I've had it with unreliable daily drivers...

I've had it with unreliable daily drivers...

Author
Discussion

minimax

Original Poster:

11,984 posts

263 months

Wednesday 20th July 2005
quotequote all
...so it's over to you guys for a spot of help.

the beetle died today (all right, you all told me it would happen :D) and i've had enough frankly!

so i'm shopping for a new car, the only criterior are that it must be:

interesting
fast
tidy handling
[b]reliable[/b]
less than circa 15k (it's only a daily hack!)
tidy looking
waterproof (or at least make a reasonable stab at it)
preferably RWD

that's about it :D

any suggestions folks?

I'm currently thinking S2 elise but I may be drawn by a VX220

Balmoral Green

41,726 posts

255 months

Wednesday 20th July 2005
quotequote all
I must be missing something (although I suspect I may already know what ) If you have £15K to spend on a car, why dont you just get the Ginetta fixed and tidied up?

minimax

Original Poster:

11,984 posts

263 months

Wednesday 20th July 2005
quotequote all
Balmoral Green said:
I must be missing something (although I suspect I may already know what ) If you have £15K to spend on a car, why dont you just get the Ginetta fixed and tidied up?


I said i'm in the middle of a fit of pique all right?

I will fix the Ginetta up but in the mean time (and to have a reliable, economical, waterproof car) I want something practical(ish) too... I really am sick of p1ssing about getting cabs everywhere just to go and pick my cars up and I worked out on the A1 today that i've wasted 3 weeks of work time in the last 6 months chasing about fixing or otherwise f**king about with the mini etc.. so it's as much about reliability as my sanity!

judas

6,068 posts

266 months

Wednesday 20th July 2005
quotequote all
I'm assuming 2 seats plus view of the sky are required.

Honda S2000 - reliable and cheap servicing
Early Boxster
Elise
MX5

minimax

Original Poster:

11,984 posts

263 months

Wednesday 20th July 2005
quotequote all
S2000! fantastic honda reliability! keep them coming!

and a ragtop is not necessary

raf dug

3,515 posts

261 months

Wednesday 20th July 2005
quotequote all
minimax said:
...so it's over to you guys for a spot of help.

the beetle died today (all right, you all told me it would happen ) and i've had enough frankly!

so i'm shopping for a new car, the only criterior are that it must be:

interesting
fast
tidy handling
reliable
less than circa 15k (it's only a daily hack!)
tidy looking
waterproof (or at least make a reasonable stab at it)
preferably RWD

that's about it

any suggestions folks?

I'm currently thinking S2 elise but I may be drawn by a VX220


Byff aimed a post at me and you on the north east forum, he's selling the cerby sooner than he thought, too soon for me, but imagine the fun you could have in Nottingham with that sound and the flames popping out of the exhaust on the over run..

EmmaP

11,758 posts

246 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
raf dug said:
Byff aimed a post at me and you on the north east forum, he's selling the cerby sooner than he thought,


Tom said 'reliable'. Dons flame-proof jacket and runs away...

EmmaP

11,758 posts

246 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
The S2 Elise would get my vote. I've had a rather fast ride in Tony H's, along some pretty twisty roads and I would say it is the perfect car for you and meets all the criteria on your list. I would have thought that you'd be shelling out a lot more than 15K though for one, but then I'm not really a Lotus expert.

You could always get a Corrado VR6, possibly a Storm. It hasn't got RWD, but it is oodles of fun and has an almost bullet proof engine. Now that, my dear, should be top of your list

neil.b

6,546 posts

254 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
What's that? Someone interested in a S2 Elise?

Tom, are you over 25? If so, I'll bring mine to the next meet up and you can have a blast around in it (I have it insured through the company for any driver over 25).

Just don't break it, please.

EmmaP

11,758 posts

246 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
Tom's just 23

neil.b

6,546 posts

254 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
Ahhhh, bugger.

OK, I'll let him sit in it and make car noises while turning the wheel from side to side.

raf dug

3,515 posts

261 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
EmmaP said:

raf dug said:
Byff aimed a post at me and you on the north east forum, he's selling the cerby sooner than he thought,



Tom said 'reliable'. Dons flame-proof jacket and runs away...

