Car Choice- £30k max

[Lakeland9]

Now here's the thing. The GT-R is going early next year. I'm taking early retirement to go back to Uni and the running costs will just be too much. I'll miss it a lot but...

Thinking of hot hatchery/coupes but needs not to be too big and room in the back for medium dog carrier / diving gear as necessary. Know I won't get the same oomph as the GT-R but trying to get 250ish BHP+

So far I'm down to

Golf R
Alfa Brera 3.2
Focus RS
123d
Impreza

Anything I've missed and advice on the above most welcome.

Regards to all

Advice please- and suggestions for anything I've missed

[Lakeland9]

Sorry for the repeat phrase at the end- must be the excitement...

[anonymous-user]

I'd put an S3 and Mazda 3 MPS on the list and look at a Brera 1750 TBi and take it to Autodelta.

[edo]

2010 Audi S3 Sportback 1984 cc 2.0 T FSI quattro 265 PS

5 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Petrol, 5,300 miles, Phantom Black Metallic, Driver, Passenger And Front Side Air Bags,Anti-Lock Brakes,BOSE Sound System,Satellite Navigation System Plus,Electronic Stability Programme,Cruise Control,Alarm,18In Alloy Wheels,Door mirrors, folding and auto dimming,Mobile Telephone Preparation - Low,Climate Control,Power-Assisted Steering,Driver Information System,Remote Central Door Locking,Driver/Passenger Heated Seats,Front/Rear Electric Windows,Front Armrest,Privacy Glass,Electronic Brake Force Distribution,Electric/Heated Door Mirrors,Front Fog Lights,Steering Wheel Heated,Tinted Glass,Light and rain sensor pack,Body Coloured Bumpers,Centre Rear Seat Belt,Rake/Reach Adjustable Steering Column/Wheel,Seats Split Rear,Front/Rear Head Restraints,Cup Holder,Speakers,Headlamp Wash 4WD. £25,995 Non VAT Qualifying

[edo]

MMMM. 335i.

2009 BMW 3 SERIES TOURING 3000 cc 335i M Sport 5dr Step Auto
5 Doors, Automatic, Estate, Petrol, 18,732 miles, Black Sapphire Metallic, Front/rear Parking distance control,USB/audio interface,Heated front seats,Partial electric front seats/backrest/height adjust,Media pack - Professional - 3 Series,Visibility pack - 3 Series 330i/330d/335i/335d,M Sport leather steering wheel,Reverse parking aid,Heated front seat,Height adjustable drivers seat,Electrically adjustable drivers seat,Electrically adjustable passenger seat,Navigation system,Telephone. £29,850

[angusfaldo]

MonkeyMatt said:

I'd put an S3 and Mazda 3 MPS on the list and look at a Brera 1750 TBi and take it to Autodelta.

OP says one of his objectives is to reduce running costs. GT-R must be expensive but I just offloaded my S3 (2009 vintage with 265PS) because it was ludicrously pricey to run. To put it into context - I replaced it with a Land Rover Defender and am saving quite a bit of money...

Also, the S3 is a pretty soulless car to drive.

[Lakeland9]

I'm sure I can run any of those mentioned so far cheaper than the GT-R...

Great car but Dunlop rubber (eg) at £500+ per corner.

Isn't there going to be a new A3 next year? I owned the current A3 with a V6 a few years ago but did find it a bit dull, I'm afraid.

[NorthernBoy]

I was going to say RS4 initially, until you mentioned tyre costs etc, so what about things like a Galant VR4, supra, or one of the faster Subaru legacys?

There's a world of fast reliable cars with decent chassis for well below 10k. If you feel that you can't afford to keep a GT-R, I'm surprised that you're setting your budget so high. After all, the last model of M5 can likely be had for 15k now.

Edited by NorthernBoy on Wednesday 22 September 10:41

[Stu R]

Volvo C30 T5 R-Design.

Look stunning, sure to go pretty well (albeit not as quick as a Focus RS and the like), that 2.5 litre 5 pot turbo lump everyone loves, can be fettled to get significantly more power out of it, nice inside and it'll leave you with some change even if/once you've fettled it a bit.

[RobM77]

Why are you spending so much on an ordinary practical everyday car? It seems strange seeing as you're stopping work and going back to Uni. You can get a perfectly serviceable everyday car for under £15k. 320d perhaps?

[Lakeland9]

Well, I guess we all spend our cash how we want to!

I'm looking to use most, but not all of the cash from the Nissan since otherwise it'll simply get caught up in non- car expenditure and will be gone forever...

Last hurrah for horsepower, if you like.

[RobM77]

Lakeland9 said:

Well, I guess we all spend our cash how we want to!

I'm looking to use most, but not all of the cash from the Nissan since otherwise it'll simply get caught up in non- car expenditure and will be gone forever...

Last hurrah for horsepower, if you like.

