Hot hatch advice please!
Discussion
purplenoise said:
It actually sounds like Im obsessed by that figure but Im really not.
Good, 'cos you'll get a shock when you try to work out how much work an S3 will need to get to those sort of times. Even the biturbo S4/RS4 of that time takes wallets made of unicorn hide and lined with the wings of angels to get to that pace.I have one of those S3s...and I love it, but it isn't cheap to run. The youngest examples are now 12 years old, and therefore will be in serious need of new bushes, shocks, etc. Probably springs too as they love to snap, and that's before you get into the myriad different sensors, boost/PCV/etc pipework, sticky rear calipers...
If your mate's one is his P&J and he's thrown money at it, it's a reasonable purchase. If not, and if you don't want to do that either, don't bother.
If your mate's one is his P&J and he's thrown money at it, it's a reasonable purchase. If not, and if you don't want to do that either, don't bother.
KarlMac said:
Surely for £5k 25k p/a you'd be better off (or at least considering) PCP/lease on something like a Golf GTI or Leon Cupra 280?
Of all the cars mentioned in the thread so far all £5k is going to buy is a high mileage bag of nails.
Hardly? Are you one of those people who consider 100k high miles?? I have a friend who has a GTI on 155k. and hes owned it since 94k and it hasn't skipped a beat in that time and returns 33mpg. Of all the cars mentioned in the thread so far all £5k is going to buy is a high mileage bag of nails.
However, the OP requirements are a bit off the chart. 25k a year and sub 5s to 60. As others have said, fuel costs will be very high and you'd be better with something like a fast diesel. Maybe a leggy BMW 330D or maybe a 123d. OK, both aren't fast, but they are 200bhp+ and can return 40mpg
KarlMac said:
Surely for £5k 25k p/a you'd be better off (or at least considering) PCP/lease on something like a Golf GTI or Leon Cupra 280?
Of all the cars mentioned in the thread so far all £5k is going to buy is a high mileage bag of nails.
I really dont want to go down the PCP route, I have commitment issues lol. I would like to be able to chop and change if I do get bored and I dont want the pressure of monthly car payments. If I need to save for a couple of months I can just park up the toy and drive the shed around slowly eeking out the fuel. Of all the cars mentioned in the thread so far all £5k is going to buy is a high mileage bag of nails.
The Crack Fox said:
And they are dull, dull, dull.
yeah my friend said he hated his because it was really boring and he couldnt get it to 4 wheel drift even in the snow. I loved it but hes convinced I would get bored as quickly as he did. He has now gone back to a Cooper S which is the car he sold to get the S3 in the first place and he loves it.tomjol said:
I have one of those S3s...and I love it, but it isn't cheap to run. The youngest examples are now 12 years old, and therefore will be in serious need of new bushes, shocks, etc. Probably springs too as they love to snap, and that's before you get into the myriad different sensors, boost/PCV/etc pipework, sticky rear calipers...
If your mate's one is his P&J and he's thrown money at it, it's a reasonable purchase. If not, and if you don't want to do that either, don't bother.
Yeah you're right, the suspensions are often quite neglected but I dont mind doing a refresh on that over time. High mileage doesnt put me off either. It's a car to enjoy rather than mundane A to B transport so I dont mind throwing a bit of money at improving it but I dont want huge major repair bills either. If your mate's one is his P&J and he's thrown money at it, it's a reasonable purchase. If not, and if you don't want to do that either, don't bother.
purplenoise said:
yeah my friend said he hated his because it was really boring and he couldnt get it to 4 wheel drift even in the snow. I loved it but hes convinced I would get bored as quickly as he did. He has now gone back to a Cooper S which is the car he sold to get the S3 in the first place and he loves it.
They are not really "fun" cars, and certainly miles away from something like a Cooper S...but if he can't get it to drift in the snow, he's doing it wrong!ETA: There aren't really any big bills to watch out for, they're pretty solid, but there are a lot of medium-sized bills, and those can add up fast.
