something fun for 11k

Michael Myers

Michael Myers

Michael Myers

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Hi folks

I want to upgrade my 2000 Seat ibiza cupra in the next few months and looking for some ideas!

Buying budget is strictly under 11k, im only going to cover about 7 - 8k miles a year in it so fuel costs isnt to much of a worry.

cars i have thought about:

Alfa GT 3.2 V6
BMW E46 M3 (whats the SMG gearbox like?)
Nissan 350Z

Im wondering what else is out there, must have some toys and would prefer something pretty reliable.

Thanks
 
Do not buy an £11k E46 M3, it will be a ropey example and even a nice example will be utterly ridiculous in the running cost stakes - an Inspection 1, for example (Which isnt even the biggest service) is £700ish. It is in another league to the other two cars you've mentioned.

A 330Ci, for example, is quicker and better handling than an Alfa GT V6.

So of the cars listed, get the 350Z. Delete the Alfa because its pants, delete the M3 because a good one costs more and they are not really cars you scrape to get hold of.
 
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[TW]Fox;17196429 said:
Do not buy an £11k E46 M3, it will be a ropey example and even a nice example will be utterly ridiculous in the running cost stakes - an Inspection 1, for example (Which isnt even the biggest service) is £700ish. It is in another league to the other two cars you've mentioned.

A 330Ci, for example, is quicker and better handling than an Alfa GT V6.

So of the cars listed, get the 350Z. Delete the Alfa because its pants, delete the M3 because a good one cost more and they are not really cares you scrape to get hold of.
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I think he is right.
 
i would be dead set on a 350z if they didnt have the most useless clutches in the world, which nissan havent bothered fixing.

so m3 servicing is crazy? hmm thats quite a blow as they are gorgeous cars, the problem with buying a 330 is i would always want to chop it in for an m3 i guess.
 
CoreKrogoth said:
so m3 servicing is crazy? hmm thats quite a blow as they are gorgeous cars, the problem with buying a 330 is i would always want to chop it in for an m3 i guess.
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Using that ridiculously stupid logic you could also say that you cant buy a 350Z either as you'd always want to chop it in for a GT-R.

£11k is the bottom of the M3 market. You are buying an 8-10 year old extremely high cost car. They are incredible cars, very very good but if you only have £11k to spend you cant afford one, so you'd do better to pretend they dont exist and dont let it cloud your judgement of other cars.
 
Seeing as you mentioned an Alfa, perhaps consider a...

156 GTA, 2004/2005 example, 7-9k, pick up one with 330mm brake upgrade and Q2 LSD + cambelt change. If it has none of that, dont bother. Koni FSD's a (big) bonus.

Service history is important on these, though I guess it is for any car of this age/original price.

Get a good one...and you're laughing.
 
i used have a 156 but the 2.5 V6, bit slower of course but the sound it made was sexual. i thought of a GT over the 156 because the 156 looks pretty dated these days.
 
[TW]Fox;17196748 said:
Good idea. I recommend a 1993 Toyota MR2.
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I smell sarcasm.

Just because He has 11k doesnt mean he has to spend it all.. Im sure a RB'ed ( Or even the standard SR20DET) S14 will be just as much fun as many newer cars.
 
i used have a 156 but the 2.5 V6, bit slower of course but the sound it made was sexual. i thought of a GT over the 156 because the 156 looks pretty dated these days
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Fair comment. Pretty sure the GT 3.2 isn't up there in terms of suspension though, compared to a GTA. Best checking, otherwise it's pretty much a point and shoot missile.
 
OP what is it that you want with your £11,000? It's a lot of money and before creating a thread I would seriously consider what I want my next car to do, what I would want out of it, if I were you. It seems that you really don't know what you want.

You have a 2 seater Nissan 350z and a beast of a machine compact executive M3 on your list. :confused:

CoreKrogoth said:
I want to upgrade my 2000 Seat ibiza cupra in the next few months and looking for some ideas!
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What kind of upgrade? An 06/07 Ford ST3 is an upgrade from your Seat, for example. It still maintains practicality and has performance along with a few toys. It also has reliability and you can buy a warranty for it.
 
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basically im looking for something newer thats going to keep me interested so i dont blow 10k etc on a Mk2 golf, i have picked those 3 to start with because i like the look of them all and they arent slow. Also something that isnt going to breakdown every 2 seconds like an old golf does.

i dont have children or require masses of boot space so it doesnt matter if it is a 2 seater.

I suppose the only thing i dont want is a convertible
 
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