Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I've never had a sports car. I'm not a real petrolhead, but I have a bit of an itch to scratch.

Cars like midgets & MGBs, spirfires are fine, but actually a bit dull, and I'm not sure I'd fit into one. I certainly could not do any renovation.

Chrysler Crossfires are kind of ugly, but have an appeal. Quite cheap. Merc SLK under the bodywork I think. Enough Oooomph for me. Never sat in one or driven one, but they look quite roomy. Quite fancy a convertible auto, but I could live with manual and maybe hard top.

Any opinions amongst all you experts out there?

I think it was Clarkson who described the side profile of the Crossfire as similar to that of a dog taking a dump.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I've never had a sports car. I'm not a real petrolhead, but I have a bit of an itch to scratch.

Cars like midgets & MGBs, spirfires are fine, but actually a bit dull, and I'm not sure I'd fit into one. I certainly could not do any renovation.

Chrysler Crossfires are kind of ugly, but have an appeal. Quite cheap. Merc SLK under the bodywork I think. Enough Oooomph for me. Never sat in one or driven one, but they look quite roomy. Quite fancy a convertible auto, but I could live with manual and maybe hard top.

Any opinions amongst all you experts out there?

What is your budget?

[ronnyd]

MX5 is the only answer. We have the occasional use of one and it makes you fall in love with driving again.

Rust is the only issue...

It is a big issue.


And they are very small inside.


I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the MGF, which is much more comfortable for normal sized people and is just as much fun to drive.


But it all comes down to what you want the car for:


hooning about like a teenager means a small, low powered car like a Mazda or MG.


if you just want to cruise about sunburning your head then a Jag or Mercedes convertible is the tool of choice.


if you're the tool, you need a Porsche. It doesn't matter which, as you'll be launching it backwards through the scenery at some point.

Daughter drove me up to Manchester a few years ago in her MGF, to see Genesis at Old Trafford. Nice sunny day, top down, great band and good drive there and back. 

[Doctor Gollum]

I've never had a sports car. I'm not a real petrolhead, but I have a bit of an itch to scratch.

Cars like midgets & MGBs, spirfires are fine, but actually a bit dull, and I'm not sure I'd fit into one. I certainly could not do any renovation.

Chrysler Crossfires are kind of ugly, but have an appeal. Quite cheap. Merc SLK under the bodywork I think. Enough Oooomph for me. Never sat in one or driven one, but they look quite roomy. Quite fancy a convertible auto, but I could live with manual and maybe hard top.

Any opinions amongst all you experts out there?

What is your budget?

That is the question...

Except the SLK 32, 911 and the Camaro, most of the cars on my list are available for sub £3k, but unless you are intending to buy a bit of project, buying the cheapest examples is a bad idea.

[Sir Tigger KC]

My mate has had two Jag XK's.

A Mk1 like the one above that Al linked, which he called the Saggy Jag!    Probably for obvious reasons. 

And a Mk2 which is a massive improvement and if your budget allows is the one to go for.  I didn't drive the Saggy Jag, but did the MK2 and it was superb!   

Jag XK Mk2

PS: To be fair to the Saggy Jag it might have had a hard life! 

[Mister Rog]

My mate has had two Jag XK's.

A Mk1 like the one above that Al linked, which he called the Saggy Jag!    Probably for obvious reasons. 

And a Mk2 which is a massive improvement and if your budget allows is the one to go for.  I didn't drive the Saggy Jag, but did the MK2 and it was superb!   

Jag XK Mk2

PS: To be fair to the Saggy Jag it might have had a hard life! 

Oooooooooooo 

[Mister Rog]

Oh dear, too many serious questions here.

My eye was caught by the Crossfire as I've seen a few locally in car parks etc. They're quite cheap, and quirky. £2,500-£5,000 gets one, and not a disaster if it doesn't work out. I could probably live with the different size tyres etc

MX5 is out, as is MGB, C and F, just too small for me.

Hot Hatchbacks and similar are out, just fast cars with no roof. And, I'm not a boy racer

Boxters? Would probably scratch that itch, but concerned about some serious bills. Seems there are some seals or something that can wreck engines. But . . . 

My dream car would be a TR4,5,6, but way too expensive and I'd actually need to look after it.

Mercs . . . . Hmmmm, maybe. Same with Jags, quite complex buggers though. Lots to go wrong

BTW . . . . . SWMBO knows nothing of this . . . . yet   

[STEMO]

She'll know when you land up with it, no arguments that way.

