, drivable and fun. What’s not to like.
 
Just bought a mk3 MX-5 2.0 Sport as a second car, it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it especially with the roof down.
I paid £3600, insurance is under £200 and I'm just in the process of building a carport for it.


MX-5 09 by Scott, on Flickr
 
foggy4ever said:
Just bought a mk3 MX-5 2.0 Sport as a second car, it puts a smile on my face every time I drive it especially with the roof down.
I paid £3600, insurance is under £200 and I'm just in the process of building a carport for it.


MX-5 09 by Scott, on Flickr
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We’ve even gone to the lengths of joining the owners club (a bit nerdy, I know), but they’re a lovely group of people who enjoy their cars and meeting each other, having days out etc, so really pleased we joined in. Fun motoring on a reasonable budget. Enjoy your car ... it looks great.
 
I just (sadly) traded in my mk3 MX5 and I have to say it was a fantastic car and I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending one. They are fun to drive, easy to live with and mechanically rock solid.

If you haven’t had a convertible before then you owe it to yourself to try one, having had an MX5 I don’t think we’ll ever be without a soft top in the house.
 
I looked at several MX5 mk3 and mk4 (and Fiat Spider) and was surprised to discover they have little by way of rust protection underneath. I ended up with a new Mini Cooper S convertible as it offers more space than a 2 seater and is a lot easier to get out of in a dignified manner when you are getting on a bit. Having a 2 litre turbo with 190bhp under the bonnet is useful too.
 
broc said:
I looked at several MX5 mk3 and mk4 (and Fiat Spider) and was surprised to discover they have little by way of rust protection underneath. I ended up with a new Mini Cooper S convertible as it offers more space than a 2 seater and is a lot easier to get out of in a dignified manner when you are getting on a bit. Having a 2 litre turbo with 190bhp under the bonnet is useful too.
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Yeah the MK3 onwards is better than the old ones but would certainly need a lot of care!
 
Mind the proposed LEZ, probably best to stick to EURO 4 petrol cars just in case. I think that means 2005 and newer?

Honda S2000 would probably be my choice as it's the least likely to have been abused and I'm a big n/a fan. You will probably have to stretch up to your £8k upper budget to get a later model though.
 
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andy700 said:
I am a bit biased, but for around £6K I would go for one of these. Their values will go up and they are a lovely car to drive.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201805216711234?fuel-type=Petrol&sort=sponsored&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=me158hb&model=GT&onesearchad=Used&radius=1500&make=ALFA ROMEO&page=3
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I have to be honest I’ve always fancied one of these, still kicking myself for not buying one about 4 years ago when I could have had a basically new one for about £9000.
 
I'm also a bit biased, but for the money you're talking about you could get a Boxster S. IMO much better than an MX5.
 
onomatopoeia said:
I'm also a bit biased, but for the money you're talking about you could get a Boxster S. IMO much better than an MX5.
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I am out of touch, you can get boxter s now for £6k?

Quick look on autotrader, so you can, but they are quite old, twice the age of an mx-5, which makes me wonder about bills with them

So the mx-5 is brisk rather than quick, but as a reliable, cheap to run two seater you can't beat them. They are more about enjoying roof down motoring, but can hustle when pushed. The suspension is brilliant and confidence giving. Only 160bhp from the 2 litre engine, although BBR for around £2.5k do a kit of intake, exhaust manifold and cams that takes that to 210bhp.
Obviously the booster s has more power.
 
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How about an SLK?

They're not as much fun as an MX5 or anything else in that class but they're comfy and nice and they have that folding hard top.

Having said all that mine had a jerky gear change that I never got used to, the roof kept jamming, the paint came off in flakes and the main dealer was poor to say the least. Still, buy a good used one and get it serviced at a good local garage and it could be a good choice.
 
Byker28i said:
I am out of touch, you can get boxter s now for £6k?

Quick look on autotrader, so you can, but they are quite old, twice the age of an mx-5, which makes me wonder about bills with them
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I had a 2.7 Boxster and it felt like a truck compared to an MX5. IMO you really have to push them to get any fun and contentious I know but I just couldn't see what all the fuss was about. They have a desirable badge and image but they attract a lot of hate and mine was vandalised time after sodding time.
 
I had a Porsche Boxster and at the price they are now, I would seriously consider getting one again.
I doubt you will be able to get a 987 at the budget, but a 986 is a great car given it's age.
The plastic screen (latter had glass) is an item to be wary of is RMS.
Ask about the condensers as well - stones and leaves can get in through the grills and wither puncture or corrode them - that is what happened to mine and that cost £600 to replace. My indy added some chicken wire to the grills to prevent it happening again - good for the next owner!

