Hot hatch wanted - £13K/18 months old - but which one?

[steve-5snwi]

you should be able to get the F56 cooper s for 13k

[thenortherner]

Cheers.

Still a bit undecided...

£9/10K on a late 2010 FN2 Type R with 30K miles, or around £13K on the Fiesta with maybe 10K or so.

£3K's not a lot more for a car that'll be 5 years younger, and around £600 better on fuel assuming 26 MPG Vs 37 MPG.

[ZX10R NIN]

Small Hot Hatch Options:

12.5k 2016 Alfa Mito QV 5k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

£11,000 2015 Corsa VXR 11k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

13k 2015 Fiesta ST-3 10k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

13k 2015 208 GTI 10k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...




I'd take the Fiesta then the Mito but you can't argue with the value of the Corsa.

Hot Hatches:

13k 2012 Astra VXR 18k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2016...

13k 2014 Kia Ceed GT Tech 20k (these cars are worth a look as they're underrated) lots of warranty left

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

13k 2013 Alfa Giulietta TBI 19k

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

Out of that lot I'd be looking at the Kia & then the Alfa, overall I'd be looking at the Fiesta Kia & then the Alfa the Civic wouldn't get a look in.

[Ahbefive]

You are good at these 'what cars' ZR10.

Personally I still reckon a Focus ST would be preferable to all of them and just as good at dodging depreciation.

Edited by Ahbefive on Tuesday 28th March 06:50

[Ecosseven]

Depends on how hot you want? I own a 2014 Seat Leon 1.8 FR which I bought at 8 months old with 4500 miles on the clock for £15.5k. I would have thought that an 18 month old car with slightly more miles should be available for around £13k.

My car certainly isn't 'hot' but for me it's got plenty performance for everyday use and its a great compromise between space, performance, ride, handling, practicality, build quality, looks, and running costs. I've owned the car for 2 years and it's needed nothing apart from normal servicing and a wiper blade. I average 41MPG in mixed driving.

The 1.8 also has the independent suspension that the lower powered models don't have. I have only driven the 1.4 TSI briefly but I've read reports that the 1.8 has more punch in the upper part of the rev range - It certainly pulls very smoothly to 6.5k and I think sounds good.

Of course its well down on power when compared to the Focus ST and won't be as much fun as a Fiesta ST or 2.8 GTI but for me it was the best all rounder for the money I wanted to spend. The spec sheets says it has 178bhp but some dyno's have recorded north of 190bhp as standard for the same engine in the Audi A3 and Skoda Octavia.

[thenortherner]

Thanks all.

Corsa's great VFM on the face of it, although that example doesn't have much kit. Depreciation's likely to be greater and real world MPG is far worse than the ST. Judging by the reviews it seems capable enough, but pretty characterless too. Much prefer its interior though.

Not too won over the Pug but I do like it. Awesome value though. Can't helped me put off by some of the reliability stories of this particular model though. And my guess is it'll depreciate far more than the Fiesta.

The Alfa's not that quick and doesn't do it for me.

And the Astra and Focus would be a little older and out of warranty, not that it's the end of the world, but also have far higher running costs. I reckon they'll take a harder hit in 3 years when it comes to getting rid due to economy and tax bracket too.

The F56 Mini's just in reach but it'd be fairly low on spec. I'm currently driving an F56 SD. Other than the horrendous ride - 18" wheels and RFT - it's OK and goes well enough.

Ref the Seat, I'm probably after something a little more focused I guess. Nice car all the same though.

ATM it's a toss up between a mint FN2 Type R that's done the bulk of its depreciation, well equipped and will likely be reliable enough.

Or spend a bit more and get try for a decent deal on a Fiesta ST. Can't help but like the appeal of a 215 BHP Fiesta and haven't read a bad review of one yet!

Wild card is a Clio 200 (not the current model, but the normally aspirated one. They seem to hold their value though - even the 2010 models are much the same as a Civic Type R, except they've far less kit and more miles than the Honda.

