What Cheap Runabout Do You Use?
Discussion
Here's the thing. Sold my AMV8 last month and am stuck tooling around in our BMW X5 and Defender until GT3 arrives in Sept. (haha). Struck me now might be a good time to experiment with getting a cheapo runabout for those bread and milk runs to the next village etc. Being a PH this escalated into looking at ClioV6s and 182Sports, E30M3s etc. etc. but that's not really going bargain basement is it? Think a few on here have mentioned having daily hacks - what do you run? Lets say £20k tops but really should be much much cheaper. Prize for whoever comes up with the best(IMO)suggestion for the least dosh. Only requirements are reliable and interesting and cheap enough to make me feel smug.I'd quite like to have a car that I don't pamper for once!
Edited by Pugsey on Monday 14th August 15:45
Edited by Pugsey on Monday 14th August 15:50
As a city dweller, I use a Piaggio 125cc scooter, faster than anything in traffic, always
first at traffic lights, park exactly in front of where I am going, and don't give a rats
arse about it, it can get scratched, stolen, whatever I have no emotional involvment to it.
On top of that, I am anonymous with the helmet, OK I won't have it valet parked when I go to my favorite bar on a Friday after work, but appart from that, it is unbeatable as a roundabout....
I use a Smart Fortwo and if you leave in the city thats a MUST have, I used to hate them and rant about these things but I've driven one for a week and bought one the next. There's even "private" parking spaces for Smarts, I called them this way because its a parking space no one will take but a Smart driver (hence the name) and you can even park it 90º to the sidewalk as it is less than 2.5m long (maximum alowed) vehicule width.
Nonetheless you mentioned E30 M3...which is a great option since it won't depreciate and with minimum costs would be an EXCELLENT track day weapon...
Nonetheless you mentioned E30 M3...which is a great option since it won't depreciate and with minimum costs would be an EXCELLENT track day weapon...
I have owned 2 E30 M3s. Brilliant things, but getting old now. The youngest are 16 years old, some are 20 years old. Think about that......
I would go for a band new golf GTI. The importers are doing them for 18 grand. My brother has a dark grey one, brand spanking new. I drove it yesterday and it is fast, refined, very cool (IMHO the car of the moment), very economical (you get 35 MPG quite often), lots of space, warranty, new tyres and brakes etc cos it's new.......this is what I would get with 20K.
Personally, when the Porker is at home, I roll around in a W reg 1.8 Ford Mondeo LX "Verona". Unbelievably horrible thing. Cost me a grand a year ago. They offered me 200 quid trade in on a Golf GTI. Told 'em to stick it: I'M KEEPING THE MONDEO!!
Otherwise, an BMW 5 or Audi A4 or A6 for 6 or 7 grand would be sensible.
I would go for a band new golf GTI. The importers are doing them for 18 grand. My brother has a dark grey one, brand spanking new. I drove it yesterday and it is fast, refined, very cool (IMHO the car of the moment), very economical (you get 35 MPG quite often), lots of space, warranty, new tyres and brakes etc cos it's new.......this is what I would get with 20K.
Personally, when the Porker is at home, I roll around in a W reg 1.8 Ford Mondeo LX "Verona". Unbelievably horrible thing. Cost me a grand a year ago. They offered me 200 quid trade in on a Golf GTI. Told 'em to stick it: I'M KEEPING THE MONDEO!!
Otherwise, an BMW 5 or Audi A4 or A6 for 6 or 7 grand would be sensible.
1994 Defender 90 pick up - absolutely truly brilliant for the muddy country lanes where i live, dont care about the bodywork when i get forced up the banks/thru bushes by townies hogging the middle of the road in case they get dirty! £4000 a year ago, plus a few "goodies" that HAVE to be bolted on! (LR lovers will know which ones I'm talking about !)
Edited by hussar10a on Monday 14th August 16:29
housemaster said:
This is SO appropriate right now as I am currently looking for something around 4k as a run around. I want aircon, and ideally diesel with a clean apperance. Other than that I am open to ideas...
I'd get a second hand diesel Focus for that money. Or maybe a cheap Audi?
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