MK5 Golf GTI
General => Random Chat => Topic started by: rdfcpete on June 09, 2014, 06:31:39 pm
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This is 12-18 months off yet, but I've been checking out the used options.
I'd like something that's;
- ideally a coupe
- 6 cylinders (or more)
- under £18k
- affordable 'few day a week' running costs
- balanced and proven chassis
- good brakes from factory
- respectable stock performance
- mildly tunable (or more)
- reasonable residuals for resale
I'd gotten' a shortlist down to:
- e46 M3 Coupe (Manual)
- earlier Z4 Coupe with the 3.0si block (Manual)
- 2006/2007 Cayman S
- e92 335i Coupe Manual or Step Auto
Talking to a friend who's a well respected enthusiast in the trade, he said advised me against the e46 M3 because of the repair costs you tend to have to fork out with them - how true in reality that is for a lightly used one, I don't know. He recommended the Cayman S as the ideal low-cost everyday fun coupe but then, he is a Porsche/Audi man and even said look at the B5 RS4 and Clio 182 Trophies too for all out laughs. Having NurRing'ed a Megane 265, I should probably consider that but it's just another hot hatch :wink:
I'd like to put the B7 RS4 on that list too but perhaps the best ones aren't within £18k and also they're a much plainer and less exploitable option on fast road/track.
Views for and against each? What have I missed?
Thanks.
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http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201405164261918
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I'd go Cayman, but then I have a Boxster S so....... ;)
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I'd go Cayman, but then I have a Boxster S so....... ;)
Until the wind changes direction.... :wink:
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I'd go Cayman, but then I have a Boxster S so....... ;)
Until the wind changes direction.... :wink:
I like cars, I like trying out and changing cars. And it effects me only, so nobody else needs to be offended by my compulsion to do what I enjoy. :D
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Far from offended.... if I could I probably would. :happy2:
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335i, z4m?
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk
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When I had the e46 m3 my repair costs were horrendous ! Most unreliable car I've owned - it was a good car to drive though but I'd never buy the e46 again it's well and trulley put me off - I had a low milage reasonably new one aswell.
E9* bmw the handeling was very sloppy and the lack off an LSD really killed the car for me
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Cayman S/Boxster S/944 turbo S/968 clubsport
Z4M
Elise
Caterham
Subota GT86/BRZ
S2000
MK3 MX5 and a BBR turbo kit
RenaultSport Spider
You want something small, light and fun. All of those will track straight out of the box with little effort and hold their values respectably.
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Cayman S/Boxster S/944 turbo S/968 clubsport
Z4M
Elise
Caterham
Subota GT86/BRZ
S2000
MK3 MX5 and a BBR turbo kit
RenaultSport Spider
You want something small, light and fun. All of those will track straight out of the box with little effort and hold their values respectably.
:happy2:
Obviously the same engine Mike, but is the Z4M conventionally more reliable and easier to maintain than it's fatter e46 M3 brother?
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When I had the e46 m3 my repair costs were horrendous ! Most unreliable car I've owned - it was a good car to drive though but I'd never buy the e46 again it's well and trulley put me off - I had a low milage reasonably new one aswell.
E9* bmw the handeling was very sloppy and the lack off an LSD really killed the car for me
That's not good news mate :scared:
Are you directly comparing the e90 coupe to the e46 M3, or the e90 to other coupes in the same class?
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I went down the Westfield route. Great fun, just too unpractical, now gone. My Boxster S is far more suitable and can be used for weekends away with ease. Whilst still enjoying a sense of occasion with the top down.
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E46 M3 suffers from boot floor cracking (10 year warranty), VANOS sh*tting itself and head gaskets. Facelift cars better, the CS the best. Z4Ms less likely to have been owned by idiots, so possibly safer. No issues with boot floor. Cult following and prices holding well and plenty with extended BMW warranty, which is worth its weight in gold - totally unquestioned service. :happy2:
E9* 335i, you'll have to throw a lot of money at it to make it special, just buy something special instead.
Pork is great, but hard to work on and bills reflect this. I'd favour it personally, but go in eyes open.
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E9* 335i, you'll have to throw a lot of money at it to make it special, just buy something special instead.
Totally agree, but - perhaps the most practical, sensible on-cost-to-run and tunable in my first list (and possibly yours too?). A couple of DMS maps and an exhaust later and you'll be looking up at 400hp(?).
Maybe its the 'safe' bet, but no M car - I concede.
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Someone's worked out how to graft the E9* M3 diff onto a 1/335i now with relative ease, along with the other M3 bits and some suspension/brakes you've got a fine handling car. Engines map well, heat management is tricky.
Can you be bothered with all that though?
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At that budget you could just get an E92 M3.
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Yup. :happy2:
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Cayman S for me.
I'm sure a Stage 2+ TTS (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh2uW4AE-pk) would be a hoot though. :happy2:
Or curve ball, tuned S4:
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Manual 335i with some chassis mods
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At that budget you could just get an E92 M3.
I was thinking that especially if it's 12-18 months time
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TBH I really wouldn't mind an E92 M3 too. :drinking:
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Litchfield supercharged GT86, anyone?
http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/subaru-brz-litchfield-first-drive-2013-10-16
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^ bet that would be a blast, but more than 18k for sure.... and:
Power to Weight ratio
E92 M3: 262 bhp per tonne
BRZ/GT86 Supercharged: 226bhp per tonne
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Hmm.
The e92 M3 speaks for itself, I suppose it won't break the bank anymore than a Cayman S/Z4M. £22k seems to get a good e92, hopefully by the time I'm looking that'll have dropped by another £2-3k.
You don't see Z4M's much, I guess they're totally superior to the 3.0si in reality.
F*ck the running costs, E60 M5? :evilgrin:
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Hardly a weekend car though.
I'd still go Cayman or Boxster. The E92 M3 is an amazing car and sounds glorious, but the Porka will be infinitely more chuckable with higher sense of occasion IMO.
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My money would be on a Cayman S or maybe a Nissan 350Z with some mods? Nissan won't be as special as the others but imagine its maintenance costs will be lower due to being a non-premium marque and they can be had inexpensively so money left over for tuning BUT the Porsche will be special enough straight away and it'll always feel more special to step into a Porsche.
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How much for a Toyota GT86?
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Still around 17s, so you'd be buying it with a view to keeping it for a while.
Abbey, Cosworth and Litchfield doing big power mods at around £5k for a 270ish hp 'charger solution, only a matter of time before cheaper options from the States/Japan start flooding into the UK. When they drop in money, I doubt you'll find a standard one - such is the potential of these.
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Still around 17s, so you'd be buying it with a view to keeping it for a while.
Abbey, Cosworth and Litchfield doing big power mods at around £5k for a 270ish hp 'charger solution, only a matter of time before cheaper options from the States/Japan start flooding into the UK. When they drop in money, I doubt you'll find a standard one - such is the potential of these.
That's fair enough, the GT86 is obviously a great drive.
I was thinking with plenty less than £5k, a 335i coupe with the N54 would be stepping towards respectable power and nearly M3 performance for a loss less to buy (seen them as little as £12.5k in M Sport with 60k miles on a 2008 plate) upfront, and lower running costs assuming you look after the turbo and block? Can't imagine the V8 servicing is as low-cost on paper. To me the 335i is the easy entry option which is all I need really, but I don't expect it to drive like the other strong suggestions on track, for sure.
The Toyota is very cool though, can't ignore it's looks or all round driving appeal.
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The 335i is an easily tuneable car for sure. :happy2:
For a 2nd car with a brief of 'sunshine and track days', I'd want something a bit more impractical and lighter on consumables.
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WHAMMY! (http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/lotus/elise-s1/lotus-elise-sport-160-2000/2392058?isexperiment=true)
My mate had one of these, easily as fast as my old 135i and handled like a house fly. Only going up in value too!
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Love the Elise, no doubt it handles well. But the engine just isn't special enough to give it a sense of occasion. Exige S could be doable at that budget.
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You're spot on about the Elise, Mike. A friend had one in that year but it was a lesser model, none the less it went well and was rev-tastic with everything to match.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is I don't mind it being a bit more bloated and with mildly more road presence if it has a 6pot block or even bigger, perhaps. On balance, the Cayman S is probably about right all considered.
You all have a point about the e92 M3 though, that should probably be where I put the cash.
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It's your money, which isn't a criticism, it means point us at what you really want and we'll help - I could suggest a million things that'll be inappropriate.
OK. If you can pick up a 335i which someone's already spunked a load of money on, consider it. I'd just push to the M3, It'll be worth it.
M3, they've bombed and it's probably the time to buy before N/A V8 nostalgia kicks in and they sneak up to where they should be.
Cayman S will just do it, with ease.
Maybe you'd get into a 370Z, or a 350Z with a load to spend on bits. I can't think of many 6pot+ cars.
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Weekend/track coupe..... 335i is the last that that would spring to mind.
Elise with a turbo or supercharged lump... how much are they going for?
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It's your money, which isn't a criticism, it means point us at what you really want and we'll help - I could suggest a million things that'll be inappropriate.
OK. If you can pick up a 335i which someone's already spunked a load of money on, consider it. I'd just push to the M3, It'll be worth it.
M3, they've bombed and it's probably the time to buy before N/A V8 nostalgia kicks in and they sneak up to where they should be.
Cayman S will just do it, with ease.
Maybe you'd get into a 370Z, or a 350Z with a load to spend on bits. I can't think of many 6pot+ cars.
:happy2:
370Z is a good shout, although one of these would probably pip it:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2006-BMW-Z4M-Coupe-3-2-Manual-Imola-Red-Low-Miles-NOW-SOLD-/151309762699?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item233ac3c08b
Weekend/track coupe..... 335i is the last that that would spring to mind.
Elise with a turbo or supercharged lump... how much are they going for?
I suppose it needs to be German or Jap and reliable, not necessarily the sharpest track toy in the bag - is probably what I should've said Rich. The subject was deliberate to get some ideas on the table to get me thinking on Cayman S/Z4/(M)/M3 coupe alternatives :smiley:
From what people have said, the e46 M3 has already been taken off the 'possibly own one day' list :scared:
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Z4 is a nice car, but you'd kick yourself you didn't go for the Porsche for the same money.
Just buy sensibly. You could end up dropping £3k on one on its first proper service. I paid more for my 2001 Boxster S than I could have gotten one for, but every major thing that usually goes wrong with them had been done. All new wishbones, arms, rod ends, joints, fittings, suspension , rms, IMS, clutch, seals elsewhere, coil packs, manifolds, lots of tidying, air con rads, brackets and refurbishing. In all about £5k on bits was spent on mine, the chap did all the work and I paid just over £8k. £16k of receipts in total too.
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^ I hear you Luke :happy2:
Is it stupid to suggest an e36 M3 in either 2/4 door? :ashamed:
Occasionally, I come across a nice genuinely looked after un-abused one.
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VW Corrado with a tuned 1.8t conversion. Spend the rest of your budget on some decent coil overs, poly bush, braces and a set of brakes. All in would come be less than 10-12k and easily keep up with the cars you've mentioned, plus it's something different......well that's what I'd do :happy2: