Reply With QuoteBuy an M140i, preferably mine!
Okay so following on from my thread asking whether a Euro 5 diesel was a good idea, I've now decided against that. Nothing I've looked at has got my heart racing in the slightest, and it's because I have to always compromise with my cars. My work means I have to have something practical but also economical and not super flashy as it annoys my clients (I don't know why but it does).
I currently have a Euro 6 Diesel C250 but I've been doing lots of miles in the past year, so it's made me contemplate changing before I put loads of miles on it; this is my only reason for sale. This car is incredible, by far the best I've had, like a mini S Class.
I'm self employed and mostly drive locally, so I'm thinking my work needs its own car, and then I could get a weekend car.
In terms of the work car, I'm really for the first time contemplating electric, and what could be ideal is an electric smart car. We don't have a lot of driveway space and I'm expecting an electric smart would be good for costs and my tax etc. Otherwise, I guess a petrol/diesel Smart type of car could work out even cheaper.
Then for the weekend car, my current list is along the lines of:
- Mazda MX-5 RF (if I decide I want to spend less, I don't expect there's anything more fun)
- Ford Mustang 5.0 V8 (if I decide I want a big torquey engine and to reminisce about the one we hired in Florida a couple of years ago)
- Aston Martin V8 Vantage (one of the earlier ones in a nice colour combo)
- BMW M2 (recommended by a friend and not something I'd considered beforehand)
- BMW 1/235i (if I just want to stay sensible but have something faster)
- Porsche Cayman (not sure I'd find the noises it makes nice enough, and I'm not a massive Porsche fan)
- Jaguar F-Type 3.0 Supercharged 340bhp (380bhp might be out of my price range)... this is the best sounding car on the list and therefore very high up in my mind as I think this could be a very important factor
These cars are up to £40k or so, but it's unlikely I'll spend near that unless I see the most amazing version of that particular car ever, and I can make it a man-maths decision!
So am I mad for considering this sort of scenario with two vehicles? If I could keep the C Class alongside the sports car, I would, but this won't work as we won't have the driveway space at all. That's why something tiny is better as it'll save the hassle of constantly moving cars around. It also means I can block the sports car in with the small car for security etc.
Any thoughts at all will be appreciated as I may not have thought everything through that I need to, and your advice is always hugely appreciated.
Buy an M140i, preferably mine!
Not long acquired an S5 sportback with many toys and delighted. Got a March 2017 version to avoid the VED cost.
Another option for you to consider?
Two cars is the way to go.
Someone who lies about the little things will lie about the big things too.
If your including an early v8 vantage how about an early v8 Audi R8
Not sure I would want a big tt though or come to think of it a small db9
Good luck!!
Feel free to send the details AllyOriginally Posted by -Ally-
I loved my A5 but feel like I've been there, done that if it makes sense.
The R8 is probably a bit out of budget for a decent one, and it's very low and wide. I love it, don't get me wrong, but when we were driving around Inverness, it made me appreciate a car with a relatively thin width as there were times were had to squeeze past things etc.
The DB9 is awesome but around 11mpg isn't appealing, and I prefer the styling of the Vantage.
Weekend car. Get something that is as far removed from day to day civilized driving as possible if you want it to keep you happy.
The trouble with absolutely everything on your list is that they can feel as tame as a Nissan Micra a lot of the time and have very little sense of occasion to drive. I'd even pick a MK1 mx5 over most of that list because at least then its a proper mechanical driving experience.
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Recently I have seen some deals around on the Alfa Romeo Guila QF at 9+23 at £650pm. Now thats a sports car
If you don't really need two cars, ignore what you think your clients may think and get the car you want. If you are good enough at what you do they will still use you.
Similar situation, ended up with a pick up as the work vehicle, I’m vat registered and as it’s a commercial vehicle so 100% refund and write off. Appreciate you don’t want something big (really handy for my bikes when I’m working away though!) but consider a van of some sort for the business use, plenty of car derived vans out there so worth a thought.
Still. It bought the weekend car, currently it’s between the mustang or Evora (the money saving option is the z4 or older Boxster) - lot depends on how much crap I move out the garage to store it!
Yes very good point. The F-Type is probably the most far removed due to its noises etc... especially if I end up with an electric work vehicle.
It's just how much extra I need to work to keep them from past experience that makes it silly. If I pull up in a smart car, nobody can bat an eyelid. If I pull up in an F-Type, it's a very different scenario lol
Another weekend car suggestion... bmw z4m coupe which are also appreciating. I happen to be selling mine shortly ha ha
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Cars are just like watches (or shoes as I tell my wife)...You need different ones for different occasions.
