From the company that makes air conditioners...

[AdamW]

http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/evolution/key_features.asp?strCar1=QD5

0-60 in 3.5s... From a boxy saloon! Fuel economy listed as "N/A"

Still, good to see they have managed to maintain a service interval of 4,500 miles

 

[pipme]

FROM £46,999.00 OTR

£31,995 Gets you :-

1998(R) Porsche 911 Carrera 3387cc 2 door Sports/Coupe.

Which in the great scheme of things .. Gets you all the crumpet you can handle with around £15k to spend on a little everyday runabout .. say a Ka brand new for £5k....
£10k left in your skyrocket.... to run the beast in terms of repairs,servicing, tyres .. vandalism etc
Plus you'll be able to sell it afterwards ...

 

[AdamW]

Oh, I wouldn't have an Evo. I think they are ugly cars and as you have pointed out, you can get more for your £47K. I would probably settle for a BMW M3 convertible: not as quick, but more reliable with a LOT more style, and with cars of this price that is an important aspect.

However, I don't think there are any other cars that will accelerate as quickly for this money. Even that 911 would take 4 or 5 point something to get to 60! There are ultra-impractical track-day cars (Ariel Atom, Westfield XTR) that will do it in 3.5s, but you can hardly drive one every day.

If you want to know what it feels like to average 0.81g on the horizontal, all the way from rest to 62mph , the Evo 8 is about the cheapest way to do it.

 

[pipme]

Oh, I wouldn't have an Evo. I think they are ugly cars and as you have pointed out, you can get more for your £47K. I would probably settle for a BMW M3 convertible: not as quick, but more reliable with a LOT more style, and with cars of this price that is an important aspect....

Caterham CSR260 Performance 0-60mph: 3.1sec / Top speed 155mph
Price £34,000 drives under artic trailers, wheels too, possibly.

Don't see much problem selling a Porsche ...
I always admire the clean lined Porsche simplicity ... It just looks like a quick cross country thoroughbred ..... 911 does have quite a pedigree, instantly recognisable .. but never common...

And from above :-

...drive through the middle of a populated area with the roof off any car. Trundling along with the sun on your face and a breeze in your hair may feel nice, but it's as stupid as walking into the Ivy with a 12-year-old Russian hooker. People are going to snigger...

 

[AdamW]

Awww, c'mon! Convertibles are great! If you get a hard-top or better yet, a soft-top with a replaceable hard-top (saves weight) then you can drive around with the roof off in summer. British summers aren't as bad as some make out. Any day you use your aircon in a fixed-top is a day you would have your roof down in a convertible.

In fact, somewhat ironically, convertibles are not as popular as one would expect in hot countries as people prefer to drive with the windows up and aircon on. The "MG GT concept" (basically an MG TF with a V6 and a fixed roof) was designed for such countries.

OK, so convertibles offer less protection if you flip it onto the roof, but that is hardly going to be fun even in a fixed-top car.

I definitely want a convertible at some point before I have a wife and kids. One of my few goals in life!

 

[pipme]

Tell me about it, spent 7 consecutive years owning and driving them ....