gregjd

1 month into leaving behind Scooby ownership for a middle-aged Merc estate and I'm already missing a "fun" car. I've started saving so I can change our Clio (alas not a V6 or 182) for a "fun" car. The most I'll run to is about £15-16K I reckon.. It doesn't need to be practical but does need to be reliable (daily driver to the station for me)..

I'm fancying a new Cooper S or an early (poss LHD) 2nd hand Boxster.. Any thoughts, preferences.. I think the peace of mind of the 5 year servicing on the Mini will make up for the performance deficit in my eyes. It's only going to be a short distance runaround too..

Any thoughts on colour / wheels / spec choices on a Cooper S. Not sure if the facelift later this year will bring any new options but I'm fancying being totally "untrendy" (& resale unsavvy) by having a totally white one with white 17" alloys and beige leather.. Would be rare and kind of 60's looking.. Naff or unusual?

I also quite like the look of the Brabus Smart Coupe but this would be a bit more expensive methinks..

misty

I got a new "s" when they first came out. Top drivers car, a little under powered , but that can be changed now! no space in the rear or boot. Great noise on full chat!! ESP cuts in a bit early for me, but hey what do I know? Go for the Chilli pack to get all the extra's, ie 17", air con, 6 stack, 1/2 leather etc. IMHO there seems to be a lot about now so go for juggler re discounts!!
dave

Squizz

Interesting...

A friend of mine showed me his new Cooper S on Monday night (amongst the floods in Worcester). He originally tested both a Porsche Boxster and the Cooper and decided on the Cooper.

And he's a confirmed Porsche nutter!

Seems the Cooper S was peppier and had a better driving position.

Brendan Hughes

Daily driver to the station - you want to leave a Porsche in the car park unattended???

As for untrendy, great for you, but you'll lose on resale value.

gregjd

Our station car park is watched over which is pretty good. there's a few Boxsters / 911's there already which is comforting. No-one can help ref car park dents and dings though..

Know what you mean about resale on white cars.. I went through an odd desire for a white Sti at one bit but managed to talk myself out of it!

There's going to be a very Scooby WRC blue looking colour option on the Cooper S from the summer, with body-coloured interior option too..

misty

Seems like a case of one man's meat eh!!
dave

jonm01

Cooper S is now 170bhp and with shorter ratios so it might be a bit quicker.

CraigH

You could get a mint E36 M3 for that as well. Or an M Roadster Or an older 911? Should all be reliable.....

Brendan Hughes

Seems a bit odd to get any motor over 2 litres for a poxy drive to the station and back. You could do worse than a sorted Pug 205 and putting ten grand towards your mortgage.

Faire D'Income

If you're just after a fun drive then I'd opt for a Boxster assuming you can get one for that sort of money as the Mini doesn't compare, apart from being equally impractical.

As has already been mentioned, the traction control kicks in far too early so its generally better to switch it off and the ride is uncomfortable to say the least. The engine is sounds like its in permanent 'whinge mode' as you wind it up you can almost imagine it going down the road going 'whinge, whinge, whinge' .... a horrible sound. The interior trim is of a very poor quality with fake aluminium panels on the dash that will look tatty in a couple of years and as they're so popular now I can't see the residuals holding up that well in years to come. I sold my wife's car last month for just over £15k which had the Chilli pack (which is a must if you insist on having one) so it ended up costing £1.5k for just under 12 months motoring - never happier to see the back of a car.

The Boxster I know less about, other than borrowing one for a weekend and having heaps of fun with excellent handling and a far more solid feel to it. Can't say enough good things about it, however we didn't like the styling at all which is why she ended up with the Z4.

Martin J Stirling

What about a mk1 Clio V6? Can't get much more fun than that, and they're supposed to be like a mini 911 to drive, similar dynamics etc. Also, they look like nothing else and are sure to hold their value due to the relative novelty and rareity of the car.

You can pick up a very low mileage example for around 15-16K too which is a bonus!

Maybe you should go for a test drive!?

Cheers,

Mart.

gregjd

Thanks for the feedback Chaps. I am considering the M Roadster. Clio V6 I hadn't thought of. After having two Clios I'm not that keen on Renault build quality though.

mynickers

Porker 968 Clubsport's are around that money, can't get much more fun than that for th money (IMO). Amazing drivers car, and pretty rare as well.

Also, Supra twin turbo, Integra DC2/DC5, RX7 there are loads of really good sports cars you can get for that money.

I wouldnt' get a Mk1 Clio V6, they're suppose ot be unruley and generally a bit dissapointing. I'd rather have a 182 with cup sus than a mk1 myself. If you're less bothered about styling and status, you should also look at the Seat Cupra R and the Skoda awd drive thing, they both have the audi TT engine, and they both kick *** for reletively low money.

I also wouldn't go for a Boxster, unless you go for the 's', I have driven both, and the standard screams out for more power, amazing chassis, but it needs the grunt of the 's'.

Aaquil

Evo magazines rates the Cooper S but said the upgrades give (Cooper Works etc.) give the power that the car is lacking with such a good handling car. On the long-term tester they had. They stated that 17" alloys had adversely affected the handling.

I hope that helps...what about dents and dings on a brand new car are you going to be happy with that...the people who used the car park at my old work place used to batter the cars...awful drivers!!!

Regards

Aaquil.

mynickers

Oh I nearly forgot, I test drove the cooper 's', very rapid car, felt very torquey, clutch felt very weird, it was one of those off / on types, so i kept wheel spinning it, and the dealer was not amused. Nor was he when I left off on a round about, and then pushed it over the ton mark, but heck you gotta get your kicks on a test drive, you might just buy one so you gotta know if it's upto the job.

Steering was direct and responsive, and the chassis felt tight, did feel like it could do with some more grunt though. The works is very pricey, and I read the Evo article, I also saw the footage on top gear, and the chassis seemed to be struggling to cope with all the power just being swung left and right with lift off, it was screaching all over the place. Sure it would be heaps of fun, but I am of the opinion that too much over 200 bhp to the front wheels rarely works well (others will disagree )

Cooper 's' defo worth a test drive, I wouldn't get brand new personally, they're a bit over priced, I'd go for nearly new let someone else deal with the initial depreciation.