I tried one once. The owner scared me so much with his terrible driving, it put me off the car!
Makes sense to me! :-D
The Mazda is for very short people only.
"A man of little significance"
The ford mustard sounds awesome.
My local BMW dealer has an awesome deal on a 17 plate M140. They are very quick for the money and good mpg if you want to
I don't know what line of work you are in, but a friend works as a management consultant and he won't use his DB9 for work either, citing the same reasons.
I took delivery of a Mazda RF this year, pretty much for the same two cars to one choice. It really is a car you can use everyday, boot space ok and not compromised when the roof is down, quiet, fun on the twisty bits and getting real 40-45mpg.
Lotus Evora S. Or Lotus Europa SE (if you can find one - an appreciating ‘modern classic’)
Week day car? Buy a milk float!
In the OP's scenario 2 cars makes sense, but I always try and get one car that meets most of my requirements, because in reality I don't drive that much and when I do I might as well enjoy it, rather than drive some tedious eco box.
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
I am thinking of doing similar in the new year as likely to be working somewhere for a period that is a long commute.
A couple of mates have had Skoda VRSs as their daily car - one and Octavia and the other a Fabia. Cheap as chips (older model) and go on forever.
I have had a V8 Vantage and loved it, but my 911 blows it out of the water for pretty much everything. I loooked at the F-type-R too and maybe will own one day, and sounds even better than the 3.0l version
I also drove an M2 which was impressive, but for £40k or so, I would prefer a secondhand £60k+ car
Last edited by mtagrant; 26th December 2017 at 12:29.
Get a 17 plate Mustang....discounts to be had, £140 quid a year RFL, my last annual service was £150 and puts a smile on your face every time you start it up......
I’m in love. What are the mods to that? Is £140/yr the 5 litre?
http://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.ph...-MUstang-GT-V8
I am stuck in a similar situation myself, but the other way around.
I sold my car last year and purchased a Defender. I am over the moon with it and it serves its duties well as I have a boat and a jetski that I need a vehicle to launch them with. Also, its perfect for putting the dogs in the back of.
However, what I lost was a vehicle I can use to travel to customer meetings etc. I can use the work van, which is a Ford Courier and actually really quite nice to drive, but that then means the engineers dont have a vehicle to use if we have jobs booked in.
I was considering something like a C Class, Scirocco, A5, etc.
Yes £140 pa for the 5.0 as long as it was registered after April 17...
Mods on mine are lowered 1”, different wheels, full exhaust, remapped 465 Bhp, and some stripes, brake upgrade
I’m currently looking at supercharging..... will be 700 ish Bhp by the time I’m done...
I would be looking to buy a bigger and better house (appreciating asset) rather than dropping £30k plus on penis extension sports car (depreciating asset) unless you really need it.
Customers / Clients have never liked suppliers turning up in an expensive car as it suggests they are overcharging and ripping them off.
If anybody ever turns up in a Porsche or wearing a rolex watch they are automatically considered a walker or new money chav trying to pass themselves off as a professional.
Ha Ha you beat me to it, I was going to post that as it shows what a really sorted muscle car can look like
Good luck with your dilemma Wayne
Steve
You could view this another way, and that is to say that some performance cars have been strongly appreciating assets over the past 5 years or so. In particular the Porsche market has gone crazy: just look at 930 prices where they are now compared to 2010 levels.I think the OP mentioned an older Porsche or Aston which would be firmly in this territory.
Also, if you have to commute to work on a daily basis then the pain is relieved just a little if you have something nice to do it in.
I ran one car for many years trying to get the best of both with things like Boxsters, M3s and hot hatches.
Then bought a Lexus and an Elise and never looked back.
Having two gives you the best of both worlds can allows you to get something really usable and also something a bit more daft and fun.
From your list I got a pax ride around Spa in an F type v6 which is a great car but no sports car. I'd look at lighter stuff like the Elise etc but for a fun car I'd advise you forget the 1 series. I ran an M135i as my daily for a year and it was utter rubbish to drive other than in a straight line.
How sad....
Completely agree.
Yes very sad the damage these fuel guzzling high emissions cars are doing to the environment.
Such inappropriate relics from the 1980s / 1990s should really be scrapped or re-purposed.
As they have no justifiable place on British roads today, we know the pollution they cause and we know better.
I thought the argument was based on financial not environmental reasons. Would £30k on an EV be fine then?
You’re funny.....stick with your carcinogenic diesel.....