[daemon]

thenortherner said:

Ahbefive said:

I'd rather focus ST over a fiesta. They are much less.....'Junior'. Being a year older really makes no difference.

The Fiesta seems to be the wheels of choice for the average 20-year-old. I'm in my early 30s and maybe a little bit conscious of that.

The depreciation would be a much bigger hit I'd guess on the Focus and the MPG is terrible, else you're right, 1 year makes no odds.

Is the new Focus ST as bad on fuel as the old one? I had heard it wasnt? My S40 T5 has the 2.5 ST engine in it and it does about 25 - 27 mpg which is quite poor.

[thenortherner]

daemon said:

thenortherner said:

Ahbefive said:

I'd rather focus ST over a fiesta. They are much less.....'Junior'. Being a year older really makes no difference.

The Fiesta seems to be the wheels of choice for the average 20-year-old. I'm in my early 30s and maybe a little bit conscious of that.

The depreciation would be a much bigger hit I'd guess on the Focus and the MPG is terrible, else you're right, 1 year makes no odds.

Is the new Focus ST as bad on fuel as the old one? I had heard it wasnt? My S40 T5 has the 2.5 ST engine in it and it does about 25 - 27 mpg which is quite poor.

It's marginally better from what I've read. Maybe very low 30s on a run. Not enough given trade of between the new one and the character the previous one had.

[culpz]

Fiesta ST or Clio 200T for me. Not sure which i'd pick as i really like both. The ST was fantastic when i test drove it but i feel the Clio has hidden depth to it that cannot be uncovered after a 20 minute test drive. The auto is also very appealing for my use.

[blade7]

Unless you're going to be the only one that sits in it I'd suggest having a ride as a passenger in a Fiesta ST. The ride is the only real downside to them and you tend to overlook that when you're driving one.

[ZX10R NIN]

The most sensible option is the Kia loads of warranty good amount of power loads of kit & it's a good steer, not Fiesta ST levels of fun but not far off with the trade off being a nicer ride & more space I'd say consider one but only a test drive will tell you if it's for you.

The Clio 200T's are worth considering if you want an Auto but I'd suggest taking one out before committing.

[thenortherner]

Cheers.

The ride on my MINI with 18" wheels, hard suspension and run flats is absolutely awful - I reckon the ST would feel comfortable compared to this.

Not too sure on the Kia, and from what I've read of the Clio 200 the gears are a bit dim-witted, however the Trophy appears to be much better - shame it's probably a bit out of reach unless there's a deal to be done.

[thenortherner]

I've been doing some sums...

Fuel's based on the 34 MPG for the Ford and 28 MPG for the Civic.

For whatever reason, using a comparison site, the Fiesta is comparatively cheap to insure, even when compared to Clio 200 and Civic Type R, and the quote for £1100 was with a company I'd not heard of. Even more odd is the Mountune 215 model is cheaper to insure than the standard ST-3.

I've not included tyres as the cost'll be very similar.

The Fiesta looks like a no-brainer unless I've got the numbers totally wrong. Residuals are just an estimate but I don't think too far off.

[gazza5]

Isn't 2010 civic about £500 to tax?

[thenortherner]

gazza5 said:

Isn't 2010 civic about £500 to tax?

I've had a look on the government VED site for a '10 model and it's £275.


£500 would be a shocker!

[HJMS123]

thenortherner said:

Cheers.

The ride on my MINI with 18" wheels, hard suspension and run flats is absolutely awful - I reckon the ST would feel comfortable compared to this.

Not too sure on the Kia, and from what I've read of the Clio 200 the gears are a bit dim-witted, however the Trophy appears to be much better - shame it's probably a bit out of reach unless there's a deal to be done.

I can guarantee you the ride in the fiesta is firmer, if you do much city driving I suggest you take an extended test drive on poorly maintained roads. I came from an R26 megane and even the ride in that was much better than the fiesta. Great fun cars though and after 2 years it'll be missed!