Need advice- Hot hatch for under 11k

[kevj84]

After stupidly getting rid of my FN2 Civic which I purchased new from a local Honda dealer. I'm now (well in the next couple of months) looking for something fun. Budget of 11k.
Top of my list at the minute,
Mazda 3 MPS.
Followed by an Astra Vxr or maybe a Focus ST.

Can anyone open my eyes to anything else worth looking at?

[kambites]

Are you after cruising ability; B-road blasting ability, or a combination of the two?

[kevj84]

Combination of the 2 really. The Mazda seams to tick all the boxes but not heard much about them to be honest.

[LiamM45]

Golf GTi Ed30, Audi S3, Seat Leon K1.

I had a slightly lower budget (9k). Ruled out the above on price. Didn't like the bobby basic Mk5 GTi. Ruled out the Focus ST as soon as I looked at 7 of them, they were all awful.

Mazda 3 MPS was very nice, in the end I got an '08 Astra VXR.

If I had a little more to spend I think I would have gone for the Golf Edition 30.

[kevj84]

Totally forgot about the Seat Leon K1. Very nice car! The thing that puts me off about the ST is my dad has just sold his second focus so find them a tad boring now.

[philmots]

Early Megane 250 - no brainer

[kevj84]

LiamM45- How you getting on with the Vxr? Looks like theres some good ones to choose from online. Have they got any known weaknesses i should look at for?

[LiamM45]

kevj84 said:

Totally forgot about the Seat Leon K1. Very nice car! The thing that puts me off about the ST is my dad has just sold his second focus so find them a tad boring now.

After going in the Focus, I only really liked the noise it made. After reading up on them, I was little bit put off by some weak spots on them too.

The Astra was a lot more fun, it felt a bit more special than the Focus, fair bit quicker in a straight line and I easily get over 30mpg pootling to work and back. Try one, the handling is WAY better than most people think, but they are definitely an acquired taste! Apart from a naff gearbox they are pretty reliable and cheap to maintain (cambelt and waterpump at VX was under £300 for example)

Leon K1 is a lovely car, well worth a look.

[mike9009]

Your criteria are fairly wide at the moment, but this should lose less in depreciation.

...and handle better? and quick 0-60.....

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2013...

Don't know much about the others you mention, sorry...

Mike

[kevj84]

Cheers for the feed back peeps. Gives me a couple more ideas. Will keep a look out for a couple local to test drive.

[shoestring7]

Buy a nice spec. mk 5 Golf, spend £1k on a Bilstein/KW suspension kit, a couple of hundred on a Revo chip and spend the rest on hookers etc.. It'll be all the car you need and they're a very satisfying ownership proposition.

SS7

[lewisf182]

Has to be new shape megane 250 for that money surely? Maybe a mk6 golf gti? Or a very good 130i?

[thebigmacmoomin]

LiamM45 said:

After going in the Focus, I only really liked the noise it made. After reading up on them, I was little bit put off by some weak spots on them too.

My 2007 Focus ST has had no weak spots in 4.5 years. In that time, all ive needed to spend out on it is tyres, fuel & servicing.

[kevj84]

shoestring7 said:

Buy a nice spec. mk 5 Golf, spend £1k on a Bilstein/KW suspension kit, a couple of hundred on a Revo chip and spend the rest on hookers etc.. It'll be all the car you need and they're a very satisfying ownership proposition.

SS7

Like your style..........Not sure the wife does though ;-)

[billy939]

I'd go for a Golf Gti Edition 30, and I'm not a VW fan at all.
They're good looking, handle well, well equipped, quicker than most of the above and are very watered down in standard form so once mapped can push 300hp. In grey they look discreet but nice.

The alternative for me would be a Megane 250 if you can afford one, they're probably a better drivers car but won't have the same quality as the VW. Huge amount of fun though

[kevj84]

Megane 250 was top of the board but just pushing to the top end of my budget with higher mileage than i'd like, Going to have a little heads up on the Golf now.

[kazman]

billy939 said:

I'd go for a Golf Gti Edition 30, and I'm not a VW fan at all.
They're good looking, handle well, well equipped, quicker than most of the above and are very watered down in standard form so once mapped can push 300hp. In grey they look discreet but nice.

I bought one in grey last week, so you have made me feel all good about my purchase!
Oh, and I love the car, it really is a great all rounder.

[Grimezy93]

Mini Cooper S JCW?

[Court_S]

Slightly left field, but what about a 130?

Some don't like the looks (I do) but the engine is great and will be reasonably economcal if needed too. You should be able to get a good one in your budget and have some change for a BMW Performance exhaust / carbon air intake.

I'd chuck in a vote for the Ed30 too - I'm not really a GTi fan and never really got them, but I drove one last year and came very close to buying it and 'got it'. They do command a fair premium over the boggo GTi though.

I like the ST (makes a great noise) but the interior is feeling old now in my opinion and they do like a drink.

[Sir_Dave]

My Golf Mk5 R32 was at least 5 billion times better than the Ed30 i had if that helps.

Tax was slightly more, but mpg was the same, it sounded nice (instead of like a dishwasher), brakes were good (instead of rubbish) and it went anywhere rain or shine. Id have another quite happily.