One "Fun" Car or Two "less fun cars" Your thoughts?
Discussion
Hello Pistonheads
I am interested to know what you would do in this situation.
I am 24 years old and have just moved into my own flat (Part Buy part Rent)
I live alone and have a very small commute.
I currently run two cars , A Chrylser PT Cruiser as my daily and a Toyota MR2 SW20 as a weekend toy.
The MR2 lives in a small rented garage in the village i used to live in which i pay for monthly.
I have owned both cars for 4 years and have 4 years no claims on both.
I currently plan to sell the Chrylser and replace it with something cheaper to run and more fun , something like a Renaultsport Twingo 133 or a Suzuki Swift Sport for example.
I have reached a crossroads after doing some man maths. I have two options here that i am considering.
Option 1 is as above , Sell the Chrysler , buy something cheap and fun to daily.
Pros - Get to keep MR2 , Smaller car gets to deal with daily toil so i won't worry about Door dingers either. MR2 stays in garage during winter. Don't get bored as quickly as you can alternate.
Cons - Two cars are more expensive that one. No V Engine.
Option 2 is to sell both and buy something a bit more meaty (Nissan 350z Possibly)
Pros - 3.5L V6 , Will probably work out cheaper even though car is more powerful and expensive (only 1 set of Tax , no garage rent anymore etc)
Cons - 350z will be used all year round , during s
t weather etc. Also won't be in a garage , will be parked in a private car park when not being used.
I am rather stumped in how to proceed , Both options have Pro's , but at the same time ,both have cons!
What would you do in this situation?
I have left out exact money values as either way is likely to work out cheaper than what i pay now.
Keen to hear your thoughts!
(Less fun was a poor title choice , i still really enjoy the MR2)
I am interested to know what you would do in this situation.
I am 24 years old and have just moved into my own flat (Part Buy part Rent)
I live alone and have a very small commute.
I currently run two cars , A Chrylser PT Cruiser as my daily and a Toyota MR2 SW20 as a weekend toy.
The MR2 lives in a small rented garage in the village i used to live in which i pay for monthly.
I have owned both cars for 4 years and have 4 years no claims on both.
I currently plan to sell the Chrylser and replace it with something cheaper to run and more fun , something like a Renaultsport Twingo 133 or a Suzuki Swift Sport for example.
I have reached a crossroads after doing some man maths. I have two options here that i am considering.
Option 1 is as above , Sell the Chrysler , buy something cheap and fun to daily.
Pros - Get to keep MR2 , Smaller car gets to deal with daily toil so i won't worry about Door dingers either. MR2 stays in garage during winter. Don't get bored as quickly as you can alternate.
Cons - Two cars are more expensive that one. No V Engine.
Option 2 is to sell both and buy something a bit more meaty (Nissan 350z Possibly)
Pros - 3.5L V6 , Will probably work out cheaper even though car is more powerful and expensive (only 1 set of Tax , no garage rent anymore etc)
Cons - 350z will be used all year round , during s
t weather etc. Also won't be in a garage , will be parked in a private car park when not being used.I am rather stumped in how to proceed , Both options have Pro's , but at the same time ,both have cons!
What would you do in this situation?
I have left out exact money values as either way is likely to work out cheaper than what i pay now.
Keen to hear your thoughts!
(Less fun was a poor title choice , i still really enjoy the MR2)
Do what i did... two fun cars.
Retro 1996 mitsubishi mirage...1.6 170bhp, costs buttons to insure (£330 at last renewal), and an Integra DC5, also buttons to insure (£440).
All you need to do is get your insurance costs down enough and make sure whatever you buy isn't going to break the bank in terms of running costs, and plenty of fun cars fall into those brackets.
The only hard part is deciding which to drive, neither is the weekend car and neither is the daily.
Retro 1996 mitsubishi mirage...1.6 170bhp, costs buttons to insure (£330 at last renewal), and an Integra DC5, also buttons to insure (£440).
All you need to do is get your insurance costs down enough and make sure whatever you buy isn't going to break the bank in terms of running costs, and plenty of fun cars fall into those brackets.
The only hard part is deciding which to drive, neither is the weekend car and neither is the daily.
designforlife said:
In other words keep the MR2 and buy a 350z.
