Which sport car 10-12K max?

[Vegeta]

I'm turning 27 soon and I want to treat myself before I inevitably settle down and have kids. I'm looking at getting a car for 10-12K max budget. I'll just get a finance deal or loan pay a few hundred over 5 years. Ideally I don't want to be paying anymore than say £1000-1200 on insurance.

I really like the look of the new shape Audi TT and ever since I was a kid I've always had a thing for the first shape. I have seen decent examples of 2006/2007 models go for 12K and I did a quick insurance quote and was exactly £1046 with my mum as a secondary driver.

Is there any other cars you might think i'd like? I don't care how fast they are just how nice they are to look at and interior, nice to drive would be a bonus lol. I don't mind a Saloon car a 4X4 anything but just keep in mind the engine has to be fairly small as I don't want to pay a lot on insurance.

The whole budget doesn't have to be used if you can find a decent car for say £7,000 I'd be more than happy to save the money!

Thank you.

 

[Vegeta]

Also bear in mind you are planning to borrow money over 5 years to own a car thats already about 6 years old. Do you really want to paying several hundred quid a month in 4 years time to drive a 10 year old car?

You've got a point there but as long as the the shape stays as the newest for the next few years and they don't bring out a new Audi TT I'll be happy. I know it's not a sports car as such but I'll be honest I'm very superficial when it comes to cars so I'd much prefer a TT over a MX5.

 

[Vegeta]

Does this really sound like the sort of chap who needs a Porsche or a 300bhp 350Z? He'd get utterly sick of the costs within about 45 seconds. He needs something that looks good but doesn't set the world in fire either in the bills department or the performance department.

Exactly right. I drove a BMW Z3M back in 2008. it was my brothers car but I used it and the petrol costs were ridiculous. And well you never get to drive the thing fast anyways.

 

[Vegeta]

New TT is out next year.

Ah bugger. Might look at a different car.

 

[Vegeta]

So you basically just want something that looks flash but isn't that expensive to run and you don't need performance?

Note: There is nothing wrong with being more bothered about looks than speed - but if you can clarify thats the case it'll stop people suggesting quick cars with huge costs

That's basically it. Don't get me wrong if it can be everything then great but if not I'm not bothered.

 

[Vegeta]

To put it bluntly they look small and I hate the look of them.

 

[Vegeta]

That's strange quoted myself on a 3.5 litre 350Z and the insurance is lower than the Audi TT. Nevermind as the petrol costs would be too much on a 350Z.

 

[Vegeta]

Z4 3.0Si Sport Coupe.
Not that bad on juice (30mpg+ mostly), £2xx tax, insurance might not be that bad (its not on quotes compared to other sporty cars that i've done), they look pretty special still...

OK shoot me down in flames!

Funny you say Z4 i've always liked them aswell. I can live with 30MPG. Insurance is a tad expensive at £1250 but i'll be saving £1,000's on the cost of the car.

 

[Vegeta]

Only other suggestions I can think of is an MR2 (MK3, urgh) and MG TF.

If you like a TT so much then get a nice MK1 (£7,000-£8,000?) and have a pot for expenses.

I think they look a bit dated now especially compared to the new ones. Don't like the look of MR2 or MG TF.

 

[Vegeta]

You can get a pretty good deal on the 4 cylinder Z4. It has a 2 litre engine so is a bit more economical and cheaper to insure and you'll get a newer one for your budget. You wont average 30mpg from a 3 litre Z4 unless you spend most of your time doing longer trips. 25mpg is a more reasonable average across a mix of driving.

And the roof comes off!

It's not a current model though, the Z4 was replaced in 2009.

Sounds like a reasonable suggestion. I'll have a look at it and keep it coming. at 12K i'm basically on my limit so I can manage under 10K fairly easily.

 

[Vegeta]

I've always loved Honda S2000's but I seen the interior of one the other day and it was bland as hell. I couldn't live with it. EOS doesn't get my excited.

 

[Vegeta]

Maybe my title was a bit misleading sorry. I just want a good looking car! Ha. For example I love BMW 3 series and Mercedes C Class (the right models, when I see some on the road some look amazing and others bland). Same goes for Audi A4's and A5's.

 

[Vegeta]

I actually think the TT is where you should be. All the other cars, perhaps bar the Z4, will fail your interior test. TT is an average car, but looks trendy, is nice to be in, should be reliable, cheap to run and goes OK'ish. Cant think of anything that will fit what you are suggesting you want.

I don't know much about cars, whats good to drive etc etc like all you guys. I'm just your average joe bloggs who wishes he could have a Bugatti Veyron as they look amazing but I can't so I want something that looks the best as possible on a poor mans budget.

 

[Vegeta]

Audi A4 Cabriolet. What are these cars like?

EDIT: I like the look of same something like this.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...453911298/usedcars/postcode/ne299qe?logcode=a

 

[Vegeta]

I like 3 series cabs but to get a new shape we're talking stupid money and I think the older shape ones look very dated now whereas those A4's still look good. 12K budget is fine I mean including insurance the car would only really set me back maybe £350-400 a month so I have plenty of breathing space in my wage but you are right you never know what crops up and I do want to buy other nice stuff and still be able to go out aswell.

EDIT: Coupe's really nice and has some affordable models also.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...qe/keywords/2007/page/1/radius/1500?logcode=p

 

[Vegeta]

How bad is a 350Z on fuel? 7K car I could easily afford. I'm not sure wether to go all out get a newer shape car that I want or save the money and go for something older like a 350Z.

 

[Vegeta]

I don't want to get a Alfa. They look nice don't get my wrong but the brera just looks like a glorified hatchback. The cars i'm liking at the moment are a 350z, z4, new shape 3 series coupe, new shape mercedes benz c class sport, new shape audi tt. I work for Nissan I might even see what kind of a deal I can get on a brand new 370Z.

Obviously with the Nissan's fuel will be a problem.

 

[Vegeta]

CLK looks dated to me. I'm not shooting down a 350Z but it is old and I understand I shouldn't worry about the fuel costs as it'll save me a lot on base price. If I got a 370Z though it'll be both expensive to buy and high fuel costs. I'm leaning towards a C Class Sport as that's what my mates seem to suggest.

 

[Vegeta]

Can you really get a good current shape C Class for £10k?

I think I'll need to blow the full 12K budget.

how about the new shaped SLKs, you can get the SLK350 for 12k and under these days, good performance and fuel, well doesn't look too bad but in reality I'm not sure.

I think they look a tad girly! I drove one a few years back and I didn't like the driving position felt a bit weird to me as I like to have the seat lean back a bit.

 

[Vegeta]

God my heads hurting. I'm not looking to buy it just yet I have time a good few months so it's fine to know exactly what I want. What do you think Fox after having replied throughout the whole thread what do you think I should be looking to get? Consider any of these cars will be a dream compared to my Nissan Juke anyways (it's a ok car don't get me wrong but it's nothing compared to the ones suggested).