Small, fast, auto, £4k. Am I barking up the wrong tree?
Discussion
A "what car" thread, much like many others...
MrsD200, a recent test-passer, has decided that normal-sized cars (her E90, my Volvo) are too big to be practical in Central London where we live. I take her point to some extent, and the mark on my rear bumper from an unsighted bollard(!) would probably testify to that.
The car will spend 99% of its life in stop-start traffic, or dumped (parallel parked) on a street where parking is oversubscribed. For odd weekends away and the annual Le Mans drive, it would be nice to have something a bit more fun.
So far, at the budget, I've considered/researched:
- Audi TT 3.2 DSG
- Audi A3 3.2 DSG
- BMW 325ti Compact (E46)
Before I go and drive these, does anyone have any better suggestions?
Cheers in advance.
MrsD200, a recent test-passer, has decided that normal-sized cars (her E90, my Volvo) are too big to be practical in Central London where we live. I take her point to some extent, and the mark on my rear bumper from an unsighted bollard(!) would probably testify to that.
The car will spend 99% of its life in stop-start traffic, or dumped (parallel parked) on a street where parking is oversubscribed. For odd weekends away and the annual Le Mans drive, it would be nice to have something a bit more fun.
So far, at the budget, I've considered/researched:
- Audi TT 3.2 DSG
- Audi A3 3.2 DSG
- BMW 325ti Compact (E46)
Before I go and drive these, does anyone have any better suggestions?
Cheers in advance.
SLK320
Chrysler Crossfire
C320 coupe
Kin el, didnt even know these existed - 272bhp
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...
C350 coupe
Chrysler Crossfire
C320 coupe
Edited by exgtt on Thursday 9th April 18:06
Kin el, didnt even know these existed - 272bhp
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...
C350 coupe
Edited by exgtt on Thursday 9th April 18:11
Edited by exgtt on Thursday 9th April 18:15
279 said:
With all due respect to your partner I suspect either more driving experience or lessons would be more useful than a smaller car.
Thousands of people manage to commute and work around C London without incident in vehicles far larger than a 3 series.
Thanks. Not sure what I've done to earn the respect, but the issue is parking rather than driving. Quite often we pass up spaces that aren't physically big enough for the cars, making life a touch painful. Losing a foot and a half of boot would help immeasurably. Thousands of people manage to commute and work around C London without incident in vehicles far larger than a 3 series.
Thanks all - some food for thought.
CLKs are out, as they are bigger than the E90 we just got rid of.
The C-class coupe is also out, as they tend to have a certain image associated with them South of the river.
I've made my peace with it being £3k+ for the next year, and we'll take it from there. In the general scheme of things it's not a huge amount - but it's just a bit galling that our very nice area is classified in the lowest possible postcode grouping for insurance by virtue of proximity to Central London.
CLKs are out, as they are bigger than the E90 we just got rid of.
The C-class coupe is also out, as they tend to have a certain image associated with them South of the river.
Vaud said:
How does the insurance stack up in London for a recently qualified 2nd driver on the larger engines?
In a word, disappointingly.I've made my peace with it being £3k+ for the next year, and we'll take it from there. In the general scheme of things it's not a huge amount - but it's just a bit galling that our very nice area is classified in the lowest possible postcode grouping for insurance by virtue of proximity to Central London.
I'd probably just buy a smart car if 99% of its driving will be in central London - don't think I'd want to compromise its everyday useability in what is already a s
tty driving environment, for the sake of 2 weekends away.
A TT will get demolished, you can't see the bumper corners, so parking is a nut cracker unless it's a convertible, and you've got the roof down.
tty driving environment, for the sake of 2 weekends away.A TT will get demolished, you can't see the bumper corners, so parking is a nut cracker unless it's a convertible, and you've got the roof down.
kambites said:
How well do the early DSG type boxes stand up to creeping in stop-start traffic?
In manual mode there alright, knock it into 1st in traffic, smooth enough, don't know what impact that kind of driving has on longevity, mine lasted the 20k I had it alright (bought it with 60k miles)Agreed on £4k's worth of TT V6, DSG/Haldex/timing chain would put me off. Decent cars mind just £4k's worth is 2004/100k+ miles territory, plus fuel economy is terrible, I got around 18mpg round town in a mk2 TT V6, and it was boring to drive. I'm assuming the MK1 is even fatter and more dull.
Dave200 said:
In a word, disappointingly.
I've made my peace with it being £3k+ for the next year,.
£3k is crazy just buy a cheap small auto diesel for the first year, EG these go quite well with the Mercedes 100 bhp 3 cylinder motorI've made my peace with it being £3k+ for the next year,.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Mitsubishi-Colt-1-5...
Dave200 said:
In a word, disappointingly.
I've made my peace with it being £3k+ for the next year, and we'll take it from there. In the general scheme of things it's not a huge amount - but it's just a bit galling that our very nice area is classified in the lowest possible postcode grouping for insurance by virtue of proximity to Central London.
It's her 1st 2 years that will hurt the most, regardless of postcode. Let's face it, a newly passed driver in a crowded city is a high risk for bumps and scrapes.I've made my peace with it being £3k+ for the next year, and we'll take it from there. In the general scheme of things it's not a huge amount - but it's just a bit galling that our very nice area is classified in the lowest possible postcode grouping for insurance by virtue of proximity to Central London.
rallycross said:
Dave200 said:
In a word, disappointingly.
I've made my peace with it being £3k+ for the next year,.
£3k is crazy just buy a cheap small auto diesel for the first year, EG these go quite well with the Mercedes 100 bhp 3 cylinder motorI've made my peace with it being £3k+ for the next year,.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-Mitsubishi-Colt-1-5...
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff