New Car Possibilities - Opinions?

[Cowbo]

Hi I'm Callum, I've just joined here. I'm 23 and an electrician, currently driving a mk7 fiesta zetec s. Living in Edinburgh in Scotland.

I joined here to get some opinions as I have a serious itch to go for my first "real" performance car. Initially I would have jumped straight into more of a hot hatch but being an apprentice when I bought my car and the insurance in the UK for new drivers being shocking the little fiesta was quite a good compromise I thought haha.

Been driving 4 years with 4 years NCB (and now not an apprentice!) So my girlfriends little brother just recently bought an 06 mkV r32 and what a car it is.. That lovely blue colour, gloss black ed30 bbs style alloys and a full milltek catback exhaust system.. :drool:
Took me for a spin in it the other night and my god I was impressed. Being kicked back in your seat from all that torque as soon as he booted it and the noise.. Uhh haha. Now my uncle recently just bought a mk7 golf gti with the performance pack and this was also pretty rapid, almost to the same effect haha.

So basically, this has really hit it home just how much I need to get myself something similar to this performance as I had the biggest grin on my face the whole time being in his car.. So using this as a benchmark can anyone who has owned any of these cars or more than 1 of them give advice towards the following:

My budget is around 14k and I have been looking at megane RS250s, Focus ST 225 as I love the sound and even toyed with a 350z but never driven a RWD car (bar super cars round a track for a few laps haha) so that is putting me off a bit. Realise the running costs are high on these also. Road tax etc being a 3.5 v6..
Looked at facelift leon Cupra R's a swell but think the others beat these on looks big time. I love the meganes as I think they look stunning and I've only ever seen 2 up here in Scotland.

Edited by Cowbo on Saturday 17th May 19:54

Edited by Cowbo on Saturday 17th May 19:55

[somynameiswhat]

Have you considered the 130i? They're a hoot apparently. Other than that, an ST225 sounds like a good car too.

[bp1000]

This is a real beast : http://www.autotrader.co.uk/used-cars/bmw/1-series...

But as said consider the 130i over it. The 130i with a manual box is a joy to drive. It also is a more reliable set up and I don't think you will need a warranty on it.

135i has outright pace and shove from anywhere in rev range bit prone to certain issues.

Both are excellent choices.

Never a fan of the fords but the Renaults are a very good choice but I'd still picked the 130i

[skahigh]

You really need to drive some of these cars to find out what you like, my last few cars have been E46 M3, MK2 Focus ST and currently 350Z.

The Z is a totally totally different kind of drive from the Focus and IMHO far more interesting (I feel I have rather outgrown hot hatches though).

The Z has a low seating position where the Focus is relatively high and things like brake and steering feel are in a different league.

Personally, I'd have to think long and hard about going back to a FWD vehicle.

[Cowbo]

I really liked the look of these 130i's but started researching them and it seems a lot of them with the N52 engine (Z4's as well) develope a very loud ticking noise and it is actually the HVAs that need changing, failing that a new designed cylinder head..
Not a problem I want happening without being able to go back to the dealer with a warranty. Seems a pricey fix. But I did really like them before I heard about all this amd all the problems people had tryin to get bmw to pay out.

Ultimately I will of course be test driving all cars mentioned but was just interested in the feedback here. As I understand the focus st has just as much torque as the r32 just down a little on power. I'm also quite interested in going down the modding route (not going crazy) so I guess the turbo option is the way to go if I decide that way

Edited by Cowbo on Saturday 17th May 21:50

Edited by Cowbo on Saturday 17th May 21:52

[fozluvscars]

Every car you research on the internet has a horror story, but some are more valid than others. The unit in the 130i is supposed to be very reliable, so I'd be surprised if you had issues with it. I was warned not to buy my mps for a variety of reasons, but have had 2 years trouble free motoring. For your sort of money I'd go for an R32 - that was my first choice but couldn't afford it at the time. In the real world the ST will be quicker and will also be easier to extract more power, but the R32 is very capable and what would you rather be seen in? (Plus they sound lovely) Anyway, happy hunting and do lots and lots of test drives!

[BJG1]

Go rear-wheel drive IMO. I had the same choices as you a year ago and I went with a Boxster S - test drove a few hot haches and just didn't find them anywhere near as fun. I'd be choosing from the 3 below in your position.

