Would have to be a 911 for me. My brother has just got one and it is unbelievable, though the one he has would be well out of my price range. So dilemma for me is that I was going EV for my next car but my bothers 911 has me hankering for one myself. Might have to get a cheap used EV for the daily run duties and have a 911 tucked away in the garage. But having said that once the initial 6 month honeymoon period is over and the novelty wears off, these things tend to become a burden.

You’ll get a 997 but prob a gen1 so get it checked for bore scoring or buy a rebuilt one. Much fun for not a lot of money.

I think for this budget the smarter money would be on a 996. Much better value for money and the 997gen1 which wasn’t a significant upgrade over the 996…basically just a facelift. Bore scoring shouldn’t be an issue by now. Those that will suffer from it would have done so already and been fixed…usually by boring out and sleeving the cylinders so if they’ve been fixed its a permanent fix.

I don’t really understand coupes. C63AMG wagons are comfortably under £20k though, I’d have one of those instead.

Just go to Autotrader select 20-25k, convertibles,0-60 <5secs

(Select 4wd if you want to be a bit sensible)

There is a nice Porsche 911 997 Carrera 4S which I would pick.

I think for this budget the smarter money would be on a 996

I agree. Since 997’s have rocketed in price and availability the slightly less better looking 996 is the way to go now before it all goes stratospheric. Good solid, well maintained, all the niggles fixed cars can be had for less than £15k incl convertibles…

Theres even a 48k convertible in black with all the toys and FPSH on for £12500..

Utter bargin.

I think for this budget the smarter money would be on a 996. Much better value for money and the 997gen1 which wasn’t a significant upgrade over the 996…basically just a facelift. Bore scoring shouldn’t be an issue by now. Those that will suffer from it would have done so already and been fixed…usually by boring out and sleeving the cylinders so if they’ve been fixed its a permanent fix.

You’d like to think so but sadly not in my experience of helping someone find one. Sooty exhaust tailpipe evident in lots of them. A few Hartech rebuilds out there. 997 for me is a much better looking car but as you say lots of 996 around at low money.

you cant a midlife crisis car thread without mentioning a Caterham 7!

absolutely the most fun on 4 wheels ever.

well, if they did an offroad version – that might be more fun.

oldtennisshoes

Subscriber

For unadulterated power and grip
BMW F31 335 xdrive

More “getting to the next sales pitch” than mid-life crisis

well, if they did an offroad version – that might be more fun.

Ariel have you covered there with the Nomad

Vauxhall VXR8, find a supercharged one.

Best sounding V8 is in a Maserati GranTurismo.

It’s certainly very nice…. I drove my mates GT to the Le Mans Classic last summer – great fun.

There’s a reason 996’s are cheap. Worst looking 911 ever made. FACT

Went to Mazda to look at the CX5 for the OH, they had the 30th anniversary MX5 in the showroom. Never had an interest before but that thing was damn comfy! Maybe its a reaching 50 switch…?

Mine’s for sale if any of you want to scratch the 911 itch!

https://specialistcarsltd.co.uk/autos/porsche-996-turbo/

I don’t think you would need anything that is quicker!

When ICEs are banned from sale, people will yearn for the days of petrol, as they did for steam and these type of cars will be worth an absolute fortune if well maintained.

I have never owned a Golf GTi and I feel like everyone should, at some point, own one. The problem is that I have three kids and a dog so it will never work.

996 3.4 C2 1998-2001 ish

No bore score, no IMS bearing problems and no PSM electronics.

Put the rest of the money in your SIPP to buy another year’s retirement.

Mine cost less than half your budget, and hasn’t depreciated at all.

It wears roof bars and Thule 591 most of the time.

A mapped 996 turbo is, effectively a supercar. They tend to get unfairly compared to the GT cars and, because they are not as ‘track’, tarred with the “not a sports car, but a Grand Tourer” brush, but they are most definitely sportier than a lot of other things people think of as sports cars.

v6 MX5 would be a great way to spend money.

Early Aston V8 Vantage, these are pretty sensible money these days and are apparently pretty reliable as these things go. Plus they’re beautiful with a timeless design imo.

you cant a midlife crisis car thread without mentioning a Caterham 7!

Great cars but can only ever be run as a second car / track racer. Even with a hood on one (which then makes them look gopping and you wouldn’t want to be driving one in the wet unless you are a very skilful driver anyway). I very nearly bought my father-in-law’s Caterham 7 with a Puma/Yamaha 1.7 engine and geared specifically for hill-climbing (<3 seconds 0-60) but common sense prevailed unfortunately.

Great cars but can only ever be run as a second car

Try telling that to someone who owned one as their only car for 3 years and did 10,000 miles per year in it and would happily have one again.

I will do when/if I meet him then – thanks for the head’s up 😉

Seriously though – one look at Auto Trader suggests what I say is generally correct although there will always be outliers – the highest mileage one on there right now only has 34,000 and it’s 17 years old – that’s 2,000 a year.

There’s a reason 996’s are cheap. Worst looking 911 ever made. FACT

I agree, not the best looking 911 ever, but that isn’t the reason they’re cheap and values are set to increase significantly so probably the best Porsche to invest money in right now. If you can get over the looks then they’re still a Porsche through and through and raised the bar in terms of performance over the previous model.

