Fun to drive - fits a person and a dog - under £20k
Discussion
Hi all,
I've had bit of a change in circumstances recently, and am single with a mid sized dog (30kg).
My only car is a 986 Boxster S ... which I love. It's fun to drive when the road is empty, a pleasant place to be when just driving about, and big enough for both me and the dog or me & a passenger to go wherever we want.
However, I can see the either/or situation with a passenger and the dog becoming tiresome at points. So my mind wanders to what I could get that allows me to take both the dog and a passenger places. It doesn't necessarily need back seats ... a suitable storage space behind the front seats where the dog could safely & comfortably be would be acceptable.
The problem is that I wouldn't want to overly compromise what I have at the moment in terms of fun and interior quality. I'm an old school kind of guy - I am not bothered about whether it has the latest gadget or doo-da or screen - I just want it to feel like a nice place to be ... decent quality materials ... well put together ... gives you a sense of wellbeing when you're sat in it. I'm also not bothered about it having 400bhp and set your hair on fire in a straight line. The 250bhp-ish of the Boxster is perfectly sufficient to be fun and quick enough for the roads.
Ideally my budget would be what I could sell the Boxster for ... say £6k as a ballpark. However, I do have the ability to top the budget up to somewhere in the ballpark of £20k. Just because I have the ability to, doesn't mean I wouldn't begrudge opening the purse strings further!
So for every extra £ spent, I'd like to feel like I was getting proportionally more car for the money.
My mind has roved far and wide when considering replacements ... a 996 911 ticks pretty much every box, but would cost a lot, lot more than the Boxster and I'm not convinced would feel like a lot, lot more. A Fiesta ST (mk7 I believe) would be about a straight swap for the Boxster. And probably a lot of fun (although I've never really driven a 'fun' fwd car) if the reviews are anything to go by. But I can't imagine it having the same fit & finish (or even in the same league) as the Porsche. A BMW E92 would be practical enough, powerful enough, a reasonable place to spend time and drives the right wheels ... but would it be fun? It feels more like a cut down junior exec saloon rather than something designed from the outset to put a smile on your face.
Anyway ... I'm rambling now! Maybe some of these might give you some idea of where my head is at. I'm open to any and all ideas. It'd be my only car, so needs to be vaguely sensible (as in, usable in all weathers and has a fighting chance of starting every time & not leaving me stranded!) but beyond that, almost anything goes.
Over to you guys for suggestions.
I've had bit of a change in circumstances recently, and am single with a mid sized dog (30kg).
My only car is a 986 Boxster S ... which I love. It's fun to drive when the road is empty, a pleasant place to be when just driving about, and big enough for both me and the dog or me & a passenger to go wherever we want.
However, I can see the either/or situation with a passenger and the dog becoming tiresome at points. So my mind wanders to what I could get that allows me to take both the dog and a passenger places. It doesn't necessarily need back seats ... a suitable storage space behind the front seats where the dog could safely & comfortably be would be acceptable.
The problem is that I wouldn't want to overly compromise what I have at the moment in terms of fun and interior quality. I'm an old school kind of guy - I am not bothered about whether it has the latest gadget or doo-da or screen - I just want it to feel like a nice place to be ... decent quality materials ... well put together ... gives you a sense of wellbeing when you're sat in it. I'm also not bothered about it having 400bhp and set your hair on fire in a straight line. The 250bhp-ish of the Boxster is perfectly sufficient to be fun and quick enough for the roads.
Ideally my budget would be what I could sell the Boxster for ... say £6k as a ballpark. However, I do have the ability to top the budget up to somewhere in the ballpark of £20k. Just because I have the ability to, doesn't mean I wouldn't begrudge opening the purse strings further!
So for every extra £ spent, I'd like to feel like I was getting proportionally more car for the money.My mind has roved far and wide when considering replacements ... a 996 911 ticks pretty much every box, but would cost a lot, lot more than the Boxster and I'm not convinced would feel like a lot, lot more. A Fiesta ST (mk7 I believe) would be about a straight swap for the Boxster. And probably a lot of fun (although I've never really driven a 'fun' fwd car) if the reviews are anything to go by. But I can't imagine it having the same fit & finish (or even in the same league) as the Porsche. A BMW E92 would be practical enough, powerful enough, a reasonable place to spend time and drives the right wheels ... but would it be fun? It feels more like a cut down junior exec saloon rather than something designed from the outset to put a smile on your face.
