What car - £10k or less

[Acehood]

Another thread about what car to buy!

Criteria:

<£10k
Able to do about 80 miles a day without breaking down
Reasonable on fuel due to the mileages involved
Fast
Fun to drive (10 roundabouts on my way to work!). RWD would be ideal but I'd consider FWD/AWD too.
Not too mental insurance wise, although I have lots of NCB I had a couple of claims in recent years which has bumped my insurance quotes up

I don't really care about it being practical. I have another car which is more practical, this will mostly be used for commuting and fun drives at the weekend. I just want something that's fun to drive but won't break the bank running costs wise.

£10k is the upper limit but I was looking at another option being getting something interesting for £2-3k and saving myself a bit of cash, which could go towards running costs. Alternatively, something newer and more trusty for nearer £10k

Cars i've been eyeing up include;
Porsche Boxster
Honda S2000
Megane RS250
Mazda MX5?
Subaru Legacy Outback (the fastest one)
Various BMWs
Golf MK5 GTI or R32
Astra VXR
Leon Cupra
Integra DC5.


Due to the amount of choice, I am a bit lost! Any help appreciated.

[james_gt3rs]

Can you cope with something more raw, like a VX220?

[Acehood]

james_gt3rs said:

Can you cope with something more raw, like a VX220?

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

[moebiusuk]

This might sound stupid but I would go for a supercharged or turbo'd MX5. For that kind of money you could get the best modded, rust-free example in the country.

[kambites]

I'd add the Z4 to the list.

My money would be going on a 986 Boxster, though.

[Acehood]

moebiusuk said:

This might sound stupid but I would go for a supercharged or turbo'd MX5. For that kind of money you could get the best modded, rust-free example in the country.

Funnily enough I thought this aswell

The only thing that puts me off is trying to insure a heavily modified car might be difficult/expensive

[MRobbins1987]

BMW 130 with an lsd, or e46 M3? Both will soak up the mileage whilst still being fun when you want them to be... Don't go fwd if your heart is set on rwd, I brought an FN2 Type R and whilst its fairly quick and capable its boring unless your driving like a tool, I should of spent some time searching out a decent 130 or M3 at least you can have fun at sensible speeds...

Edited by MRobbins1987 on Friday 29th August 09:49

[wilbo83]

Another vote for a Z4. I do about 16k miles a year in mine and it is very comfortable, but also very fun and capable. The 3.0 engine is fantastic and according the the OBC, my average is 33mpg, not bad for the performance!

[Acehood]

MRobbins1987 said:

BMW 130 with an lsd, or e46 M3? Both will soak up the mileage whilst still being fun when you want them to be... Don't go fwd if your heart is set on rwd, I brought an FN2 Type R and whilst its fairly quick and capable its boring unless your driving like a tool, I should of spent some time searching out a decent 130 or M3 at least you can have fun at sensible speeds...

Edited by MRobbins1987 on Friday 29th August 09:49

Only thing with the E46 is they're getting on a bit now. I've been a passenger in one and it felt quite quick but the owner told me he finds it hard to actually use the performance as the car is so capable. I do like them though. It's one to consider definitely

Not sold on the 1 series, although I have only driven a 120d. I dont like the looks if i'm honest but I bet the 130's are a cracking drive

[MRobbins1987]

Acehood said:

Only thing with the E46 is they're getting on a bit now. I've been a passenger in one and it felt quite quick but the owner told me he finds it hard to actually use the performance as the car is so capable. I do like them though. It's one to consider definitely

Not sold on the 1 series, although I have only driven a 120d. I dont like the looks if i'm honest but I bet the 130's are a cracking drive

It is a problem with the e46, most I've seen are showing their age, rust on front arches and boot, interior mirrors in need of replacement, suspension needing a refresh, not to mention the dreaded subframe.... But find a good one and it will be about the most complete car you can buy for that money and will see little or any depreciation...

[KTF]

Acehood said:

I bet the 130's are a cracking drive

You can get a nice looking, high spec 130 within your budget:

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

[anonymous-user]

I wouldn't fancy putting £10,000 into a 7 year old hatch with 89,000 miles, even if they are a good drive

[boobles]

Not loved on here by many but that adds to the appeal for me. Having owned mine for almost 3 years & covered over 30k (it's now just done 100.000) it still drives perfectly having the reliability of Mercedes engine under the bonnet. Seriously capable so long as you don't require 4 seats. Style wise they seem to get mixed reactions but I have only ever had positive things said about mine...


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

[Prawnboy]

KTF said:

You can get a nice looking, high spec 130 within your budget:

Fixed that.

a vote for a Z4 coupe here, so few around, only made for a couple of years and right on budget.

[jc84]

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

[sinbad666]

Id be opting for in no particular order:
Porsche Boxster
Honda S2000
350z
Megane RS250
M3
Supercharged/Turbo MX5
Monaro
Z4M would be top if your budget can strech


These would be my choices, the 130i is mundane compared to the civic or DC5. The other choices are boring. 335i would be fast but not as fun as the above and 335d is well a diesel... for roundabouts you need the throttle response of a petrol. (just sold my BMW diesel) I've driven or owned most of the above

[Mr Tidy]

I sold a 123d in July after buying a Z4 Coupe the month before as its replacement - 3 litre N/A straight 6 with RWD and manual gearbox, just 53,000 miles and FSH. (Also within your budget).
May not appeal to everyone so try one first, but I think it is great!
If you want more practicality maybe try a 130i or 330i but I love the N52 engine.

[billzeebub]

Boxster 986
E46 M3

[Clivey]

Another vote for the Z4...in 3.0Si guise. The S54-engined M cars will cost a fortune to run if you're doing 80 miles every day.

[Acehood]

Thanks for all the info guys, lots to consider

Anything at the lower end worth looking at? I have to put reliability quite high on my priorities with the amount of miles I'll be doing which rules out a lot of cars.