Best sounding, interesting car, affordable for 10k.
Discussion
Considering shifting my car on for something more interesting than a family hatchback.
My budget is around ten grand, but at the top end of the budget, I would want something reasonably reliable and affordable to run - i.e. no eight grand 150k miles BMW 6 Series!
I want something interesting and perhaps not all that common, relatively quick (but doesn't need to be monstrously quick - thinking around 6-7s 0-60 and 190+ bhp), preferably n/a. I probably do 600 to 800 miles a month, a mix of motorway and back roads. Ideally it wouldn't be something too small - I need some practicality, although really only two seats - so small back seats that fold flat would work fine. If I can get my road bikes in or on, all the better!
Thoughts so far:
FN2 Type R is at the top of my list. It's the car I wish I'd bought originally. Common as muck, admittedly, but one of the last of the n/a hot hatches. I would look for a Championship White edition with the LSD and also in a colour scheme that cooking spec Civics didn't come in, so looks a little more unusual.
Integra DC5 - love it, but ten grand seems to be getting a 100k miles version, and on a 12/13 year old car I would be worried about cost of running.
Alfa Romeo Brera v6 - beautiful car, would sound amazing, but £535 tax and sub 20mpg would make it ruinous to run, and it isn't meant to be the sportiest car to drive.
Anyone got any other suggestions?
My budget is around ten grand, but at the top end of the budget, I would want something reasonably reliable and affordable to run - i.e. no eight grand 150k miles BMW 6 Series!
I want something interesting and perhaps not all that common, relatively quick (but doesn't need to be monstrously quick - thinking around 6-7s 0-60 and 190+ bhp), preferably n/a. I probably do 600 to 800 miles a month, a mix of motorway and back roads. Ideally it wouldn't be something too small - I need some practicality, although really only two seats - so small back seats that fold flat would work fine. If I can get my road bikes in or on, all the better!
Thoughts so far:
FN2 Type R is at the top of my list. It's the car I wish I'd bought originally. Common as muck, admittedly, but one of the last of the n/a hot hatches. I would look for a Championship White edition with the LSD and also in a colour scheme that cooking spec Civics didn't come in, so looks a little more unusual.
Integra DC5 - love it, but ten grand seems to be getting a 100k miles version, and on a 12/13 year old car I would be worried about cost of running.
Alfa Romeo Brera v6 - beautiful car, would sound amazing, but £535 tax and sub 20mpg would make it ruinous to run, and it isn't meant to be the sportiest car to drive.
Anyone got any other suggestions?
BMW 125i - N/A Straight six with 215bhp which can be mapped up to 260bhp I believe (same engine as 130i) which makes it pretty quick. Is it interesting enough? Not sure but you don't seem to find many of them and it's a superb engine in a pretty small car. Price seems to be around the £9k mark at the moment.
designforlife said:
You'll get a lower mileage DC5 for £10k easy, mine only had 64k and i paid £9k for it.
Running costs are the same as an EP3 type R, its more or less the same car.
Hmm, I haven't seen too many. Well, not stock ones, and I would want a stock one in order to keep insurance costs reasonable. Running costs are the same as an EP3 type R, its more or less the same car.
adaptive said:
Monaro if you can stomach the fuel & tax
Would be worse than the Brera! GTID said:
BMW 125i - N/A Straight six with 215bhp which can be mapped up to 260bhp I believe (same engine as 130i) which makes it pretty quick. Is it interesting enough? Not sure but you don't seem to find many of them and it's a superb engine in a pretty small car. Price seems to be around the £9k mark at the moment.
Premium marques and the reputation for poor reliability and expensive servicing/parts costs scares me off. Though a n/a straight six is interesting, will check it out .
9cAAOSwKoRZZPIfhttps://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
More or less stock, 68k miles.
Tbh modifications are unlikely to affect your premium if you stick with brokers. I pay £440 a year with greenlight, mods are included at no extra cost.
You've mentioned DC5s repeatedly in a few threads now, sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of one though. They're honestly a very solid buy.
More or less stock, 68k miles.
Tbh modifications are unlikely to affect your premium if you stick with brokers. I pay £440 a year with greenlight, mods are included at no extra cost.
You've mentioned DC5s repeatedly in a few threads now, sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of one though. They're honestly a very solid buy.
designforlife said:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
More or less stock, 68k miles.
Tbh modifications are unlikely to affect your premium if you stick with brokers. I pay £440 a year with greenlight, mods are included at no extra cost.
You've mentioned DC5s repeatedly in a few threads now, sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of one though. They're honestly a very solid buy.
Hmm interesting. I think my main insurance problem is being relatively young (25) without much NCB (1 year) as I went a few years without a car. 850 for my current car, around 900-1100 for a Type R, a wee bit more for a stock DC5, but as soon as I declare any modifications at all into a comparison site nobody will insure me. Though that's possibly the fact they are comparison sites rather than brokers. More or less stock, 68k miles.
