Good weekend car?

Crizzy · 25 Jan 2020 at 16:45

Thinking about getting me a fun car for the weekends.

I don't need a daily at the moment as I cycle to work and the Mrs has the SUV thing for kids and tip trips.

Obvious candidate is an MX5, but I owned an NB for 5 years, and whilst it was an absolute riot I'd like something a bit different.

Being a second car that won't see a lot of use I don't want to spend much, ideally around the £5k mark. Fixing broken things and mpg are probably not too much of an issue considering the milage I'd be doing. However I'd rather not be paying the higher tax bands for the same reason.

Finally I'd like something that I can pamper and maybe do a few odd jobs on here and there.

So looking for suggestions, no other criteria apart from the above really, thought about an EP3 type R but not sure if they're special enough (although I've never been in one...)

Thanks all

mjt · 25 Jan 2020 at 16:49

2 seats, no roof.

Get a Caterham

roadie · 25 Jan 2020 at 16:51

Z4? Open top and the benefit of a straight six!

Crizzy · 25 Jan 2020 at 17:01

I'm very very open to the idea of a Caterham certainly, but for £5k? Where do these sell at that price?

Z4 is deffo a good should and I have thought about it a lot, but there is something very 'every day' about it, if that makes sense. Not sure I'm more drawn to the Z3 these days as I find that it's aging quite elegantly and I don't see many around now.

Cleisthenes · 25 Jan 2020 at 17:09

Crizzy said:
I'm very very open to the idea of a Caterham certainly, but for £5k? Where do these sell at that price?

Do Westfields get that cheap? Might be a good shout.

Crizzy · 25 Jan 2020 at 17:15

I don't think Caterham's or Westfield's are realistically in budget and don't want to buy a dog that needs work.

AiiR · 25 Jan 2020 at 17:17

Apparently the Z3 chassis is rubbish, as are the smaller engines. Personally I'd vouch for a Z4 because I've had one before and they're great for cruising and decent for back roads. You can get a good 3 litre e85 for around 5k.

badgeruk · 25 Jan 2020 at 17:29

Another vouch for a Z4, loved my 3.0 when I had it. I might be biased though.

mccarf · 25 Jan 2020 at 17:34

Lots of 350zs available for that sort of money

Nasher · 25 Jan 2020 at 18:08

For a weekend only car 350z, Z4s, MX-5s etc are a bit to soft tbh. They are fun daily cars.

A Caterham (or the other Lotus 7 clones) is much more of an experience.

mjt · 25 Jan 2020 at 18:14

Crizzy said:
I don't think Caterham's or Westfield's are realistically in budget and don't want to buy a dog that needs work.

Didn’t see the budget, sorry. You could probably get a Lotus clone kit car, but only Keith and his shed know if it’s been built well.

Z3 is pap, Z4 3.0 is worth a shout.

Crizzy · 25 Jan 2020 at 18:22

Nasher said:
For a weekend only car 350z, Z4s, MX-5s etc are a bit to soft tbh. They are fun daily cars.

A Caterham (or the other Lotus 7 clones) is much more of an experience.

This was my thinking, fun daily cars, same with the type R.

This then got me thinking about MR2/MX5 Turbos.

Or maybe going down the classic route, something like a 944 or GT6 (although might need to up the budget a little for this one).

( |-| |2 ][ $ · 25 Jan 2020 at 18:42

Reading the few posts above, what is a weekend car?

Is it something to pretend you’re on the track in? Or is it just something to drive that’s not a “boat”.

Because I had a Z4 coupe and it was fine to drive at the weekend in. It didn’t quite have the power for it in the dry but in the damp and LSD would have made it truly fun at a junction.

Crizzy · 25 Jan 2020 at 18:52

( |-| |2 ][ $ said:
Reading the few posts above, what is a weekend car?

Is it something to pretend you’re on the track in? Or is it just something to drive that’s not a “boat”.

Because I had a Z4 coupe and it was fine to drive at the weekend in. It didn’t quite have the power for it in the dry but in the damp and LSD would have made it truly fun at a junction.

It's a great question and will probably mean different things to different people. I think for me I am looking for something that has a sense of occasion but is a bit too compromised to be used as a daily drive.

E.g. Vauxhall VX220, great car, handling, sense of occasion but you'd be brave to want commute in one daily.

That said I am not ruling anything out, just assessing options.

Edit: Maybe something like a Clio 182 Cup comes close perhaps?

( |-| |2 ][ $ · 25 Jan 2020 at 19:09

For me it would have to be rear wheel drive and would need more than a four pot and either NA or SC.

That’s just me I’m not really one for “throwing it around a corner” when I can’t see what’s in the road on the other side. I do however love to hear a sound track coming slow out of a corner, sometimes where you’ve purposefully gone really slow so you can risk a little rear wheel slip while being under 30mph.

Sorry I’m pushing my own feelings here, not dismissing anyone else’s.

Crizzy · 25 Jan 2020 at 19:21

( |-| |2 ][ $ said:
That’s just me I’m not really one for “throwing it around a corner” when I can’t see what’s in the road on the other side.

I sure hope not, nor am I. Surely this is more about the driver's restraint than the car he drives?

Nasher · 25 Jan 2020 at 19:34

Crizzy said:
It's a great question and will probably mean different things to different people. I think for me I am looking for something that has a sense of occasion but is a bit too compromised to be used as a daily drive.

E.g. Vauxhall VX220, great car, handling, sense of occasion but you'd be brave to want commute in one daily.

That said I am not ruling anything out, just assessing options.

Edit: Maybe something like a Clio 182 Cup comes close perhaps?

Pff, I'm dailying an old Elise S2 at the moment which is 90% the same as the VX220. They aren't uncomfortable in standard spec, the stock Bilstein coilovers provide a smoother ride than the hot hatches I've owned and the seats are memory foam!. The heater is amazing (as on most soft tops), AC works too. It also sticks to the road better than most things even in the wet and cold

Temujin · 26 Jan 2020 at 09:01

Found a Westfield with street ported RX8 motor which is up for 7k currently, might be able to talk him down a bit more...

Psycho Sonny · 26 Jan 2020 at 10:33

The reason why you don't see many z3 is that it was crap and all the issues were fixed with the Z4.

The engine bay was tiny and restricted it a lot too. So it was murder to work with.

Crizzy · 26 Jan 2020 at 11:00

Was it crap though, have you driven one? I thought by the time the 1999 facelift came out they sorted out some of the issues, but perhaps the damage to it's reputation had been done? Also tough competition from the mx5.

Not trying to dispute what you are saying, it's just I've read a few conflicting things about the Z3 and I've never been in or driven one.