Edited by tomjol on Tuesday 28th July 17:06
vtecyo said:
purplenoise said:
Yeah none of them are that quick when they are stock. I dont mind modding whatever I get to get the performance out of it. Potential is more important than what it does out the box, as long as I can get the car and mods done for 5-5.5k
Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
Civic Type R then (EP3). 250bhp from a N/A unit that revs like the K20 is actually quite special.Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
For 250bhp you'll need:
Exhaust incl manifold
Inlet manifold (RBC is a common one)
Intake
K100 remap.
tomjol said:
They are not really "fun" cars, and certainly miles away from something like a Cooper S...but if he can't get it to drift in the snow, he's doing it wrong!
ETA: There aren't really any big bills to watch out for, they're pretty solid, but there are a lot of medium-sized bills, and those can add up fast.
Ah that makes sense. Really useful info, thanks. The S3 and VXR were on my list for outright pace. The Megane and Cooper were there for fun. I'd say VXR and Megane would be top of the list but only because I have heard horror stories of the apparently boring, expensive S3.ETA: There aren't really any big bills to watch out for, they're pretty solid, but there are a lot of medium-sized bills, and those can add up fast.
Edited by tomjol on Tuesday 28th July 17:06
DS197 said:
vtecyo said:
purplenoise said:
Yeah none of them are that quick when they are stock. I dont mind modding whatever I get to get the performance out of it. Potential is more important than what it does out the box, as long as I can get the car and mods done for 5-5.5k
Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
Civic Type R then (EP3). 250bhp from a N/A unit that revs like the K20 is actually quite special.Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
For 250bhp you'll need:
Exhaust incl manifold
Inlet manifold (RBC is a common one)
Intake
K100 remap.
PersonOnAnotherForum said:
Power mods I had on my car at this point were:
HKS RSK
FD2 throttle body
RRC inlet manifold
Tegiwa inlet manifold gasket
Tegiwa exhaust manifold
Magnex cat back (original Magnex not the rebranded Blue Flame one)
FD2 oil pump conversion
Skunk2 pro series valve springs
Skunk2 Stage 1 cams
The most impressive part of it for me is the torque. 180ftlb and a big wedge of it mid range and also pre VTEC which makes the car much more drivable.
As you can see it was 237 bhp and 172.5 ftlb on standard cams.
As mentioned above it was 260/180 with just changing to the TDi stage 1s. We're waiting on adjustable cam gear for the exhaust cam and a quiet week at TDi (possibly a long wait ) to see what we can get out of the TDi stage 2 cams.
Missed a few bits off but hunt around eBay etc and you could do it for not much more. Lots of people use the cams from a DC5 / FD2 / JDM EP3 which gives about 230 iirc.HKS RSK
FD2 throttle body
RRC inlet manifold
Tegiwa inlet manifold gasket
Tegiwa exhaust manifold
Magnex cat back (original Magnex not the rebranded Blue Flame one)
FD2 oil pump conversion
Skunk2 pro series valve springs
Skunk2 Stage 1 cams
The most impressive part of it for me is the torque. 180ftlb and a big wedge of it mid range and also pre VTEC which makes the car much more drivable.
As you can see it was 237 bhp and 172.5 ftlb on standard cams.
As mentioned above it was 260/180 with just changing to the TDi stage 1s. We're waiting on adjustable cam gear for the exhaust cam and a quiet week at TDi (possibly a long wait ) to see what we can get out of the TDi stage 2 cams.
DS197 said:
vtecyo said:
purplenoise said:
Yeah none of them are that quick when they are stock. I dont mind modding whatever I get to get the performance out of it. Potential is more important than what it does out the box, as long as I can get the car and mods done for 5-5.5k
Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
Civic Type R then (EP3). 250bhp from a N/A unit that revs like the K20 is actually quite special.Interesting summary of the cars though, thanks for the insight!
For 250bhp you'll need:
Exhaust incl manifold
Inlet manifold (RBC is a common one)
Intake
K100 remap.
I wouldn't base 0-60 times as a true indicator of performance, unless you do a lot of drag racing, traffic light GP's etc. The golf R im driving at the moment can do it in 5 flat but in 4 months I've probably launched it twice? In gear it's the Mid range punch that you notice out on the road.
