Boxster 981. last of the straight 6 Boxsters so likely will depreciate quite slowly. £37k will get a very nice one from a porsche dealer.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/10930096?
I need my car for work and my old car is a quite old.
A JCW Mini that you took delivery of, brand new, still in the plastic in June 2017?
Surely the default STW answer is a VW T6?
If you are buying with cash, then I'd be looking for a Porche 993 ( https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009163795409?make=PORSCHE&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&keywords=993&model=911&year-to=2003&sort=relevance&postcode=mk431ad&advertising-location=at_cars&year-from=1995&radius=1500&page=2)
Or the cheaper option, look for a low mileage 996. I had the 996 back in the day - really enjoyed driving it. For a sports car it makes a great every day car, but its still great fun.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010144993909?make=PORSCHE&year-to=2003&onesearchad=New&onesearchad=Nearly%20New&onesearchad=Used&keywords=993&advertising-location=at_cars&model=911&sort=relevance&postcode=mk431ad&year-from=1995&radius=1500&page=3
Forget all the sporty stuff, get a 110 defender and keep the change.
Great to drive (you don't even need roads!), doesn't depreciate and carries filthy mountain bikes with ease.
Whoever suggested 5k on something fun and older and save the rest has never run an older car - certainly not an older fun car.
Ignore the hate on the 220, I'm sure it's a decent car and a good balance for someone that wants something new and doesn't need the halo model. You'll practically never use the 220's performance, let alone an M car, on the road anyway.
I guess you only need 2 seats, I know a lot of Lotus fans, you could get a nearly new Elise for your budget. Although I'd recommend caution to avoid putting it in a ditch (it's not just another pretty little convertible, I would imagine it has better electronics to keep you on the road these days but a lot used to get put backwards through hedges very shortly after purchase) and to be realistic about whether it would meet your needs. If you can treat it right and live with it, you won't be sorry though.
And for ****'s sake, people whingeing that you can spend this on a car, where do they think that people in the automotive industry get their wages from? I despise disaster capitalist billionaires as much as the next man, but having a bit of money to treat yourself isn't a sin, we need to remember that those at the top want us to look one rung up and hate those people, but we should be looking right to the top where the pointless unspendable wealth grabbing problem is.
I am not a car but but what is not clear is what do you find fun? A big go cart like a caterham? Something still track Satish like a lotus? Something fast but good for long journeys to Italy with a partner of your choice like some sort of 2 seater BMW?
Isn't it a good thing that those with lots of disposable income are spending? The economy needs all the help it can get.
Let's unpack this a bit.
Yes, spending almost £40k on a car is just mental to a lot of us. You could get a very nice van, a couple of good bikes and a cracking holiday for that.
Yes, spending almost £40k on an overinflated Mini is even more mental, but I have a perverse respect for this idea - it'd be like an anti-status symbol. I mean, it's hardly a penis extension, is it? And as someone not interested in cars I'd assume it cost you about £15k.
Yes, a £4k bike is arguably like a £40k car. If the "average" car costs £15 to £20k new. But many of us don't buy new, so spend less. Most people do buy new bikes, with non-enthusiasts spending £300 to £1k for non-BSOs. If you spend £4k, you get a high-performance bike - and it's about where diminishing returns start ramping up. You could spend twice as much, but you won't have twice as much fun.
£4k and £39k don’t equate. A bike will work you and get you fit and happy. The highway code sets the same speed limit for all cars, they all pollute, rust, devalue, and make you fat. So the only difference between a £39k and a £4k car is that some will pay the difference in the hope that people will think more highly of them.
Bet you're the centre of fun at parties.
Blimey! Bit of an odd reaction on here given other car threads, fancy shed threads or bike threads that involve spending the thick end of £10k on light road bikes etc.
While the amount suggested is more than I can ever envisage spending on a car, it's not actually a massive amount for a car.
The bloke I lift share with bought a high-specced, but relatively boring Seat Ateca last year - it's a nice car, but not gonna set the world alight & blends into the background in a carpark of other boxes, but that cost him something around £25k.
My neighbour has a 140i, which sounds nice, looks pretty understated & he reckons is great to drive. It sounds quite nice, although a bit boy racer on start-up.
There's a raft of hot-hatches to look at, which probably fall into your budget - I'd probably have a look at the i30n or a Leon Cupra.
I don't know how much Merc A-Class you can get for that money, but I imagine something quite interesting.
Could you get a Mustang for that sort of money? They do a 2 litre petrol I think that while not really living up to the Mustang idea of 'muscle car' still has a lot of poke - not sure how economical it will be, but probably not massively worse than most hot hatches.
Used Cayman or for something a bit different a Kia Stinger GT S
Boxster 981. last of the straight 6 Boxsters
Flat six.
OP - Fair play to you for putting your money into the economy. I understand peoples dismay at your budget but cars can be expensive and it is your money.
I'd be tempted by a VW Golf Clubsport.
absolutely. Sadly, made up money/purchases don't actually boost the economy in the same way 😂Isn’t it a good thing that those with lots of disposable income are spending? The economy needs all the help it can get.
