Convertible, weekend car, £18k - suggestions?

ci_newman

ci_newman

ci_newman

Don
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After 6 years of ownership, it's time to move on from the Westfield. With a busier life, I'm finding it tough to actually find time to drive it, that also matches the right weather conditions (no heater, no roof at all, very skittish on wet roads).

So starts shopping for the replacement.

- Upto £18k
- Convertible / soft top
- 2 or 4 seats
- Fuel economy isn't a concern
- I don't want it to cripple me on maintenance costs so an old SLK or XKR is probably out of the question

Ideas so far
- Elise S2 - scrapping the barrel with that budget though
- VX220 - might face the same problems with 'all weather' driving
- TTS - much closer to a tourer than an A-Road blaster
- MX5 - concerned that the lack of power might mean its underwhelming after the Westfield
- Z4 - BMW tax, so potentially huge maintenance costs?

What says you Motors? What gem have I missed?
 
Are you bothered about age? I think coming from such a drivers car then maybe the only slightly more practical Chimera might suit, especially if you’re handy with a spanner.

Otherwise maybe a Mini JCW or Abarth 595 for something with a go kart vibe, although the latter isn’t really a convertible In the truest sense.
 
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Not sure how much 996 £18k buys you these days but might be worth a look. Really great to drive even in convertible form.

Otherwise I think you’d get a decent selection of Boxsters for this money.

Can’t run a Porsche on a shoestring, but with this budget and hence vehicle age you’re well out of the grasp of the dealers and servicing at independents isn’t ruinous. I pay £200 for a minor and £400 for a major service (fixed price) on my 997. But the IMS, RMS, bores etc etc… sure, but all the other cars that are on your list will have well known gremlins by now.
 
ci_newman said:
After 6 years of ownership, it's time to move on from the Westfield. With a busier life, I'm finding it tough to actually find time to drive it, that also matches the right weather conditions (no heater, no roof at all, very skittish on wet roads).

So starts shopping for the replacement.

- Upto £18k
- Convertible / soft top
- 2 or 4 seats
- Fuel economy isn't a concern
- I don't want it to cripple me on maintenance costs so an old SLK or XKR is probably out of the question

Ideas so far
- Elise S2 - scrapping the barrel with that budget though
- VX220 - might face the same problems with 'all weather' driving
- TTS - much closer to a tourer than an A-Road blaster
- MX5 - concerned that the lack of power might mean its underwhelming after the Westfield
- Z4 - BMW tax, so potentially huge maintenance costs?

What says you Motors? What gem have I missed?
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None of them. The mx5 although fun, it is just to darn slow.

The Elise is the k series engined ones at that price, and although the head gasket issues can be fixed permanently now, it's still quite the chance.

The vx220 is nighty good, the engine is excellent and is basically what the lotus should have been at the start. Downside is the badge, but this doesn't seem to put many people off. If you can find a good one at £18k it would be a worthwhile investment, they are only going up in price. Will need to find a specialist to keep it tip top

Look for a nismo nissan 350/70z convertible.

Very reliable, reasonably quick, doesn't have the same "tax" as the beemer.

Downside is it's a nissan.

Alternatively look at infinity g37 (basically the 370z) downside is no one's heard of infinity.

Mercedes (same issue as BMW probably eve n more so with a Merc)

There is a plethora of Porsches you could look at, mostly seem to be the boxster, but they are very nice and get the right spec one they aren't the hairdresser car most people think they are.
Stick to Porsche specialists though dealer will ruin you with running costs cos of the badge.
 
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mjt said:
I think a VX200 will be fine in the wet, just stay away from white lines :p
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Where is @L0rdMike when you need him? :D
BigT said:
Are you bothered about age? I think coming from such a drivers car then maybe the only slightly more practical Chimera might suit, especially if you’re handy with a spanner.

Otherwise maybe a Mini JCW or Abarth 595 for something with a go kart vibe, although the latter isn’t really a convertible In the truest sense.
Click to expand...
Not particularly bothered about age so the Chimera might be worth a look. I had stayed away from TVR in general with their reputation, but no harm in looking
tom_nieto said:
Not sure how much 996 £18k buys you these days but might be worth a look. Really great to drive even in convertible form.

Otherwise I think you’d get a decent selection of Boxsters for this money.

Can’t run a Porsche on a shoestring, but with this budget and hence vehicle age you’re well out of the grasp of the dealers and servicing at independents isn’t ruinous. I pay £200 for a minor and £400 for a major service (fixed price) on my 997. But the IMS, RMS, bores etc etc… sure, but all the other cars that are on your list will have well known gremlins by now.
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Will take a look at 996 :)
MissChief said:
SL and SLK are different cars!