Anyway ... I'm rambling now!
Maybe some of these might give you some idea of where my head is at. I'm open to any and all ideas. It'd be my only car, so needs to be vaguely sensible (as in, usable in all weathers and has a fighting chance of starting every time & not leaving me stranded!) but beyond that, almost anything goes.Over to you guys for suggestions.
Keep the Boxster & buy a RCZ GT 200:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206217...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204114...
Or the 208 GTI cracking steer & a practical fillet to the Porsche:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205155...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203123...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206066...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206217...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204114...
Or the 208 GTI cracking steer & a practical fillet to the Porsche:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205155...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202203123...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206066...
Audi TTS
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204295...
BMW 135i convertible
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206126...
Something a little different (I don't know anything about this car)
Infiniti G
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204255...
Lovely dog btw!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204295...
BMW 135i convertible
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206126...
Something a little different (I don't know anything about this car)
Infiniti G
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204255...
Lovely dog btw!
2 seats with dog area at rear...? Top end of budget Bit off the wall
GP2
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206116...
GP2
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206116...
M140i.
Hatch practicality, small, big engine, rear drive, does the daily perfectly and good fun on a blast / track.
I have a dog seat bed that goes on the back seat then plenty of room in the boot for a week aways stuff.
Downsides maybe it’s a bit bland/boring to look at it’s just one of millions of 1 series.
Hatch practicality, small, big engine, rear drive, does the daily perfectly and good fun on a blast / track.
I have a dog seat bed that goes on the back seat then plenty of room in the boot for a week aways stuff.
Downsides maybe it’s a bit bland/boring to look at it’s just one of millions of 1 series.
Hi guys,
Thanks for the suggestions (and compliments! ) so far.
I've run a 2 car setup in the past (diesel Ford Mondeo and Mazda RX8 PZ) and actually found it quite frustrating.
Firstly you're paying to keep 2 cars on the road when you can only ever drive 1 at a time ... so the tight ar$e in me feels like that's quite wasteful.
Secondly ... you always seem to be in the wrong car! Chugging along in the boring Mondeo and there's a glorious, deserted b-road. Take the RX8 and it's fantastic ability to turn petrol into noise, and you end up sat in traffic watching the fuel gauge drop like a stone.
That said, there is a lot of food for thought there, so thank you for that. I do have one question ... the RCZ - my (possibly erroneous) understanding was that it was essentially a 207gti in a sharp suit. Is this correct? Or is there enough bespoke oily bits to give it a very different driving experience?
Keep the thoughts coming - already been a few ideas posted that I'd never have come up with myself.
Thanks for the suggestions (and compliments!
) so far.I've run a 2 car setup in the past (diesel Ford Mondeo and Mazda RX8 PZ) and actually found it quite frustrating.
Firstly you're paying to keep 2 cars on the road when you can only ever drive 1 at a time ... so the tight ar$e in me feels like that's quite wasteful.
Secondly ... you always seem to be in the wrong car!
Chugging along in the boring Mondeo and there's a glorious, deserted b-road. Take the RX8 and it's fantastic ability to turn petrol into noise, and you end up sat in traffic watching the fuel gauge drop like a stone.That said, there is a lot of food for thought there, so thank you for that. I do have one question ... the RCZ - my (possibly erroneous) understanding was that it was essentially a 207gti in a sharp suit. Is this correct? Or is there enough bespoke oily bits to give it a very different driving experience?
Keep the thoughts coming - already been a few ideas posted that I'd never have come up with myself.
Rotary Potato said:
My only car is a 986 Boxster S ... which I love. It's fun to drive when the road is empty, a pleasant place to be when just driving about, and big enough for both me and the dog or me & a passenger to go wherever we want.
However, I can see the either/or situation with a passenger and the dog becoming tiresome at points. So my mind wanders to what I could get that allows me to take both the dog and a passenger places. It doesn't necessarily need back seats ... a suitable storage space behind the front seats where the dog could safely & comfortably be would be acceptable.