I quite like this idea too! The PT Cruiser is, well not my kind of car personally and the MR2s are becoming rarer. Keep that for when you feel like driving and have the 350Z as your day to day car. Alternatively, just the 350Z if you really don't want to have two cars.
I've always sworn by multiple cars as you end up compromising less with each car. I have tried the single car route a number of times, and driven an awful lot of cars that claim to do everything in one package, but I still think two cars is a better way forwards. Two cas is often cheaper than one too, because most of your costs are per mile, not per car, or at the least heavily affected by mileage.
That said, I couldn't cope with something that I didn't enjoy driving as one of the two. However, thankfully, good cars are available cheaply. For example you can pick up a very nice 325i or similar, that in my mind will drive better than the 350Z you mentioned and you can still keep your MR2. To put some background on that, I had a Z4 Coupé for a while (bought in preference to a 350Z after test driving both) and yes it sounded nice, yes it looked good and yes, my friends liked it; but in all honesty a 3 series is better in most aspects of ride and handling and in the few things that the Z4 Coupé was better at (e.g. corner turn in, due to the tyres and low weight), it was only slightly better at them than a 3 series with a good spec (good as in good, not expensive or flashy...). I held onto my Elise throughout Z4C ownership and I was glad I did, because it drove so much better - when I then switched the Z4C back to a 3 series I preferred the R&H of the 3 and I also had more practicality to go alongside the Elise - a better solution in all ways.
That said, I couldn't cope with something that I didn't enjoy driving as one of the two. However, thankfully, good cars are available cheaply. For example you can pick up a very nice 325i or similar, that in my mind will drive better than the 350Z you mentioned and you can still keep your MR2. To put some background on that, I had a Z4 Coupé for a while (bought in preference to a 350Z after test driving both) and yes it sounded nice, yes it looked good and yes, my friends liked it; but in all honesty a 3 series is better in most aspects of ride and handling and in the few things that the Z4 Coupé was better at (e.g. corner turn in, due to the tyres and low weight), it was only slightly better at them than a 3 series with a good spec (good as in good, not expensive or flashy...). I held onto my Elise throughout Z4C ownership and I was glad I did, because it drove so much better - when I then switched the Z4C back to a 3 series I preferred the R&H of the 3 and I also had more practicality to go alongside the Elise - a better solution in all ways.
I'd be more inclined to go with one car that can fulfil both "daily driver" and "weekend fun car" roles.
Regardless of which two cars you go for with the other option, it's two lots of everything... Insurance, tax, MoT, tyres, servicing, etc.
My preference would be to pay for ONE lot of everything.
ETA: It goes without saying that you should DEFINITELY sack off the PT Cruiser, regardless of which option you end up going for.
Regardless of which two cars you go for with the other option, it's two lots of everything... Insurance, tax, MoT, tyres, servicing, etc.
My preference would be to pay for ONE lot of everything.
ETA: It goes without saying that you should DEFINITELY sack off the PT Cruiser, regardless of which option you end up going for.
Keep the MR2 and use it as weather permits.
I use a Clio Trophy on a daily basis and have a Caterham in the garage. The Caterham doesn't see a lot of use (especially in the winter), but when I do take it out I really enjoy it.
I've toiled with the idea of replacing it with a Lotus Elise/Exige which I could occasionally use to get to work, and I'm sure they would get used more.
When you're using a car daily, it'll always feel that little bit less special than when you get into it once in a while. I think the novelty of a 350Z would wear off pretty quickly as it's a pretty competent daily driver.
I use a Clio Trophy on a daily basis and have a Caterham in the garage. The Caterham doesn't see a lot of use (especially in the winter), but when I do take it out I really enjoy it.
I've toiled with the idea of replacing it with a Lotus Elise/Exige which I could occasionally use to get to work, and I'm sure they would get used more.
When you're using a car daily, it'll always feel that little bit less special than when you get into it once in a while. I think the novelty of a 350Z would wear off pretty quickly as it's a pretty competent daily driver.
FIREBIRDC9 said:
I currently run two cars , A Chrylser PT Cruiser as my daily and a Toyota MR2 SW20 as a weekend toy.
Did you buy it on purpose?FIREBIRDC9 said:
I currently plan to sell the Chrylser...
You monster. Drive it into the deepest lake at your local quarry and hope no-one will ever find it.Krikkit said:
You monster. Drive it into the deepest lake at your local quarry and hope no-one will ever find it.