Join a forum and the enthusiasts there always offer cars to members, and you can do a search on the condition.

With the newer models coming being released, you'd be surprised with what you can get for the money.
I used to have mine serviced at an Indy and it was only £160!! If one is nearby, they can do an inspection as well.

Good luck on the search!
 
Oh dear I spent about 3 hours last night reading up on Boxsters online.... does look quite tempting although for the price I think I’m still leaning toward an MX5 - would get me a newer, lower mileage car with (it would appear) less risk of issues... but then on the other hand it seems to suggest that the older, higher mileage Boxsters are the ones at less risk of some of the catastrophic issues......
 
Byker28i said:
I am out of touch, you can get boxter s now for £6k?

Quick look on autotrader, so you can, but they are quite old, twice the age of an mx-5, which makes me wonder about bills with them
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So, mine is 18 years old / 130000 miles, I've owned for 14 years / 90000 miles. Bills (servicing, maintenance, tyres) average £1000/year. Depreciation perhaps £1500/year, which makes total cost of ownership excluding fuel about £200/month over that time. I don't look at it like that though, I bought it to drive, not to do sums. It's my daily driver that's parked outside the office, not a specific "fun car" for the weekend.

No sign of any rust on the body and underside and it's still on the original exhaust even. Plastic rear screen has failed which I need to sort it out (may get an aftermarket hood with a glass screen). Still on the original RMS. I take it to an independent specialist, who employs "mechanics rather than fitters" (got a lengthy moan from him earlier this year about how difficult it is nowadays to find proper mechanics that fix things, rather than just replace whole assemblies, and how he's "gone back on the spanners" and serviced my car himself), not to an OPC.

It's only 250bhp, but even so the speed limit arrives very fast, and it's so well balanced and responsive to steering input that it's possible to forget the speed you're doing. The "problem" with it is if driving at a speed where you have to make corrections mid-corners and can feel it moving around underneath you, you're already going way too fast for the public road.

I'm not knocking the MX5 at all, it has a great chassis that's just right for the performance, there are very good reasons they are so popular. Anyone that buys one should have great fun driving it.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Oh dear I spent about 3 hours last night reading up on Boxsters online.... does look quite tempting although for the price I think I’m still leaning toward an MX5 - would get me a newer, lower mileage car with (it would appear) less risk of issues... but then on the other hand it seems to suggest that the older, higher mileage Boxsters are the ones at less risk of some of the catastrophic issues......
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I suppose it depends where you live, drive and park but I think you should consider the hate and hassle issue. I live in a working class and relatively rather disadvantaged Middlesbrough area and all the hassle really put me off having noticeable cars that could generate hate/envy and I think that a Porsche fits in that class more than an MX5 which are possibly sill viewed by some as hairdressers cars and maybe don't generate quite the negative attention and animosity something like a Porsche can. That's been my experience anyway.
 
woof woof said:
I suppose it depends where you live, drive and park but I think you should consider the hate and hassle issue. I live in a working class and relatively rather disadvantaged Middlesbrough area and all the hassle really put me off having noticeable cars that could generate hate/envy and I think that a Porsche fits in that class more than an MX5 which are possibly sill viewed by some as hairdressers cars and maybe don't generate quite the negative attention and animosity something like a Porsche can. That's been my experience anyway.
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That's a terrible reflection on the people that live there, that they are that small minded and petty. I live in a town outside Bristol that's cheap compared to living in the city itself (downside is the commute, obviously). It's hardly stockbroker belt, with its semis, terraces and bungalows, just ordinary people with ordinary jobs. One side is a carpenter, other is an AA patrol. I don't get any of that kind of reaction.
 
onomatopoeia said:
That's a terrible reflection on the people that live there, that they are that small minded and petty. I live in a town outside Bristol that's cheap compared to living in the city itself (downside is the commute, obviously). It's hardly stockbroker belt, with its semis, terraces and bungalows, just ordinary people with ordinary jobs. One side is a carpenter, other is an AA patrol. I don't get any of that kind of reaction.
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Areas are different I guess. Although I own my own home, I actually live on a council estate. The estate is surrounded by some expensive properties however. The properties down my road are a mixture of council rented, privately rented and privately owned. Some of the council tenants are normal everyday people, some are what you would call your stereotypical council tenant, loud and gobby, garden full of broken plastic kids toys etc. I was a bit weary of parking a new Focus RS on the road, maybe because I chose black and not the normal Nitrous blue, but after 9 months of ownership so far, it hasn't drawn much attention, even though plenty of people walk past it on the way to the local shops.
 
