DanUK

Finally getting tired of the image and thinking of selling my Subaru while I can still make some money back on it.

I love the power, but not the image, and I have access to a car for use every day so I think I could own something that feels special on a sunny day and will do little mileage.

Budget will be what I can get for the STI...
Current thoughts:

Lotus Elise
Lotus Esprit
MK1 Clio V6
TVR Griffith

Can you guys offer advice?

BOBBY G

I would say lotus elise, and not because i have one.... it is a great car and feels very special indeed, and in my opinion cannot be beat for driver enjoyment...... oh and the roof comes off for fun in the sun.

Do not go near an Esprit with a barge pole, it would cause you grief and melt your credit card.

Clio V6.... kinda cool... but no where near the driving experience an elise can give..... and they can seemingly bite yer bum and wheech you into a spin if your are not careful.

TVR Griffith, similar to the Esprit except it would probably work less.

So, Elise it is! (and please do not be silly and think about a VX220, fine cars, but look like a retarded elise)

Bob

nickwrxstiV2

S2000?

Mr Leigh

I would agree with what BobbyG says about the Esprit and TVR's.

I think the Lotus is a good bet, I'd also have a look at the VX220. I have seen some VX220's that look stunning and would scare an Elise off the road. I think the std Elise looks a bit soft. A bit like Darth Vadar and Luke Skywalker.

I'm not sure of the second hand prices but the 350Z is a cracking sportscar.

scoobynutta555

Lotus Elise. They feel stunning just sitting in them with the engine off. An S1 is the best looker too. What's your budget? I'd only get a 99-00 onwards. Expect to pay from 8.5k for a standard car up to 16ish for a typeR conversion s1 (210 bhp and no HGF issues)

Probein

Griffith's are also, surprisingly, really quite expensive to buy. They're making the transition from regular car to 'classic' car now, meaning they're price is steadily increasing. This does of course mean buying one would probably be a sound investment, as you'll most probably be able to sell it for close to what you paid for it. It'll also break down more times than Spike Milligan.

TBH I wouldn't personally go for any of the above. The elise, in my humble opinion, is girly. I'm also 6'3 and would look like such a **** driving one. Clio V6 are cool, but they aren't supposed to be that quick. It'd be a better idea to go for a Clio 182 which apparently nearly matches it's 0-60 and is far more manageable.

Personally, I'd look at a BMW Z3M Roadster/Coupe. The beauty is that they're usually considered a hair dressers car (quite rightly so). However, with the same 3.2 litre (300+BHP) engine as an M3, in a tiny little rear wheel drive sports car... apparently it's quite, quite terrifying. You can also pick these up second hand with around 30-50k on the clock for between 10-15k, which I think you'll agree is an absolute bargain when you consider you're buying an M series BMW with low mileage (a similar M3 would be closer to 20-25k)

CRAIGFIN

Yeah, gets my vote...a Nissan 350Z. I spent £27k on a brand new one in 2004 and sold it after a year to get a second Impreza. It is a truely fantastic car and I'm going to get another one.

DanUK

Thanks for your fast comments guys...

We already have a 182, with both cup packs and is actually this car that has made me want to get shot of the Subaru. It's just as much fun without the image/comsumption problem! It's also mint whereas the Impreza wants tidying a little.

Unfortunately the BMW thing isn't an option for 2 reasons.
1. I am a hairdresser!
2. My Inlaws are BMW crazy and I don't want to fuel their bias by buying one!

I use a Transit Connect to get to work everyday, so want something fun for when the sun shows it's face or the weekend is upon us. Ideally it wouldn't cost £30 just to have fun for a few hours like the Impreza does.

DanUK

S2000 is a good one! Still thinking on that. Especially as a friend is selling his 2000 W 30,000 miler for £10K

350Zs are still too much, and I wouldn't buy an import

The other thing I was thinking of was buying with investment in mind ie. a car that won't depreciate much now. (That counts a 350Z out unfortunately!)

DanUK

I drove an Elise recently (this one actually) and it felt amazing, like the race car feel I am after. I also have 5 friends who own various models (all S1s)
Missus doesn't seem too keen, gotta work out why. But I would say it is top of my list. Maybe just need more power?

eldudereno

Why did you sell the 'Z' and what makes you want to buy another one?

ps, been looking for another car for a couple of years now but nothing really ticks all of the boxes for me...

T-gro

After seven years and three Scoobies, I've just got myself a 2003 111s.

Best thing I ever did

Even after the type-r, it's so rewarding to drive and so much fun that every drive becomes an event. Of course, the fun only doubles in weather like we had this weekend where the roof is off for four days straight!!

Its handling is truly awesome, far superior to even my r with AST's, AREB's etc, and although the mid range wallop is absent, the responsiveness and inertia makes it seem decently fast in a straight line.

Not as impractical as I feared either. I can get a weeks shopping in the boot (give or take a bag or two, which can go on the passenger seat), and I even managed to get one of those fence sprayers, five containers of fence paint AND the roof (rolled up) in the boot on Saturday!

Add over 40mpg on average to that too!

My wife had her doubts too. She loved driving the scooby, and banged her head getting out in the dealer, so she had her concerns, but after a couple of weeks she loved it to death, so don't worry, she'll come around!

Get one!!!!!

CRAIGFIN

I sold the Zed to free up money for property investments that never came off. It was the first car I've ever sold that I wasn't bored with. It is a awesome package. It might not quite have the straight line speed of a STI PPP but it wasn't a lot slower than my current STI PPP once up and running. I'm currently selling my STI PPP to free money for property investments again but I'm getting frustrated by this and will probably just get another Zed. It has a great retro feel to it harking back to the muscle car days. You only have to read the overwhelmingly postive online reviews to see its a great car.