£10k budget. Petrol, fast, practical, reliable motor...

[JuanGandini]

Hi All,

I've got £10k to invest in a new motor to upgrade from my current dull MKIV Golf 2.0. I currently drive to work (80 mile round trip 3 days per week) so I'm looking for something that can stand up to a bit of mileage but offer more fun and thrills when the occassion presents itself. I'm not massively worried about MPG, but 30 and above would be ideal. I'd also like the car to feel like a nice place to be and not massively dated inside.

As the missus and I haven't got kids yet then a 2 seater isn't completely out of the question but ideally I'd like something that does offer 4 seats and a decent boot as it will be our only family car (no space or parking for this to be a weekend toy).

I've thought about BMW 135i/330i coupes, but they're just out of reach for the budget. Does anyone have any ideas/recommendations??

Alternatively I have thought perhaps some sort of cheap Merc lease deal could be the answer, but then you have nothing to show for your investment at the end of the term.

Confused and seeking inspiration please!

[zabba]

130i would be worth considering. Or many other hot hatches that would also be significantly better to drive than the MkIV golf. Mk 5 Gti, Megane R26, Focus ST etc

[nick-elise]

10k I would be looking at either a 130 or something like a Clio 200.

[lewisf182]

I will be in the same boat as you soon if all goes to plan, and I too am struggling on what choice to make. Z4 3.0 SI would be my ideal choice but i would prefer the 4 seats. I had though about e46 M3's seen as they are so cheap for the performance on offer but thought they were dated inside... but then I found out you can buy android based head units which bring the interior up to modern standards IMO, sat nav, media player, tv player etc etc. This is looking like my choice anyway.

Other than that a 335i may just be acheivable for £10k soon?
Porsche 987 boxter?
Mazda 3 MPS

[fartIN'ajar]

DC5 Integra if you don't mind the boy racer image

[300bhp/ton]

What sort of roads is your 80 mile trip on? Is it mostly motorway or B road. Would this affect your preference?

What's your driving style, do you like something a bit hooligan, or more precise and delicate?

Is speed the only main criteria?

Do you plan to keep it a while or will it be sold on pretty soon?

[RobM77]

130i is well worth a look. Ugly, but practical, comfortable driving position and it's got rear wheel drive with it's masses distributed out throughout the car for excellent handling. 30mpg average is easily achievable, and they'll do a lot more than that on the motorway.

[rotta]

e39 m5
B5 rs4
e46 m3
996 c2/4

all comfy on the commute and can make your hair stand on end when your not commuting... not so sure on the 30mpg though but you cant have it all i suppose

[BenM77]

By your description I would be looking at E90 coupes

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/b...

Or Mercedes clk coupes

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/m...

Good for the commute (nice place to be)

[RSoovy4]

B7 S4 V8

[JuanGandini]

300bhp/ton said:

What sort of roads is your 80 mile trip on? Is it mostly motorway or B road. Would this affect your preference?

What's your driving style, do you like something a bit hooligan, or more precise and delicate?

Is speed the only main criteria?

Do you plan to keep it a while or will it be sold on pretty soon?

The commute is M25 then westbound M4 so pretty much stop start for the first half and then room to cruise on the M4 (so long as lorries aren't all making stupid overtaking moves and and cars crashing into the back of each other!) So I'd like something that's comfortable on a cruise but is good in the twisties for weekend fun.

I'm a RWD novice and my driving style is smooth rather than hooligan. Something that's balanced and precise would be good, but with room for a bit of slip when it feels like it! Speed isn't the only criteria - it'd be a novelty to be able to reach 60 in single digits for me!

I tend to keep my cars for a decent amount of time. I guess it all depends on if my circumstances change or if the car ends up driving me nuts with reliability issues really!

[300bhp/ton]

I know it'd be older, but I'd be tempted to look at late e36 M3 Evo's tbh. You'd be able to buy an absolute minter and still pocket some change. It's a better performance car in every way over any 'x'30i BMW.

DC5 would be quite good too.