The problem is that I wouldn't want to overly compromise what I have at the moment in terms of fun and interior quality. I'm an old school kind of guy - I am not bothered about whether it has the latest gadget or doo-da or screen - I just want it to feel like a nice place to be ... decent quality materials ... well put together ... gives you a sense of wellbeing when you're sat in it. I'm also not bothered about it having 400bhp and set your hair on fire in a straight line. The 250bhp-ish of the Boxster is perfectly sufficient to be fun and quick enough for the roads.
Ideally my budget would be what I could sell the Boxster for ... say £6k as a ballpark. However, I do have the ability to top the budget up to somewhere in the ballpark of £20k. Just because I have the ability to, doesn't mean I wouldn't begrudge opening the purse strings further! So for every extra £ spent, I'd like to feel like I was getting proportionally more car for the money.
A Fiesta ST (mk7 I believe) would be about a straight swap for the Boxster. And probably a lot of fun (although I've never really driven a 'fun' fwd car) if the reviews are anything to go by. But I can't imagine it having the same fit & finish (or even in the same league) as the Porsche. A BMW E92 would be practical enough, powerful enough, a reasonable place to spend time and drives the right wheels ... but would it be fun? It feels more like a cut down junior exec saloon rather than something designed from the outset to put a smile on your face.
Anyway ... I'm rambling now! Maybe some of these might give you some idea of where my head is at. I'm open to any and all ideas. It'd be my only car, so needs to be vaguely sensible (as in, usable in all weathers and has a fighting chance of starting every time & not leaving me stranded!) but beyond that, almost anything goes.
Over to you guys for suggestions.
My gut thought was a BMW Z4 Coupe. It has a hatchback and a relatively deep boot, though it may be a bit overly claustrophobic for your dog, height and openness-wise. It has 265hp, rear-wheel-drive and is a similar weight to the Boxster. Looks like £9k-ish is the starting point for a decent, non-mega-miles one:However, I can see the either/or situation with a passenger and the dog becoming tiresome at points. So my mind wanders to what I could get that allows me to take both the dog and a passenger places. It doesn't necessarily need back seats ... a suitable storage space behind the front seats where the dog could safely & comfortably be would be acceptable.
The problem is that I wouldn't want to overly compromise what I have at the moment in terms of fun and interior quality. I'm an old school kind of guy - I am not bothered about whether it has the latest gadget or doo-da or screen - I just want it to feel like a nice place to be ... decent quality materials ... well put together ... gives you a sense of wellbeing when you're sat in it. I'm also not bothered about it having 400bhp and set your hair on fire in a straight line. The 250bhp-ish of the Boxster is perfectly sufficient to be fun and quick enough for the roads.
Ideally my budget would be what I could sell the Boxster for ... say £6k as a ballpark. However, I do have the ability to top the budget up to somewhere in the ballpark of £20k. Just because I have the ability to, doesn't mean I wouldn't begrudge opening the purse strings further!
So for every extra £ spent, I'd like to feel like I was getting proportionally more car for the money.A Fiesta ST (mk7 I believe) would be about a straight swap for the Boxster. And probably a lot of fun (although I've never really driven a 'fun' fwd car) if the reviews are anything to go by. But I can't imagine it having the same fit & finish (or even in the same league) as the Porsche. A BMW E92 would be practical enough, powerful enough, a reasonable place to spend time and drives the right wheels ... but would it be fun? It feels more like a cut down junior exec saloon rather than something designed from the outset to put a smile on your face.
Anyway ... I'm rambling now!
Maybe some of these might give you some idea of where my head is at. I'm open to any and all ideas. It'd be my only car, so needs to be vaguely sensible (as in, usable in all weathers and has a fighting chance of starting every time & not leaving me stranded!) but beyond that, almost anything goes.Over to you guys for suggestions.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206216...
A cheaper and more practical alternative to this is the 130i, which has the same engine and only weighs 55kg more. It has a better quality cabin and you can get LE models, which up the quality with a beige leather interior and three-door body. Decent ones aren’t much more than £6k, with cheaper non-LE versions also available:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205236...
I have a 130i and while it doesn’t technically drive as well as a Boxster, it’s a really enjoyable everyday car. I’m on my third, since I’d couldn’t find anything else to match the analogue feel, performance, practicality and reasonable purchase/running costs. I haven’t driven an E92, but I’d wager that the 130i feels a lot more energetic and agile.
