Spec me a fast, useable 20k car

m3ben

m3ben

m3ben

Associate
Joined
1 Jan 2012
Posts
104
Morning all,

So im giving serious thought to chopping in my trackday M3 and my everyday 330ci and putting the money into a nicer daily driver. Im lucky enough not to live far from work, my commute is only about 6-7 miles so fuel costs arent too much of a problem.

My criteria is as follows -

Quick and comfortable with lots of toys
2 or 4 seats ( not fussed)
Not too much depreciation over the next 2 years
Coupe or saloon, i dont like verts
Ideally not in the £400 per year tax bracket
Ideally i would like a manufacturers warranty, or decent 3rd party cover

I have a budget of 20k, so my current short list consists of -

e9x M3
Audi RS4
Audi S5
e60 M5
E63 M6
996 Turbo

Iv had M3's since i was 19, so naturally the E90 was my first thought but part of me thinks it might be time for something else. Has anyone got experience of the above cars, or is there anything else that I should be looking at?

Thanks,
Ben
 
If you can afford to run cars like that why are bothered about the road tax? It's trivial in that context.

Most of those cars appear out of budget anyway, can't see decent examples of anything but the M5 or perhaps the RS4 for under 20k.

The S5 is out of place too. It's not an M series rival, more a 335i.
 
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Your right Fox, it is trivial but

A: I object in principal to having 400 notes stolen from me on an annual basis for the 'privilage' of driving on some of the worst roads in the developed world.

B: Cars in the higher tax band seem to be harder to shift come resale time vs earlier cars in a lower band. For example, 2005 plate M5's and M6's (£200 odd per year) seem to be selling better than 2006 plates (£400 per year)

It wouldnt be a deal breaker, but its something to factor in.
 
I don't think you will get a nice E9x M3 for 20k.

What about a 335i,you could even map it to 375 bhp which in the real world would not be that much slower then the M3.

Or what about a 650i?
 
There are deals to be had Dr house, mainly because nobody is buying these cars at the moment. Last month I was offered a 2008 manual e90 with 55k on the clock for 21500. Im guessing it will be May at the earliest before i have the cash in my hand to make the purchase so prices will have dropped slightly by then.
 
[TW]Fox;21519010 said:
What about a non turbo 911? This money buys an awesome one rather than a dodgy turbo.

As quick as an M3, too.
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This is an interesting option, and one I have looked briefly at. There were a couple of reasons behind me leaning towards the turbo though -

'standard' 996's are still dropping in value quite quickly, whereas the turbos seem to be holding their value now.

I may be wrong, but I doubt many turbos have fallen into the hands of people that cant afford to look after them yet?

For some strange reason, turbo's are cheaper to insure for me than C2's or C4's (27 with 4 years NCB)

Im by no means a porsche expert, so feel free to correct me if im wrong.
 
I do have a soft spot for 997's, but I cant help but thinking that they are going to drop like a stone in the next year or so when more attractive deals on 991's become avaliable.
 
m3ben said:
I do have a soft spot for 997's, but I cant help but thinking that they are going to drop like a stone in the next year or so when more attractive deals on 991's become avaliable.
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The £20k ones probably wont - look at the 996. You still need £10k for a ropey nail of a 96 C2...

All of the cars in your list have running costs that will make any depreciation look insignificant. Depreciation isn't a concern with the cars you are looking at.
 
m3ben said:
Your right Fox, it is trivial but

A: I object in principal to having 400 notes stolen from me on an annual basis for the 'privilage' of driving on some of the worst roads in the developed world.
Click to expand...

Go drive in America.

Anyway if you are that fussed about paying 'tax' then you should get a car with maximum MPG.
 
I hear what your saying Fox, but depreciation is still a big factor for me. Iv never lost much on any car iv owned and while im not dumb enough to expect £0 depreciation on any of the above list I dont like the thought of having 10k wiped out in 2 years etc.

I will be looking at getting a car with under 60k on the clock and getting it covered with a manufacturer warranty which will soften the blow somewhat, but im used to fairly large running costs having run a 2002 turbo, e30 M3, e36 M3, e46 M3 within the last few years!
 
Dr House said:
I don't think you will get a nice E9x M3 for 20k.

What about a 335i,you could even map it to 375 bhp which in the real world would not be that much slower then the M3.

Or what about a 650i?
Click to expand...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../page/1/radius/1501/postcode/ch24pg?logcode=p

There's one right there and I'm sure they'll be quite a few more over the next 2-3 months once the new M3 is out.

Anyway... what about an M6? Can be bought for under £20k now for a nice one...

TVR? Tuscan/Tuscan S, Tamora, Cerbera? Faster than any of the cars you listed above lol... might be worth a punt? Plus you get that "TVR Smile" for free lol... actually quite amazed you've not listed something like this in your list? Lotus Exige? Very very fast, less than £20k, go like stink and INCREDIBLE track cars... I had one for half a day as a present, my god the things grip like go-karts!?

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif.../radius/1500/postcode/ch24pg/page/1?logcode=p
 
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