ch3tman

Hi all,

I find myself in a tricky/interesting predicament - thoughts appreciated…

A car I’ve wanted for the last 14 or so years may be within arm’s reach (logistically and financially) over the next month or few – in my eyes it has always been the car I’ve been working towards owning since passing my test all those years ago; the ‘holy grail’ so to speak . So as to not derail the thread,no point going into detail apart from mentioning it’s just an old(er) German car.

This is all positive. So what’s the issue?

Well, I have invested significant money & time into the S2000 over the past 4 or so months; consisting of new OEM clutch kit, new discs & pads all around and new Eagle F1 Asymmetric 2s on all four corners. I’m pretty confident I have one of the good ones; represented by the car literally being faultless since I picked it up from the first owner in 2009, and really provides no reason whatsoever to even consider parting with it. Crucially I wouldn't be able to run two cars at once. Obviously when I had the above components installed, the mindset was that it would allow me to enjoy several more years of worry-free ownership and hence the outlay was fully justifiable at the time.

So what would you do in the same position, given the recent investment and history/condition of the car?

Comments welcomed


*EDIT:
I'd like to make it clear, if it isn't already, that my car isn't for sale at time of posting, I am merely gathering opinions. Thanks.

RichwiththeS2000

Go for the new car, sounds like you would enjoy it more whatever it is! You'd have had to spend money maintaining whatever car you had, and selling a "good one" with all the nice bits done on it should help.

BCA

Depends on what the car is.

dennohue

However much you desire this other vehicle it is obviously quite old. Unless it has been totally rebuilt recently I think you will be disappointed at the expense of keeping it on the road (and, I'm talking from experience!).

My S2000 is almost 12 years old and it has cost 'peanuts' to keep it in excellent condition, with never an advisory on the MOT. If you want to take 'a leap in the dark', that is your choice, but it is not something I would do, with the knowledge I have.

PhilipGB

Always going to be hard to let a car go when you've had work done and not really used it any significant length of time to recoup the costs back, but to some degree that care will be reflected in your sell price.

If this car which is going to be available is a car you aspire to more than the S2000 and is likely to be a difficult car to source in the future, then without a doubt go for it now.

If it's a classic status car then it's price is probably either firm or may go up. The S2000 price is likely to still drop a little, so cost wise selling up now probably makes the most sense rather than letting it depreciate while the other car possibly appreciates in value.

WinFreak

Do you still drive to work? If so, keep the s2000

Hockenheim

Tough decision.... Mind you what you want is increasing in price vs S2000 still falling. If you are thinking of automatic then do yourself a favour and keep the S2000. I often choose the S2000 over the other.

Le8

Go with your gut feeling.

ch3tman

Thanks for the comments .

As for enjoying it more, well, they do say 'never meet your heros'... .

This is just it, it is old and the costs to keep it running, in comparison to the S2000 will be a huge difference. Much like your S2000, mine has also never had an advisory during MOT and apart from ensuring top quality & regular servicing has never required anything other than consumables. Any car, it seems, would be a step down in this respect. I can't believe how reliable these cars really are...

If you can share more of that knowledge, without necessarily disclosing the model or marque that'd be useful I'm sure...

Yep, this is the problem, and whilst you mention the work can be reflected in any prospective sell price, it won't be recouped in total and hence could be classed a 'waste'?


You're almost spot on, unfortunately. The other car has already started to appreciate rather aggressively over the past 6 months and like you mention, the S2000 will only continue to depreciate, for the short-to-medium term at least.

For the first 3.5 years the S2000 was only used on weekends. I started to drive it to work as of last year. It's a car that really strikes the balance between performance and every-day usage, and (I think the point you're making is this...) a car from the mid-90s won't feel as comfortable (as the S2000) for daily usage if required...and could seem like 'hard work' in comparison

loftust

Go for the old 911

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