[Doctor Gollum]

The Crossfire is a rebodied SLK. Get underneath and they're pretty much identical 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Thats the way I always do it. 
Btw having driven a few TR6,s and they are utter shite. 
The scare story with Boxsters is the IMS bearing. Need to research engine numbers as only certain years were prone to it.
Even then, it was around 10% of them.
Very nice to drive though. Mid engined, so handling is superb, despite the twaddle NickW comes out with about them. 

[Raeturbo]

IMO Honda S2000. End of.

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

yep, cracking little car. Or an MR2 of some description, if you want mid engined but want to avoid the rust bucket lump of shite known as the MGF.
The MR2 will probably rust too, but at least the mechanicals will be unburstable.

[Raeturbo]

 S2000, Beautiful engine and box, always on the boil with the low gearing nice looking great handling extremely reliable, not too clever on juice but hey it’s a fun car👍 Mmm.,, may have talked myself into one for the summer

[Nick W]

yep, cracking little car. Or an MR2 of some description, if you want mid engined but want to avoid the rust bucket lump of shite known as the MGF.
The MR2 will probably rust too, but at least the mechanicals will be unburstable.

No they're not. The cat breaks up, and the pieces go back into the engine. Then you need a new one. Just like the hatchback it came from. And there's nowhere to put your shopping


S2000 - if you think an Omega needs regular, frequent constant geometry adjustments after expensive suspension work, you'll love one of these   Pretty but vicious, they're the spiritual successor of the Tr6 or Healey 3000, where Mx5 and MGFs replaced the Midget/Spitfire.


Boxsters - these leave a fascinating trail of oppsed aluminium components between the first hit, and wherever the disembowelled corpse ends up. The owner always repeats the phrase indoctrinated in him by the dealer every time they bent him over the credit card machine "I don't know what happened." We do, to quote the police crash-examiner Too much car, not enough driver. Compare that to the usual reaction of a TVR owner - "I knew I shouldn't have taken it out in the rain, but it's only fibreglass. I'll have it roughed in by the end of the weekend"


M3s - if the engine and/or SMG doesn't expire in a musically expensive way, you'll have a brown trouser moment when the rear suspension tears out of it.


Crossfire - let's take a mundane Merc, throw some ghastly styling at it, and build it down to American standards. Well down. Mopar standards   How bad could it be?? A few poor deluded fools found out, but I bet you can't find one of them who will admit to it.


Maserati. Seriously???


Jag XK. Continued Jag's traditional slightly awkward looking, louche GT line. Also continued the curious engineering and lousy build quality. Watch out for reverse dents in the boot from unsecured golf clubs


Jag F-type. A bizarre cross of updated Jag styling, 911 wannabe sportscar and AMG shoutiness. At least you don't need to worry about the dents as golf clubs don't fit.


Maserati. No I can't help it, I've got to put the boot in. Flashy, but useless. Expensive, but cheaply made. You don't need to buy one, but the receptionist demonstrates the idea: she's gorgeous but has an extended version of the builder's tape playing in her ear phones. Not only does it repeat in.....out...... over and over so she remembers to breathe, but hers has a reminder to swap the gum from side to side occasionally. And unlike what she had in her mouth last night, not to swallow.


Lexus. Wasn't there some sportiness required by the OP?


Z4. Who could possibly opps up the small two seat convertible appearance so badly? Germans, that's who. Not in the hysterically crass American low production way, but in the please gouge my eyes out before you kill me. Please, do it soon, I've looked at a Z4 way.


Ferrari. Garage jewellery. Weird Italian low production mechanicals scattered with Fiat bits for you to identify while you wait for the tow truck.


Aston Martin. Garage jewellery. Weird English low production mechanicals scattered with random bits for you to identify while you wait for the tow truck.


Alfa Romeo. Tarted up Fiat with an utterly unjustified superiority complex. Why would you? Why?


Lancia. Yes, they still make them for some reason. They being Stellantis, so it's either another tarted up Fiat, or a Chrysler with a hideous grille. Italian Mopars. Such a stupid idea.


Lotus. Somehow still in existence, building interesting stuff in a shed in Norfolk. Maybe the new Emetic will prove they've finally figured out how to build cars. Don't hold your breath, as they've had nearly 80 years to do it. And you'll be holding in all the chemicals given off by the fibreglass and glue which can't be good for you.


Alpine. Lotus equivalent, except the shed is in Dieppe.


New TVR. Not in any of our lifetimes.


American 'sports' cars: we'll pick on the Corvette. To paraphrase Churchill, they'll do the right thing when they've exhausted every other avenue. So now it has the fabulous LS(or whatever the designation is now) mid-mounted in a typically American styled body. Is it any good? Does that make any difference?

[Doctor Gollum]

Pug 306 convertible it is then...

Next...