Sorry, I nearly edited my post to make it sound a bit more gentle. It was just a suggestion.

I could understand completely your "last hurrah" if you were getting more for £30k than you would for £15k - perhaps an NSX, a 997 C2S, Cayman S or something like that where £30k needs to be spent to get a fresh good example. However, the cars you list would be almost indistinguishable from a similar sort of car for £15k with a couple more years and 20k more under their belts. £30k on those sorts of cars is fine, but it's the sort of thing people do when they're earning a lot of money and don't mind covering the depreciation with their earnings. You could perhaps spend the £15k change on a classic or sports car to keep and cherish - my Elise S2 111S for instance is probably only worth about £13k. Each to their own though - just my thoughts, that's all.

[NorthernBoy]

Lakeland9 said:

Well, I guess we all spend our cash how we want to!

I'm looking to use most, but not all of the cash from the Nissan since otherwise it'll simply get caught up in non- car expenditure and will be gone forever...

Last hurrah for horsepower, if you like.

Then an RS4 should be perfect.

[homerjay]

edo said:

MMMM. 335i.

2009 BMW 3 SERIES TOURING 3000 cc 335i M Sport 5dr Step Auto
5 Doors, Automatic, Estate, Petrol, 18,732 miles, Black Sapphire Metallic, Front/rear Parking distance control,USB/audio interface,Heated front seats,Partial electric front seats/backrest/height adjust,Media pack - Professional - 3 Series,Visibility pack - 3 Series 330i/330d/335i/335d,M Sport leather steering wheel,Reverse parking aid,Heated front seat,Height adjustable drivers seat,Electrically adjustable drivers seat,Electrically adjustable passenger seat,Navigation system,Telephone. £29,850

this

[RobM77]

NorthernBoy said:

Lakeland9 said:

Well, I guess we all spend our cash how we want to!

I'm looking to use most, but not all of the cash from the Nissan since otherwise it'll simply get caught up in non- car expenditure and will be gone forever...

Last hurrah for horsepower, if you like.

Then an RS4 should be perfect.

I test drove an RS4 and an M3 on back to back days back in April. The RS4 was a 2007 car with 29k on the clock, and the M3 was a 2005 E46 with 50k on the clock. The RS4 looked fantastic, it was comfortable, lovely interior, well built, practical etc. Sure, it's cornering was rather dull etc, but that's expected for a 4WD Audi. However, putting the subjective aside, fast it was not. I was dissapointed, so I posted on PH for an explanation, and it turns out it may be a combination of drivetrain losses and the engine's "coking up". The E46 M3 felt faster - it wasn't a subtle feeling, the M3 was most definitely more pokey. it was "oo - hello!" performance, whereas the RS4 was "oh dear". I wouldn't pay 15-25mpg for the RS4. Maybe I drove a bad example - the OP could try out a couple? The one I looked at was immaculate and at an official Audi dealership for £35k. Incidentally, the service of the Audi dealership and the manner of the salesman was a lot better than BMW.

[Lakeland9]

RobM-

Thank you and absolutely no offence taken. Thanks also for the other suggestions which include several which are worth looking at- a friend has an RS4 which I've driven and like a lot- so I'll look around and have some fun.

regards all

[RobM77]

Lakeland9 said:

RobM-

Thank you and absolutely no offence taken. Thanks also for the other suggestions which include several which are worth looking at- a friend has an RS4 which I've driven and like a lot- so I'll look around and have some fun.

regards all

Do definitely have some fun for £30k, that's kind of all I was saying. If you're just going to buy an ordinary saloon then spend £15k on it

Incidentally, I was daydreaming last night about going back to Uni for a year to do an MSc. What are studying and what drove the decision?

[NorthernBoy]

I like the M3 too, but it felt no faster to me than the Audi. It did handle a bit better, and I slightly preferred the engine characteristics, but just preferred the RS4 overall. I like the traction of the Quattro system enough that it wins, for me, over the feel of the BM's RWD.

I've actually been thinking about getting an M3 CSL if I fancy a change. I loved my E46 M3 that I had previously. I thought that the engine was even better than that in the current car, so maybe one of these is an option as a response to the original question here.

[RobM77]

NorthernBoy said:

I like the M3 too, but it felt no faster to me than the Audi. It did handle a bit better, and I slightly preferred the engine characteristics, but just preferred the RS4 overall. I like the traction of the Quattro system enough that it wins, for me, over the feel of the BM's RWD.

I've actually been thinking about getting an M3 CSL if I fancy a change. I loved my E46 M3 that I had previously. I thought that the engine was even better than that in the current car, so maybe one of these is an option as a response to the original question here.

All I can say then is that RS4s probably vary in performance. The one I drove wasn't what I'd call quick, but the E46 M3 certainly was.

[slomax]

if you are looking at hot hatches then you have missed the Volvo C30 T5- should go like a stabbed rat if previous hot volvos are anything to judge by.