onomatopoeia said:
That's a terrible reflection on the people that live there, that they are that small minded and petty. I live in a town outside Bristol that's cheap compared to living in the city itself (downside is the commute, obviously). It's hardly stockbroker belt, with its semis, terraces and bungalows, just ordinary people with ordinary jobs. One side is a carpenter, other is an AA patrol. I don't get any of that kind of reaction.
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I'm not too sure it's just here... I worked "down south" in Berkshire in much more affluent areas and it was just the same there and looking further afield I have a good friend in Italy and from what she says you can't park a nice car anywhere. I suppose living in areas swamped with similar and more expensive cars things are much better but people living in those areas will probably need to drive and park in other areas at some point.

I just thought that the danger of adverse attention might be worth considering, it was certainly an issue in the past with some of my cars and not with others. For example my Boxster and Lotus Elan SE were idiot magnets yet my Elise wasn't and MX5 have never seemed to be, go figure.
 
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woof woof said:
I'm not too sure it's just here... I worked "down south" in Berkshire in much more affluent areas and it was just the same there and looking further afield I have a good friend in Italy and from what she says you can't park a nice car anywhere. I suppose living in areas swamped with similar and more expensive cars things are much better but people living in those areas will probably need to drive and park in other areas at some point.

I just thought that the danger of adverse attention might be worth considering, it was certainly an issue in the past with some of my cars and not with others. For example my Boxster and Lotus Elan SE were idiot magnets yet my Elise wasn't and MX5 have never seemed to be, go figure.
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I guess it is just a case of knowing your own area. The only other new cars on our road are a few SUV's and my son's Focus. Having said that in the next road, also part of the council estate but I presume to be a private residence, they have a Porsche parked on their drive. I am on a Facebook group for the local towns and any reports of car vandalism seem to be in the more well to do areas.
 
Just had a blast up to Whitby for the day, roof down 95%, first proper run out in the MX-5. What ever you get, get a roadster...as Clarkson said " anybody who sits in the rear of a convertible will look like Hitler"
 
Not too concerned about the car standing out, if I’m honest my current Pure White E-Class sits next to an M5 and an XKR so not too concerned!
Think I’ve probably narrowed it down to an MX5, Alfa GT Coupe or maybe, just maybe a Boxster..... really like the look of the RCZ as well but looking at a higher price there albeit for a newer car.

Alfa is attractive as I’ve always fancied one, they seem relatively cheap and it also retains a level of practicality, the MX5 attracts as again relatively cheap, reliable and I know it would be a bundle of fun.

The Boxster is intriguing though, looks like a lot of fun, and a bit of a project too perhaps!
 
chrism_scotland said:
Not too concerned about the car standing out, if I’m honest my current Pure White E-Class sits next to an M5 and an XKR so not too concerned!
Think I’ve probably narrowed it down to an MX5, Alfa GT Coupe or maybe, just maybe a Boxster..... really like the look of the RCZ as well but looking at a higher price there albeit for a newer car.

Alfa is attractive as I’ve always fancied one, they seem relatively cheap and it also retains a level of practicality, the MX5 attracts as again relatively cheap, reliable and I know it would be a bundle of fun.

The Boxster is intriguing though, looks like a lot of fun, and a bit of a project too perhaps!
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If you bought an Alfa 3.2 GT, you could make it sound like this.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyc-TGbtNKc
 
I'm on my second S2000, had this one from new in 09, big brother to the mx5 really and a bit more expensive, but beware, rwd can bite if you're not used it, I have 240 brake in 1200kg and vtec at 6k rpm up to 9k redline, hedges can approach quickly, backwards in a flash.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Not too concerned about the car standing out, if I’m honest my current Pure White E-Class sits next to an M5 and an XKR so not too concerned!
Think I’ve probably narrowed it down to an MX5, Alfa GT Coupe or maybe, just maybe a Boxster..... really like the look of the RCZ as well but looking at a higher price there albeit for a newer car.

Alfa is attractive as I’ve always fancied one, they seem relatively cheap and it also retains a level of practicality, the MX5 attracts as again relatively cheap, reliable and I know it would be a bundle of fun.

The Boxster is intriguing though, looks like a lot of fun, and a bit of a project too perhaps!
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I used to get my car serviced in Shotts.
Peter at Motor tune is worth talking to if you are nearby, he may even know of some cars for sale.... (I'm talking about a Boxster)
 
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