Depends on what you mean by fun really? I got a Mercedes GLC SUV (300d) so it looks very middle of the road but is still <7 seconds 0-60, is amazingly comfortable and has lots of toys to keep you company. I particularly like the multi-beam LED lights that actually adjust the lighting pattern based on what the car knows is coming up using GPS (ie, it throws light around corners as you approach a bend).
It was a bit over your budget (at least the official price is) but I bet one could be had for <£40k if you get on CarWow.
I know it is lots of money to spend on a car, but I put it through my business (on a lease) as it is a tax efficient way of spending business profits.
Used RS6 Avant is where my money would go
That's a good road trip car.
Used RS6 Avant is where my money would go
Is that £40k for the purchase price or the annual running costs?
Deposit on a Tesla model 3 performance. Use the monthly fuel savings to finance the rest.
Power on a different level to any of that 👆🏻 lot is fun.
One of the primary requirements is fun. You ever driven a Tesla Model 3? Very fast no doubt and a very clever car. But fun? Wasn't something that struck me when I drove one. fun cars don't have to be powerful...its all about the dynamics of the thing. For example for fun give me an 'underpowered' MX5 over a Model 3 any day of the week.
In my book you want something small, nimble, not necessarily too powerful but a tad more than enough grunt than you need because you want to have fun as sensible speeds...the more powerful and capable the car the more boring they are until you get to ridiculous speeds. Cayman/Boxster is probably about the best option for that kind of money and a newer but lower down non-S model or something like that would be were I'd focus, or if you need something more sensible with back seats a BMW M140i or M2..not an M3 or M4...way too big and powerful...the current day M2 is the same size and weight as 10year old+ M3 models so the current day M3 has become too big and bloated...the spiritual M3 today is the M2...just like the spiritual Golf GTi today is the Polo GTi. Problem with FWD or 4WD cars is they are too grippy and suck the fun out of the dynamics of driving.
How can a guy that frets over spending £22 a month at a gym (last december post) afford a £39K car? Unexplained wealth... perhaps the car's for a bank job.
Problem with
FWD or4WD cars is they are too grippy and suck the fun out of the dynamics of driving.
On a track maybe - I quite like being able to take corners on damp roads without ending up pointing the wrong way. There's no M car staying anywhere near my RS5 on damp roads unless it's being driven by the Stig
I notice that when someone mentions an equivalent budget for a bike (about 4K, which, again, I’d say is a reasonable budget) it goes by without comment.
I would never think of spending £4K on a bike even though I ride my bike a lot. My bike cost me £700 to build. I would think even less of spending £40K on a car because it doesn't actually give me any more fun than a £10K car give speed limits and annoying road laws.
The most shocking thing for me in this thread is that a Mini costs £40K.
Golf GTI club sport, and never apologise for it.
Some on here have mountain bike collections worth that.
One of the silly fast Caterhams.
Yes!
Or up to 20k on a more sensible used caterham and 10-15k on a sensible (3-5 year old) weekday car with a roof/heater/stereo/suspension...
If I had the money to throw at automotive toys I would probably do something more like that TBH, keep 'fun' and commuting separate...
I can't help on the recommendations front but keen to register my support for you spending your dosh as you see fit assuming you pay your 'morally' fair share of taxes - if not foxtrot uniform 😉
Some interesting posts in this thread. If the OP wants to spend £40K on a car then it's their money, they can do as they please.
We probably need a bit more in terms of requirements for the advice to be properly useful but I'll go ahead and give my two penneth anyway..
If it was me, right now, I'd be looking at an F80 M3 Competition. This one is a little over budget but you get the idea:
With the new M3 being an absolute pig to look at, well more beaver than pig actually with that horrific grille, the prices of these are unlikely to drop perhaps as much as they would have. Of course it's a double edged sword.. you pay more now but may be worth a bit more in the future.
Anyway, I think it is one of the best looking modern BMWs with those broad shoulders at the back, the line that sweeps up from the vent on the front wing and goes all the way to the back of the car, the side profile with the power bulge subtly visible at the front, I think it looks fantastic.
Obviously it goes like stink (unless it's wet/greasy..) then you'll need to be careful.. but with a proper LSD it will be better than the M135i I used to have with it's open diff. This is where we need to know more about your requirements for 'fun'.. If you're after all weather performance then look elsewhere as STR says above. When I had my little beemer, an S3 pulled alongside me at some lights before a series of roundabouts on a dual carriageway on a miserable wet day.. He disappeared into the horizon as I watched a little yellow like flicker furiously on my dash and listened to the sound of tyres spinning. Also, if fun means 3 pedals, manual F80 M3s are like hens teeth.
The M3 is practical as well. Split folding rear seats and slots for a roof rack on that carbon fibre roof.. Although I'd be putting a clear wrap on it to catch any crap off dirty mountain bikes! Will seat 4 adults comfortably and they're not that big, no bigger than my wife's 320i of the same ilk. The main difference (in my view) between something like an M140 and dare I say it, even the M2, is the quality of everything in the interior (leather lining on the dash, door, etc.) and the feel of the everything you touch.
