Have got myself into a spin trying to decide what to purchase as my next car, and am hoping that the BR will offer some useful thoughts.
Presently have a '95 Vauxhall Cavalier - bought it as a temporary car two and a half years ago, and with it being almost boring reliable, have not had the heart to get rid of it. However, it now has 12 months MOT (no cost) so it is as good as time as any to offload (recognise that it is probably almost worthless). Wife has a '51 plate Mondeo Estate, which is a great car - carries all our stuff and 3 kids without a problem, and is very reliable.
I am self-employed, so do not have the opportunity to chose from a company car list, and have cash of up to 14k to spend on a replacement. Until a week ago, My head was telling me to buy a Tdci mondeo (nearly new or car supermarket), but the prospect of being a two Mondeo family is a little too much to take!
Heart decision is to buy a late '80's Porsche 911 3.2 (G50 gearbox), either Targa or Carrera. Very different, but I don't need to take the family (I can take all but one of the family for short journeys in a 911) and in my head, the extra maintenance costs of a 911 will be 'sort of' a trade off against the depreciation on a Mondeo vehicle....(Heart telling Head!)
I am bonkers to contemplate the 911? Wife is supportive (which is cool) and I now the tales of "You're a long time dead....", but the fear of a monstrous bill is making me nervous!
Or - am I missing a trick? - a three year old 330d, or ... I guess I want something to make the pulse race, but that is not going to be ruinous in the long term.
Advice - sane or otherwise, gratefully received.
Jono
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Simple question is how many miles do you do per year?
If not many, then I'd probably take a punt on the Porsche. If it's going to be 25k or more a year, it'd have to be something much more recent.
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Good Point - about 12,000 per annum
Thanks
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Lots of room for creative thinking here - let's have you, Backroomers...
i suspect that if your heart says "Porsche" nothing else will do - you can comfort yourself that there have been plenty of tales of woe about newish BMWs on this forum - so one of those can be a gamble too. I'm not in the least anti-BMW - just that a lot of them get abused by previous owners. A 911 with a known history and proper servicing might even be less of a gamble.
A possible alternative - maybe a Honda NSX or S2000? I'm assuming that a nearly-new MX5 is too tame.
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What about a Porsche 968?
911virgin.com have a good looking L plate for £12k
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Porsche probably make the best daily-driver of all the true sportscars in the form of the 911. 12kpa doesn't warrant a diesel and certainly not the rather leggy 330d you'd get for the money.
If the 911 causes you to panic, why not..... (rolls up sleeves) get something moderately sensible for £6k (Vectraaargh, Mundano, Pugyot 406?) and spend the remaining £8k on something really fun like a Westfield or an early Elise?
I'd still go for the 911 myself though.
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Thanks for all the advice so far - space constraints mean I can't have two cars (though the Westfield & 'Rep mobile' combination is probably the most sensible).
Local Porsche specialist put me off the 944S2 / 968 and on to the 911 3.2, due to servicing complexity of the twin cam engine (as per HJ's cbcb). However, I am off to 911 virgin to get some more advice...
Jono
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....went to 911virgin.com - really helpful. Went out in the 968 advertised (still there - bit leggy at 150k miles, but in good order). Anyway, convinced, that a 968 was way forward.
Did my homework - checked out that local porsche specialist would service a 968 (he would - just need to keep an eye on belts / tensioners as per all the advice) and went shopping
Picking up a 968 sport on Saturday; private sale having had the vehicle checked over by local specialist.
Very excited
even found a home for the Cavalier
Jono
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I'm jealous - good on yer !! Good luck with it.
P
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Impreza. WRX if you want to be reasonably comfortable, STi if you have tough buttocks but love to drive fast. PPP option too if possible. Less reliability worries than most other options and virtually unbeatable on the road.
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