306 GTi, Accord TypeR, Alfa 166, 328

[raf_gti]

Argh!

Choices, choices, made more difficult by a quite frankly, pathetic budget!

If I can find a car that is in genuinely good nick then I will be happy to let the Puma go, finding a car in good nick though is proving to be a challenge.

My shortlist now is;

306 GTi
Accord Type R
Alfa 166
BMW 328

All have their pluses and minuses and should keep a PHer happy for 6 months or so over the winter.

I'd love to hear from those who have at least driven one of those or several, even better if you've driven a Puma as a comparison!

Oh how I wish I were rich!

[WildCards]

Never owned any of them, but i've driven a few of each and have my opinions;

306 GTi-6
+ Practical, fun, cheap as chips
- Possibly hard to find one that hasn't been thrashed, creaky

Accord Type R
+ Fantastic noise, not many about, handling
- not many about, unpractical by comparison, hold their value well

Alfa 166
+ Style, cheap as chips, reasonably luxurious
- Doesn't handle like the others listed, electrics have a whiffy reputation, not as involving

BMW 328
+ RWD, noise, driver involvement
- Pricier than the others, hard to find a minter for good money

[djt100]

And the budget is ???

[neil_bolton]

Groan A.gain.

I'd do a search if I were you, this thread has been done to death, and usually ends up in a BMW slagging match, with RobM77 going on about clutch delay valves, prople giving the usual crap about french cars rattle to death and you want a Rallye instead, some fan boy going on about VTEC kicked in YO! and the 166 being universally loved but generally not touched with a bargepole.

[neil_bolton]

hondafanatic said:

neil_bolton said:

, some fan boy going on about VTEC kicked in YO!

st.... am I late?

Feck orf with yer weedy 4 pot. My 6 pot'll have yours.

[raf_gti]

neil_bolton said:

Groan A.gain.

I'd do a search if I were you, this thread has been done to death, and usually ends up in a BMW slagging match, with RobM77 going on about clutch delay valves, the usual french cars rattle to death and you want a Rallye instead, some fan boy going on about VTEC kicked in YO! and the 166 being universally loved but generally not touched with a bargepole.

I know, sorry

TBH I'm trying to find opinion's from those who have owned/driven hopefully several of these cars, I can only find 'individual' threads.

DJ>> Budget is an awe-inspiring 2K!

[hondafanatic]

neil_bolton said:

, some fan boy going on about VTEC kicked in YO!

st.... am I late?

[neil_bolton]

raf_gti said:

neil_bolton said:

Groan A.gain.

I'd do a search if I were you, this thread has been done to death, and usually ends up in a BMW slagging match, with RobM77 going on about clutch delay valves, the usual french cars rattle to death and you want a Rallye instead, some fan boy going on about VTEC kicked in YO! and the 166 being universally loved but generally not touched with a bargepole.

I know, sorry

TBH I'm trying to find opinion's from those who have owned/driven hopefully several of these cars, I can only find 'individual' threads.

DJ>> Budget is an awe-inspiring 2K!

Well I know for a fact that if you can only afford £2k on a 328, then I'd think twice about buying one. They can sting a bit if they need work doing to bring them up to proper health. It's doable, but go in with your eyes wide open.

I should think the ONLY car you'll get on that budget will be a 306GTI. Which is enough for anyone - I enjoyed driving the Rallye I had the pleasure of punting about.

[alfa pint]

Pug 306s are not the most reliable of cars. Trim, electrics etc etc. Mainly electrics. I'd be avoiding that one first.

Type R not particularly quick in the Accord, or particularly involving.

166 lovely to be in, great engine in the V6. Might take you a while to find one though.

Loads of big engined 3 series around and if you don't mind being one of the crowd, then it's a decent car.

[hondafanatic]

alfa pint said:

Pug 306s are not the most reliable of cars. Trim, electrics etc etc. Mainly electrics. I'd be avoiding that one first.

Type R not particularly quick in the Accord, or particularly involving.

166 lovely to be in, great engine in the V6. Might take you a while to find one though.

Loads of big engined 3 series around and if you don't mind being one of the crowd, then it's a decent car.

So we've got a Hondafanboy, and Alphafanboy (who just exploded because I used 'ph' instead of 'f', Neil like the Pug...

BMW anyone?

[S3_Graham]

neil_bolton said:

raf_gti said:

neil_bolton said:

Groan A.gain.

I'd do a search if I were you, this thread has been done to death, and usually ends up in a BMW slagging match, with RobM77 going on about clutch delay valves, the usual french cars rattle to death and you want a Rallye instead, some fan boy going on about VTEC kicked in YO! and the 166 being universally loved but generally not touched with a bargepole.

I know, sorry

TBH I'm trying to find opinion's from those who have owned/driven hopefully several of these cars, I can only find 'individual' threads.

DJ>> Budget is an awe-inspiring 2K!

Well I know for a fact that if you can only afford £2k on a 328, then I'd think twice about buying one. They can sting a bit if they need work doing to bring them up to proper health. It's doable, but go in with your eyes wide open.

