Not driving the Seven leads me to ponder selling...

Wow - September to February. Time does fly! To sum up, the Seven has been sitting on axle stands and undergoing a pretty thorough paint refurbishment before I tackle some more MOT oriented issues - the defunct handbrake and the broken horn.

It's no surprise that I've missed driving the little car. However, the long layoff made me question the sense of having something that is so transparently seasonal. It's perfectly possible to drive one year round. Not so attractive to be passengered about in one year round, but the reality is that the car needs a thorough wash after every drive, not something I'm well equipped to do. So, stands and SORN it is. Stands, SORN and a nagging thought that there might be a car out there that would provide 80% of the fun, but with a roof and a more practical disposition in the cold.

Just to recap first, however, the reasons why running a Seven is such an inviting proposition:

Of course, the driving experience is second to none (or very few, at least). Add to that the high level of affordability - low tax and insurance, coupled with a simple set of mechanical parts - and very slow depreciation and it becomes very clear why there is appeal.

So, with a budget of around £10k, what falls into sight as a replacement? There are in fact a surprising number of cars that fit the bill to some extent, but none that meet all my lengthy requirements, some of which are so esoteric, so marginal and so off the wall they're difficult to explain.

Here are just a few car, pinched from PistonHeads as an example of what I've been looking at, plus some thoughts.

Lotus Elise: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3563143.htm

At this price, you're seeing quite high miles and let's be honest, it's a Lotus of a certain era. You need to budget a reasonable sum for fault repairs alongside the normal servicing. Also, possibly a little too raw, so not a significant step away from the Seven. Conclusion - rather keep the Seven.

Lotus Exige: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3610269.htm

 OK - a cheat. You can't get one for £10k. Or £15k. At £20k you're in a whole new territory, but it was an initial "I wonder" moment. To say I was disappointed they were so far out of range and no longer depreciating would be an understatement. I predict good ones will now start to appreciate, so the dream is getting further away. Shame.

BMW M5: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3579513.htm

I've never really been a fan of the M cars. However, it's hard to ignore a BMW V8 at under £10k. It's also hard to ignore the prospect of servicing costs and let's be honest, it's a massive car and not really a weekend special. I'd like to have a little pomp and circumstance when out and about. I occasionally wonder if seeing the Seven has ever been the seed that starts a mini-petrolhead off. Any kid who gets excited by this is already a car-nut.

Corvette: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2538881.htm

OK - so in terms of driving, it's a totally different proposition to a Seven. Literally light years apart in design and philosophy. But I so badly want this car. I'd love it so much I happily apply man-logic to the servicing: Petrol is so expensive, I'd barely do any miles, so the servicing costs will be low... See? Man-logic.

In actual fact, I like this so much, have two pics.

Monaro: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3581341.htm

For the inner hooligan. I'm sure it would be fun to drive and certainly eye (and ear) catching. But currently the UK "car tax" or Vehicle Excise Duty, is unrelated to mileage. This car puts out a lot of CO2 and so attracts the highest rate of duty - over £400. For a car that would do less than 3,000 miles, that's ridiculous. I shan't get into the argument in this post, but suffice to say, it's off-putting.

Integra Type R: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3243819.htm

The fact that the newer version (DC5) is selling for less than this example says a lot about how good this car is. A friend has one. It's brilliant. However, they way I like to drive and the way these demand to be driven just doesn't gel. It's a shame, but there you are.

350Z: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3576102.htm

Seriously tempting this. Reasonable service and running costs, classic front engine, rear wheel drive layout, a V engine. I thought long and hard, but it just doesn't tick an undefinable box labelled "want one". Makes sense in the head, but not the heart.

The inevitable Impreza: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3387809.htm

The P1 was a limited run of 1000 specials, specifically tuned and prepared for the UK roads. An unmodified one with these low miles is rare and the price reflects this. This too is very tempting, though there's a nagging thought that I could have 90% of the fun for 10% of the cost. How? With this: Shed of the Week.

Now, the final coup de grace, and one that for a while, I had my heart set on. If I were ever going to replace the Seven, I think I'd go this way. I have to point out that it only meets a few of my specified requirements. However, with precisely the opposite feeling of the 350Z, this has "want" written all over it. It's a lot of car for the money. I can't help but feel that this is another car that won't depreciate much further either, so getting in now feels about right.

911: http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3474438.htm

In fact it's so much car for the money, as soon as I saw the ad above, I wavered again. However, I have ultimately decided to keep the Seven, for the next few years at least. I'll no doubt harbour some wants. I do want to own a proper V8. I'd love to own a Ferrari, even if it's just for one wallet-crippling year, but for now, it's back to the land of warm jackets and revvy 1400cc Rover engines.