Hot hatch advice please!

[purplenoise]

ZX10R NIN said:

At 5K you should be able to get a decent Hot Hatch get rid of your 1.4 306 any of the hot hatches recommended so far will be better on fuel personally I'd look at a Focus ST or Megane with a Cup Chassis.

ST
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

I'd say for the money the Megane fits your needs you can get a decent low mileage example for your budget the 1st one has had some K-Tec mods (Renault tuning specialists) the lower mileage meaning the 25k annual mileage won't be to much of an issue.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...


I'd still pick the other two above the Golf, also in your circumstances of 20-25K per year a Megane will have 30k less on the clock than the Golf.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2015...

Edited by ZX10R NIN on Tuesday 28th July 23:00

Thanks for the links. I am going to test drive an ST and a 225 cup today. Id never considered the ST before

[purplenoise]

300bhp/ton said:

At the age of 24 with what sounds like no commitments. A hatchback of any sort if not the kind of car I'd be looking at.

Remember FWD only really exists to maximise interior space (to make the vehicle more practical) and manufacturing costs.

Of course there have been some good and even great FWD cars. But as a rule 99% of them are pretty dull and all look 100% dull, especially if they are a hatch back.

For £5k there are all sorts of amazingly fun and varied vehicles.

When you need something more practical or dynamically compromised - then look at a hatch, if you must.

Thanks for the post. Initially I was going to run 1 car which meant I needed the practicality of a hatch as I have a dog and give a lot of lifts to people. Now I have decided to keep the 306 for the boring the stuff the options are wide open. What would you suggest as a top 5 or 10 cars to consider with no restrictions and 5k.

Im very tempted by an mx5 Ive seen parked up. Its missing a window and the bodywork is rough as toast but it's meant to be mechanically sound and the owner wants £400 for it. Doubt it will give me the speed Im after though.

[purplenoise]

Blanchimont said:

You're comparing a high revving N/A car to a turbocharged car. The turbo will provide a larger sensation of speed.

my 2penneth.

If you're desperate for sub 5 to 60.

Get a Subaru Impreza WRX with the PPP pack for the weekends. In standard for with 220hp it runs 5.5 to 60. with the PPP I'll be surprised it isn't 5, or below.
5k will get you into a tidy one.

For the daily drive, buy a diesel car. Even something like leasing would be better than running a petrol car for 25k. At the moment diesel is cheaper than petrol, and a 1.9PD engine will do what, 40mpg round town? 60 on a run?

That would be what I would do. Bear in mind that running 2 cars will be pricey, but less pricey than running a highly modified S3 as a daily. It's asking for trouble. Even a standard one is over 5k.

If you REALLY want an S3; forget it and buy a LCR. Same engine, but has 4 pot Brembo's. They're also cheaper to buy in the first place. (And 03 plate with 90k is up for £3,200 near me)

Impreza is a good shout. Love the speed and the drive but the image is a bit of a turn off. Im right in the age to fit a sterotype that Im not really fond of. I might just stomach it but Id like to explore other options first.

As a daily, the 306 is good enough. Gets me comfortably over 500 miles a tank every time and I get a fuel allowance which goes some way towards covering petrol costs and is slow enough to keep me out of trouble. Also, I have fleet insurance so the only major downside of running 2 cars is tax and maintenance. With the high maintenance car doing low mileage, those costs are mitigated too.

I'll have a look into the Cupra R but IMO the S3 looks so much better. For the money though, I wouldnt mind the ugly sister.

[purplenoise]

Ali_T said:

Again, with reliability in mind, what about the Mazda 3 MPS? There are Aero versions (body kit and lowering springs as standard) available for £5k with lower miles now. Some nice DC2 Integra Type Rs as well, or an RX8 231 (ideally a PZ) . They won't do under 5 seconds to 60 but, seriously, you won't care when you're driving either. There's also a few Alfa GTV 3.2 V6s at the price on PH. Or one S2000, though that seems very cheap for one?

Thanks for the posts,

Ive never been in a Type R but Ive heard wonderful things about the mythical vtec engines and fwd handling. I'll look into the MPS; am I right in assuming that being a Mazda it will be pretty bulletproof as well? What is the handling like on those? I know Mazda are the people behind the fabled mx5 but they also make some of the dullest ugliest machines known to man. I have been a passenger in an rx8 PZ and all I remember is insane amounts of grip lol, I have no idea how fast it was actually was but it definitely felt fast. It had worse fuel economy than a 645ci though.

As much as I love the alfa v6s I'd rather wait until I can afford to have one as a pampered garage queen rather than something to rag around and track from time to time.

[purplenoise]

Blanchimont said:

The looks are entirely subjective, but IMO for the better brakes, and the cost saving I would get an Cupra. Plus the S3 uses a Haldex system, which is front biased anyway.

I've been looking at WRX's and the image doesn't bother me. If it did, we would all drive German marques... oh wait.
I'm kidding, but the image is only reinforced when it's driven like a cock. If you drive it sensibly people don't take as much notice. Plus, it means that they're bargains because some people can look past the badge.

An S3 for a weekend car isn't that great to be honest. As is a Leon, they're more rapid dailies.

For a weekend car, I would look at something like a 350z or even a TVR, keeping the 306 for the daily grind.

The scooby is definitely worth a look. I'll see what I can find. I have a friend who crashed a WRX backwards into a tree at 80mph, spoiler went straight through the back window. He was probably driving like a cock at the time but Ive been kinda scared of them ever since. Irrational? Maybe. Still scary though.

An S3 for a weekend car isnt that great. A Porsche baiting, M3 spanking S3 for a weekend car sounds pretty fun though

I could never do a 350z, it just screams chest wig and fake tan with that horrible shade of brown/orannge and I every time I see one I hear a nasally American accent calling it a zee car. Love the concept of a simple powerful rwd car though, just hate the execution of it.

TVR would be a dream but for 5k?

[purplenoise]

KarlMac said:

Ali_T said:

Isn't the image of an old S3 pretty much in the "failed drug dealer" category?

That, or Bank of Mum & Dad, depending on age of driver and whether a 'snapback' is visible.

Hahaha you guys are tearing up the s3. I was literally laughing out loud reading through. Proud to say Ive never had owned a snapback or been a drug dealer, successfully or otherwise.

Honestly though, I have all but abandoned the s3 as an option, it's just a benchmark for the kind of performance I am after.

[purplenoise]

KarlMac said:

OP clearly wants the S3 for the image and is waiting for us to justify it.

Your confusing torque (and the feeling of being fast) with actual speed. My impreza was never even slightly bothered by S3s, especially 5 grand ones.

I'm not convinced M3 is the answered, but I would absolutely be looking at a Type RA impreza or a Series McRae, neither have the wings and bodykit image problem.

The m3 I tested was really nice but the roof got stuck half way and the mechanic who came out basically said they are an absolute ballache to put right when anything goes wrong. Also the SMG box was really sluggish in auto mode but perfect on the paddles. Had the same problem with a smart fortwo cdi I bought to sell on and a gearbox specialist said the clutch/clutch actuator could be on the way out. Cant imagine what that would cost to put right on an SMG box.

The Impreza is option I never thought of. I will definitely look into it now. What is the best way to sift the gems from the thrashed out dogs? Or are they generally alright after a life of abuse? Is there anything major to look out for?