£3k Sporty oil burners - recommendations please
Discussion
I tested a 2.2 406 coupe recently and whilst I liked it there were a lot of gizmos on there and some didn't actually work on the one i tested.
It's also a very big car and not what I would want to hustle down a B-road at all, it's a cruiser. I think they're actually bigger overall that their saloon equivalent, and they feel it.
I also looked at E46s, all 4-door 320d's and my budget was 500 quid more. They were all a bit rough around the edges, knackered alloys and rust bubbles on the front wings.
In the end I went a bit mental and bought a mk1 focus tdci sport. Steer clear of those, soul-destroying cars. Eventually I cleared my debts by buying a car for £1500 and it's still going well today (touch wood) and I love it! It's a 306 HDi with nearly 100k miles and it always makes me happy after a drive. Unless something stops working...
It's also a very big car and not what I would want to hustle down a B-road at all, it's a cruiser. I think they're actually bigger overall that their saloon equivalent, and they feel it.
I also looked at E46s, all 4-door 320d's and my budget was 500 quid more. They were all a bit rough around the edges, knackered alloys and rust bubbles on the front wings.
In the end I went a bit mental and bought a mk1 focus tdci sport. Steer clear of those, soul-destroying cars. Eventually I cleared my debts by buying a car for £1500 and it's still going well today (touch wood) and I love it! It's a 306 HDi with nearly 100k miles and it always makes me happy after a drive. Unless something stops working...
Audi A3 1.9tdi 3dr quattro.
130 bhp but cheap and easy to remap to 150+
So long as the turbo has been done should be fairly bulletproof. I ran a B6 A4 with the same engine re-mapped to 170BHP on biodielsel for 40k miles.
Not a sports car, but an enjoyable sporty hatch.
Like this:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/audi-a3-tdi-quattro-spor...
130 bhp but cheap and easy to remap to 150+
So long as the turbo has been done should be fairly bulletproof. I ran a B6 A4 with the same engine re-mapped to 170BHP on biodielsel for 40k miles.
Not a sports car, but an enjoyable sporty hatch.
Like this:-
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/audi-a3-tdi-quattro-spor...
Meoricin said:
stuzzer said:
diesel Golf... sporty
wat
This ^Mk4 Golf's are not "sporty" in any sense of the word, especially the GTs. A better description would be "boat-like", as that sums up their handling and suspension. In fairness they are good, smooth and relaxing motorway mile munchers as they like to travel in a straight line and don't like corners, so may suit your requirements, but off motorway they are not an enjoyable drive. £2k should get you a decent PD130 of 2002 vintage with 120k+ miles on a private sale ("decent" meaning up-to-date SH, recentish cambelt and good condition all round). Reliable cars and excellent rust protection from the factory. They respond well to a remap but the standard clutch is weak on them and many suffer clutch slip problems pretty soon after.
Source: current 2002 PD130 GT TDI owner
.Well.... I've not driven a diesel one but I'm currently running around in a MK IV GTI and I have to say its dull as dishwater to drive. There are lots of adjectives I could use to describe it but sporty is not one of them. Its got rather boat like handling and isn't any fun in the twisties. I needed a car in a hurry to get to and from the office after my BMW e36 328 died on me suddenly.
I'd have another 3 series in a heart beat, petrol or diesel. Couldn't say the same about the golf. They are stupidly overpriced for what they are too in my opinion.
I'd look at something else personally, some good suggestions from others already. Just my opinion of course.
I'd have another 3 series in a heart beat, petrol or diesel. Couldn't say the same about the golf. They are stupidly overpriced for what they are too in my opinion.
I'd look at something else personally, some good suggestions from others already. Just my opinion of course.
A £3k 330d will be a money pit. Only buy if you're prepared to spend ££££ on it to make it 'right'.
To be honest though, I wouldn't bother trying to buy a sporty modern diesel for £3k. - It'll have moon mileage, cost just as much to service (I've just had to pay out over £300 to have my C4's engine cleaned out of diesel gunk following an oil pressure warning) and you'll hate it for being rubbish to drive compared to your Impreza.
How many miles are you doing a year?
To be honest though, I wouldn't bother trying to buy a sporty modern diesel for £3k. - It'll have moon mileage, cost just as much to service (I've just had to pay out over £300 to have my C4's engine cleaned out of diesel gunk following an oil pressure warning) and you'll hate it for being rubbish to drive compared to your Impreza.
How many miles are you doing a year?
stuzzer said:
Its scary to find that a 330d BMW can be mapped quite easily to 500 lb/ft if its a manual, and the gearbox will cope easily as the box is also used on the 335d
Wrong way around - it's the autobox which is stronger. All 335d variants are autos as it's the only box which can take the torque.I had a 330d E46 which I loved, other than the too-firm suspension; I really wanted a wafter which I have now with the S-Type. There's a left-of-field suggestion - plenty of leggy S-Type diesels floating about for that sort of money...lovely V-6 motor, great main-road blaster, comfy cabin etc.
Get a petrol car with a decent sized engine, manual box, and then put an LPG kit on it.
Larger engined cars get remarkably good fuel economy on long journeys. My E36 328i gets around 45mpg on motorways. With an LPG kit this would be around the cost equivalent of 65mpg.
These are along the lines I would be thinking of. Diesels aren't sporty and any money you spend trying to make them so is just money down the drain. It's a far better option to buy a sporty car and then fit an LPG kit to make it economical to run.
I did 2000 miles a month for 5 months this year, and whilst not ideal, the car is designed to do it. Golfs aren't.
Larger engined cars get remarkably good fuel economy on long journeys. My E36 328i gets around 45mpg on motorways. With an LPG kit this would be around the cost equivalent of 65mpg.
These are along the lines I would be thinking of. Diesels aren't sporty and any money you spend trying to make them so is just money down the drain. It's a far better option to buy a sporty car and then fit an LPG kit to make it economical to run.
I did 2000 miles a month for 5 months this year, and whilst not ideal, the car is designed to do it. Golfs aren't.
I know the 130 is proberbly a safer choice as there are cases of cam wear on the 150, but thats the luck of the draw. The 150 does have a front mounted intercooler and a few other tweeks so would be a better car to improve on but chances are i'll go for the 130 and play it safe.
My budget has taken a bit of a hit so I'll proberbly be looking at spending £2000-2500 on a base car then run it over the winter, carry out routine maintenance on it then get modding once/if the sun comes out.
My budget has taken a bit of a hit so I'll proberbly be looking at spending £2000-2500 on a base car then run it over the winter, carry out routine maintenance on it then get modding once/if the sun comes out.
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