I'm very stuck....what car thread

[S10GTA]

I have sold the XM and I am now carless and I am very stuck on my next move.

I need something fun and involving to drive as I cycle to work most days so the car is only used if I have to go somewhere and occasionally I will drive to work. The woman has a practical 5 door car, so mine needs to be less so. I sold the XM because although it was good at longer trips, it was boring for my normal use.

My current "list" included:

Clio 172/182 (feel they might be a bit childlike for me)
Clio Williams
Xsara VTS
306 GTI-6/Rallye
ZX 16v

My actual requirements:

Must have rear seats (baby due end Dec)
Manual
Involving to drive
Fun
Ideally French or Italian
Not German

Budget: £1-2,000.

Previous cars owned in reverse order:

Citroen XM (7 weeks)
Alfa 156 GTA (4 years)
Citroen Xsara VTS (was excellent) (2 years)
Nissan 300zx (1 year)
Citroen Xantia Activa (2 years)
Vauxhall Cav (3 months)
Ford Capri (6 weeks)
Mitsubish FTO (1 year)
Citroen Xsara Westcost (Company Car)
Ford Escort (1 year)
Ford Fiesta (1 year)

I'm stuck

[JulietRomeo]

You omitted the Mi16 !

[CYMR0]

2.0 TS 156?

Cheap, reasonably sporting, not too juicy (like the V6) and you liked your GTA.

Maybe not as sharp as some of the others but much sharper than an XM.

[S10GTA]

CYMR0 said:

2.0 TS 156?

Cheap, reasonably sporting, not too juicy (like the V6) and you liked your GTA.

Maybe not as sharp as some of the others but much sharper than an XM.

I had considered one, but after the GTA I feel it would be such a let down I'd rather not.

[v8will]

Leftfield: Volvo 850 T5

Case for - Cheap now, plenty of shove, not a bad steer and plenty of room for baby stuff. Safe too. Epic 5cyl warble

Case against - Neither French or Italian, thirsty, not borkful but will no doubt need a few quid spent on it. Desirable models getting harder to source in good nick (T5-R, R)

The 306 would tick alot of boxes for me TBH and fulfils alot of your criteria.

[S10GTA]

v8will said:

Leftfield: Volvo 850 T5

Thanks for the idea, but its too big. I don't want or need a huge car.

[illmonkey]

JulietRomeo said:

You omitted the Mi16 !

It can sometimes be worrying when a member on a forum has a better memory than you!

[S10GTA]

illmonkey said:

JulietRomeo said:

You omitted the Mi16 !

It can sometimes be worrying when a member on a forum has a better memory than you!

The MI16 doesn't count. I never drove it more than a few meters!

[v8will]

S10GTA said:

Thanks for the idea, but its too big. I don't want or need a huge car.

I was thinking from the child point of view, wee buggers need a serious amount of kit

[BuzzLightyear]

How about this one?
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

[trixyD]

S10GTA said:

CYMR0 said:

2.0 TS 156?

Cheap, reasonably sporting, not too juicy (like the V6) and you liked your GTA.

Maybe not as sharp as some of the others but much sharper than an XM.

I had considered one, but after the GTA I feel it would be such a let down I'd rather not.

What about the 2.5 V6, not as fast as the GTA but surely not that much of a let down compared to the 2.0?

[illmonkey]

S10GTA said:

illmonkey said:

JulietRomeo said:

You omitted the Mi16 !

It can sometimes be worrying when a member on a forum has a better memory than you!

The MI16 doesn't count. I never drove it more than a few meters!

I almost added "But then the OP comes in and makes up some excuse why he's not put it"...

You still owned it

[S10GTA]

BuzzLightyear said:

How about this one?
http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...

That is an excellent find. A really interesting car!

If it was a bit more local then I would consider it, but being that far away would rule it out for me. I'm willing to travel for something that I really like or want, but I don't have enough want to travel from Southampton for that.

[T66ORA]

What you sold that price winner already!!?

What about a BX 16v? Superb drivers car (i`m told) revvy 16v engine,cheap to run, 5 door for the sprog,collectable, active owners club, (the two of you)
I know of a lovely Grey one available in your budget.

[philmots]

S10GTA said:

Thanks for the idea, but its too big. I don't want or need a huge car.

How about an S40 T4?

For example... http://item.mobileweb.ebay.co.uk/viewitem?itemId=2...

They're not big at all.

[Reardy Mister]

306GTi-6 FTW.

They are unbelievably quick for what they are.

I had a 400hp F150 Lightning and had an impromptu race with one of these from Salisbury to Cheltenham nearly. They overtake very quickly and the Lightning was pushed to keep up (Granted, they do weigh nearly 3 tonnes).

But I was very impressed by it and was quite sure the driver of the Pug was enjoying his drive immensely, whilst I was terrified thanks to having to stay with him with significantly less capacity to stop or take corners.

Fun though.

[Reardy Mister]

trixyD said:

S10GTA said:

CYMR0 said:

2.0 TS 156?

Cheap, reasonably sporting, not too juicy (like the V6) and you liked your GTA.

Maybe not as sharp as some of the others but much sharper than an XM.

I had considered one, but after the GTA I feel it would be such a let down I'd rather not.

What about the 2.5 V6, not as fast as the GTA but surely not that much of a let down compared to the 2.0?

Even after a GTA, I'd say the t.spark is a better bet than the V6.

[S10GTA]

Reardy Mister said:

trixyD said:

S10GTA said:

CYMR0 said:

2.0 TS 156?

Cheap, reasonably sporting, not too juicy (like the V6) and you liked your GTA.

Maybe not as sharp as some of the others but much sharper than an XM.

I had considered one, but after the GTA I feel it would be such a let down I'd rather not.

What about the 2.5 V6, not as fast as the GTA but surely not that much of a let down compared to the 2.0?

Even after a GTA, I'd say the t.spark is a better bet than the V6.

Really don't want another 156, I miss mine too much

[richardxjr]

Fiat Coupe. A looked after one, perhaps off fccuk.org. Still a great car, handbuilt so feels special if you know what I mean.

[Reardy Mister]

http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...