which car

[kieron]

hi all i currently own a lotus elise but its time to change cars, trouble is which car? i have narrowed it down to the last few but can not make up my mind, maybe you guys can help.

the shortlist is:

LOTUS EXIGE

NEW RENAULT CLIO V6- 255bhp

BMW M COUPE

TVR TUSCAN

let me know what your guys think is the best one, i will be maimly using it for road use and as a everyday runner into london. many thanks.

 

[Rasclart]

I would go for a BMW M Coupe. Fast but still extremely comfortable. Or maybe the V6 as not loads about for a bit of Individuality.

Everyday running wouldnt bother with a Tuscan. Lotus Exige yeah maybe but prefer the Elise over that

Just my thoughts sure others will beg to differ

Nice to be in the position to be able to afford that!! (Hate being a student at times)

 

[172man]

wish i had that choice

 

[kieron]

its a tough choice, i know i will buy one and the next week see one of the others on the road and fall inlove with that, the m coupe is so fast, evo clocked it at 0-60 in 4.3 sec 0-100 11.7, that is tvr stuff, but it does look a bit odd, i have never had a clio but the new v6 coming out looks amazing especially in the blue. anyone know what the v6 sounds like?

my elise has been excellent used it everyday for nearly 2 years and has never missed a beat, the reason some of you on here might be able to beat the elise on the striaght is that alot of elise/exige owners slow down on the straights and speed up coming into a bend, its not a great strightline monster but cornering is wicked.

if any of you guys think of any other cars for aroung £30k let me know. i want to take my time of this one. many thanks.

 

[Lanky_mos]

My mates got a nice black M coupe and my grandad had a nice red one, and trust me, they are the best! build quality of a BMW handling of a porsche and individuality, and they are quick! brezzed a 14.00 second 1/4 mile, TVR would be as quick but ud break down all the time, lotus more of a track car, lacking some comforts, V6, not as fast!



M coupe all the way my freind!

 

[GR7]

Kieron

I love the name Kieron!!

Since you have asked the Cliosport members for help in choosing your next car, without any hint of a doubt -

~~~~~~~~~~~

IT HAS TO BE THE GORGEOUS V6 CLIO

~~~~~~~~~~~

BLUE WOULD LOOK COOL

How could you even think of any of the others. The V6 always turns heads as there arent too many about, but the others are more common!!

http://www.rsportscars.com/foto/06/cliov603_02_800.jpg

 

[GR7]

The M coupe was tested on the "Wrong Car Right Car" programme a couple of weeks ago and they said that it didnt drive as well as they would have expected, compared to the others they drove that day. Odd looking car too!

 

[paddymph]

m3!! has to be!!

 

[GR7]

M3 is not included on Kierons list and is £20,000 more than the cars listed!

 

[Daz]

Clio or Tuscan. Probably Mk2 Clio for me.. but then, I would probably say that.

Exige is nice, but is it different enough to an Elise?

Daz.

 

[geoff_clio182]

Gotta be the BM

 

[kieron]

thanks girlracer always good to have a womans view on a car, i wanted an exige for ages but now im getting old [25] i would like a few more comforts, the v6 has all the mod cons i could want, and i think it looks amazing, have to get one in that beautiful blue though, does anyone know how fast the new one is going to be? rumors are sub 6 sec and top speed of 155mph.

 

[GR7]

Kieron

You can never be too old for a nice car, it is often the olds who have the nice cars, as they seem to have the money to spend on themselves.

You should see the olds around me in their TVRs, Mercs, Porsches, Maseratis etc, oh and I mustnt forget the 70 something old dear who races about in her Honda Civic Type R, who tells me she used to be a rally driver.

Glad to hear that my advice is valued!

 

[kieron]

well i have just turned 25 so im not quite 70 yet but thanks for being so nice ha

 

[evilshredder88]

ITS THE TVR MAN OBVIOUSLY, ITS A NO BRAINER.

 

[kieron]

the tvr is a gorgeous car but i dont fancy taking it back to tvr every week cos or stupid things going wrong with it, 40% of tuscans have to go back to blackpool for the engine to be rebuilt, plus to costs £600-1000 for a service.

just not sure if i want to spend £30k on a car and then always worring if it will work the next day.

 

[ME551E]

Im not into Sports cars like the TVR and Lotus, so i would go with the Clio or the BM. But i think the BM would nip it for build quality and everyday comfort.

And, the amount of optional extras ya get when buying it brand new is unbelievable, my cousin took nearly 3 weeks to decide.

 

[myky16]

has to be the tvr, bmws are generally owned by t**sers, clio is nice but unfortunatly not a tvr.

 

[GR7]

TVRs are very unreliable and parts on them rust very quickly. There are often broken down TVRs in our local garage.

The last one I saw, was in for repair because of some rusty arm thing which collapsed the front suspension area onto the wheel. Luckily enough it happened just metres away from the garage whilst out for a Sunday jaunt, so it wasnt speeding, thenkfully.

