R8 replacement help

[Belle427]

griffter said:

smckenna92 said:

I have recently been playing around with similar budgets and research, and it seems that what you and most of us are craving is a special car with a usable performance window.

My 2 pence: (hear me out on the Gran Turismo (GT7) comments I am living abroad at the moment and only now in a position to start buying some of my dream cars)

987 Spyder or Cayman R - somewhat practical - raw but suited to road use - balanced - usable performance window - limited run so should hold value well similar to your R8 manual - sounds amazing - in GT7 the 981 GT4 and the 996 GT3 both perform and feel similar so maybe this is the budget option to what was suggested by another user

S2000 - Screaming engine - on-the-edge handling - plenty of customisation options if you are that way inclined - low mile examples holding value well - timeless looks - reliable

S2 Elise/Exige - solid choice but very much a one-purpose car - my worry is that I couldn't live with it and would have to concentrate all the time so my get tiered - Passengers probably wouldn't enjoy it the same

Tuscan - Raw - big sound - some special colour interior options - They should hold their value well and potentially go up now that they are starting to be allowed into the US (25-year rule) and desirable to the gran turismo generation like me - my GT7 testing has it perform similarly the Vantage S but with a bit more lary handling

The TVR is probably the only one. I think both petrolheads and the general public would notice. I have only ever seen a few in the wild, and I remember everyone.

The M12 I just can't get over how bad the interior looks - I think it is quite important given that it is what you look at the most and how you interact with the car.

Although all the cars mentioned are manual, I am starting to come around to the idea of an auto - if you go a nice long drive somewhere or take it on a trip then there are going to be motorways, traffic, city/town driving and times when you are tired so maybe having an auto would help me enjoy the car more of the time.

• I have owned none of these cars, so I would love to hear from someone who has maybe owned any of the above.

I’ve owned 987 Boxster Spyder, Elise S2 111S, S2000 and TVR Griffith 4.3 BV.

The Griffith was the biggest event, but really wasn’t all that competent despite poly bushes, coilovers and a good set up. I got back from every drive out or track day and breathed a sigh of relief.

The Elise was great but too competent. It had no vices and it was a question of finding my limits, not the car’s. Fun in a fair ground kind of way, but didn’t reward my driving “skill”.

The Boxster was an awesome car but blighted by the electronic throttle. On odd occasions it did what it wanted, not what I wanted and chastened the experience. Also see Elise comments, turned up to 11.

The S2000 is the last I bought and is the one I’ll keep. I love it. Usable, amazing engine, enough of a sense of occasion, and needs to be driven well to get the best out of it. It’ll go out in any weather and drop the roof or put it back up quickly and easily. It’s not got the wow factor of the others, but from the driving and owning seat it’s the best of the lot IMHO. It’s also the cheapest!

Not wishing to hijack but an S2000 appeals to me because of its useability, ive currently got my Elise for sale and am considering a Cayman too but the Honda would fit my needs better really.
The prices have increased dramatically though so im guessing you need £15k to get into a tidy one.
Ive read the handling can be a bit sketchy and wondered was that the case?

[maz8062]

Belle427 said:

Not wishing to hijack but an S2000 appeals to me because of its useability, ive currently got my Elise for sale and am considering a Cayman too but the Honda would fit my needs better really.
The prices have increased dramatically though so im guessing you need £15k to get into a tidy one.
Ive read the handling can be a bit sketchy and wondered was that the case?

I’ve had an S2000, a MY00 first gen. They’re good cars, cramped, not very fast, poor fuel economy and need revs to get into VTEC. Up to the traction control cars (MY06 onwards) they had a Torsen diff on them which is the cause for many an accident, backwards into a hedge type accident, so most on the forums were super nervous of binning them.

MY04 cars onwards were toned down a bit in the handling front and MY06 onwards added TC. MY08 cars had a lot of engine issues so be careful.

I considered buying one recently but passed in the end. Been there done that.

[Jester86]

If the OP can fit, I'd consider an FD RX7. Classic JDM style, great engine, lovely chassis, pop ups.

£35k would get you a nice example, especially if maintenance is not going to be a worry.

[griffter]

Belle427 said:

Not wishing to hijack but an S2000 appeals to me because of its useability, ive currently got my Elise for sale and am considering a Cayman too but the Honda would fit my needs better really.
The prices have increased dramatically though so im guessing you need £15k to get into a tidy one.
Ive read the handling can be a bit sketchy and wondered was that the case?

They’re very usable. Decent boot (including space saver spare), excellent aircon/heater, everything you need, nothing you don’t.
£15k would buy you an excellent reasonable mileage car, but the car thing with these is even high mileage cars are perfectly good. With care and maintenance they don’t seem to wear out. The biggest issue is rust. £10k could buy you a nice car with 100k miles.
I haven’t come a cropper in mine, but I do go careful in the wet. Whereas on one monsoon-like Castle Combe track day my Elise seemed to be the fastest thing on track, the S2000 would have been in the pits. Handling is brilliant but apparently the limit is a narrow boundary. It can be adjusted though as you have four wheel alignment and a variety of aftermarket suspension options if you want them.
The other criticism is “no torque”. Thats not true either as up to 5.5k rpm it has the same torque as a contemporary 2.0 MX5, and is making 150bhp. The difference is that at 6k the VTEC kicks in and the S2000 still has another 50% power and revs more to give.
If you like lazy torquey V8s then the S2000 probably isn’t for you, but they do what they do more or less uniquely and very very well.

[Belle427]

Great info thanks for that.

[roca1976]

track down one of these and will cover road and track? 20-25k and seems to hold price really well

pretty unlikely park next to park to another one...

https://www.adrianblyth.com/cars/ginetta/g40r/2.0/...

[roca1976]

or one of these, bit left-field compared to the normal £20k Lotus.

They have the VX220 turbo lump so plenty of poke and upgrade potential

https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12178474

[lotusp]

Want to trash a car! - does that mean you want usable power on the road, there are some great examples above, Cayman R stands out - however there is another that has the right HP for the road and always wants you to use it when you press the M button. The BMW 1M - is definitely worth a test drive, and not to far from the budget. I have had one for 1 year now, and it definitely lives up to the hype. A great drivers car, with a good community and fingers crossed it may even increase in value.

[braddo]

Exige V6 if you fit. Evora if you don't.

The roadsters (rear wing and roof removed) always remind me a bit of 360 Ferraris. Photos never capture low and small the Exiges are.



https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/16675975

[MrGRT]

GR86