I should think the ONLY car you'll get on that budget will be a 306GTI. Which is enough for anyone - I enjoyed driving the Rallye I had the pleasure of punting about.

ok so i've spent loads on mine but none of the work done to my 328 HAD to be done. mine was less than £2k. Yours (if you were still selling) could be sorted for sub 2k.

[G_T]

alfa pint said:

Pug 306s are not the most reliable of cars. Trim, electrics etc etc. Mainly electrics. I'd be avoiding that one first.

Type R not particularly quick in the Accord, or particularly involving.

166 lovely to be in, great engine in the V6. Might take you a while to find one though.

Loads of big engined 3 series around and if you don't mind being one of the crowd, then it's a decent car.

Surely the predisposition for the engine to eat cambelts is the main issue for the 306?

Also whilst I have never drive the Accord Type-R it is still allegedly one of the best FWD cars out there. According to EVO magazine at least.

The 306 is the only real budget option in that list. Unless of course you're looking at very ropey cars, in which case it would be the Honda for me.

[neil_bolton]

hondafanatic said:

alfa pint said:

Pug 306s are not the most reliable of cars. Trim, electrics etc etc. Mainly electrics. I'd be avoiding that one first.

Type R not particularly quick in the Accord, or particularly involving.

166 lovely to be in, great engine in the V6. Might take you a while to find one though.

Loads of big engined 3 series around and if you don't mind being one of the crowd, then it's a decent car.

So we've got a Hondafanboy, and Alphafanboy (who just exploded because I used 'ph' instead of 'f', Neil like the Pug...

BMW anyone?

Don't get me wrong, I love my 328 to bits. But they can be painful if you don't buy wisely.

[jonnydm]

I find myself in a very similar situation to the OP right now. I've considered all of the above and come to similar conclusions as others about each. Currently looking for a 528i. As with many cars in this price bracket including all of the above, it should be possible to find a nice one in budget but they are few and far between.

[hondafanatic]

neil_bolton said:

hondafanatic said:

alfa pint said:

Pug 306s are not the most reliable of cars. Trim, electrics etc etc. Mainly electrics. I'd be avoiding that one first.

Type R not particularly quick in the Accord, or particularly involving.

166 lovely to be in, great engine in the V6. Might take you a while to find one though.

Loads of big engined 3 series around and if you don't mind being one of the crowd, then it's a decent car.

So we've got a Hondafanboy, and Alphafanboy (who just exploded because I used 'ph' instead of 'f', Neil like the Pug...

BMW anyone?

Don't get me wrong, I love my 328 to bits. But they can be painful if you don't buy wisely.

I would imagine the BMW is the most expensive to fix out of the list.

I'm a big fan of the 306 and still to this day think it's a brilliant looking hatch.

Most of the ATRs out there are either ropey as hell or very well looked after. For £2k, I think you'd be nearer the former rather than the latter.

(And just to maintain my fanboyness, there are an excellent car, quick, practical and cheap to run.)

[djt100]

I'd wright off the Accord Type R, I looked at loads a little while back, all a lot more money than £2k and all St.. Gave up looking in the end. so few about I got fed up travelling to see them.

Edited by djt100 on Wednesday 14th July 15:24

[Somnophore]

What's up with the Puma, what reasons for getting rid? What are your needs in motoring? Obv not that much practicality as puma is essentially a 2 seater, well ours is don't the missus has had any passengers in it since she's had it, more of a large parcel shelf lol

[chevronb37]

My missus has a 1.7L Puma and I have a 306 Rallye as a daily. As my old man had an E36 328i and a 328i Coupe when they were new, I can probably advise but suspect this thread will get bogged down in the aforementioned bickering. OP, if I can help with anything, drop me a PM.

Chev.

[Pugland53]

I had a 306 Rallye from new and owned a 3 year old 328i Sport Coupe just after it. The 306 was much more fun to drive and performed better than the figures would make you believe, I really enjoyed it. The 328 looked gorgeous in gleaming red with AC Schnitzer extras, felt like it was built like a tank compared to the 306, but was more of a high speed cruiser than sports car.
However, after a decade has passed I would imagine most 306's to be ragged to death, they were pretty fragile to start with. As for the 328 most would have well over 100k by now but if you could find a tidy one for the money a sport coupe would be my choice.

[raf_gti]

chevronb37 said:

My missus has a 1.7L Puma and I have a 306 Rallye as a daily. As my old man had an E36 328i and a 328i Coupe when they were new, I can probably advise but suspect this thread will get bogged down in the aforementioned bickering. OP, if I can help with anything, drop me a PM.

Chev.

I'd be interested to see how you feel the Puma, 306 and 328 compare.

Somnophore> There is nothing wrong with the Puma, in fact, if I don't end up changing I will most likely end up refreshing the suspension.

The simple reason for changing is that I've realised, that whilst my budget is crap, it is fairly easy to chop & change cars without losing a great deal of money, providing I choose wisely and get lucky!

Essentially I have my pick of cars from EVO magazine 10 years ago