RE: Summer sizzlers for £35k | Six of the Best

[g7jhp]

Caterham 7 360R for pure fun.

Mercedes R107 300 SL for style.

Porsche 987.2 Boxster S for practicality.

[mikef]

The first thing I would do to the 911 is throw out the manky aftermarket satnav and get a PCCM+ CarPlay unit installed. Will add about £1,400 to the cost

[nismo48]

GTRene said:

Alex Z said:

Kipsrs said:

The Mercedes seems pretty good value. .

Yep, that seems like a lot of car with the least compromise from that list.

Indeed, good price lovely combo, 510hp and looking good.



also inside great seats and lovely tunnel/dash materials.

Agreed the Mercedes pips it for me

[cerb4.5lee]

nismo48 said:

GTRene said:

Alex Z said:

Kipsrs said:

The Mercedes seems pretty good value. .

Yep, that seems like a lot of car with the least compromise from that list.

Indeed, good price lovely combo, 510hp and looking good.



also inside great seats and lovely tunnel/dash materials.

Agreed the Mercedes pips it for me

I'd be the most happy overall in that as well I reckon.

[MB140]

richinlondon said:

Mark_Blanchard said:

No Mustang? My V8 GT is a summer sizzler.

A thread made for me, I’m about to spend around £30-35k on a nice sounding convertible and currently mustang is top of the list, would be interested in hearing experiences of it please.

Wife and I had one for 4 years. Modified tastefully with a Borla S exhaust, stedda suspension and anti role bars. Best thing we ever bought for it was the Ford Mustang wind deflector. Without it the cabin is very blustery. With it fitted you hardly feel a thing at up to 100mph.

We did two trips to le man in it and other European driving holidays.

Would return 32-33 mpg sat on the French toll roads at a reasonable speed. Could easily pack enough for 2 weeks driving in Europe.

Car play worked well.

Only issue, interior build quality is not the best and creaks and rattles a bit.

Upgrade the oil cooler if not done already as they are a weak point and it is an oil to coolant exchange type which corrodes and then mixes your oil and water together normally resulting in a scrapped engine. Ours was maintained by modurstand and they did the oil cooler kits.

[AmyRichardson]

Nice. I'd be happy in any of those on a nice day.

Except the 911, I'd be thinking about wanting the coupe. Or the Morgan, I like my old cars old.

[jamesbilluk]

It would have to be one of these for me, having that exhaust sound with the roof down

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403227...

[Its Just Adz]

Whole load of "meh" there.
But I bet the C63 makes a cracking noise.

[Wheel Turned Out]

jamesbilluk said:

It would have to be one of these for me, having that exhaust sound with the roof down

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403227...

Agreed, the Maserati always seems forgotten but I'd have one over anything listed. Even with its flaws and running costs. That sound, those looks, bliss.

[cerb4.5lee]

Wheel Turned Out said:

jamesbilluk said:

It would have to be one of these for me, having that exhaust sound with the roof down

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403227...

Agreed, the Maserati always seems forgotten but I'd have one over anything listed. Even with its flaws and running costs. That sound, those looks, bliss.

Also agree, and that is very nice for definite.

[Benzinaio]

I've previously owned an Alfa Spider S4 and a Saab 9-3 Aero 'Vert' so feel somewhat qualified to put my two penneth worth in here.
I really don't concur with all this 'British summertime' thought process.
Wouldn't have dreamed of it in the Alfa (no heater for one thing) but the Saab was a lovely top down drive on a crisp winters morning. Heated seats, piping hot heater, you get the idea.
And one of the best ways to do motoring is driving a convertible at night.

[ducnick]

richinlondon said:

Mark_Blanchard said:

No Mustang? My V8 GT is a summer sizzler.

A thread made for me, I’m about to spend around £30-35k on a nice sounding convertible and currently mustang is top of the list, would be interested in hearing experiences of it please.

What do you want to know?
I had mine 5 yrs and did a few subtle mods including the Shelby gt350 manifold and complete oil cooler replacement, arh full headers and exhaust, suspension work etc.
My advice would be to give them a miss and buy the c63 advertised here, a nice xkr or a Maserati gran cab. Ford build quality is abysmal. Their after sale service is laughable. And the gearbox is rubbish.
For 30-35k you can do much better.

Edited by ducnick on Saturday 29th June 18:10

[andy43]

cerb4.5lee said:

Wheel Turned Out said:

jamesbilluk said:

It would have to be one of these for me, having that exhaust sound with the roof down

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202403227...

