7k GBP to spend on a fun car, what to take?

[KM2]

Thanks, some interesting suggestions. As for the dog, it rides in the passenger footwell anyway, so it doesn't really matter what car it is from that perspective

Btw. can one get a Lancia Delta for that money? Isn't it the kind of machine, which requires a lot of expensiv TLC to keep it going?

[Jack_Bauer]

Btw. can one get a Lancia Delta for that money? Isn't it the kind of machine, which requires a lot of expensiv TLC to keep it going?

It's very doubtful that you'll get a good one for that kind of money, and as you suggest they aren't the most reliable of cars on the planet.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/list.asp?s=52

[VtecMini]

If it's all the same to KM2, I'm going to borrow this thread for a bit, instead of making a new one.

Very similar story for me, similar budget, same intentions. I've had my heart set on an Elise for a while, but I think I'd struggle to make it work as a daily driver. I've written off the MX5 and any 7-alikes for the same reasons. MR2s don't really appeal and I'm not a big fan of shopping hatches, partly because of the chavvy image and partly because they're unreasonably expensive to insure, probably due to the chavvy image (Just for a reference point, a Lotus Elise was £200 a year less to insure than a Clio 172, see?). Just in case anyone's wondering, I'm 21, so insuring anything faster than a shopping trolley is fairly painful, but sod it, I can afford it.

Today I tried an Audi TT 225. I know they're hairdresser's cars, I've said it myself and made a noise about it before, but I'm not bothered, cos I just want something fun to drive. Anyway, it wasn't bad. The cabin is ace, the toys are plentiful and the boot's fairly useful, even if the back seats aren't.It didnt actually seem as quick ina straight line as the figures suggest (0-60 in 6.5 apparently), but in all fairness it was really just a quick spin around the block. I'm going back for a return visit on saturday morning, hopefully for a good blast, but we'll see how it goes.
The car is £10k near as damn it. If anyone's got any better ideas*, in a similar vein, similar price, I'd love to hear them. Also if anyone's had a TT for any length of time, speak up.

(*Something that's capable of sending some power to the back wheels is preferable, even if it is only a wee bit and occasionally, in the case of the TT)

[h00t_h00t]

An M3? I think the TT 225 is a group 20 car, so I really doubt you can afford to insure it if a Clio 172 is too much.

[VtecMini]

An M3? I think the TT 225 is a group 20 car, so I really doubt you can afford to insure it if a Clio 172 is too much.

Nope. The TT is gp18 and it's cheaper to insure on my details than the Clio. Welcome to the mad, bad, sad world of legalised extortion. And an M3 is sooooooo not insurable at 21 years old!

[h00t_h00t]

Group 18 still means huge premiums, maybe you should only spend 3-4k of your money and put the rest towards insurence or a holiday or something.

For £4k you can still get a quick car, and unless you've been driving monsters since day one you won't get bored of and Impreza, Evo or something similar.

[KM2]

I guess a Scooby would be a lot more fun than the TT, more useful too, but the interior is nothing to write home about

Perhaps a Forrester (turbo) with some mods might come in at the budget but I imagine it to be a lot cheaper to insure, while not all that leass fun.

I do not know how much a 325xi or 330xi would cost, though - I understood you wanted all wheel drive, right?

[KM2]

Just found this:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/90230.htm

Interesting, perhaps?

[VtecMini]

To summarise, scoobys and evos just arent do-able. I have a personal maximum that I am willing to pay for a years car insurance and they all go over the limit. For some reason, the TT is fairly insurable for the pace it has. I think that all cars that are regularly owned by muppet boy racers and subsequently wrapped around trees are generally very expensive to insure. Hence the fact that a Lotus Elise comes to less per annum than a Clio 182, for me at least, anyway.

BMWs also come under the "HOW MUCH!?!" heading when trying to insure a car at the tender age of 21. The only BMWs that are realistically insurable are the four cylinders. Who really wants a four cylinder BMW?

[KM2]

Does the same (insurance) apply to things like Legnum/Galant VR-4s and Legacy /Forrester turbos?

[KM2]

I know it is horrible in looks and image but won't be worse to drive and will be a lot cheaper to insure: VW Bora 2.8 4motion?

[kingofthering]

Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
Mazda RX-7 FD3S
Mitsubishi Lancer
Most Japanese rockets are cheap enough to be purchased for less than 7K pounds

[2ndclasscitizen]

Nissan Skyline GT-R R32
Mazda RX-7 FD3S
Mitsubishi Lancer
Most Japanese rockets are cheap enough to be purchased for less than 7K pounds

Yes, but they will be grey imports which jacks the already huge insurance costs, as well as not being prepared for the harsher UK winters (ie extensive rust proofing)

[VtecMini]

Does the same (insurance) apply to things like Legnum/Galant VR-4s and Legacy /Forrester turbos?

Yup. The other problem with them is that the VR4s were all grey imports apart from the automatics, which I wouldn't want. Any manuals are grey imports and like 2ndCC said, they're a ball ache.

Off for a thrash in the TT in a bit. Verdict when I get back.

[KM2]

If you like the way the TT drives, as I said, you get pretty much the same in an anonymous package with the added bonus of a 6 cylinder sound in a Bora, which should cost a lot less to insure