What car - £10k or less

[PompeyPaul]

Jag XKR or BMW 645?

[sinbad666]

350z, S2K and 3.0si Z4 will be the most reliable from your list IMO
All had solid engines and good build quality. With no real common faults that require big bills.

[Acehood]

For various reasons I'm now going to be looking at anything £5k and under with economy high on my list of priorities.

I'm struggling however to find anything that fits the bill and keep finding things like Clio 197's for a decent price. Past experience makes me a bit cautious with French cars though, especially if I am going to be doing a lot of miles. I had a Clio 182 which spent more time off the road than on it.

Diesels seem to be inordinately expensive and have huge mileages on them which puts me off a bit.

Can anyone help?

[boobles]

Still possible to get something rather nice.....


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/v...


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/n...


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

[Acehood]

boobles said:

Still possible to get something rather nice.....


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/v...


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/n...


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...


http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/t...

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

Interesting..

I actually looked at that Astra earlier. Was put off by the modifications and lack of ability to spell or take pictures in daylight. It could be great or could be a money pit.

I want to stay away from BMWs at this price point due to the expense if & when they do go wrong.

The 350z looks great. I've always liked them but I'm sure a V6 won't exactly be economical!

The Corolla is an odd one. I didn't even know they made a supercharged version and know nothing about them. Jap reliablity would be ideal but again, I can see it drinking fuel.

[boobles]

Acehood said:

Interesting..

I actually looked at that Astra earlier. Was put off by the modifications and lack of ability to spell or take pictures in daylight. It could be great or could be a money pit.

I want to stay away from BMWs at this price point due to the expense if & when they do go wrong.

The 350z looks great. I've always liked them but I'm sure a V6 won't exactly be economical!

The Corolla is an odd one. I didn't even know they made a supercharged version and know nothing about them. Jap reliablity would be ideal but again, I can see it drinking fuel.

Ok ignore the Astra...

I don't understand why you think a 5k BMW would potentially be a money pit? Any car regardless of price could end up going wrong & BMW's arean't necessarily expensive to repair.

I have a V6 Crossfire & it isn't expensive to run to be honest (about 35mpg on a run) so I don't think the 350 would be much different.

The Corolla could be an interstesing one, just picked it out because it looked "interesting"

I guess what I was trying to point out is that there are several differnt cars out there for 5k that would be pretty awsome to own.

Me personally, I wouldn't hesitate at buying another Crossfire.....

[Acehood]

boobles said:

Ok ignore the Astra...

I don't understand why you think a 5k BMW would potentially be a money pit? Any car regardless of price could end up going wrong & BMW's arean't necessarily expensive to repair.

I have a V6 Crossfire & it isn't expensive to run to be honest (about 35mpg on a run)

The Corolla could be an interstesing one, just picked it out because it looked "interesting"

I guess what I was trying to point out is that there are several differnt cars out there for 5k that would be pretty awsome to own.

Me personally, I wouldn't hesitate at buying another Crossfire.....

I've heard lots of horror stories about BMWs and the associated costs with replacing things. Plus they seem more expensive to insure than other marques, for me at least.

Guess I'm just cautious - I've not done such a large commute before and hate the idea of breaking down within the first few weeks of starting a new job. It currently takes me about 5mins to drive to work and I have a MK4 Golf worth about £500 to run about in. It's been quite good so far but on long runs the gearshift gets 'sticky' and it uses coolant, so I'm anticipating it dying a horrible death sooner rather than later!

Not keen on the looks of the Crossfire, at all, though i do think it's one of those bargain cars where you get a lot for your money.

Maybe I'll just take a gamble on something more interesting! 35mpg sounds ok, wonder if a 350z could manage that? Again though, tax on a 350z can be £450 I think, which would be a bit annoying

[boobles]

Acehood said:

I've heard lots of horror stories about BMWs and the associated costs with replacing things. Guess I'm just cautious - I've not done such a large commute before and hate the idea of breaking down within the first few weeks of starting a new job. It currently takes me about 5mins to drive to work and I have a MK4 Golf worth about £500 to run about in. It's been quite good so far but on long runs the gearshift gets 'sticky' and it uses coolant, so I'm anticipating it dying a horrible death sooner rather than later!

Not keen on the looks of the Crossfire, at all, though i do think it's one of those bargain cars where you get a lot for your money.

Maybe I'll just take a gamble on something more interesting! 35mpg sounds ok, wonder if a 350z could manage that?

To be honest something like a 5k BMW would probably be more reliable than alot of things.
Having owned a Z3m Roadster I can honestly say that YES that was expensive to maintain but my 328ci was pretty cheap to run & maintain because there is always a specialist out there.

Good luck with it all & pick the car suited to your needs as there are many to chose from.

[Acehood]

Now I've stumbled across this to throw a spanner in the works..

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/s...

[boobles]

Acehood said:

Now I've stumbled across this to throw a spanner in the works..

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/s...

I know you didn't want another "French" car but in the same category as the Swift what about one of these?

I drove one pretty much all day around race track for PH & it was faultless & really good fun!
Seriously worth a look to be honest.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/r...

[Defcon5]

Acehood said:

Not really. Having driven one of them, I know how difficult they are to get in/out of. Especially while wearing a suit!

I split 4 pairs of suit trousers getting in and out of mine!

I noticed the 645ci on autotrader, looks good value - 10 year old 333bhp V8 for 6k

Edited by Defcon5 on Thursday 4th September 12:34

[macky17]

Another vote for z4 3.0 si - either coupe (gorgeous - my gf has one) or roadster (had one myself). Fast(ish), classy and fun - just ditch the runflats.

[irocfan]

Acehood said:

wonder if a 350z could manage that? Again though, tax on a 350z can be £450 I think, which would be a bit annoying

seriously SFW - tax is a few tankfuls of petrol more than a pre-2006 car a little galling but that's it

[Acehood]

irocfan said:

seriously SFW - tax is a few tankfuls of petrol more than a pre-2006 car a little galling but that's it

Still a cost to consider though. Along with rear tyres.. lots of roundabouts on my commute

[LordHaveMurci]

jc84 said:

If it was my money, GTi or R32. But if you like BMWs maybe 335i/335d.

Have you driven a GTi? Sooooo boring if very capable, shortest ownership of any car I've owned in 26 years of driving!

[KTF]

irocfan said:

Acehood said:

wonder if a 350z could manage that? Again though, tax on a 350z can be £450 I think, which would be a bit annoying

seriously SFW - tax is a few tankfuls of petrol more than a pre-2006 car a little galling but that's it

Still a bitter pill to swallow and makes it very hard to sell on. Plus the government might decide to increase it further after you have bought it.

Also, when something like this is only worth a few grand, handing over 1/4 of its value every year in VED would get old fast:

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

[Pyrolysis]

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

A little older but not too expensive!

[Acehood]

Pyrolysis said:

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

A little older but not too expensive!

Absolutely love these but I think the fuel costs would cripple me. I'd be revving the hell out of it constantly to listen to that engine!

[boobles]

OP I have found the car!!!!
So much fun yet dirt cheap to run & maintain.....
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/k...

[Acehood]

boobles said:

OP I have found the car!!!!
So much fun yet dirt cheap to run & maintain.....
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/k...

I'd love something like that as a 2nd car but for commuting purposes would like something a little more comfortable.