I've currently got a Tesla M3P which is all wheel drive and fun in a completely different way to the BMW. It's like a cruise missile off the mark and the way it shoots out of corners is ludicrous. It's a heavy old unit though (1.8T I think) and you can start to feel that if you take liberties with it. Weirdly, I think I'm going to end up going full circle and trying to get something like that M3 ^^^ up there when the Tesla goes back.
A bike will work you and get you fit and happy.
As a lifetime cycle-commuter in the UK I disagree with the ‘happy’ part. The infrastructure/road system/city-planning is overwhelmingly designed for motor-vehicles. Including requirements to commute long distances as quickly as possible.
This being the reality makes cycling on roads stressful for all parties. You’re more likely to get stressed than happy (unless you live in a magical bubble)
A car is just such a ‘magical bubble‘, therefore it makes so much more sense to buy a decent car (where you spend most of your time) rather than a bike (where you spend the least of your time)
OP - I'd consider if upping your budget a little is possible and look at getting a Cayman/Boxster 4.0 GTS. You won't be disappointed.
speak for yourself... probably spend at least 10 times as long on a bike as in a car/van. I was lucky enough to have an 8 mile cycle commute 99% off-road which was genuinely pleasant (except for the ****ing dog walkers 😂) now I've moved round the corner to work don't need to drive much, mainly just to the garden centre at weekends (god I'm old 😃)A car is just such a ‘magical bubble‘, therefore it makes so much more sense to buy a decent car (where you spend most of your time) rather than a bike (where you spend the least of your time)
People only need to spend so long in cars because that's how they've organised their lives... not my kind of lifestyle, thanks 😃 I live in the SE so driving's an utterly shit, miserable experience anyway 🤣
Depends what you want the car to do for you but a fast estate ticks pretty much all the boxes.
C63, RS6, E63 or an RS4 B8 will have the noise to go with pace, 340i or the newer M340i with xDrive, C43 slightly less of an occasion to drive but still lots of performance.
M3/M4’s definitely cannot fit a roof rack, as I speak from experience, they’ve got the slots but there is no fixture inside the flap.
E46 me csl. Save the rest.
You might want to review what M3 CSLs are going for these days.
£40k gets you a lot of fun car but peoples definition of fun is very different. Shed loads of power wrapped up in a German saloon? Less power in a lightweight 2 seater? Massive diesel engine in an SUV for thundering down autobahns?
TheBrick
Free Member
I am not a car
Don't spend your money on TheBrick.
speak for yourself… probably spend at least 10 times as long on a bike as in a car/van.
Likewise. In fact more. I didn’t begin driving until mid thirties and still cycle more. Less and less of late since moving here though. It’s not what I’d class as cycle-commute-friendly and have had too many close-passes/near-misses of late. I was speaking to the OP/their circumstances
I was lucky enough to have an 8 mile cycle commute 99% off-road which was genuinely pleasant
Lucky. Then that was your magical bubble. Not everyone desires/has that situation. And - 250 mile commute is nothing like, what, 80 miles? I used to do 100 a week hereabouts and it was all A-road (otherwise it would have been more like 150+). I wouldn’t wish to repeat it, and I love travelling by bicycle. Poor Mrs P was a basket case with worry if I was late coming home (she knew the road/speed of passing cars/blind bends)
Magic bubble for the great majority of UK commuters is necessarily a car/van/(*edit)hearse!
TL; DR
Given the OPs user name, this is perfect. One for the weekend with room for the bike and one for the commute
Personally I'd get something like this and retire 2 years earlier with the rest!
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010084771707
Thank you for pointing that out Boardman 👍. That’s my next car plan scuppered.. I already have all the kit for atop our 320i but my search will need to continue. I’d probably have changed my mind a 100 times before then anyway.. and AT searches are a hobby of mine.
I'd be going for an Alpine A110 if you can haggle them down a bit (£42k starting on Autotrader).
Guy who runs my local Renault specialist owns an A110. Its a lovely little thing but theres no way I'd personally drop £40k on one.
Flat six.
they're not even the last of those either, the current GTS (and spyder, if its still around) are both flat 6's, and nicer ones at that.
Thank you for pointing that out Boardman 👍. That’s my next car plan scuppered.. I already have all the kit for atop our 320i but my search will need to continue. I’d probably have changed my mind a 100 times before then anyway.. and AT searches are a hobby of mine.
M340i ? Quicker than an M3 with the Xdrive.
With that amount to spend personally I think you’d be nuts not to go electric. If you haven’t test driven one yet, even the most basic of electric cars are massively fun to drive.
Yeah the 340i is really nice and available in touring as well which is useful for bikes/camping, as is the 540i. I've also been looking at more sensible things.. I love the look of the Volvo V90 but they don't do a proper 5 cylinder T5 anymore.
Not sure how much fun it'd be but this for £27k is both rapid and useful for the long journeys and bikes - 4wd, 335d 300hp, over 600nm and all the toys.
Fun and dieseasel...🤪
