One more car, 5k, fun?

Toyotafanboi

its been a busy year of cars in my house. Miss TFB and i have gotten the Astra GTC, Mammy TFB has gotten the 500 and aunt TFB has gotten the mk4 Punto and i bought the corolla as our second car to replace starlet, we don't really need a second car but i like to have my own car, just because i'm into cars i guess.

at the time i bought the corolla i was going to buy something wacky enough but i stupidly went full sensible and bought the corolla. it's a good car, i like how it looks, it has a good spec, it's very reliable but it's chronically slow/ un-entertaining, so when i get my NCT in roughly a fortnight i intend to sell it. i filled the corolla to the brim during the last week in August and it still has over half a tank, to give you an idea of how much it gets used.

i'd be willing to put around 1-2k with whatever i get for the corolla, so a budget of maybe 5k maximum. but i wouldn't rule out something for half that if it ticks the right boxes.

criteria:
not a corolla
fun to drive
quick enough
easy on the eyes (anything considered, but ideally 3dr coupe)
engine size up to 2.0 (preferably petrol)
somewhat reliable (don't mind maintenance, don't want a money pit)

i'm liking gen 7 celicas, late model sw20's and rx-8s but i get the impression the rx-8 will be a costly ownership experience, not liking e46 coupes or 406 coupes.

i'm interested in suggestions. i wouldn't be opposed to buying immediately and selling the corolla retrospectively.

MuppetCheck

5k would buy an RX, rebuild and probably insure it too. If you're not doing mad mileage it's worth considering. They really do seem to be the best bang for buck at the moment.

Ferris

As I have posted many times before I had an rx8 and it was a great car. They're cheap, fun handling, reasonably fast, reasonably practical, rwd, sound epic, surprisingly comfortable and well spec'ed. They also a reasonable track car straight out of the box.

Con's:

- Thirst, 20mpg is the best you can hope for. I was getting 350km to a 80eur fill. My commute was only 25mls a day so it was affordable for me.
- Check for rust, Mazda didn't underseal them well.
- Engine hot start issue is well documented. Personally I would only buy one with the engine rebuilt or buy a non-runner and rebuild it otherwise you'll feel like you're living on a knife edge. In saying that I never had an issue with mine - it was the most reliable car I ever owned.
- In late '05 a larger starter motor was fitted, this is a good upgrade / a must.
- Coils have to be replaced every 30k although an upgrade kit can be fitted.
- If the coils havent been looked after then the Cat could be blocked, this happened to me (and my coils were looked after). This is a double edged sword however because you can swap in a decat which adds to the noise and also makes the car backfire, which is childish and hilarious.
- They need good tyres, fit chinese rubbish and you won't be here in the spring. Also the tyre size is odd so budget 130eur a corner on Oponeo.
- Mazda lied about the power output, a 231 will be lucky to be making 200hp. Not that it matters really, still a fun car to drive.

As a DIY proposition they're easy to service and maintain, in fact I think you need to be handy to own one of these as the oil needs to be changed every 5-6k mls. I changed the coils, cat and engine mounts myself along with routine services. Oil really only needs to be mineral or semi-syn so its cheap. Also buy a 6spd 231hp as they're the same price as the 192hp.

Veloce

Subaru Impreza Wrx?

Toyotafanboi

the rx-8 does look great, good few on donedeal for buttons, particularly with "hot start issues", is this a sign that a rebuild is due? what's the story with rebuilding these? what are the intervals and prices to expect?

seen some nice looking mk1 audi tt's with the 1.8t engine, are these sh1te?
for example: http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-tt-quattro-1-8-petrol/8093248

i like the idea of a wrx a lot, but (coming from a corolla driver) the interior in them is unreal dull, i don't know if i could hack it. definitely a consideration though as they more than make up for it elsewhere.

colm_mcm

Would you not look at an S2000?

Toyotafanboi

certainly one to keep an eye on. i don't think dogged ones even come onto the 5k radar though do they? you're still talking 7-8 for anything decent... must have a look

Veloce

colm_mcm wrote: »

Would you not look at an S2000?

Would you get a decent AP1 for 5k? I see a few on DD around that price but they look a little ropey.

As for the TT- huge mapping potential with the 1.8T. I'm put off by the "Quattro" though. I'm led to believe it's not a permanent system like the RS4 40:60 split for example. Do you have a preference for RWD?