I'm noticing a theme here :PIt is also worth mentioning that the 350z would be paid for out of my savings and the money made from selling the MR2.
So sadly , a 350z and the MR2 isn't an option.
If anyone can recommend any cars similar to the Renaultsport Twingo 133 or the Swift sport then i'm open to suggestions!
suggestions must be up to and around the £3500 mark
I think you'd have a better time keeping the MR2 and getting the twingo or a swift sport or whatever. I'm currently enjoying rolling around in an old (1994) fiesta and I have an MR2 (aw11) in the garage for sunny days.
It depends whether you can be bothered driving to the next village every time you want to get the MR2 out... If it's in good condition, I'd say it's worth hanging on to at this point, even if you buy a 350z and SORN the MR2 for a while. Mk2 MR2s are not too far away from making the move from "dated" to "retro cool", so you might be glad you kept it.
(To be honest, at age 24, I'd say the gap in your current garage is that you don't have anything grown up and sophisticated for dates.)
It depends whether you can be bothered driving to the next village every time you want to get the MR2 out... If it's in good condition, I'd say it's worth hanging on to at this point, even if you buy a 350z and SORN the MR2 for a while. Mk2 MR2s are not too far away from making the move from "dated" to "retro cool", so you might be glad you kept it.
(To be honest, at age 24, I'd say the gap in your current garage is that you don't have anything grown up and sophisticated for dates.)
FIREBIRDC9 said:
Krikkit said:
You monster. Drive it into the deepest lake at your local quarry and hope no-one will ever find it.
I'm noticing a theme here :PIt is also worth mentioning that the 350z would be paid for out of my savings and the money made from selling the MR2.
So sadly , a 350z and the MR2 isn't an option.
If anyone can recommend any cars similar to the Renaultsport Twingo 133 or the Swift sport then i'm open to suggestions!
suggestions must be up to and around the £3500 mark
My second car is a BMW Z3. I couldn't really refuse it. A family friend was selling it with 26,000 miles on the clock, for not a lot of cash. It's not the most inspiring drive ever, but in comparison to the Elise, it's easier to pop to the shops in (no harnesses!), has seated seats with a decent heater (perfect for winter), is hugely reliable and when the sun comes out, I can still put the roof down! A Z3 falls in your budget; you might even be able to stretch to a Z4?
Unless you're set on a small, nippy car?
From experience, the' problem' with having one car for both work and fun is that it won't feel like fun- it'll feel like going to work, at the weekend. The reverse is also flawed; using a sports car as your daily driver. Before long you won't even look at it before getting in and driving it.
MorganP104 said:
Regardless of which two cars you go for with the other option, it's two lots of everything... Insurance, tax, MoT, tyres, servicing, etc.
My preference would be to pay for ONE lot of everything.
ETA: It goes without saying that you should DEFINITELY sack off the PT Cruiser, regardless of which option you end up going for.
Whilst it's true that some costs double (MoT and VED for example), many other costs are per mile, and often these are significant costs. For example, a major element of car insurance is per mile, tyres that don't make it to 4/5 years old are 100% per mile, a large part of servicing is per mile etc. This is further compounded by the fact that performance cars generally cost a lot more per mile to run than normal cars, so two cars is a lot of miles in a cheap car per mile and not so many miles in a expensive car per mile. Depreciation is another major thing - imagine running a 911 or M3 for 30k a year and then selling it after 3 years, and compare that depreciation figure with a 15,000 mile car of that type. Additionally, most people's 'one car' has to be large enough to do practical duties, but also have performance, and that raises running costs considerably.My preference would be to pay for ONE lot of everything.
ETA: It goes without saying that you should DEFINITELY sack off the PT Cruiser, regardless of which option you end up going for.
I have the figures for me running a 2-Eleven for 3,000 miles a year and a normal bog standard 3 series for the other 30,000 miles per year and it came to significantly less than running an M3 for 33,000 miles a year!!! The same thing was true of my 330ci and my Elise, or my 325i and MR2. Furthermore, if like me most of your miles are spent at a steady speed, a normal 3 series is quieter than an M3 or 911 too, plus a 2-Eleven or Elise is hugely more fun on a B road or a track. Fewer compromises and cheaper costs result in a win-win situation.
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