Help me find a hatch for the missus

[Ephraim]

My wife sold her Impreza WRX at the weekend. The running costs were getting her down, and as she's between jobs she's decided to downgrade a little. But we're having a bit of a time trying to work out what to get her.

The budget is up to £1500 for the car, and preferably <£600 p.a for insurance. For reference her impreza was costing £750 and a 1.8T Golf GTi has been quoted at £680.

The requirement is for a 5 door hatch, preferably at least a little warm, which won't cost a fortune to run. It must have a sunroof, must be petrol and have a manual box. She didn't like the mk1 focus she drove. She had a 306 XSI that she loved but cost her a fortune and so she's a little wary of them. She'd love a golf, but the insurance cost is putting her off a bit. She's not keen on Rovers, MGs or Skodas.

So, any thoughts?

[stonefish]

You could try a normal golf Gti, or maybe the polo Gti..
I think you would struggle with that price for 5 doors,..
Go 3 door instead,, 172, 106-Gti, vts>.

Edited by stonefish on Thursday 17th November 20:15

[rossw46]

Seat Leon cupra?

[Nick3point2]

rossw46 said:

Seat Leon cupra?

Bingo!

[hardcorehobbit]

Bit big maybe, but Primera GT? 150bhp, so not too slow. Very good handling for a fwd hatch.

[Spanna]

hardcorehobbit said:

Bit big maybe, but Primera GT? 150bhp, so not too slow. Very good handling for a fwd hatch.

Or the Almera GTI with the same engine.

Alfa 145 Cloverleaf?... No, I don't think it would be reliable either

[Willy Nilly]

Ephraim said:

The budget is up to £1500 for the car

So, any thoughts?

What calibre of Golf 1.8t is available for 1500 quid?

[fel71]

try one of these

[Yiliterate]

Saab 9-3 Turbo. A lot of car for not a lot of money...


ETA: Here you go...a few quid over and an auto example, but you get the idea:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3121763.htm

Edited by Yiliterate on Thursday 17th November 21:19

[Changedmyname]

Canteen em.....kitchen....em WHAT?

[LuS1fer]

Ooh, thought you were looking to dispose of a body for a minute...

[Ephraim]

rossw46 said:

Seat Leon cupra?

Good call. I'll get her to run a quote for one. Looks like £1500 is the very very bottom of the price range for them tho, so finding a good one might be a challenge.

[Ephraim]

Changedmyname said:

Canteen em.....kitchen....em WHAT?

I think the joke was that the kitchen was through a hatch.

Nice looking kitchen tho.

[Ephraim]

Willy Nilly said:

What calibre of Golf 1.8t is available for 1500 quid?

There's a reasonable looking 2000 mk4 in a garage just down the road from us. Not poked at it with any real interest, nor taken it out for a test, but looks ok at first glance.

[Changedmyname]

Ephraim said:

There's a reasonable looking 2000 mk4 in a garage just down the road from us. Not poked at it with any real interest, nor taken it out for a test, but looks ok at first glance.

What ever the haters say on here they are good cars ,I've had mine for 8 years no problems with it, only foolishly letting my wife use it ,lots of scraps, and the other day she came back with the bumper hanging off.

[Ephraim]

Changedmyname said:

What ever the haters say on here they are good cars ,I've had mine for 8 years no problems with it, only foolishly letting my wife use it ,lots of scraps, and the other day she came back with the bumper hanging off.

She's always wanted one, ever since the early 80s. Hatchbacks aren't my kind of thing at all, tbh, but I can sort of see the attraction for town driving, supermarket runs and picking our daughter up from nursery (hence the requirement for 5 doors). That said, she's a much better driver than I am... faster, safer and less likely to blow her cars up by revving the nuts off them. That's why she does the driving when we do rallies and I do the navigation.