Ferris

Can you get an s2000 for 5k? Even still it's not a coupe and is tiny inside. Great car tho.

If a rotary is serviced correctly with the correct oil (10w40 not the 5w30 that Mazda recommend) the engines can last as long as a piston engine. Hot start cars will most likely need a rebuild. A rebuild costs 2.5 to 3k and should be as good as new.

colm_mcm

Maybe 5k wouldn't get a great s2k. But surely a roadster, maybe a z4 even? should be considered for someone doing such small mileage and with no practicality concerns

Toyotafanboi

no preference for or against rwd really, just a nice all round car. i don't feel driving enjoyment begins and ends at the back wheels :pac:

looks like 5k would get you into a 350z... now that'd be nice but running costs would put it firmly out my my budget.

edit: z4's look quite nice, this whole thread has me looking forward to broadening my mind away from something japanese perhaps!

Veloce

5k would get you a half decent 350z. They are spec'd quite well too if you can find one with the GT Pack: (Brembo brakes, Viscous LSD, heated leather seats, xexons, Bose sound system). I have a '05 with that pack.

Veloce

Toyota MR2? Know nothing about them but I'd imagine they'd be quite fun.

Toyotafanboi

the 350z isn't a genuine contender. no way i could (even if i had the money :P) pay €1800 tax for a car that does literally around 10 miles per week.

i like the mr2 spyder/ mr-s, being rear engined it could be a nice car, seen a nice red import model advertised with a hard-top for €2250 which is cheap. i'm curious to break the toyota chain at this point though as my last 5 cars have been. i have next weekend off so will make a point of going to look at a few different cars then.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-mr-s-hard-top-6-speed/8061950

bazz26

Audi TT:


http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-tt-quattro-1-8-petrol/8093248

Veloce

Toyotafanboi wrote: »

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-mr-s-hard-top-6-speed/8061950

That car would defo be worth viewing - seller is over on Backroads

Toyotafanboi

Veloce wrote: »

That car would defo be worth viewing - seller is over on Backroads

don't upset me :P. i may have time to view Monday, but if not it'l be Saturday. at the same time, i can't imagine it'd sell quick so perhaps i shouldn't panic.

that one is very nice with the aero kit and the fact that it has a hard top. there's a lot of far worse examples for similar money.

Toyotafanboi

a relative shortlist;

i find this very interesting, but i doubt it will hang around for me
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=93085029&postcount=3141

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-s3-2000-model-show-room-condition/8124292

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/audi-tt-1-8-quattro-225bhp-dual-clim/8043967

and the mr-s linked above!

the audi's seem to represent excellent bhp per euro of purchase price and reasonable tax rate :P

Veloce

All decent examples. Commercial tax on that 350z... go on, you know you want to...

Seriously though - on a motorway run the 350z it's quite capable of 32mpg and late 30s is not unheard of. Obviously combined with city driving you're talking mid - low 20s. If you're serious about buying one you're welcome to have mosey around my one.

bazz26

Buying any performance car like the 350z and worrying about fuel consumption kinda defeats the purpose of such a car imo.

toastedpickles

If you're wanting something a bit left wing, check out the 9000 turbo I stuck up in the bangernomics thread, could be a gem, could be a ball of crap, no harm in throwing it onto the table i suppose, it meets most of what you want, and its the top spec so you have a fair whack of power coming from it already!

NIMAN

Veloce wrote: »

Toyota MR2? Know nothing about them but I'd imagine they'd be quite fun.

+1, as a previous owner, great little cars, really miss mine.

Wossack

159?
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/alfa-romeo-159/7997025

shame bout the tax..
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/alfa-gt-3-2-v6-nctd/8136730

or theres a couple of saab aeros on donedeal too


/edit gt4 celica, looks interesting
http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-celica-gt4/7973952

mossy50

how about some of these

VW CORRADO

mk1 mazda MX 5

PORSCHE 944

ALFA ROMEO GTV

SKODA OCTAVIA VRS

PEUGEOT 205 GTI

BnB

How about an e36 Coupe. An M3 would be great but the tax would be massive. But even a 318is would still be nice and can be picked up cheap enough.

Or how about something like this.... http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mercedes-benz-clk-class-clk-200-ml/7759867