Tbh modifications are unlikely to affect your premium if you stick with brokers. I pay £440 a year with greenlight, mods are included at no extra cost.
You've mentioned DC5s repeatedly in a few threads now, sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of one though. They're honestly a very solid buy.
BuzzBravado said:
what could possibly go wrong?. Integroo said:
designforlife said:
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
More or less stock, 68k miles.
Tbh modifications are unlikely to affect your premium if you stick with brokers. I pay £440 a year with greenlight, mods are included at no extra cost.
You've mentioned DC5s repeatedly in a few threads now, sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of one though. They're honestly a very solid buy.
Hmm interesting. I think my main insurance problem is being relatively young (25) without much NCB (1 year) as I went a few years without a car. 850 for my current car, around 900-1100 for a Type R, a wee bit more for a stock DC5, but as soon as I declare any modifications at all into a comparison site nobody will insure me. Though that's possibly the fact they are comparison sites rather than brokers. More or less stock, 68k miles.
Tbh modifications are unlikely to affect your premium if you stick with brokers. I pay £440 a year with greenlight, mods are included at no extra cost.
You've mentioned DC5s repeatedly in a few threads now, sounds like you're trying to talk yourself out of one though. They're honestly a very solid buy.
Stick to brokers and specialists and you should be able to get it insured cheap enough.
Integroo said:
Considering shifting my car on for something more interesting than a family hatchback.
My budget is around ten grand, but at the top end of the budget, I would want something reasonably reliable and affordable to run - i.e. no eight grand 150k miles BMW 6 Series!
I want something interesting and perhaps not all that common, relatively quick (but doesn't need to be monstrously quick - thinking around 6-7s 0-60 and 190+ bhp), preferably n/a. I probably do 600 to 800 miles a month, a mix of motorway and back roads. Ideally it wouldn't be something too small - I need some practicality, although really only two seats - so small back seats that fold flat would work fine. If I can get my road bikes in or on, all the better!
Thoughts so far:
FN2 Type R is at the top of my list. It's the car I wish I'd bought originally. Common as muck, admittedly, but one of the last of the n/a hot hatches. I would look for a Championship White edition with the LSD and also in a colour scheme that cooking spec Civics didn't come in, so looks a little more unusual.
Integra DC5 - love it, but ten grand seems to be getting a 100k miles version, and on a 12/13 year old car I would be worried about cost of running.
Alfa Romeo Brera v6 - beautiful car, would sound amazing, but £535 tax and sub 20mpg would make it ruinous to run, and it isn't meant to be the sportiest car to drive.
Anyone got any other suggestions?
Your thread title seems to be completely unrelated to your op. My budget is around ten grand, but at the top end of the budget, I would want something reasonably reliable and affordable to run - i.e. no eight grand 150k miles BMW 6 Series!
I want something interesting and perhaps not all that common, relatively quick (but doesn't need to be monstrously quick - thinking around 6-7s 0-60 and 190+ bhp), preferably n/a. I probably do 600 to 800 miles a month, a mix of motorway and back roads. Ideally it wouldn't be something too small - I need some practicality, although really only two seats - so small back seats that fold flat would work fine. If I can get my road bikes in or on, all the better!
Thoughts so far:
FN2 Type R is at the top of my list. It's the car I wish I'd bought originally. Common as muck, admittedly, but one of the last of the n/a hot hatches. I would look for a Championship White edition with the LSD and also in a colour scheme that cooking spec Civics didn't come in, so looks a little more unusual.
Integra DC5 - love it, but ten grand seems to be getting a 100k miles version, and on a 12/13 year old car I would be worried about cost of running.
Alfa Romeo Brera v6 - beautiful car, would sound amazing, but £535 tax and sub 20mpg would make it ruinous to run, and it isn't meant to be the sportiest car to drive.
Anyone got any other suggestions?
I assume it's your op that you want answers too though. But as funky tech wise as a K20 engine. I'm not sure they could ever be grouped as 'best sounding' unless your list explicitly excluded vehicles with more than 4 cylinders.
johnxjsc1985 said:
BuzzBravado said:
what could possibly go wrong?. 300bhp/ton said:
Your thread title seems to be completely unrelated to your op.
I assume it's your op that you want answers too though. But as funky tech wise as a K20 engine. I'm not sure they could ever be grouped as 'best sounding' unless your list explicitly excluded vehicles with more than 4 cylinders.
I mean I agree but the K20 sounds nice as far as 4 cyl goes and the power delivery is certainly more intetesting than a small turbo 4 cyl. I'd go 6/8 cyl if there was one that fits my other requirements and doesn't get 15mpg (Brera, Monaro etc). Even 25mpg would suffice in real life driving.I assume it's your op that you want answers too though. But as funky tech wise as a K20 engine. I'm not sure they could ever be grouped as 'best sounding' unless your list explicitly excluded vehicles with more than 4 cylinders.