 

[GR7]

Where are you from Kieron?

 

[ReNWiLL]

TVR = VERY UNRELIABLE, dont touch it.

Beemer = Everyone has one.

Lotus = Nice but really not that much different to your Elise.

Clio V6 = Ludicrously overpriced but damn rare and when buzzing, sounds as nice as a tvr.

I would opt for the Lotus or Clio V6.

Bill.

 

[GR7]

Some info on the Tuscan from "What Car?"






Buying & owning






Warranty and residuals are poor



Quality & reliability






Poor on both counts



Safety & security






About as bad as it gets







<A onmouseover=turnOn("cabin2") onmouseout=turnOff("cabin2") href= "http://www.whatcar.com/roadtest/single/data.asp?rt=3550&admake=43&admodel=355&show=&sort=9&c=cabinverdicts<A onmouseover=turnOn("cabin3") onmouseout=turnOff("cabin3") href= "http://www.whatcar.com/roadtest/single/data.asp?rt=3550&admake=43&admodel=355&show=&sort=9&c=cabindata



Behind the wheel






Minor dials awkward to see



Space & practicality






Cockpit is a good size, but boot is small



Equipment






Leather and alloys, but no climate control




Build quality

The build quality is appalling and the roof leaks, which is not much use in Britain. The security and safety counts are both dismal


Ride & handling
When the TVR is pitted against the likes of the Porsche 911, it is not enough to be quick; it must handle. And here it falls behind. The ride is very stiff in town and on the motorway and the handling suffers as a result, pattering over mid-corner bumps. Throw in some rain and the TVR is a handful.

Refinement
This is one of the last hairy-chested sports cars on the market. Its appeal is much like the muscle cars of the 60s, but that also means much of the same poor refinement. Hood up or down, theres a lot of wind noise, and the fat tyres make quite a din when cruising. But the engine sounds great.

Buying & Owning
The TVR Tuscan offers a lot of performance for the money and it is a truly British take on the sports car theme. However, it does not hang on to its value with the strength of a Porsche or BMW and the warranty back-up from TVR is not nearly as good, only offering 12 months unlimited-mileage cover.



Quality & reliability
TVR has an unfortunate tendency to treat its owners as test drivers, sorting out faults as they appear. And those faults can be numerous. The engines and transmissions are fragile, especially if used around town a great deal. Leaky roofs are common and the cabins are poorly put together. So, join a breakdown service before buying.

Safety & security
The last time we tested a TVR in our Security Supertest (September 1999), the results were appalling. Our testers found it easy to break into the car and drive it away, but the company has added no further protection. TVR also has the same approach to safety gear, providing no front or side airbags, traction control or anti-lock brakes.

 

[evilshredder88]

But its the ultimate fanny magnet and goes like a rocket.

 

[teady172]

The stats on the new V6 are 5.5 to 60 and around 155MPH!

Ill stick my neck out here and say that the new V6 will get a lot more attention then any of the other cars listed there, in terms of head turning!

 

[GR7]

Teady172

Are you still thinking of getting one?

 

[teady172]

Id love to GR, but theres a little problem of not having a job at the mo!

Dont see it lasting too long though! I think if i was still working I would have bought the MK1 at Sighthill....ah well!!

 

[kieron]

maybe the 0-60 time will be higher than 5.5 sec as the mk1 states 0-60 in 6.4 but evo tested it and got 5.8sec so going on that account the mk11 should be well under 5.5sec

 

[teady172]

Id say that would be a fair assumption!

 

[BenR]

M coupe......originally, it was faster than the new M3......they had to design some restrictions onto it, namely the exhaust system.....

Hell, any of them will be fine..

 

[Shiraz]

Lotus Exige - looks awesome on the road. ..and is plenty quick enough.

If you want an all round package though, I think that the BMW M Coupe could be pretty much untouchable.

It may be worth waiting a bit for the new Clio V6 as that could be another good all -rounder, plus you could get a brand new one.

 

[coolspot007007]

what about a modded Skyline GTR (R33) (or a standard R34 if you can get one for that budget)

 

[scoobyP1]

Out of those has to be the beemer, failing that get an EVO 7 FQ300 2nd hand,305BHP and 300ft/lb of torque. Clio V6 is nice and a rare site but its not in the same league as an M coupe, just my opinion

 

[BenR]

up to 321bhp now mate

 

[kieron]

the m coupe is a really cool car but i would be looking at a second hand about 99 model with about 30k on the clock where for the simular sort of price i could go for a brand new v6 with 3 year full warrenty, and also wil hardly see any of them on the road, does worry me a bit though as you are all clio nuts, and alot of you guys are suggesting other models, i posted a simular question on the exige web site and all of them said the exige, so either the exige is a much better car or the exige guys are just more crazy about their cars.

just out of interest, would i notice a big difference in performance on the road with a v6 compared to my elise?

and does the v6 sound good?