Hi all,

Been a while since I have been on here but looking to return to the fold and have been lurking for a few months now. Since getting rid of my 04 S2000 back three years ago, I've missed it enormously despite having had a laugh with a Focus ST, a good cruise with an E46 330Ci and now a bit of autobahn bullying with an X5.....but something's missing from my life (and garage).

Been thinking about some garage jewellery/trackday toy for a while and now being in a position to do it my mind was made up on Saturday after just 4 laps behind the wheel of a new Cayman at Thruxton. Unfortunately I can't afford one aswell as the X5 so I've been thinking about what I could go for. So far I have come up with the following and reasons not to...

- 986 Boxster S (03) would love one but potential for open wallet surgery looks likely. Anyone with any experience?
- Caterham - too compromised given I would want to use the car for odd airport jaunt and holiday / weekend away.
- VX220 Turbo - lacking cache but certainly up there.
- Lotus S2 - budget looks like only being able to k-series engine and therefore have concerns over HGF and big bills.
- Z4 3.0i - lovely engine but perhaps not focussed enough for track work?
- 350z - doesn't do it for me.

Then there is the S2000. Loved last one, never tracked it but would love to have done. Aside from insurance (still 500 quid on limited miles, 2nd garages car policy and 31yr old) seems to have lowest running costs and bang for buck. Can't see any reason not to get one but a small part of me thinks "going back" is a bit daft. Also want to hear from anyone who thinks immissing the point with any of the above.

Criteria have to be:
- budget ideally <£12k but will stretch for low mileage good example;
- moderate and predictable running costs;
- rwd and soft top;
- be used on c. 4 track days per annum;
- low depreciation - am buying car with savings which arecurrently yielding nothing and want some fun with them but want most back in 2 years or so. So no Fords!!!

Thanks in advance!

 

For RWD and soft top there really is only one choice!

I've gone back (twice) and quite happy.

As long as you don't compare it to a Cayman S you will be quite content I think.

Your budget also allows you some pennies for essential track bits.

Z3M is an option too, but I imagine a bit wobbly on track?

 

spuffington - been a while.

As I have one of the other cars on your list (the S2 Elise - admittedly with the Toyota engine) I can say one thing comes loud and clear from your post.

You want another S2k but just wonder what the thoughts of returning to the fold of ownership are. Don't worry. You obviously want one, just do it and damn the "am I going over old ground" concerns

 

VX220 Turbo great car better with a few mods, wheels, tyres, exhaust, remap, geo setup etc. Best to buy one that has these some of these done already.

You will spend time 'fixing' it though, lots of rattles, annoying faults but a great drive, no luxuries though, rare to even find one with central locking.

 

Think of it as retro.
Or perhaps returning to a classic car you used to love.

 

Discounting the VX220 turbo because it doesn't have the cachet is, frankly, totally missing the point (I'm being polite).

Lets be honest, in the grand scheme of things, there is nothing cool about saying one drives a Honda.

The N/A VX is a great car (my dad has one as a summer toy and I'd be very surprised if I could keep up with it on a track), the Turbo is, frankly, magnificent. If you had any remote incling towards modifying your chosen steed, just take a look at Thorney Motorsport based in MK and see what they can do.

Drive one before making a decision - you might decide that you hate it - they're pretty bare - but it might be exactly what you're after. They are, though, better finished than the Elise.

Dad bought his to go on "nice long drives" in the summer months. I told him at the time he'd have been better off with an S2000, but he wanted to get as close as he could to a Caterfield whilst maintaining some usability.

When I finally got my S, he was totally sold on it "If it wasn't for the money I'd lose, I'd sell the VX and the TT and get one of these!"

..I'd been right all along, it's the perfect every day usable, driver focussed but still comfortable racey cruisery fun machine that I knew it would be long before I drove one.

so...what are you going to use it for?

VX220 Turbo if you want to track it, or hammer it.
S2K if you want to track it and go on jaunts.

quick addition - I notice you mentioned airport jaunt. If this requires anything bigger than a couple medium squashy holdalls, then forget the VX!

 

vx turbo seems to be holding their price quite well.

and no vauxhall badges.

 

The only thing that truly puts me off the VX is the styling; full of vauxhall tacky placcy inside (instead of naked ally) and it looks (as does the old Astra) as if it were drawn by a particularly spaccy kid.

But it's not a bad car - just looks it. Fortunately, Lotus turned it into the Europa which sort of fixes those issues. Nothing Elise-based is actually wrong at all!

But for the budget, The S2000 is hard to beat. I do understand the fears of going backwards (which is why I won't part with mine!) but sooooooooooooo many people here HAVE realised they've gone all prodigal and come back in contrition, it's just a facet of the S2000. They are a bit addictive.

 

Thanks to all for welcome back and candid advice.

S2000 I think is still front-runner. Point taken on the VX220 though and I will investigate seriously as they appear cracking value for money and primary use will be track and sunny weekend stuff. I do travel a lot however, which is why it might be good having something practical enough to schlepp to LHR or LCY in so as to leave the wife the X5.

One thing which is nagging me, however, is the Boxster S. £11k seems to pick up a good (if not 80k miles) example of a 3.2 986 facelift car. I drove a 997 C2 for three days in Germany last year and haven't forgotten the feel and poise of that car and the Cayman. Would 986 feel similar? Anyone have an idea of running costs? Anyone run one? Had a look at Hartech which seem to run good maintainance / warranty scheme which may make this a go-er.

Cheers,

Dunk

 

The 986S is a tricky one. I had a 52 plate S before buying the S2000.

There are a lot of very good 986 S's out there but equally Porsche had a lot of problems - one in particular.

I still hang round on the Porsche forum on occasion and this problem is still recurring even in the 987 which annoys me no end. It's called the RMS. Basically, it's a 10p o-ring which blows meaning that the car leaks oil onto the floor. Some are just a bit weepy, others leak like they're bleeding out! Whilst it's a very cheap component, it's a full engine out, 9 hours of labour job costing over £1k every time to fix.

Porsche were sorting this problem under goodwill but before I sold my car it appeared that Porsches goodwill had run out.

I don't quite understand the technicalities but it would seem that once you've suffered this problem it will most likely continue recurring. My first boxster (a 2.7) had two of these blow. The boxster S had it's RMS blow a month after I sold it. The guy phoned me up in a panic telling me there was oil under the car. I felt awful for him

For some reason the discs on the S (which are cross drilled) seem to corrode in spectacular fashion even though I always dried the breaks off after cleaning the car and then took it out for a run with lots of breaking to further dry them. Upon speaking to people, this looked to be common too.

My last service (admittedly with a Porsche main dealer) was £1600. I never had a service bill under £400.00.

Food for thought!