£2k Daily, that's not boring

[Malcster]

Hi folks,

Looking for a bit of a What Car suggestions list if you don't mind?

- 30 miles a day round trip to work each day, over A Roads mostly.
- Needs to be fairly cheap to run and quite reliable.
- Moderatly sensible, I think more than 2 seats.
- Preferrably quite economical - 30MPG upwards?
- Not fussed on the age or mileage of it, so long as it's easy to live with.

Something that's not boring, with a budget of £2k.

I was guessing an E36 3-Series?
Or maybe a hot hatch of some kind?

Any ideas?

[Jonathan Legard]

Obviously a V8 TR7.

[IanMorewood]

I picked up a Ford Puma recently that does all that, only downside is the slightly harsh suspension.

[slipstream 1985]

IanMorewood said:

I picked up a Ford Puma recently that does all that, only downside is the slightly harsh suspension.

good choice. nice looking car too

[StottyZr]

Malcster said:

Hi folks,


- Preferrably quite economical - 30MPG upwards?

Oxymoron much?

Peugeot 206 1.4td springs to mind. Not the most reliable of cars but if anything brakes it costs pennies to fix.

[killsta]

StottyZr said:

Oxymoron much?

Peugeot 206 1.4td springs to mind. Not the most reliable of cars but if anything brakes it costs pennies to fix.

Did you just suggest a diesel Peugeot?

[Muncle Trogg]

MG ZS 120. Got one for exactly the same reason and should be easy to find a decent one with 2k. Ride is on the firm side but is the best handling hatch I've driven. Currently getting a better mpg figure than my old Megane as well.

[300bhp/ton]

Jonathan Legard said:

Obviously a V8 TR7.

more than 2 seats numnuts

[RobCrezz]

Prelude 2.2 Vtec?
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2167925.htm

[jdw1234]

Mk 1 Golf Convertible

[StottyZr]

killsta said:

StottyZr said:

Oxymoron much?

Peugeot 206 1.4td springs to mind. Not the most reliable of cars but if anything brakes it costs pennies to fix.

Did you just suggest a diesel Peugeot?

Just re-read. He said NOT boring Good runabout though if you want to save cash

[neil_bmw]

E36 328, a good one can be found for 2k no problem. Great all rounder (in my opinion).

[MarJay]

neil_bmw said:

E36 328, a good one can be found for 2k no problem. Great all rounder (in my opinion).

This.

[300bhp/ton]

Malcster said:

Hi folks,

Looking for a bit of a What Car suggestions list if you don't mind?

- 30 miles a day round trip to work each day, over A Roads mostly.
- Needs to be fairly cheap to run and quite reliable.
- Moderatly sensible, I think more than 2 seats.
- Preferrably quite economical - 30MPG upwards?
- Not fussed on the age or mileage of it, so long as it's easy to live with.

Something that's not boring, with a budget of £2k.

I was guessing an E36 3-Series?
Or maybe a hot hatch of some kind?

Any ideas?

There's quite a bit of choice at this money.

I'd say bang per buck while taking into account age, practicality and condition. Then an MG ZS180 is well worth a look.

28-33mpg is quite possible. Very good steer and a nice engine note. Easy to maintain and my brothers one was no problem at all reliability wise.

I also like the look of the Prelude. Some JDM ones have LSD's too. Less practical than the MG but better looking.

An e36 328i is tempting. In theory it should be ok on fuel, but I think it depends how you drive it. Probably similar to the MG in this respect.

Jaguar X-Type 3.0 V6 manual. Best interior you are likely to find for this money. Very nice and comfy. 3.0 is fast and practical and with AWD will keep you going all year round too. 25-28mpg is more realistic though. But on only 30 miles a day I don't think this would matter all that much.

BMW e30 318IS. More cool than an e36 and better looking. Not hugely fast, but capable.

Rover P6 2000. More wafty than sporty, but quite unique looking and loads of charm. Certainly a nice place to cruise to work each day in and certainly a retro cool talking point too.

Toyota Celica 2.0 GT. Not the most sporty, but fairly good performance. I like the looks of them too.

[LimitedSlipDisk]

neil_bmw said:

E36 328, a good one can be found for 2k no problem. Great all rounder (in my opinion).

This.

[denniswise9]

Will I get shot down for suggesting a remapped diesel of some sorts?

[Thesaint01708]

Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, all day long!

most are tuned and im sure if you drove it carefully it could return the mpg you were looking for..

[300bhp/ton]

Thesaint01708 said:

Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, all day long!

most are tuned and im sure if you drove it carefully it could return the mpg you were looking for..

I suspect you'd struggle to get that mpg at all considering people with the same engine in an s14 with only 2wd tend to claim 24-28mpg.

Also what would be the point in a car like that if you had to drive it carefully all the while? You'd be better off in a diesel Astra!!! As you could drive it harder, have more fun and still see better mpg.

[Gizmo!]

MX6.

[Thesaint01708]

300bhp/ton said:

Thesaint01708 said:

Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, all day long!

most are tuned and im sure if you drove it carefully it could return the mpg you were looking for..

I suspect you'd struggle to get that mpg at all considering people with the same engine in an s14 with only 2wd tend to claim 24-28mpg.

Also what would be the point in a car like that if you had to drive it carefully all the while? You'd be better off in a diesel Astra!!! As you could drive it harder, have more fun and still see better mpg.

hmf.. id still have one...