Quatermass63

I live in Surrey so I guess you could say a mix of both. I'm am very much looking for a modern car, something I can just get in and enjoy. It'll mostly be short trips, going to car meets etc. But then how many of us have needed to go to the shops and then gone to the 4th nearest one just to have an excuse to drive? As for weather if things get really bad I would just use my daily driver but then the weather down south probably gets really bad once every 5 years or so.

Not sure I can save up as quick as Exiges are appreciating lol. It is worth mentioning the car will live outside under cover but get use at least once a week.

Hi All, I'm looking for some advice. I'm looking at purchasing a new toy. My thought process is that I have a company car so practicallity isn't a requirement and my mum drives an M2 Competition so I want something that offers something different to the somewhat brawnish style of the BMW. Fun don't get me wrong. When is 410hp not? Prior to that she had a Honda Civic Type R FK8 and before that a Mazda MX-5 2.0 ND which I loved driving. Myself I've owned and built 7 replicas with my dad and even ran a Caterham in the winter. The Sevens were good fun but the maintennce you had to really be on top of and owning them was hard work. Parts supplied by a handful of business (if they were still in business), garages couldn't work on them/do MOTs etc. So looking for a new car for me I've considered another MX-5, the GR86 and even a 718 Boxster. However the idea of owning a Lotus really appeals. I just don't know what one is going to be best suited to me and watching videos online seems to suggest they're all great. Great but that doesn't help me nail down a path to go down. I've got a budget of around £40,000 and the car will probably do 4000 miles a year. Pretty much all of it will be road use with maybe one or two track days a year if at all and I intend to use the car at every available opportunity I don't need more than 2 seats or a large boot all year round. From what I've seen online I can get anything up to a 5 year old Sport 220 Elise, a 12/13 year old Exige or a 2010-2013 Evora. So I guess my question is what car is going to give me the best bang for buck? What should I avoid? What are spec differences/what should I look to have inclued on the car? Is a 12 year old car just going to give me headaches? etc. TIA