A Noble M12 GTO-3R should scrape into your budget and would be awesome track toy and have devastating acceleration on the road and sod the practicalities

 

Good call on the Noble, not sure on the day to day running

 

Noble's seem to be unreliable on the track. And the future of Noble is currently uncertain.

 

[QUOTE=Bassoctopus,Mar 11 2008, 07:48 AM] I thought about selling the S for an 111R Elise a couple of years ago, when we had the Smart Roadster, and the price just didn't justify the physical car. It's the same basic idea as the Smart (albeit faster and better) but for a

 

I think you should spend 35k

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/377969.htm

 

BMW CSL , you will get one for 25,000. Exige is not an everyday car, as for the jap stuff OK if you're a Chav

 

I don't disagree with anything you've said BB. I knew all the downsides before I drove it but was expecting the driving experience to be so good that I would leave the garage desperate to have one.

That didn't happen, and on getting back into the S2000 the build and sheer solidity of the Honda in comparison meant that I dismissed the Lotus.

You're right that I couldn't rev it past 6500, I did a couple of times just quickly, but I've never been an outright speed enthusiast anyway. I was driving the R but would have bought the S if I'd wanted an Elise.

At the end of the day though it's an engine from a

 

A crap one.

 

Not Jap.

Not totally within budget.

Not practical.

A bit 'chest-wig'.

Probably not reliable.

I could go on but...:

Just have a look

 

true a dog, you need 30k