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202304226568319 ?
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Wont the SL still have ruinous servicing costs?
sx_turbo said:
None of them. The mx5 although fun, it is just to darn slow.

The Elise is the k series engined ones at that price, and although the head gasket issues can be fixed permanently now, it's still quite the chance.

The vx220 is nighty good, the engine is excellent and is basically what the lotus should have been at the start. Downside is the badge, but this doesn't seem to put many people off. If you can find a good one at £18k it would be a worthwhile investment, they are only going up in price. Will need to find a specialist to keep it tip top

Look for a nismo nissan 350/70z convertible.

Very reliable, reasonably quick, doesn't have the same "tax" as the beemer.

Downside is it's a nissan.

Alternatively look at infinity g37 (basically the 370z) downside is no one's heard of infinity.

Mercedes (same issue as BMW probably eve n more so with a Merc)

There is a plethora of Porsches you could look at, mostly seem to be the boxster, but they are very nice and get the right spec one they aren't the hairdresser car most people think they are.
Stick to Porsche specialists though dealer will ruin you with running costs cos of the badge.
Click to expand...
The 350/370 has always struck me as a bit lardy. They seem to be getting on a bit now too
 
Malevolence said:
S2000 or Abarth 124 Spider would be my choices. The latter may push at the extreme of your budget though.
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I have a massive soft spot for the S2000 from my days in the Honda scene, but it would have to be in excellent condition for me and they are few and far between these days sadly (and I remember the days when you could pick them up for almost pennies)
 
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-buying-guides/mercedes-benz-sl-r129--ph-used-buying-guide/41379 R129 SL buyers guide with common issues
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-buying-guides/mercedes-benz-sl-r231--ph-used-buying-guide/46236 R231 SL buyers guide. Much more modern, but uglier IMO
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-buying-guides/ph-buying-guide-mercedes-sl55-amg/25445 AMG SL55 Buyers guide.

Yes they can break and cost a fortune so get one that's had all the nasty bits already done.
 
Having owned two caterham 7s anything after the Westfield will feel dull and boring.

My advice is to not try to recapture the Westfield

I'd buy a TVR Griffith or chimaera, totally different but also hugely gorgeous.
 
Brave colour but seems nice one.

TVR Chimaera cars for sale - PistonHeads UK

Looking for a TVR Chimaera? Find your ideal TVR Chimaera from top dealers and private sellers in your area with PistonHeads Classifieds.
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Better colour, but those wheels are ermmm
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Used 1999 TVR CHIMAERA for sale

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Decent
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Used PORSCHE BOXSTER 3.4 S SPORT EDITION Manual Silver 2008 for sale

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Series 1

Lotus Elise S1 cars for sale - PistonHeads UK

Looking for a Lotus Elise S1? Find your ideal Lotus Elise S1 from top dealers and private sellers in your area with PistonHeads Classifieds.
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MX5
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Used Mazda MX-5 2.0 SPORT NAV PLUS 2d 182 BHP for sale

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Can be 'evolved' if you want more power, foundations are so well sorted.
 
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MK3 MX5 with a Turbo conversion (or Supercharger if you don't mind the fuel economy).
With the hard-top convertible if possible, soft-top is a bit too noisy for my liking for the non-sunny days and takes away from the experience.
 
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Since it’s a weekend car, I’m gonna make some assumptions:


It doesn’t need to have loads of tech
It doesn’t need to be super comfy
Driving enjoyment is worth more than sophistication/interior quality


Therefore, I’d probably look at an MX5 or something of that ilk



Having recently purchased a BMW 135i I’m also very biased towards these. They’re unbelievably fun to drive. The N55 variant doesn’t feel typically turbocharged either, as it really enjoys to rev to near the redline.
 
MrRockliffe said:
Since it’s a weekend car, I’m gonna make some assumptions:


It doesn’t need to have loads of tech
It doesn’t need to be super comfy
Driving enjoyment is worth more than sophistication/interior quality


Therefore, I’d probably look at an MX5 or something of that ilk



Having recently purchased a BMW 135i I’m also very biased towards these. They’re unbelievably fun to drive. The N55 variant doesn’t feel typically turbocharged either, as it really enjoys to rev to near the redline.
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Right on all points, hence the convertible bit as well :)

MX5 with some kind of forced induction is probably a good shout
 
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