NOT buying an estate - what to get instead for fun daily?
Discussion
Right, having taken the twins down to Dorset for a week I reckon I can get away with NOT buying an estate car right now and investing in a roofbox for the Civic to carry the excess luggage burden.
That means I can get something I want for my daily driver to replace the MX5 subject to the following:
- Needs to be fairly practical still i.e. 4 seat / 4 door for instances where
we go somewhere in my car;
- Needs to go well and be a decent steer;
- Needs to not cost the earth to service / replace parts
- Needs to sound pretty good and have some sense of occasion
- Budget between £5-8k
Currently thinking:
- Mazda 6 MPS
- VW Golf R32 / GTi
- BMW 130i
- Alfa 147 GTA (although think these are only 3 door)
Any opinions or alternatives?
That means I can get something I want for my daily driver to replace the MX5 subject to the following:
- Needs to be fairly practical still i.e. 4 seat / 4 door for instances where
we go somewhere in my car;
- Needs to go well and be a decent steer;
- Needs to not cost the earth to service / replace parts
- Needs to sound pretty good and have some sense of occasion
- Budget between £5-8k
Currently thinking:
- Mazda 6 MPS
- VW Golf R32 / GTi
- BMW 130i
- Alfa 147 GTA (although think these are only 3 door)
Any opinions or alternatives?
I have been using our 4 door MK IV R32 as a family car for 4 years almost, we have a 6 year old and 18 month old, it has been great. We have had to change the rear wiper motor, one of the radiator fans, two top mount bearings which retail at around a tenner. Aside from that I can't fault it. Great fun car in the snow or slippy surfaces too.
We did think about selling it when the youngest was born but they seem to use less stuff as they grow up so we still have it!!
We did think about selling it when the youngest was born but they seem to use less stuff as they grow up so we still have it!!
The Octavia VRS hatch might be worth a look. It's got a huge boot for a Golf-class car and in most other ways it's just a Golf GTI.
The 1-series is a fair bit smaller inside than a Civic, so you might struggle with that even with a roof-box. Personally I'd probably get a 3-series touring even if I didn't need an estate car because I think it's better looking than the saloon or coupe.
The 1-series is a fair bit smaller inside than a Civic, so you might struggle with that even with a roof-box. Personally I'd probably get a 3-series touring even if I didn't need an estate car because I think it's better looking than the saloon or coupe.
Edited by kambites on Friday 9th March 08:59
RC944 said:
ive a 3 door mk4 r32 and its great fun and great value but with 2 car seats in the back for the boys its a pita. even if they were older and sans car seats i think its a compact way to travel albeit a hoot if just driver and shotgun
id take an rs4 avant any day
He'll be pushing it for £5-8k though won't he? I'd have thought it would be either very ropy or very high mileage even at the upper end of that budget.id take an rs4 avant any day
I used a Lexus IS300 as a daily family car for my little girl and her stuff. It has been great. Not spent 1p on anything going wrong. Swift, quiet, effortless pace. I used to drive things like S3, R32, GTA etc. I do intend to go back to a hatch back next. Mostly as I now want to get an adult bike in the back (a kids bike fits in the current boot).
Other hatchback / estate options:
Mitsubishe Evo estate (import)
Subaru Legacy estate
Volvo V70 (300bhp variant)
Other hatchback / estate options:
Mitsubishe Evo estate (import)
Subaru Legacy estate
Volvo V70 (300bhp variant)
Legend83 said:
Right, having taken the twins down to Dorset for a week I reckon I can get away with NOT buying an estate car right now and investing in a roofbox for the Civic to carry the excess luggage burden.
That means I can get something I want for my daily driver to replace the MX5 subject to the following:
- Needs to be fairly practical still i.e. 4 seat / 4 door for instances where
we go somewhere in my car;
- Needs to go well and be a decent steer;
- Needs to not cost the earth to service / replace parts
- Needs to sound pretty good and have some sense of occasion
- Budget between £5-8k
Currently thinking:
- Mazda 6 MPS
- VW Golf R32 / GTi
- BMW 130i
- Alfa 147 GTA (although think these are only 3 door)
Any opinions or alternatives?
