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Sporty little car

mattie

mattie

missing in inaction
I've got a Citroen Picasso which is far, far too big for what I need, so thinking of chopping it in for a lttle sportscar.

Idea is to have something that's fun to drive that won't cost the earth and won't burn the fuel too badly.

I was thinking of an MX5 or perhaps a S2000, although not sure I can afford the latter - will probalby get around 2 grand for the Citroen which I can match plus a little extra. Attracted by the reliability of such cars, tempted by an old British car but I wouldn't use it enough to justify the required fettling.

Any suggestions, experiences?

And don't say bike.

eta: A question re damage repair - some bugger dented the door, and although I contacted my insurer I didn't go through with repairs as I didn't have the money for excess. I've now got the money to pay this. Is there a limitation on when I can claim? This was back in February.
 
Good point.

Tall. I've been in a couple and I'm willing to live with it.

Any idea how the Smart Roadster matches up re space?
 
would you go in the middle and get something like a type r?

Ive got a honda civic s and its been fantastic.
 
At first, my driver was distinctly underwhelmed. He thought it went quite well for a 700cc turbocharged roadster. But it didn’t feel like a sportscar. And this guy is a real driver who knows his cars. He was getting understeer when he wanted neutrality. And nothing like the feel of a roadgoing go-kart at all. He warmed to it a bit more once he got into the countryside and switched off the ESP. And he managed to pull 100mph, overtaking on a shortish straight. But there was no silly grin on his face.
Click to expand...

Seems to say "more a style icon than a sports car". Shockingly...

I've been in one (as a passenger), I know an owner. And it's not sporty by any means, imo.
 
stupid dogbot said:
You clearly have a different idea of "sporty" to me, then.
Click to expand...

I'm not interested in point-and-squirts, although the Smart Roadster may not have the handling I'm after.

A mate has semi-seriously offered me a Hillman Imp with race-set engine. If I didn't think I'd be spending more time under the bonnet than in the driver's seat I may have gone for it.
 
Kanda said:
I'm 6ft 2 and had no problem in an MX5 or MGF.

You can get a second hand Porshce Boxter for 7k these days ... :)
Click to expand...

I'd be worried about the suspension on MGFs of a certain age, although a mate had one and raved about his until a drunk driver wrote it off.

Quite like the dependability of the MX5, and relatively recent old-shape ones have dropped a bit in price when the range was revamped.

Porsche just a bit outside my range, especially taking extras (such as insurance, mentioned by LC above) into account. Nice car though!
 
The S2000 is a very nice car, and a lot more powerful than the looks suggest. I'd rather like one. :), and it's very rare for me to even notice Japanese cars.

This however could be the same price as a S2000 but is completely different. A noise to wake the dead, decent enough handling, individual, British and a decent price:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1175703.htm

Although it may kill you. :)

or

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1179452.htm

or for a bit more

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1068518.htm :cool:
 
mattie said:
I'm not interested in point-and-squirts, although the Smart Roadster may not have the handling I'm after.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much exactly what I was getting at, tbh. Sporty looks... not so sporty performance/handling.

I'd say the S2000 is a more more sporty machine, tbh. :)
 
Or if ultimate danger, acceleration, noise and a grin every time you go out, and a TVR isn't for you, then how about something softer and British like this:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1123665.htm

Get a good one and you won't need to mess about with it, and every garage anywhere can deal with it.

Just, that unless you tune the engine and sort out the suspension, they're just boring as fuck to drive, with that farty B-Series engine note. :)

TVR all the way, mate. :cool:
 
stupid dogbot said:
Seems to say "more a style icon than a sports car". Shockingly...

I've been in one (as a passenger), I know an owner. And it's not sporty by any means, imo.
Click to expand...

Would it have killed you to have been impartial enough to quote more than one paragraph, or at least try to balance it subjectively with other quote

"
Then I got to take over. Lucky me, because I got the twisty part of the route. With the ESP off, left-foot braking into third gear corners, the car started to come alive. I still got understeer, but could easily kill it with a dab of brake. Oversteer was just as easily controlled. And once I’d got the message what happened when, the fun really began to start...."

or

"Someone else mentioned something I hadn’t thought about: The ride quality. It’s so good you don’t notice it, even on the biggest wheels and lowest profile tyres. Probably the best ride of any small sportscar anywhere, and about as far from a rock hard bone-jarring go-kart as you can get. Much better than a MINI’s ride. The reason is quite a lot of suspension travel, but well damped and with lots of resistance to roll."
 
S2000 is sadly just a touch out of my budget, and if I'm honest a little over-powered if the missus is ever likely to drive.

TVRs are simply awesome, but as for the S2000 not really possible in existing circumstances.
 
Lemon Eddy said:
Would it have killed you to have been impartial enough to quote more than one paragraph, or at least try to balance it subjectively with other quote

"
Then I got to take over. Lucky me, because I got the twisty part of the route. With the ESP off, left-foot braking into third gear corners, the car started to come alive. I still got understeer, but could easily kill it with a dab of brake. Oversteer was just as easily controlled. And once I’d got the message what happened when, the fun really began to start...."

or

"Someone else mentioned something I hadn’t thought about: The ride quality. It’s so good you don’t notice it, even on the biggest wheels and lowest profile tyres. Probably the best ride of any small sportscar anywhere, and about as far from a rock hard bone-jarring go-kart as you can get. Much better than a MINI’s ride. The reason is quite a lot of suspension travel, but well damped and with lots of resistance to roll."
Click to expand...

Like I said, I've actually been in one, too. So I don't really need to purely rely on someone on the internet's opinion, as I've been in a position to form one of my own...
 
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