I hugely enjoyed building Zedster and I have loved the numerous trips and run outs since I finished the build in 2017.
But...
I am not enjoying the continual repairs and work needed to keep Zedster running. Maybe it's old age but I'm getting lazier and the limitations of my single garage really don't help. I recently fixed the broken ball joint/wishbone and it exhausted me. A lot of that is because of the blood pressure tablets I am on now - a side effect is weakened muscles - but even without that, I don't have the enthusiasm to even get started. I'm really worried that something major will go wrong, I'll not have the impetus to fix it and Zedster will spend the next 20 years in my garage until my grandchildren call Car SOS. The thought of that is sadder than selling up...
So, I have been doing the unthinkable recently; considering a Zedster replacement. I decided it needed to be a 'normal' car - no point in another kit car as I'd just have the same issues. It needed to cost no more than I'd get for Zedster (around £10k), it had to be a convertible and it needed to be 'sporty' ie. reasonably quick.
I can't afford an Elise and an MX5 just doesn't have the oomph. That left a BMW Z4 and a Porsche Boxster but really, the beemer had no chance against a Porsche. I had a Z3 many years ago and it was nice but a very under-powered 1.9 and maybe it's old age again but I've been eyeing 911s in recent years. I can't stretch to a 911 but Boxsters are said to be very good, despite some calling it a poor man's Porsche (fair enough, I am a poor man).
So, after much research, a 2005 Boxster S (3.2 litre, 280 bhp) seemed to be the thing that fitted my criteria. I joined a Porsche forum (I do like my forums) and started reading up.
Then, last week, I did the bad thing; I started looking at cars for sale on Auto Trader. At first, there was very little I was interested in but then, kapow, an almost perfect ad which was suspiciously cheap. I checked the MOT history (very good, hardly anything on it) and I couldn't understand why it was a mere £8.5k, when most others were £1500 or so more. I called the private seller and it turned out he was selling the car for the widow of the owner - he had died suddenly a couple of months ago and she just wanted the car sold.
Long story short, 2 days later I found myself travelling home in this:
With 88k miles, full service history, recent service, new discs and pads, recently repaired hood (the elastics go on them) and for just £8.5k - how could I say no?
It drives amazingly; solid and damn quick. Acceleration is a little quicker than Zedster (0-60 in 5.5s, Zedster was 6.2s) but its the smoothness while doing it which is lovely. And unlike Zedster, it certainly doesn't stop at 90 - I found myself doing 120 on the motorway without trying (top speed is 160!). With the hood down, I can still easily hear the stereo at 80. And it has air con and heated seats...
Also, I've never been a badge snob before but waking up in the morning and seeing a Porsche on the drive...it is a thrill.
So it is not definitely the end of my kit car adventure - I've got a trip down to Cornwall at the weekend to test it out - but the writings on the wall.