[RobM77]

JuanGandini said:

300bhp/ton said:

What sort of roads is your 80 mile trip on? Is it mostly motorway or B road. Would this affect your preference?

What's your driving style, do you like something a bit hooligan, or more precise and delicate?

Is speed the only main criteria?

Do you plan to keep it a while or will it be sold on pretty soon?

The commute is M25 then westbound M4 so pretty much stop start for the first half and then room to cruise on the M4 (so long as lorries aren't all making stupid overtaking moves and and cars crashing into the back of each other!) So I'd like something that's comfortable on a cruise but is good in the twisties for weekend fun.

I'm a RWD novice and my driving style is smooth rather than hooligan. Something that's balanced and precise would be good, but with room for a bit of slip when it feels like it! Speed isn't the only criteria - it'd be a novelty to be able to reach 60 in single digits for me!

I tend to keep my cars for a decent amount of time. I guess it all depends on if my circumstances change or if the car ends up driving me nuts with reliability issues really!

Don't worry about being a 'RWD Novice' - almost all road cars, especially those in this sector, are absolutely fine and safe and won't get you into trouble. My fiancée doesn't like driving my E90 3 series because she's used to much smaller cars, but the times she has driven it she's mentioned its far better balance and poise in the corners compared with her FWD car (which actually handles very well in its own right) - if that's something you want, then a FE/RWD car such as the 1 or 3 series will impress you I'm sure. Incidentally, I picked the E90 because of the bigger interior space (I often carry my road bike in the car to stop it getting mucky on my tow bar carrier, plus my cello sometimes too) compared with the 1 series - it's surprising given how much bigger the 3 seems inside but it's only a couple of inches longer than the 1 series.

I do the same journey as you going the other way and the 3 series is an excellent companion - it's very quiet compared with most cars, very comfortable and the iDrive with traffic built in has got me out of trouble and back home quickly more times than I can remember. Yes, they're extremely common cars, but there are lots of good reasons for that.

So to the 130i on the list I'd add, as others have said, a 3 series. Don't feel you need to stretch to a 335i if you can't afford one; straight line pace is nice to have, but you may find after time that other things matter more to you. Sounds like you should test drive a few cars and discover what particular model suits you best. Despite loving petrol and loathing diesel I actually ended up with a diesel model, purely because it drove the best of all the ones I've tried, other than the M3, which I'd already discounted on mpg grounds. Everyone has different priorities though so only you can be the judge of that.

Edited by RobM77 on Tuesday 19th March 12:13

[Grandad7184]

it has to be an MX5 for all your needs.

[rotta]

another option is cheap comfy commuter with slush box and something larey for the weekends, e39, big merc, audi for the commute and a fully set up mx5, 944s2, boxster, s2000, might squeeze a 968 (but not sport/clubsport) older tvr, ITR, e36 m3 theres loads of weekend pulse racers for 6-7k

[rossub]

Civic Type R 2007-11 ticks all of the boxes. More modern than the DC5, although not quite as fast clearly.

A 3 year old one with sub 30k miles would be within budget.

[Steve_F]

Supercharged Jag would suit your needs. Absolutely relaxed cruiser that can properly shift if needed.

Doing a motorway commute like that I'd be looking auto (possibly DSG) that can be a completely relaxed unless provoked - something a bit less refined and more driver focussed will get very boring, very quickly on the motorways...

[300bhp/ton]

Steve_F said:

Doing a motorway commute like that I'd be looking auto (possibly DSG) that can be a completely relaxed unless provoked

Do you really need an auto for motorways? Not as if you tend to do much gear shifting really, not even in heavy traffic.

[astirling]

OP, what happened to the ENDLESS chat about an M135i?

[JuanGandini]

astirling said:

OP, what happened to the ENDLESS chat about an M135i?

Haha! Thanks for bringing that up!

I just can't justify £30k to myself (let alone the missus) so I'm thinking that a stopgap is the only option until there are some affordable second hand M135is around!

When you look at what sort of metal is available at £10k it really brings it home how much more you can get for your money on the used market, although nothing would beat the feeling of getting something thoroughly modern and brand new!