I’ve driven a number of Fiesta ST mk7s and while it’s a really fun car to throw around, I found the ride and seats too much for everyday driving…and I was in my 20s at the time. I imagine it’d feel like a big step down quality-wise after a Porsche, too.
The RCZ R is a really fun, frenetic car to drive with body clasping seats and a small steering wheel, if I remember rightly, but it’s surprisingly expensive. Think the R is pretty different to the standard RCZ and I’d rate the 130i higher, though, being half the price, having the same power from a naturally aspirated 3.0-litre, rather than a turbo’d 1.6 and having far better traction and uncorrupted steering.
Some of these are a bit too nice to be putting a hairy smelly dog in!
Renaultsport Megane
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112140...
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205185...
Or a bit newer - Alfa Romeo Giulietta TBi
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206086...
BMW E46 M3
Convertible
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204074...
Coupe
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204295...
Couple of old Japanese rally replicas, just attainable for under 20k
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204094...
Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type UK
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206146...
Newer, Japanese, not a rally replica - Honda Civic Type R
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206206...
These are pretty fun to drive, could bit a bit tight with doggo in tow
Mini JCW
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206227...
Audi S1
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201221...
Renaultsport Megane
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112140...
Alfa Romeo 147 GTA
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202205185...
Or a bit newer - Alfa Romeo Giulietta TBi
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206086...
BMW E46 M3
Convertible
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204074...
Coupe
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204295...
Couple of old Japanese rally replicas, just attainable for under 20k
Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202204094...
Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type UK
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206146...
Newer, Japanese, not a rally replica - Honda Civic Type R
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206206...
These are pretty fun to drive, could bit a bit tight with doggo in tow
Mini JCW
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202206227...
Audi S1
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202201221...
georgeyboy12345 said:
Some of these are a bit too nice to be putting a hairy smelly dog in!
Thank you for your suggestions.Maybe I'm wired differently ... but these are machines designed to be used.
If I need to chuck the dog in it, I will. I put a towel down to catch the worst of it ... and clean it out regularly ... but whether it's the Porsche or anything else, it's first job is to get me & my things from where I am to where I want to be. The dog is a big part of my life (and she now loves a little trip with the roof down) so my car will fit in with that. 
I like this thread. I’m currently driving a diesel hatchback that I bought for a 70 mile round trip commute.
I’m now living with some epic and perpetually empty roads literally on my doorstep, commuting 26 miles a day and soon to start a WFH job. My heart wants to buy a Boxster and keep the diesel for the odd long trips. But my head says one car is cheaper to run and something that ticks the fun box and slightly more practical than a 2 seat sports car for under £10k would be perfect. So I’ll watch with interest.
I’m now living with some epic and perpetually empty roads literally on my doorstep, commuting 26 miles a day and soon to start a WFH job. My heart wants to buy a Boxster and keep the diesel for the odd long trips. But my head says one car is cheaper to run and something that ticks the fun box and slightly more practical than a 2 seat sports car for under £10k would be perfect. So I’ll watch with interest.
We get our two (20kg) dogs in the back of my 370z (the ability to get the dog in was one of the criteria for choosing), They are fine for half hour trips.
With just one of the dogs there is plenty of room for longer runs, though only room to stand at the front. Obviously your dog is a little bigger so that may not work, so the GT86 is a good shout - the rear seats fold completely flat and leave a good amount of space.
With just one of the dogs there is plenty of room for longer runs, though only room to stand at the front. Obviously your dog is a little bigger so that may not work, so the GT86 is a good shout - the rear seats fold completely flat and leave a good amount of space.
I like this thread. I’m currently driving a diesel hatchback that I bought for a 70 mile round trip commute.
I’m now living with some epic and perpetually empty roads literally on my doorstep, commuting 26 miles a day and soon to start a WFH job. My heart wants to buy a Boxster and keep the diesel for the odd long trips. But my head says one car is cheaper to run and something that ticks the fun box and slightly more practical than a 2 seat sports car for under £10k would be perfect. So I’ll watch with interest.
I’m now living with some epic and perpetually empty roads literally on my doorstep, commuting 26 miles a day and soon to start a WFH job. My heart wants to buy a Boxster and keep the diesel for the odd long trips. But my head says one car is cheaper to run and something that ticks the fun box and slightly more practical than a 2 seat sports car for under £10k would be perfect. So I’ll watch with interest.
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