If you’re tempted by the Audi, check out the phase 1 S5. It’s a 4.2l V8, around 350hp (so manageable), manual, 4WD, 0-60 in around 5s. Very reliable on the whole, and can look slightly less obvious than the RS5. Plus they’re cheaper!
That said, a cheap 911 (996 or 997 with the engine issues sorted) is the classic mid-life crisis car and should totally be on the list.

Also on my wishlist: BMW Z4M coupe, 135i (in hatchback or coupe form); possibly a Cayman, or Lotus Elise or Evora.

Or for new, Alpine A110.

Seriously though – one look at Auto Trader suggests what I say is generally correct

Yes I agree it is generally correct. It was your statement of “can only ever be run as a second car” that I disagree with.
And it is also much more of a mid life crisis car than an Audi coupe. The crisis should be desperately trying to regain youth, doing things you would have done when younger (such as having a Caterham 7 as your only car….)

or Lotus Elise

This. Go kart handling – not a great deal of power but so much grip and weighs less than a multipack bag of crisps so it is sensational to drive. And still usable as an everyday car.

Problem with Elise’s is the bonding technology used to glue the chassis tub together only had a 15 year design life. I’m sure that is a pessimistic figure but still has a finite chassis life so for me that would put me off. Also the VX220, if you can find a good unfettled example, would be better.

I’ve always loved the Corrado, but they’ve all been ruined by the ‘modders’ So clean examples are rare and super expensive.

Maybe should have said fast car, I don’t need, rather than MLC. However, it would need to be family compatible as I already get moaned at for having a Discovery that only has 2 seats.

Always fancied an RS Audi. From some of the others mentioned that would do M5’s (in budget) are getting a bit dated and apparently C63 AMG’s try and kill you at every given opportunity

Got into a bit of a rabbit hole with the MXJag, here’s where I popped out.

2cv with a BMW boxer engine in it ?

For £25K you can get an (pre face-lift) current generation SL500.
RM.

The “MenoPorsche” 911 is a great mid life crisis car and so is the Elise, both different but lots of fun.

Personally I don’t call it Mid Life Crisis, I call it I can afford it now car. I would have one at 25 if I can could have afforded it!

I have never owned a Golf GTi and I feel like everyone should, at some point, own one. The problem is that I have three kids and a dog so it will never work.

Do you need to carry 3 kids and a dog every time you go out for a Sunday morning razz?

“mid life crisis car” ? Always reminds me of this:

Edit: Shit! thought I’d worked out how to post images

(it was supposed to be the red pontiac firebird parked on the drive in American Beauty)

V6 Mazda MX-5? Barely worth bothering with. What you really need, for the true mid-life crisis car, is a 2016 MX-5 with a 520hp Corvette V8 under the bonnet…

However, if you’re more CFH, then something a little more classy might be required, so I direct sirs attention to a brand new 1929 ‘Blower’ Bentley, price on application…

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/1929-bentley-blower-race-car-production/

A brand new 2CV and a Civic Type R with the change.

M5? Big v8 beast

M3 e46 the last of the proper 3s

I’ve always loved the Corrado, but they’ve all been ruined by the ‘modders’ So clean examples are rare and super expensive.

http://the-corrado.net/forum.php

Brilliant owners forum with a classifieds section that quite often has pretty much un-modded, well cared for examples for sale at not astronomic prices along with some that have been sadly molested. Unfortunately really good, mostly standard, clean ones are often snapped up by dealers and flogged for higher prices. Not all mods are bad fwiw, on standard suspension, late VR6s are so tall they look like a startled cat. Good aftermarket suspension with a modest drop makes a positive difference, ditto uprated roll-bars and larger brake discs. Giant wheels not so much.

Bear in mind that lots of Corrado parts – the bits that aren’t shared with other VW models – are now discontinued and consequently hard to find. I like mine, though the alternator’s gone and I need to get the new one fitted.

Edit: the R32 engine transplant is supposed to be very nice, but you need one that’s been properly done by someone competent.

Problem with Elise’s is the bonding technology used to glue the chassis tub together only had a 15 year design life. I’m sure that is a pessimistic figure but still has a finite chassis life so for me that would put me off. Also the VX220, if you can find a good unfettled example, would be better.

I’ve heard that before, but having owned one for many years and knowing lots of other owners, I can only conclude that the 15 years figure is nonsense. I did over 130K miles in my Elise, with several thousand on track. It also had much stiffer suspension than standard (Nitrons) from about 30k miles, which should have shortened its lifespan if the above were true. It’s now 21 years old and still going strong in someone else’s ownership with nearly 200k on the clock.

To add to this, I’m a member of SELOC, which is the biggest Lotus owners’ club, and I’ve never heard of anyone reporting any issues with the bonding, despite the fact that there are plenty of cars out there older or as old as mine.

As to the VX200, it’s very hard to get hold of specific parts for it these days, as the production numbers were so low compared to the Elise (clams were difficult to source 10 years ago, let alone now). They’re also much heavier and they’ve got a Vauxhall badge!

JP

A mate of mine has just scratched an itch by building a Caterham (of some description)
Don’t know if that counts.