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All I have to say after seeing some of these recommendations is - running costs!
Sports Coupe ideas
- Thread starter Ace Modder
- Start date
Soldato
If he's got £40k to burn, Pretty confident he can afford the running costs.
Associate
Borrowing 40k and having 40k in cash is a touch different..
No offense to the OP, but if he needs to borrow 25k over 60 months to buy a s/h motor then cars like an old ass Aston or R8 are likely outside his comfort zone when things go wrong.
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Thing is if you want a sporty coupe (a proper one, with RWD, bespoke chassis, no diesel nonsense, etc) and you want it cheap and reliable enough to run daily, you can count the options on one hand unless you go back to the 90s. Not many people make cars like that any more 
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I thought I was heavy at 89kg at 190cm...
I would go to the gym (no offense) and get the Elise. Such great fun.
Soldato
I missed the finance post when I started suggesting Astons! They're ridiculous to service and you really need to love them to own one! Even a 370Z is going to be a step up in running costs if you want to treat it right (premium tyres, regular servicing, super unleaded). Any actual sports coupe will cost more to run than a diesel hatchback even if nothing goes wrong.
You could still get into a 997.1 911, but you'd get a much newer and cleaner 987 Cayman and that's almost certainly where I'd put £20-25k.
You could still get into a 997.1 911, but you'd get a much newer and cleaner 987 Cayman and that's almost certainly where I'd put £20-25k.
Soldato
Thing is if you want a sporty coupe (a proper one, with RWD, bespoke chassis, no diesel nonsense, etc) and you want it cheap and reliable enough to run daily, you can count the options on one hand unless you go back to the 90s. Not many people make cars like that any more
The Honda S2000 is a great place to be and is a genuine daily driver prospect. Not great on petrol, but worth it for 9,000 rpm redline. I VTEC'd mine on pretty much every journey and it didn't use any oil in between services. Truly amazing but if OP wants a muscle car like the 370Z then it might not be the right choice. You'd only have to spend half the budget too!
My mate just got an R8 V8 for 29k, new tyres, new brakes, full Audi service history and full Audi check over, was an absolute bargain, he is proper happy with it as the cheapest ones on PH and AT are around 35k, he got a bargain as its a clean tidy example and completely standard.
The 370Z is nice, what you have to consider is it cost 32k now, what will it be worth in 3yr with around 30k on the clock, if its worth more than your balloon payment at that stage its not too bad and also make sure you can afford to buy it otherwise you will just be tied into another PCP deal and never actually own it, just like hiring the car and never owning.
I think you just need to truly answer the question of will you be happy to stick with this car for at least three years and no idea about PCP though I suspect you probably have to keep it stock as per PCP deal as you do not technically own the car, Nissan do.
I'd personally far rather get a bank loan of 25k, and buy what I want and own it, because 25k in hand gives you way more options and there are lots of great buys second hand.
My mate sold his EB 2.3 Mustang this weekend, 18 months old, 20k miles and got 26k for it, so you could have a Mustang, albeit not with a proper engine.
25k is also a lot of nice Porsche territory, proper driving machines that are insanely rewarding to drive, more so than any other car sub 100k I'd say.
Or with 25k you could buy an absolute perfect EVO X with 400-500 horses, or a proper M car, or an Audi RS car, you could certainly get something properly quick, rather than something that is by today's standards just considered quick.
300HP is now entry level, 500HP is where its at and 700HP+ is proper quick stuff nowadays, how times change hey.
The 370Z is nice, what you have to consider is it cost 32k now, what will it be worth in 3yr with around 30k on the clock, if its worth more than your balloon payment at that stage its not too bad and also make sure you can afford to buy it otherwise you will just be tied into another PCP deal and never actually own it, just like hiring the car and never owning.
I think you just need to truly answer the question of will you be happy to stick with this car for at least three years and no idea about PCP though I suspect you probably have to keep it stock as per PCP deal as you do not technically own the car, Nissan do.
I'd personally far rather get a bank loan of 25k, and buy what I want and own it, because 25k in hand gives you way more options and there are lots of great buys second hand.
My mate sold his EB 2.3 Mustang this weekend, 18 months old, 20k miles and got 26k for it, so you could have a Mustang, albeit not with a proper engine.
25k is also a lot of nice Porsche territory, proper driving machines that are insanely rewarding to drive, more so than any other car sub 100k I'd say.
Or with 25k you could buy an absolute perfect EVO X with 400-500 horses, or a proper M car, or an Audi RS car, you could certainly get something properly quick, rather than something that is by today's standards just considered quick.
300HP is now entry level, 500HP is where its at and 700HP+ is proper quick stuff nowadays, how times change hey.
They like fuel and owners can't resist tweaking them, otherwise they cost peanuts to run, cheap to insure and have warranty so no cost for upkeep and servicing is mega cheap. But Ford are proper stingy and don't do very good PCP/HP deals and won't discount them. Not expected to improve soon as I think they will stop manufacturing the current gen around next month and new manufacturing won't start until six or so months later so there could be a shortage of used cars for sale and well not many new ones at all.
Soldato
S2000 isn't a coupe though
Can get a hard top for it! Also when considering an MX5 as per the OP you can't forget about the S2000!
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
No it's not.
It's a great car to drive, it has a fantastic engine, it handles wonderfully and it is a great drivers car but the interior is not a great place to be.
Soldato
For me the first 4 points make it a great place to be. I'm clearly much less fussy on interior than most in that case. I found the seats very comfortable.
S2000 is a fun summer / weekend car, having owned one using it daily could be very annoying and agreed with Fox its not a nice place to be. I hated driving it with roof up, rattly, small, cheap, but with the roof down on a warm/hot day it was great fun. But if it was MX5 vs S2000 then yes I'd take the slightly more hardcore S2000 everytime and just live with it. But in reality I'd take neither both are slow and more a pain with the roof up than actual fun.
Soldato
Perhaps I was spoiled with the luxuries on my rev 4... speakers in the headrests, heated rear screen AND mirrors.
I definitely wouldn't go back to a car without heated seats though!
I definitely wouldn't go back to a car without heated seats though!
Yep spot on, or if you want a more secure and dull ride Audi RS5's are now around 25k and those have 450HP and are a V8 that also sound good and go well, but I'd take M3 everytime. 370Z is nice but an E92 M3 or RS5 is just on a totally different level and is why the bank loan is the better idea.
I also firmly believe a clean E92 M3 will hold its money, maybe even appreciate, so 20-25k now and it will still be worth 20-25k in three years. Something a 32k 370Z will not, it will loose around 15k easily but I understand if it has to be a new car, but 25k can certainly buy you faster nicer metal whilst at the same time being financially a smarter choice due to less depreciation or even chance of appreciation.
Soldato
30k on a E92 sounds daft to me now. Not a coupe but i would be thinking i could just get a tidy low miles F10 M5 for 30k instead.
I'd take an S1 Elise over an S2000 if I wanted something hardcore
The Elise's ride is surprisingly good on the UK roads. Lotus tune the suspension specifically for our crap surfaces.
Yes the new model M5 is also a bargain used and can be had for around 25k, thats great value considering 560 horses and the toys they come with and how easy they remap to 700 horses.
But the E92 M3 I feel is becoming like the E46 M3, people want them and because of this values are holding and in some cases increasing, end of the day you cannot beat an NA V8 with high revs, it makes the car, something the new M3/M4 is completely missing.