It's got to be more reliable than the mini or the ginnetta
I don't know if you know byffs car or not.It was measured as the loudest car at pistonfest last year, I had a passenger ride in it at bbandt05 and it is awesome.The exhausts are straight through with no baffles and when it pops and farts on the over run it kicks flames out of each exhaust alternately
the sound is unbelieveable, I've driven a diablo and a ferrari 550 and a noble (on my 40th)and they don't even come close to Byffs cerby
I wish he was selling it next year as i have changed dawns this year ands mine last year.
Oh btw Emma I asked on the summer night out thread when is the next one?I think everyone enjoyed the last one(bits are still coming back to me now).

tuscan_v8

2,496 posts

291 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
Get Duratec or Bike engined Westfield

www.pistonheads.com/sales/46322.htm

Insurance for your age will be lots better than Elise's and VX220's and of course it is quicker.



>> Edited by tuscan_v8 on Thursday 21st July 10:47

raceboy

13,272 posts

287 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
Slightly over budget, but it's been for sale a while so a cheeky offer might be in order

www.pistonheads.com/sales/42738.htm

Depends if BMW's are your thing or not, I love it, and if I didn't have a Cerbera in my sights I'd be tempted

But at 23 insurance on anything 'fun' that is going to be used as a daily driver isn't going to be cheap

raf dug

3,515 posts

261 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
EmmaP said:
The S2 Elise would get my vote. I've had a rather fast ride in Tony H's, along some pretty twisty roads and I would say it is the perfect car for you and meets all the criteria on your list. I would have thought that you'd be shelling out a lot more than 15K though for one, but then I'm not really a Lotus expert.

You could always get a Corrado VR6, possibly a Storm. It hasn't got RWD, but it is oodles of fun and has an almost bullet proof engine. Now that, my dear, should be top of your list



I had a go in an Exige (hardtop elise) on my 40th, the only way I could get out of it was to crawl on my hands and knees, not very dignifiedand it didn't impress me as much as the noble the ferrari 550 the diablo the viper or the sl55amg and none of them impressed me as much as byff's cerby
At 23 year old he might have to take out one of his mortgages for the insurance though.
Wow 2000 posts I need to get out more.

>> Edited by raf dug on Thursday 21st July 13:05

EmmaP

11,758 posts

246 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
Tony's only 24

But, as somone said earlier, anything fun will be expensive to insure at 23. I wonder how much a VR6 would cost to insure? Group 18 - costly I think. S2 is group 20.

Fatboy

8,084 posts

279 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
Supra Twin Turbo? You'll get an absolute cracker for way less than 15k

E36 M3 Evo?

Bini Cooper?

EmmaP

11,758 posts

246 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
Fatboy said:
Supra Twin Turbo? You'll get an absolute cracker for way less than 15k

E36 M3 Evo?

Bini Cooper?


All of those are far too sensible for Tom.

LongQ

13,864 posts

240 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
minimax said:


so i'm shopping for a new car, the only criterior are that it must be:

interesting
fast
tidy handling
BUILT TO WITHSTAND A DIRECT HIT FROM AN ATOMIC BOMB
less than circa 15k (it's only a daily hack!)
tidy looking
waterproof (or at least make a reasonable stab at it)
preferably RWD

that's about it

any suggestions folks?

I'm currently thinking S2 elise but I may be drawn by a VX220


Neither strong enough I would have thought and not the sort of device for gainly entrances and exits when wearing a suit so far as I can tell.

But if you want to go that way you could have a word with pwig to see if he is bored with the Dax yet!


EmmaP

11,758 posts

246 months

Thursday 21st July 2005
quotequote all
LongQ said:

minimax said:


BUILT TO WITHSTAND A DIRECT HIT FROM AN ATOMIC BOMB





LongQ said:

Neither strong enough I would have thought and not the sort of device for gainly entrances and exits when wearing a suit so far as I can tell.




Actually a Dax, Westfield or Caterham isn't such a bad idea. Not sure if you'll get a smart enough Caterham though for that sort of money.