Another 'what should I buy' thread - budget fun

[hill79]

I know there's a ton of these sorts of posts already, so let me start by apologising to those bored of seeing them - I'm still going to ask the question though!

I'm short-listing cars to consider, I have the following requirements but anything else is fair game.

Must be:
4 seater
Available with fairly low mileage (so probably less than 10 years old)
Fun to drive
Reasonable running costs
Max insurance group of about 14
Something with a bit of PH cred, but that's not really essential.
And the final hurdle... budget of £2500

Short list so far:
106 GTI (or Saxo VTS, since they're easier to find)
Alfa 156 (probably a straight rather than the v6 for running cost reasons)
Mk4 Astra Coupe 2.2 (edition 100 if I can find one!)

So, PH collective, what other gems are there out there that I should be looking at?

[littleandy0410]

That budget would get you a nice late Puma. Or how about a Clio 172?

[hill79]

The insurance group for the Clio pushes it out of the running, they're 16D, I did consider them though. Not sure on the Puma, are they actually any good?

[littleandy0410]

Don't let insurance groups influence your decision on what to buy - some lower grouped cars will be more than other higher grouped cars, due to being crashed/stolen regularly.

The 1.7 Puma is definitely worth considering. Great fun to drive, if a little cramped in the back. No worse than other small coupes/hatches.

Don't know if you'd get an MG ZS for that money, but worth a look?

[hill79]

I've done a couple of insurance quotes on the 172's and they're defiantly out of the running, I'm not really prepared to pay over £1k for insurance, I had enough of that when I was in my 20s! Had a Rover 400 previously so the ZS is a 'no' purely because I've sort-of had one, albeit in another guise. I'll check out Pumas, always had them pegged as rebodied Fiestas, mind you I do have a 106/saxo in my short list so maybe thats not *actually* an issue.

[Z28fan]

well I just amanged to buy a V6 ZT for 1,120 (ok it does need a major service, but I'd have probably done most of the service regardless) so that could be a possibilty?

Edited by Z28fan on Wednesday 22 September 09:38

[mnkiboy]

Focus 2.0 Zetec
Alfa 147 (maybe a push at the price, i'm not sure)
BMW 318 Ti
Fabia VRS (again not sure if they're THAT cheap)

[hill79]

I'd not looked at ZT's, might be worth checking them out, aren't they more of a lazy cruiser? I'm not keen on the older shaped Focus, IMO its looks haven't aged well. An Alfa 147 would be within reach I think, but the Skodas are a bit pricier than my budget. Oh and the BMW is a possibility but I had an e36 a while ago and I'd prefer something I've not had before.

Edited by hill79 on Wednesday 22 September 09:53

[Matt UK]

I'd find a nice BMW e36 328i saloon.

[hill79]

a 328 would be great, not many sub 100k examples around in that price bracket though

[Matt UK]

Why sub-100k?

[hill79]

I know well looked after examples with 100k+ will run better than a poorly maintained 50k example, but lower miles will generally minimise the wear and tear on other components, bushes, suspension, engine mounts, fuel/water pumps etc which (especially with a BMW) soon start to get pricey to replace

[Matt UK]

Not sure...

A town car thumping across speed humps and curbs, lots of cold starts and short journeys may have more wear than a motorway cruiser.

The 100k and 50k examples may have the same 'usage hours' on them, but the 50k car may have had a tougher life.

Just a thought.