**** this for a game of soldiers - what car for £200/month?
Discussion
Getting really, really tired of my old bangers giving up the ghost at the most inopportune moments. I guess I do drive them hard, and put around 15-20k miles a year on them in total. Still going to keep them (205 GTI and MX-5) for the weekend as they cost a pittance to maintain and insure, but need something more reliable for the commute, and to move my kayak and surfboards around.
Basically I want it to be as quick as possible, something slightly out of the ordinary, able to carry stuff on the roof (so no convertibles), comfortable for a 60 mile a day commute but still sporty enough to not make me want to kill myself. I've been looking at leasing deals from Ling, and local dealers on their 3yr balloon payment things as we may be leaving the country in around 3 years or so.
Budget is around £200 a month, or as close to that as possible. Current runners are:
Fiat Panda 100hp
Citroen DS3
Suzuki Swift Sport
That's all I can think of right now. DS3 is a bit over budget, but look great and seem to have good reviews. My preference would be the Panda though. Too small for a medium-distance commute (which is mainly motorway)?
Basically I want it to be as quick as possible, something slightly out of the ordinary, able to carry stuff on the roof (so no convertibles), comfortable for a 60 mile a day commute but still sporty enough to not make me want to kill myself. I've been looking at leasing deals from Ling, and local dealers on their 3yr balloon payment things as we may be leaving the country in around 3 years or so.
Budget is around £200 a month, or as close to that as possible. Current runners are:
Fiat Panda 100hp
Citroen DS3
Suzuki Swift Sport
That's all I can think of right now. DS3 is a bit over budget, but look great and seem to have good reviews. My preference would be the Panda though. Too small for a medium-distance commute (which is mainly motorway)?
williamp said:
Have a look on whatcar.co.uk, car reviews, then under "contract hire price band" amd search. Then post here the results so we can all say that a second hand MX5, 330d (mapped) or An A3 s-line is what you should have
Is that personal contract hire? Can't do it through work as I'm not important enough (although all the sales and marketing people get a car, regardless of their salary).The SSS, whilst brilliant in the twisties and bigger A-roads will piss you off on the m-way. It's high geared so 70mph is about 3800rpm. Any faster and it sounds like a wasp.
It's desperately needing a 6th gear but I guess there isn't enough torque?
I love mine and have had a great 2 years but I'm looking to change only because I want something bigger. It's pokey enough and has a great sound at 6-7000rpm and is very well built for a jap car.
It also seems to have held its value exceedingly well and I'm amazed. I paid £10,800 in March 08 and with 19000 miles it looks to be worth £9000 minimum, maybe up to £9500 if I was very lucky.
It's desperately needing a 6th gear but I guess there isn't enough torque?
I love mine and have had a great 2 years but I'm looking to change only because I want something bigger. It's pokey enough and has a great sound at 6-7000rpm and is very well built for a jap car.
It also seems to have held its value exceedingly well and I'm amazed. I paid £10,800 in March 08 and with 19000 miles it looks to be worth £9000 minimum, maybe up to £9500 if I was very lucky.
Ha, in that case you might like it 
The suspension is firm - but I like it that way. All my cars to date have been very firm so I've got used to it. It's a well damped car though, not crashy like some can be.
Economy (if important) has been getting better over the last 1000 or so miles. I was just about getting 300 to a 40litre tank and am now getting 350. I've always ran it on super because it's been recommended (plus that's what the petrol cap says) and I have personal experience of how v-power kept the internals of my old Bora V5 incredibly clean even after I sold it with 70k on it.
Boot space is just about ok. SSS doesn't have a spare because of the exhaust so there is a bit more room but I can still get 2 peoples suitcases and walking gear and a weeks worth of food/kit in the boot and back seat without filling the windows.
No mechanical issues at all. A few rattles from the dash but it comes and goes.
Tyres - get a stash. 195/45/17 are very hard to source as only Toyo and Goodyear make them and both companies have severe lethargy at pressing the start button on the production line for these tyres.
I need 2 fronts but they are due to come in at about £120 each for Eagle F1s and about £80/90 for the Toyos. (F1s are great).
Hope that helps.
The suspension is firm - but I like it that way. All my cars to date have been very firm so I've got used to it. It's a well damped car though, not crashy like some can be.
Economy (if important) has been getting better over the last 1000 or so miles. I was just about getting 300 to a 40litre tank and am now getting 350. I've always ran it on super because it's been recommended (plus that's what the petrol cap says) and I have personal experience of how v-power kept the internals of my old Bora V5 incredibly clean even after I sold it with 70k on it.
Boot space is just about ok. SSS doesn't have a spare because of the exhaust so there is a bit more room but I can still get 2 peoples suitcases and walking gear and a weeks worth of food/kit in the boot and back seat without filling the windows.
No mechanical issues at all. A few rattles from the dash but it comes and goes.
Tyres - get a stash. 195/45/17 are very hard to source as only Toyo and Goodyear make them and both companies have severe lethargy at pressing the start button on the production line for these tyres.
I need 2 fronts but they are due to come in at about £120 each for Eagle F1s and about £80/90 for the Toyos. (F1s are great).
Hope that helps.
HereBeMonsters said:
williamp said:
Have a look on whatcar.co.uk, car reviews, then under "contract hire price band" amd search. Then post here the results so we can all say that a second hand MX5, 330d (mapped) or An A3 s-line is what you should have
Is that personal contract hire? Can't do it through work as I'm not important enough (although all the sales and marketing people get a car, regardless of their salary).
HereBeMonsters said:
I do drive them hard, and put around 15-20k miles a year on them in total. Still going to keep them (205 GTI and MX-5) for the weekend as they cost a pittance to maintain and insure, but need something more reliable for the commute, and to move my kayak and surfboards around.
I've been looking at leasing deals from Ling, and local dealers on their 3yr balloon payment things as we may be leaving the country in around 3 years or so.
Budget is around £200 a month, or as close to that as possible.
Wouldn't mileage be a problem on a contract hire car? I thought about getting a new car that way, but I do 20-25,000 miles a year and all the contract hire info I've seen stipulates 10-12k a year with a punitive charge per mile if you do over that.I've been looking at leasing deals from Ling, and local dealers on their 3yr balloon payment things as we may be leaving the country in around 3 years or so.
Budget is around £200 a month, or as close to that as possible.
Abarth 500? http://www.rockinghamcars.co.uk/abarth/new-cars/vi...
Will be slightly more when milage is adjusted to 15k but worth a thought?
I had the 100HP for 12 months and while the car was great (cost only £135 per month btw) I struggled to get comfy in the seats and hence have moved on, but it alway puts a smile on your face!
Will be slightly more when milage is adjusted to 15k but worth a thought?
I had the 100HP for 12 months and while the car was great (cost only £135 per month btw) I struggled to get comfy in the seats and hence have moved on, but it alway puts a smile on your face!
Rawwr said:
Choose better bangers.
^pats £500 mondeo^
Yep, *pats £600 MR2*^pats £500 mondeo^
None of my cars have ever given me any hassle whatsoever in terms of leaving me stranded and I have had some utter utter sheds.
You just need to make sure you have the following in the boot at all times: Good, inflated spare, Jump leads, tow rope and cigarette lighter tyre inflator.
In all seriousness, Breakdown membership which includes onwards travel to your destination would be a hell of a lot cheaper than a new car, and as you've got two cars you can use the other one whilst the other's being fixed.
Or as a compromise, £2k would buy you a very reliable Japanese motor which would still be worth £1800 the next year.
Think what else you could do with the money!
MrsMiggins said:
Wouldn't mileage be a problem on a contract hire car? I thought about getting a new car that way, but I do 20-25,000 miles a year and all the contract hire info I've seen stipulates 10-12k a year with a punitive charge per mile if you do over that.
Yeah, but I could keep this car to the commute, using one of the others for weekends and long trips etc. I'm sure I could share the mileage around and keep it under the limit.Carpie said:
In all seriousness, Breakdown membership which includes onwards travel to your destination would be a hell of a lot cheaper than a new car, and as you've got two cars you can use the other one whilst the other's being fixed
I've got a nice letter from the AA here saying I've had too many breakdowns in the last year. It is really annoying because in the 6 years I've had my 205, it's only ever broken down at the Nurburgring. It seems to be allergic to it or something, but in the last year it's given up on me 4 times for various unrelated issues.
The MX-5 I bought knowing it would need some work, and it seems to be OK now (touch wood), but it isn't very good at hauling boards and boats around.
I know I could buy something boring second hand and enjoy fantastic reliability, but that's not really my style. I like out of the ordinary cars, I just need them to be slightly more reliable than my current pair!
I never thought I would give this answer on a "what car" thread but.....
MX5?
I am also looking for c£200 lease cars and was very surprised to find these for less than £200 per month. You could sell the old one, trouser the cash and have a nice reliable one with warranty.
Alternatives I am considering (as I am looking for super-frugal to offset my thirsty P&J) include:
Mini Cooper Diesel
VW Polo (prob 1.6 Tdi SE)
Skoda Yeti (probably 1.2 Tsi - and I am certainly not convinced yet!)
Citroen DS3
Audi A1 (again 1.6 Tdi SE - and possibly not available until 2011)
BTW, the Whatcar? lease rates seem very high compared to what you can find on t'internet. Though perhaps as a starting point it can help.
Just re-read your post and clearly some of the ones I am considering may not tick the "fast/fun" box. But the revised Cooper Diesel is not slow and costs three tenths of nothing to run.
MX5?
I am also looking for c£200 lease cars and was very surprised to find these for less than £200 per month. You could sell the old one, trouser the cash and have a nice reliable one with warranty.
Alternatives I am considering (as I am looking for super-frugal to offset my thirsty P&J) include:
Mini Cooper Diesel
VW Polo (prob 1.6 Tdi SE)
Skoda Yeti (probably 1.2 Tsi - and I am certainly not convinced yet!)
Citroen DS3
Audi A1 (again 1.6 Tdi SE - and possibly not available until 2011)
BTW, the Whatcar? lease rates seem very high compared to what you can find on t'internet. Though perhaps as a starting point it can help.
Just re-read your post and clearly some of the ones I am considering may not tick the "fast/fun" box. But the revised Cooper Diesel is not slow and costs three tenths of nothing to run.
Edited by MacG on Wednesday 7th July 10:09
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