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.

[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!

[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

[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

[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.

[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?

[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.

[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

[Acehood]

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

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

[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

[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!

[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.

[Acehood]

boobles said:

Wimp.....

It'd be an interesting start to a new job I guess, turning up in that!

[Acehood]

irocfan said:

a little left-field here but what about one of these?

(smart roadster pic)

I know I keep saying no to everything but ... no

Not a fan of them. I hear they're good to drive but it's not me