Spec me a fun 2+2

mjt · 22 Mar 2024 at 18:23

Been pining after a fun car since I sold the Caterham a year ago, and I need some help.
I have 2 small(ish) children so a 2+2 would be ideal so I can take them out together, but it'll mainly be me blatting around in it. Budget around £30-40k.
Here is my list so far:

Lotus Evora (S)
Pro: It's a Lotus (handling, etc.)
Con: It's a Lotus (reliability, niggles, etc.) Tax is expensive due to the engine & CO2 (£2000 a year)

Audi TTRS
Pro: The engine, speed, all-weather usability.
Con: It's an RS Audi (cost of consumables, is it actually fun?). Will likely lose my licence.

GR86/BRZ
Pro: Apparently it's the best car ever made, relatively cheap and has a massive warranty. Lots of new BRZs available in Germany for under list.
Con: I don't like naff interiors. Maybe too slow?

BMW M2/Comp
Pro: It'll be fun to drive, and the most practical here.
Con: Relatively common, cost of tax and consumables.

BMW 1M
Pro: It's a BMW 1M
Con: Old. Will likely break and be expensive.

Porsche 911 is out due high tax and running costs. If I could afford it, I'd get a manual 991 T and be done with it.
2 seaters are pointless, otherwise I'd just get another Caterham or an Elise.
BMW M3 & M4 is out of budget for a variety of reasons.

Thoughts?
-edit: If you can think of something that's half the price, let me know! Unfortunately, large engines & CO2 emissions mean crippling taxes for me

MissChief · 22 Mar 2024 at 18:56

Maserati Granturismo?
Merc C/E 63 AMG?
Audi RS4/6?

tom_nieto · 22 Mar 2024 at 23:22

Are you UK based? I honestly can’t think of a better option than as much 911 as you can afford.

Servicing my 997 at an excellent independent isn’t bad at all.

mjt · 22 Mar 2024 at 23:57

tom_nieto said:
Are you UK based? I honestly can’t think of a better option than as much 911 as you can afford.

Servicing my 997 at an excellent independent isn’t bad at all.

Alas, no. If I were in the UK, I'd have a fleet of sports cars

paradigm · 23 Mar 2024 at 09:52

What I would say is that convertibles are more “fun” and “special” for family outings than coupés. Fun doesn’t have to be fast, it just has to be more special than a typical mundane drive, which roof down achieves at even low speeds.

I’ve been looking at options for a family of four with two young kids and I’m finding it hard to look past the Maserati GranCabrio to replace the 440i cab.

tom_nieto · 23 Mar 2024 at 10:48

paradigm said:
What I would say is that convertibles are more “fun” and “special” for family outings than coupés. Fun doesn’t have to be fast, it just has to be more special than a typical mundane drive, which roof down achieves at even low speeds.

I’ve been looking at options for a family of four with two young kids and I’m finding it hard to look past the Maserati GranCabrio to replace the 440i cab.

Would be special for sure, but can imagine ruinously expensive to run. Good space in the rear seats is a bonus. A really good shout and great value in terms of purchase price.

MissChief · 23 Mar 2024 at 11:03

tom_nieto said:
Would be special for sure, but can imagine ruinously expensive to run. Good space in the rear seats is a bonus. A really good shout and great value in terms of purchase price.

There's quite a few owners on Piston heads who have had good experiences, and some who have been on first name terms with the service receptionist at their local dealer too. Dealer experiences are also wildly variable.

weringo · 23 Mar 2024 at 11:12

Where do you live that has a £2,000 tax on an Evora? Is that annual?

bennyx_o · 23 Mar 2024 at 11:33

weringo said:
Where do you live that has a £2,000 tax on an Evora? Is that annual?

The Evora (barely) makes it into the second highest tax band here in Ireland - €1,250 a year to tax (or €353 a quarter / €693 half year). Yiz don't know how lucky you have it in the UK! :cry:

jellybeard999 · 23 Mar 2024 at 13:15

Aston Martin? Or do these fall into the expensive tax category?

mattx4 · 23 Mar 2024 at 13:38

BMW i8 should be cheap to tax not sure how much fun they are to drive but still think these look great

paradigm · 23 Mar 2024 at 13:42

mattx4 said:
BMW i8 should be cheap to tax not sure how much fun they are to drive but still think these look great

Unfortunately the rear seats are practically useless unless your kids don’t have legs and/or you are under 5”8.

I’m not big by any stretch of the imagination, but I’d never get my 6 year old in comfortably with the drivers seat in my driving position.

It’s a shame as I really wanted an i8.

MrRockliffe · 23 Mar 2024 at 14:09

mjt said:
BMW 1M
Pro: It's a BMW 1M
Con: Old. Will likely break and be expensive.

Alternative - 2010/11 135i, which has the more reliable N55, and then stick some handling mods on, inc suspension. Engine is a peach from the get go, so no need to do anything with it.

mjt · 23 Mar 2024 at 17:32

mattx4 said:
BMW i8 should be cheap to tax not sure how much fun they are to drive but still think these look great

Basically free to tax due to very low CO2. Unfortunately they start at £60k. Even more for the cab...

weringo said:
Where do you live that has a £2,000 tax on an Evora? Is that annual?

Belgium. Mixture of engine size and CO2 emissions. Registration tax (every time you buy a car) is on a sliding scale as it gets older, so for an Evora it could be between £1000 and £5000 depending on age..

MrRockliffe said:
Alternative - 2010/11 135i, which has the more reliable N55, and then stick some handling mods on, inc suspension. Engine is a peach from the get go, so no need to do anything with it.

Not paying north of £20k for an E87! Something like a 240/235i is mid-30s, and could do the trick, but I'd want a manual and those are extremely rare.

MrRockliffe · 23 Mar 2024 at 17:36

mjt said:
Not paying north of £20k for an E87! Something like a 240/235i is mid-30s, and could do the trick, but I'd want a manual and those are extremely rare.

Is that what you’d have to pay for one?

E82 135i here will set you back 12k ish for a good example.

mjt · 23 Mar 2024 at 17:38

MrRockliffe said:
Is that what you’d have to pay for one?

E82 135i here will set you back 12k ish for a good example.

Good 135s are sold by dreamers and they're almost double the UK price. Ropey 235 cabs start above 20, and 240s go all the way to €40k. Which is also crazy because you can get the G42 for not much more..

Just looked on AutoTrader - can't believe you can get them for £15k in the UK. Literally half the ******* price. Sorry, but an M235/240i Cab is not a £30,000 car...

Uther · 23 Mar 2024 at 17:45

Leave the kids at home and get a Cayman?

DRZ · 23 Mar 2024 at 17:47

From your list, the Evora is the best fun car if you don't have to drive it all the time. If you do have to drive it for non-fun reasons, then an M2 (LCI or Comp) is hard to beat.

I used to have an LCI, I currently have a Competition. In most ways, the LCI is the better of the two.

JeffyB · 24 Mar 2024 at 11:22

Currently looking at a TTS, the rs just seemed a bit ott.

dlockers · 24 Mar 2024 at 12:00

Tax is high on the Evora but presumably you can SORN and it'd balance out?