Boxster S
Z4M
E46 M3

[Cowbo]

Thanks for the replies. I do really like the r32.. Very envious haha. I will prob get it tight if I bring home the same car as him but it's definitely on the test drive list. If it's the best drive that won't get in the way!

I've kind of crossed the focus st off my list as I test drove one recently and i found it very underwhelming.. Did not feel very quick. Didn't have the same urgency as the r32. Did like the torque when rolling though! Seemed to have decent pull in every gear.

Ultimately I want something that feels fast as well as being fast haha. And to the replies I don't really have any practicalities to account for.. No kids ATM and not fussed about boot space etc..

Bit dubious about the whole RWD experience though. Not keen on the idea of the back end sliding out round a bend haha.

[BJG1]

The back end slipping out is what it's all about ;-) test drive a Boxster S round some twisties the same day as an ST then see if you're still dubious

[Snowboy]

Slightly serious overly cautious post.

Scotland has crappy weather.
As much as I'd live to suggest a red sports car you might not want one as your own my car in a Scottish winter.
..
Unless you plan to budget for a full set of winter tyres.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

Slightly off the wall suggestion but if you like the r32 so much, how about a TT?

Same car in a prettier frock

[d3llams]

How about any of these? They all seem to fit your bill one way or another.

Lotus Elise S2
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/l...

Subaru Impreza WRX STI
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/s...

Megane RS250
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/r...

Nissan 350Z Roadster
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/n...

Audi S3
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/a...

Vauxhall VX220
http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/v...

[Johnnytheboy]

This may seem ridiculously pedestrian, but if both the cars you liked were Golfs, why not buy the best/fastest Golf your budget will allow?

Just sayin'.

[J8 SVG]

Try a Clio 197/200. Maybe not as fast in a straight line but you'll chase most other hot hatches down a road with corners and they're just so much fun! Insurance doesn't seem to be that bad on them either I'm 23 and it's my 4th car, 2 1.4s and a 1.6 before and it certainly feels fast compared to them

[rb5er]

Im suprisrd you were blown away by the Golf yet underwhelmed by the focus. They are on par with eachother performance wise and both make a lovely noise.

The Focus is way more playful though.

If you want more performance but not RWD perhaps in impreza might be the way to go.

[ORD]

Dont buy a RWD car. I did, and I died about a 13 times in the first week alone.

A RWD car will, of course, go around the same corner faster than an equivalent FWD car and will be more stable at speed. But, hey, just listen to someone's aunty about how a chap driving a 911 crashed it in the mid-1980s.

I dont even know where this "RWD is death!" thing comes from. We have a country full of BMWs that dont seem to be flying into any ditches.

The real difference is this - if you drive a FWD car very badly indeed, you are more likely to get away with it than if you do the same in a RWD car because (1) you will be going faster in the RWD car when it happens (usually) and (2) braking at the wrong time in a RWD car is worse than doing the same in a FWD.

I leave out of consideration driving in snow, because a RWD car on winters is better than a FWD on summers, so just use the right tyres for the job.

[vexed]

If you are looking for something more engaging and exciting- go for a two seat RWD sports car which is low down and compromised.
You don't need to spend all of that budget to get someothing fun.
In my opinion, the best way of keeping your new car feeling exciting is to have a second car.
You get used to the feel of acceleration in a faster car, until you lose the feeling you experienced in the golfs. By having two cars you are always aware of the performance advantages in the 'good' car, and the compromises don't annoy you!
Go shopping with £8-10k and keep your old car/trade it for a banger.

[Cowbo]

I do really like these meganes, very exclusive up here. Lucky to even see 1 driving about. Feels special, I quite like that. Also seen a Leon cupra r mk2 the other day driving about in the city, looked very mean..

Finding it hard organising a test drive for these 2 as not many near me at all. I am definately going to give the 350Z a try as I really like the look and sound of these also.

[Cowbo]

Would have to look into the Subaru a bit more, looks are a bit meh to me. The rear lights are a big turn off haha. The s3 looks really dull to me also.

Annoyingly, why didn't they use the engine from the 130i hatch in the coupe shape? (Think these look very smart) There is a massive power gap between the 125i and 135i..

But thanks for the suggestions!

Edited by Cowbo on Monday 19th May 14:50

[Tje]

I would have a good look at some imprezas.

Inside can seem a little dates, but the performance you get is great.