I'm sure many here shall disagree with me, but I'll throw it out anyway. A last gen (5 pot) Focus ST.
I had one for 2 years, and I wish I never sold it. Remapped with Puma Speed to 280bhp, for under £400.
I never bored of the sound of it was awesome, the hoon it was to drive, and with the remap it was quick. I'd love another.
Look at an ST3 spec.
I had one for 2 years, and I wish I never sold it. Remapped with Puma Speed to 280bhp, for under £400.
I never bored of the sound of it was awesome, the hoon it was to drive, and with the remap it was quick. I'd love another.
Look at an ST3 spec.
Integroo said:
I mean I agree but the K20 sounds nice as far as 4 cyl goes and the power delivery is certainly more intetesting than a small turbo 4 cyl. I'd go 6/8 cyl if there was one that fits my other requirements and doesn't get 15mpg (Brera, Monaro etc). Even 25mpg would suffice in real life driving.
Real life driving will depend on your journey type and your driving style. I used to have an Impreza Turbo. Which I loved the sound off,despite being a 4 pot. But it was no better on fuel than my 5.7 V8 Camaro.
Re your comment about prestige brands and reliability. Personally I'd say you might want to re evaluate that opinion. I don't think it's true and won't be backed up by statistics.
And might open up some more alternatives. As for the DC5. Pretty cool for what they are (although I'm a DC2 fan). I think they are all JDM imports. So likely to be less insurance friendly. Certainly shopping about would be worth while.
300bhp/ton said:
Integroo said:
I mean I agree but the K20 sounds nice as far as 4 cyl goes and the power delivery is certainly more intetesting than a small turbo 4 cyl. I'd go 6/8 cyl if there was one that fits my other requirements and doesn't get 15mpg (Brera, Monaro etc). Even 25mpg would suffice in real life driving.
Real life driving will depend on your journey type and your driving style. I used to have an Impreza Turbo. Which I loved the sound off,despite being a 4 pot. But it was no better on fuel than my 5.7 V8 Camaro.
Re your comment about prestige brands and reliability. Personally I'd say you might want to re evaluate that opinion. I don't think it's true and won't be backed up by statistics.
And might open up some more alternatives. As for the DC5. Pretty cool for what they are (although I'm a DC2 fan). I think they are all JDM imports. So likely to be less insurance friendly. Certainly shopping about would be worth while.
The DC5 is an import but that doesn't seem to impact my insurance too much; modifications do on the other hand.
Re. premium marques: perhaps, though a quick google suggests BMW reliability isn't great, and prices for parts/labour are surely more expensive. I would consider a 325i/330i/335i but to be honest, I just don't find them all that interesting either. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
Edited by Integroo on Monday 14th August 16:25
Fermit The Krog and Sexy Sarah said:
I'm sure many here shall disagree with me, but I'll throw it out anyway. A last gen (5 pot) Focus ST.
I had one for 2 years, and I wish I never sold it. Remapped with Puma Speed to 280bhp, for under £400.
I never bored of the sound of it was awesome, the hoon it was to drive, and with the remap it was quick. I'd love another.
Look at an ST3 spec.
Big fuel bills though? And superunleaded a must. I had one for 2 years, and I wish I never sold it. Remapped with Puma Speed to 280bhp, for under £400.
I never bored of the sound of it was awesome, the hoon it was to drive, and with the remap it was quick. I'd love another.
Look at an ST3 spec.
Integroo said:
Re. premium marques: perhaps, though a quick google suggests BMW reliability isn't great, and prices for parts/labour are surely more expensive. I would consider a 325i/330i/335i but to be honest, I just don't find them all that interesting either. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
I struggle to believe BMW parts are really more expensive than Honda. In fact in years past Japanese cars often were the more pricey for parts on the whole. Edited by Integroo on Monday 14th August 16:25
But would likely depend on the actual part in question. And tbh I'd argue if a 1 or 3 Series is really any more prestigious than a Honda or a Ford.
As for labour. Simple. Don't use a main dealer on a sub £10k car. Or at least not without getting prices from elsewhere first.
A local mechanic won't charge more to fit brake pads to a 320 vs a Fiesta.
This may be a little left of field and maybe a tad small but a Abarth 595, they come in several flavors from 140Hp to 180+ and they are cheap and easy to remap.
I do decent mileage in mine and it's a hoot on the back roads. I can also fit a large framed full suspension MTB in the back (when I take the wheels off, cough cough)
I do decent mileage in mine and it's a hoot on the back roads. I can also fit a large framed full suspension MTB in the back (when I take the wheels off, cough cough)
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