The mk5 GTi Edition 30 gets 270bhp+ with just a Remap but you will pay a premium for one and putting 25k a year on it you would lose that quite quickly! A friend of mine had a 225 Trophy which handled well but proceeded to fall apart on him after a year, same as the clio 200 and Twingo 133 I had, Renaults eh!
As already eluded to for that sort of mileage you may well be better off financially looking at a Diesel, first time I've ever said that I think! Golf GTD, BMW 123d? Boring I know...
Anything stopping you considering a Focus ST?
Budget seems about right, it's as quick and tuneable as most of the other things you've mentioned, and is reasonably cheap to maintain/service.
A quick remap turns these into pretty serious cars, and easily as capable as anything else you've mentioned.
Budget seems about right, it's as quick and tuneable as most of the other things you've mentioned, and is reasonably cheap to maintain/service.
A quick remap turns these into pretty serious cars, and easily as capable as anything else you've mentioned.
GTID said:
Was just about to post the same, I reckon those mods would get you an extra 20bhp if your lucky!
I wouldn't base 0-60 times as a true indicator of performance, unless you do a lot of drag racing, traffic light GP's etc. The golf R im driving at the moment can do it in 5 flat but in 4 months I've probably launched it twice? In gear it's the Mid range punch that you notice out on the road.
The mk5 GTi Edition 30 gets 270bhp+ with just a Remap but you will pay a premium for one and putting 25k a year on it you would lose that quite quickly! A friend of mine had a 225 Trophy which handled well but proceeded to fall apart on him after a year, same as the clio 200 and Twingo 133 I had, Renaults eh!
As already eluded to for that sort of mileage you may well be better off financially looking at a Diesel, first time I've ever said that I think! Golf GTD, BMW 123d? Boring I know...
Yeah through the course of the thread I have decided I am going to keep my crappy Peugeot 306 and pile the miles on that so the 25k a year isnt a worry anymore. Might go back and edit the original post. I couldnt bring myself to get a boring diesel, Id rather get an Lexus shed and spend the extra money on fuel lolI wouldn't base 0-60 times as a true indicator of performance, unless you do a lot of drag racing, traffic light GP's etc. The golf R im driving at the moment can do it in 5 flat but in 4 months I've probably launched it twice? In gear it's the Mid range punch that you notice out on the road.
The mk5 GTi Edition 30 gets 270bhp+ with just a Remap but you will pay a premium for one and putting 25k a year on it you would lose that quite quickly! A friend of mine had a 225 Trophy which handled well but proceeded to fall apart on him after a year, same as the clio 200 and Twingo 133 I had, Renaults eh!
As already eluded to for that sort of mileage you may well be better off financially looking at a Diesel, first time I've ever said that I think! Golf GTD, BMW 123d? Boring I know...
Dave200 said:
Anything stopping you considering a Focus ST?
Budget seems about right, it's as quick and tuneable as most of the other things you've mentioned, and is reasonably cheap to maintain/service.
A quick remap turns these into pretty serious cars, and easily as capable as anything else you've mentioned.
No not really, I know nothing about them at all and none of my friends have suggested them. Are they decent? Can you tell me a bit more?Budget seems about right, it's as quick and tuneable as most of the other things you've mentioned, and is reasonably cheap to maintain/service.
A quick remap turns these into pretty serious cars, and easily as capable as anything else you've mentioned.
purplenoise said:
Dave200 said:
Anything stopping you considering a Focus ST?
Budget seems about right, it's as quick and tuneable as most of the other things you've mentioned, and is reasonably cheap to maintain/service.
A quick remap turns these into pretty serious cars, and easily as capable as anything else you've mentioned.
No not really, I know nothing about them at all and none of my friends have suggested them. Are they decent? Can you tell me a bit more?Budget seems about right, it's as quick and tuneable as most of the other things you've mentioned, and is reasonably cheap to maintain/service.
A quick remap turns these into pretty serious cars, and easily as capable as anything else you've mentioned.
They are plentiful and cheap to run. No reason not to chuck them in the pot with the others.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff