I know I am risking it, but I think the R26R is precisely what Renault built it for, it's not really a daily, but I wouldn't even call it a weekend car, it is a very special car, but it's really a track car, I think from the fact that most have little miles on proves the point. While I would love one myself, it is not on my lottery winning list. For the money they are making, you can buy a proper weekend car. You can get a decent low mileage newish Porsche Boxster, for similar money, and before you start shouting hairdresser, go and test drive one. As for running costs, you will get 30 mpg they cost the same to service as an R26R, ok it's twice as much but the service interval is twice as long. They are dead easy to work on, but here is a surprising bit they are cheap to insure. Ok the R26R prices are reasonably stable and you will probably not lose any money, but they belong on the track. The Megane Trophy is a better car, both on the road and on the track, but it does not hold its money as well, but it is dead easy to use.
The biggest problem I found with weekend toys, is you spend all week looking forward to using it, then the weather is crap. So you use it then you spend all Sunday cleaning it, the following weekend comes and the weather is crap, so you leave it in the garage. Winter comes and the salt comes so you SORN it. So the weekend toy becomes very expensive, if you divide the running costs into how often you use it. You may only use it 20 times a year, divide a yearly service to keep its value, a years insurance, 6 months tax, it soon adds up.
You could have a super car for what it costs to run 2 cars.
That's why the wife has a Porsche and I now run a Clio 200 that I can use everyday, clean it on a Friday, and use it all weekend as my toy. I have bought a new house with the money it was costing me to have my weekend toys
This is only my experience, so I thought I would share, I'm not saying don't do it as I have done it, I am just saying this is what happens with weekend toys
Many thanks for your honest opinion. This is the predicament I'm in, and your not the first person to mention this weekend toy issue. Being a petrol head like most of us I have always used my previous so called drivers cars as my everyday transport. I owned a Boxster S two years back for 18months and loved it, it was a special drive to use every day and never felt out of place going away for a weekend with the Mrs. A friend owns a lovely Cayman S Sport which are pretty rare but still too expensive for me at the moment too. I like the idea having something special which can be used at the weekend but also the odd drive to work on a sunny day, it won't be a concours effort and never driven (I've been down that road), but will be well looked after and used.
Thanks