I think there are lots of choices at this money. However if you want to play big on the sense of occasion factor maybe consider something more left field like a Land Rover Defender or a 4.0 Jeep Wrangler. They'll be practical and fun at the same time.That means I can get something I want for my daily driver to replace the MX5 subject to the following:
- Needs to be fairly practical still i.e. 4 seat / 4 door for instances where
we go somewhere in my car;
- Needs to go well and be a decent steer;
- Needs to not cost the earth to service / replace parts
- Needs to sound pretty good and have some sense of occasion
- Budget between £5-8k
Currently thinking:
- Mazda 6 MPS
- VW Golf R32 / GTi
- BMW 130i
- Alfa 147 GTA (although think these are only 3 door)
Any opinions or alternatives?
300bhp/ton said:
I think there are lots of choices at this money. However if you want to play big on the sense of occasion factor maybe consider something more left field like a Land Rover Defender or a 4.0 Jeep Wrangler. They'll be practical and fun at the same time.
Depends if OP's idea of fun is green laning or driving the Evo Triangle.Thanks all for the replies.
I do like the R32 but not 100% convinced about the image.
Tonker – I live in Harpenden darling so no concerns about scrotes in general....most issues will be with snotty-nosed rich retirees.
Excel monkey – I certainly considered the RX8 as high up my list but decided the potential upside was not enough to make up for the quirks and potential pitfalls. Plus I fancy something with a bit of grunt having had two revvy MX5s as my last cars.
Kambites – can’t get my bloody SWMBO passed the Skoda badge unfortunately, try as I might. The 1-series would be my daily / run-around and the Civic would still be the family car so as long as it is vaguely useable in emergencies i.e. Civic out of action for any reason, then I think it would be ok.
k-ink – thanks for the ideas. I was dead set on the Legacy estate (and still might consider it) until I decided that we could live without a bigger car if we got the roof box. Is the IS300 4 door?
Keyser Soze – interesting.
Are you looking for an MX5 in particular? Mine is a supercharged Mk1 running at 190 bhp....PM me for more details and I would be interested to hear about your MPS.
Some great suggestions – I love the 159 but don’t think my budget would fetch the coveted TI spec. Also love the Alfa GT but only 3 door.
The Megane R26 was also something that came up on my radar but might be a bit hardcore?
I do like the R32 but not 100% convinced about the image.
Tonker – I live in Harpenden darling so no concerns about scrotes in general....most issues will be with snotty-nosed rich retirees.
Excel monkey – I certainly considered the RX8 as high up my list but decided the potential upside was not enough to make up for the quirks and potential pitfalls. Plus I fancy something with a bit of grunt having had two revvy MX5s as my last cars.
Kambites – can’t get my bloody SWMBO passed the Skoda badge unfortunately, try as I might. The 1-series would be my daily / run-around and the Civic would still be the family car so as long as it is vaguely useable in emergencies i.e. Civic out of action for any reason, then I think it would be ok.
k-ink – thanks for the ideas. I was dead set on the Legacy estate (and still might consider it) until I decided that we could live without a bigger car if we got the roof box. Is the IS300 4 door?
Keyser Soze – interesting.
Are you looking for an MX5 in particular? Mine is a supercharged Mk1 running at 190 bhp....PM me for more details and I would be interested to hear about your MPS.Some great suggestions – I love the 159 but don’t think my budget would fetch the coveted TI spec. Also love the Alfa GT but only 3 door.
The Megane R26 was also something that came up on my radar but might be a bit hardcore?
I do sometimes wonder whether you actually read the OP's posts 300
Doesn't want an estate.
Needs to go well and be a decent steer.
Replacement for an MX-5 with a bit more praticality.
Suggested possibilities are either small saloons or hatchbacks.
I've got nothing against the Defender or the Jeep particularly but I think describing them as "left field" options in this case is a bit ridiculous TBH, sense of occasion or not.
To the OP, I would suggest that all of your "possibles" are likely to be fairly pricey to service/repair TBH.
Mondeo ST220? - Decent running costs (I'm assuming MPG doesn't come into it), nice engine, nice sound, great to drive, very practical (they even do an estate version
).
Doesn't want an estate.
Needs to go well and be a decent steer.
Replacement for an MX-5 with a bit more praticality.
Suggested possibilities are either small saloons or hatchbacks.
I've got nothing against the Defender or the Jeep particularly but I think describing them as "left field" options in this case is a bit ridiculous TBH, sense of occasion or not.
To the OP, I would suggest that all of your "possibles" are likely to be fairly pricey to service/repair TBH.
Mondeo ST220? - Decent running costs (I'm assuming MPG doesn't come into it), nice engine, nice sound, great to drive, very practical (they even do an estate version
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