My car has a modern clean engine that passes all current emissions..... as does my 5.7 litre jeep running on LPG....
Why are you even on this thread??
Wow could you have veiled any more insults?
Firstly, I'm buying a car not as a "penis extension", but because I like to have fun, and a performance car will give me that (as well as many other fun parts of my life before you try and insult me further). I could of course explain fun and its definition but I think that would very much fly over your head, so I'll not bother.
Secondly, I have mentioned I may be considering an EV for work and at the very least, a perfectly economical and environmentally friendly version of say a combustion Smart or what have you. My current car is a Euro 6 compliant diesel. Mercedes barely make a more eco-friendly vehicle in their current range so I'm sorry I haven't sold it and started Flintstoning it everywhere.
I'm guessing you're 85-150 years old, so I expect in your earlier years, the cars you used to drive used only the cleanest of fuels such as wind or solar power, and you've therefore never yourself contributed to global warming in any shape or form.
This forum is brilliant. It's a wealth of knowledge and a great core of people. However there's always one person that comes along with the most useless response and derails a thread completely; this is happening more and more lately and it's such a shame. If you don't have anything relatable and productive to suggest, is it really worth bothering? Like really worth it? I doubt it.
Merry Christmas though Badger and have a very happy new year!
It bumps the post count though.
It's just a matter of time...
For me, I’d try and get one car to do the job. I’ve been running 2-3 cars for a while and it’s more hassle than it’s worth for the most part.
I’ll probably always have a couple of cars in Oz, but one is for distance and the other for getting about off-road, and I wouldn’t want to use either for the opposite job.
Over here I think something like a new S3 would just about do whatever I need. Thankfully other family members have an array of vehicles I could borrow if I really needed to, but I don’t think you need a LWB VW van for your job.
It's just a matter of time...
Haha no most definitely not :-D The S3 is of course a good option but I just don't like it, or the Golf R etc. I wish I did, as they'd both make great all-rounders, but I think I'd go A45 if I went down that route.
Will try and visit lots of garages asap and start narrowing my choices. At the moment I have no experience of any of these cars really so I need to get out there looking at them.
W44NNE...
One thing I’d like to add, regarding your list of cars above, and that is the AMv8....
It’s well worth remembering that cars within your budget are going to be around 10 years old now, and when they go wrong there’s no such thing as a cheap fix for an AM...
A clutch is around £3k and they’re not very strong, headlights are LED and a failure will cost you the best part of £1k and a tail light around £600..
They’re also extremely thirsty, the best I could get out of my 4.3 was around 24, but mostly it struggled to get in the 20’s and I’m not heavy footed.. the cheapest service I had was £600 at a specialist..
In saying that, they sound fantastic, have great handling and are a real occasion to drive...
Ps my daily driver is a 15 year old Yaris 1.0....
Last edited by Enoch; 26th December 2017 at 20:27.
Thanks, I've watched the Doug DeMouro videos on youtube etc and followed the expenses he and other owners of that particular car have faced; expensive. However, I have to say, it doesn't completely scare me, and I've had more modern cars with huge warranty repairs, but it's food for thought.
I have a friend who's a great mechanic which makes for an excellent back-up plan should things go awry, but of course there are things I guess only Aston can repair.
The A45 wouldn’t work on these roads, unless the newer version of it has been improved.
The S3 or an RS3 might work for me as a commuter and the occasional lap; I’ll have a think about one for 2018.
It's just a matter of time...
Hard suspension do you mean Scott, on the A45? I have heard this, but also heard it's not as bad as the Focus RS, which would be no good due to engine issues and manual-only box.
What total rubbish.
Just s thought, perhaps the OP has a nice house he is perfectly happy with and would just like an enthusiasts caf for the weekend?
Precisely the same as I, and many others on here have done.
Clearly you are either simply jealous or miserable, or both.
So clever my foot fell off.
I feel that buying bigger houses than one actually needs isn’t very environmentally friendly👍😈
Yes, it was very harsh which affected the handling too much for my liking. The fastest car I’ve had a lap in was my old rebuilt P1, which was significantly quicker than my lap in a 911 Turbo, all of which I put down to fantastic suspension for rougher uk roads.
It's just a matter of time...
No need to be Sarky
Going down the stairs head first would be more comfortable than a focus RS.
For me having two cars means I have an everyday car to go to the shops/visit family etc, and another for a bit of hooning at the weekend.
If the later is an appreciating asset, which does not cost a fortune to tax, insure and run, and will actually start and work when I want it to, then so much the better. Hence I have a Porsche 911 (penis extension).
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
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