Rolls Royce of small cars
Discussion
I’m after a small used wafter to commute in < £10K. If VW did a Polo or Golf sized Phaeton I reckon it would be just about perfect.
For my dull and boring commute (two straight motorways with a single left turn in a feeder lane) I don’t need a car with razor sharp handling as shear comfort and lack of noise will be paramount along with, I hate to say, decent fuel economy. Fuel is just one cost but with me doing 20-25K miles a year it’s a large % so has to be considered.
Performance isn’t a big concern either, I’ve just sold my Caterham and looking at Monaro’s, but I will want this car to be confident overtaking.
So what’s the Rolls Royce of small cars or hatchbacks?
For my dull and boring commute (two straight motorways with a single left turn in a feeder lane) I don’t need a car with razor sharp handling as shear comfort and lack of noise will be paramount along with, I hate to say, decent fuel economy. Fuel is just one cost but with me doing 20-25K miles a year it’s a large % so has to be considered.
Performance isn’t a big concern either, I’ve just sold my Caterham and looking at Monaro’s, but I will want this car to be confident overtaking.
So what’s the Rolls Royce of small cars or hatchbacks?
ClaphamGT3 said:
Buy the best Mercedes 190e 2.6 you can find (one of the late ones with aircon and leather) for £5k. Delight in the fact that, if looked after it will only appreciate and spend the other half of your budget on coke and hookers/a new outfit for your wife/school fees/dementia care for your folks (delete as applicable for your life stage)
This is where my head is right now - go the old Merc barge route. Haha! Where I am right now in my life I could take the first 3 items on your list!Chr1sch said:
If say an SE spec 120/123d with plenty if toys but I suspect you'll struggle for less than 10k
Potentially a 170bhp Golf GT?
For that money I'd be inclined to spend say £6k on a real wafter and to hell with the size of the thing...
I don't need toys. I have a 6 month old Merc C-Class estate AMG Sport with all the toys and in no way does it add anything to the drive!Potentially a 170bhp Golf GT?
For that money I'd be inclined to spend say £6k on a real wafter and to hell with the size of the thing...
Considering a small car because we already have a saloon, an estate and with maybe a Monaro or some what bizarrely a camper coming a small car makes sense. At least in what little way adding a small car to the list makes any sense.
A real wafter, say Merc W124, is growing on me.
But it did surprise me there doesn't really seem to be any luxurious hatchbacks. Manufacturers appear to have filled every niche there is for a car bar this one. Something like a Golf with plush interior, softly sprung with loads of sound deadening and a nice lazy V6.
V8forweekends said:
Depends what you mean by "Rolls Royce" in this context. VW and Audi small cars can have nice interiors and loads of toys (but as usual for Germans cost a fortune to spec highly), but Audis in particular have terrible ride quality in my experience.
I mean the air ride quality you get and a sumptuous interior with a lazy, effortless engine. I want a Phantom like ride, serenity, comfort in a hatchback or small car.Edited by Agent Orange on Monday 1st September 10:41
crostonian said:
Or staying with Citroen but a bit more luxurious, how about a DS4
Got me thinking. DS3? Though last Citroen I was in was a 2CV about 25 years ago!braddo said:
Does the OP have a particular reason for looking at W124 Mercs but not the 190E/W201?
...perhaps an early W202 C Class might be an option? The early ones, say pre-1997, pre-date the infamous build quality nadir of late 90s/early 2000s.
No objection to a W201 other than my intention is to get a small car ie. preferably hatchback class small. Though I do appreciate new small cars are big!...perhaps an early W202 C Class might be an option? The early ones, say pre-1997, pre-date the infamous build quality nadir of late 90s/early 2000s.
Another C-Class? Already got one! Also having owned a 1-2 year old W208 I don't fancy going back to that age of Merc.
Some good nominations here! 
Especially the actual Rolls Royce 
See I just don't buy the argument that the wheelbase is THE defining factor in waftiness - of course I'm no engineer so have ZERO knowledge one way or the other here. The current Golf has, as near as damn it, the same wheelbase as the previous gen Mercedes E-Class.
If you said the manufacturers don't/won't make one because the tooling and costs to make a small car vs a large car aren't that different but the profit returned on a large car is huge in comparison so no incentive to make one - I could believe that. Just irks me there doesn't seem to be one.
That Mini Goodwood is close to perfect and what I'm after. Give me that with double glazing, loads of sound proofing and a smooth engine I cannot hear along with Citroen suspension to float me along the motorway and I'll be a happy man.
That Alfa 147 has had me looking at 159s.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...
Especially the actual Rolls Royce See I just don't buy the argument that the wheelbase is THE defining factor in waftiness - of course I'm no engineer so have ZERO knowledge one way or the other here. The current Golf has, as near as damn it, the same wheelbase as the previous gen Mercedes E-Class.
If you said the manufacturers don't/won't make one because the tooling and costs to make a small car vs a large car aren't that different but the profit returned on a large car is huge in comparison so no incentive to make one - I could believe that. Just irks me there doesn't seem to be one.
That Mini Goodwood is close to perfect and what I'm after. Give me that with double glazing, loads of sound proofing and a smooth engine I cannot hear along with Citroen suspension to float me along the motorway and I'll be a happy man.
That Alfa 147 has had me looking at 159s.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...
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