Agreed, the Maserati always seems forgotten but I'd have one over anything listed. Even with its flaws and running costs. That sound, those looks, bliss.

Also agree, and that is very nice for definite.

As an ex owner they’re terrifying. That one’s got Ferrari style sticky button disease and at that age there’s a fair chance the subframes could be toast. V8 sound is incredible but the sound of my butt cheeks clenching at every new rattle could drown it out.

[jamesbilluk]

andy43 said:

As an ex owner they’re terrifying. That one’s got Ferrari style sticky button disease and at that age there’s a fair chance the subframes could be toast. V8 sound is incredible but the sound of my butt cheeks clenching at every new rattle could drown it out.

I remember with mine, and new noise was a worry, I fixed that with a Larini

Mine did have the sticky interior as well!

[Martin315]

el romeral said:

Heart is saying the Aston, head is saying the Mercedes. Aston it is then!

Heart says Aston. Head says advert claims 1 owner (then says it’s a 2 owner car), has too many capitals and an obscured number plate, so no thanks.

[cerb4.5lee]

jamesbilluk said:

andy43 said:

As an ex owner they’re terrifying. That one’s got Ferrari style sticky button disease and at that age there’s a fair chance the subframes could be toast. V8 sound is incredible but the sound of my butt cheeks clenching at every new rattle could drown it out.

I remember with mine, and new noise was a worry, I fixed that with a Larini

Mine did have the sticky interior as well!

If I was still a pre TVR owner then I reckon that I might actually consider one. However having now owned a TVR...sod that for a game of soldiers for sure!

[jamesbilluk]

cerb4.5lee said:

If I was still a pre TVR owner then I reckon that I might actually consider one. However having now owned a TVR...sod that for a game of soldiers for sure!

both great looking cars! I had similar with a Griffith, loved it a lot, but occasionally it decided it didn't want to bother to start, never got to the bottom of that.

[stavr0ss]

cerb4.5lee said:

richinlondon said:

Mark_Blanchard said:

richinlondon said:

A thread made for me, I’m about to spend around £30-35k on a nice sounding convertible and currently mustang is top of the list, would be interested in hearing experiences of it please.

Go for post April 2017 as tax is cheaper.

Don't expect Audi / BMW build quality and fit and finish, it's a Ford.

Some scuttle shake over bad roads.

Get used to filling stations.

Check for corrosion on bonnet edges and front wings, both aluminum.

Fit a Ghost II immobiliser for peace of mind.

Huge power, in Sports plus and track mode, great fun but be careful when tyres cold.

Top down in the sun is difficult to beat.

Edited by Mark_Blanchard on Saturday 29th June 11:29

Really useful thanks, changing from a Saab 9-3 so scuttle shake is a familiar trait ??

I've never driven a Convertible or a Roadster that doesn't suffer from scuttle shake either.

Never driven an Elise?

[stuart100]

GT3hopeful said:

richinlondon said:

A thread made for me, I’m about to spend around £30-35k on a nice sounding convertible and currently mustang is top of the list, would be interested in hearing experiences of it please.

Had the ecoboost Mustang convertible as hire car in Florida Keys this year and thought it was terrible, very cheap interior and not good to drive. Always thought I might like one but wouldn’t go near one now. Ive had a couple of Vantage V8 convertibles and they were great cars but do come with possibility of large repair bills.

I had the Ecoboost convertible last year. It was ok, but didn’t like the piped in sound and its cheapness. I myself own the V8 M3 convertible which is far superior. Being older they go for £15k to £20k.

[cerb4.5lee]

stavr0ss said:

cerb4.5lee said:

richinlondon said:

Mark_Blanchard said:

richinlondon said:

A thread made for me, I’m about to spend around £30-35k on a nice sounding convertible and currently mustang is top of the list, would be interested in hearing experiences of it please.

Go for post April 2017 as tax is cheaper.

Don't expect Audi / BMW build quality and fit and finish, it's a Ford.

Some scuttle shake over bad roads.

Get used to filling stations.

Check for corrosion on bonnet edges and front wings, both aluminum.

Fit a Ghost II immobiliser for peace of mind.

Huge power, in Sports plus and track mode, great fun but be careful when tyres cold.

Top down in the sun is difficult to beat.

Edited by Mark_Blanchard on Saturday 29th June 11:29

Really useful thanks, changing from a Saab 9-3 so scuttle shake is a familiar trait ??

I've never driven a Convertible or a Roadster that doesn't suffer from scuttle shake either.

Never driven an Elise?

I've sat in one, but I've never driven one though.