Holy cow, I didn't realise these things were getting this cheap...

*tut*

You know whatever you buy it will never be quite good enough, don't you? :-P

Having said that, CIHAGM if you get an M5. ;-)

-- JackH

I know :/. Trouble is, I've got a perfectly working Integra outside the house but when I want to go somewhere and not take the 911, I just grab the keys to the Golf. Dunno why, but the Integra doesn't do it.

Plenty quick, but I'm not comfortable with it.

*If* I get one[1] you can, but it'd be an E34 and the first thing that'll happen to it is that we'd end up underneath it at Paul's :). [1] Currently looking either at another MX5, 944 S2, Lotus Excel[2] or potentially an E34 M5. [2] Shutitwillya?

Shame.

Looked a nice one, that.

With that in mind, are you considering keeping the Golf for a bit longer now?

Ok...

You got bored with the first one and didn't trust the second... are you rsure it would really be a case of third time lucky if you went this route?

Better. ;-)

No, no, no, no, no... no, no, no, no...

...NO!

Tis one of the worst ideas you've come up with to date, that one. ;-)

-- JackH

Not quite - the problem is that unless you go 10/10 in it, it's just a boring, noisy shopping trolley. And I don't drive like that on public roads, so I go grab the Golf key instead. Also, I know that people rave about the feedback it gives but it and me don't seem to be talking the same language...

It's a bloody good car and it is fast on the track, but for me the grin factor is missing.

I'm around on Saturday, will be looking at cars on Sunday. You're welcome to join me on that if you fancy looking at daft machinery.

Actually. most of the running gear on these is Toyota, it's just the ticking time bomb under the bonnet that is Lotus.

I'd be looking at N/As - basically I want the handling of an Elise for a little less money and with an engine that doesn't cook its head gasket every five minutes...

Oh well... sure you won't have any trouble getting rid of it.

How much do you reckon it'll realistically fetch?

Ok... I'm busy Saturday AM and pretty sure I've had Sunday mapped out for me.

Will let you know once I've spoken to 'the boss' later. ;-)

Aye, well... whoever made it, it's a ticking timebomb all the same.

I wasn't aware the turbo lumps on these were prone to that tbh...

-- JackH

I'm hoping for around 3.5k-3.6k. It's clean, but it's not been owned by people with a detailing fetish. Plus it's also suffering from the usual paint problems and rear arches.

Fair enough. I'm most likely around all day on Saturday although I do need to clean in ITR and take some pictures of it at some point.

TBF they are a little more reliable than your average Lotus.

No, but the K-series in the Elise is...

However, Turbo VX220s are prone to being more expensive than some Elises and most NAs.

To buy in the first place?

If so, tis all relative surely; you pay x amount more in the first place, you get more back on it pro rata over the value of an N/A when the time to sell it on comes?

I doubt they're depreciating much if at all these days given how few there are about.

-- JackH

Heheh, depends how much money you have in the first place. If they can all depreciate to zero, or to a level where they don't depreciate any more, the cheaper car has less far to depreciate.

NAs are still pretty quick. I would love a turbo.

I guess prices will probably be quite close to levelling out. NAs will be getting rarer more quickly as I reckon people will butcher them to make Turbos.

Yup. And TBH I'd rather have an Elise if I'm spending VX220 Turbo money.

Sell another bike / car / kidney then or something, and get one then. :-P

-- JackH

That'll be "too much money to stick into the kitty litter" again, though. 3k-4k damaged I can stomach, but a bent Elise is going to be a

*lot* more money.

Someone stuffed a GT3 into the wall at Lydden a couple of weeks ago.

Blowout, apparently.

Anyway... have you never wondered why so many cars down there have gaffa tape over the number plates? ;-)

-- JackH

Ouch.

Of a tyre or the driver? ;-)

Oh, I know why that is. It also helps if you can get a mate to help drag such a damaged vehicle out on a public road :-).

You're planning to go to Lydden anytime soon?

:

As far as I know, they're not running any trackdays now til September so I might do a couple of sessions then, assuming I've upgraded the hoses and fluid on the brakes of the Ibiza (1) by then.

Or were you asking in the sense of 'can you turn up with the van and a car trailer... just in case' ;-)

(1) Given it has 312mm Audi TT fronts, they work very well... but I reckon a track session will have them boiling up in no time given how they've felt on the one or two occasions I've really pushed the car so far.

-- JackH

-- JackH

te:

IIRC there is one in late August, but given that I'm going on to trackday at Silverstone on September 1st, the car would barely have time to cool down.

Now why would I suggest something like that, eh?

;-)

Well, I've got a Mightyvac with brake bleeding kit in the garage somewhere if it helps.

rote:

f an Elise for

Actually you're right, nothing until mid-September.