Crashed my car, what to get next?

[acasserole]

Car I crashed was a Renault Clio GT 2009 VVT 1.6 with 130 bhp and 114 lbs/ft

As I'm starting out again I was wondering if there were any good suggestions, ideally I'd like to get something with more performance as the clio was always lacking in torque especially given the mpg.

Annoyingly I've lost my no claims which makes insurance a bit steep.

Budget wise I have £10k for the car which might get me into a 2008 BMW 135i coupe but was wondering if there were any better suggestions. I also liked the look of a cooper S however they're rather small.

Megane RS also look like a good alternative for fun driving with more space.

[smokey mow]

Have you got any insurance quotes yet for the cars you’re looking at?

You now have a fault claim and no NCD on your driving record yet you’re looking to insure a car that has twice the BHP of the one that you crashed.

[Zetec-S]

The bus.

[bad company]

Something like this:-

[Scootersp]

Ignore the digs about the accident but take the advice re insurance, you need to do the quotes thing on a few candidates to see what you can go for.

Assuming you are reasonably young it might be a shock that's all and could rule out some of the more powerful choices.

[samoht]

Maybe worth considering a good diesel? It might give you torque, mpg and a lower insurance rating all in one. Just be cautious, as there are quite a few unreliable models out there between turbo, DPF and other expensive failures.

[mike9009]

samoht said:

Maybe worth considering a good diesel? It might give you torque, mpg and a lower insurance rating all in one. Just be cautious, as there are quite a few unreliable models out there between turbo, DPF and other expensive failures.

Sensible advice.

[The Cardinal]

...or a small(ish) capacity petrol engine such as a VAG 1.4/1.5 TFSI - Ibiza FR, Polo BlueGT, A3, Golf etc etc. Similar benefits to a diesel and arguably fewer downsides.

[acasserole]

smokey mow said:

Have you got any insurance quotes yet for the cars you’re looking at?

You now have a fault claim and no NCD on your driving record yet you’re looking to insure a car that has twice the BHP of the one that you crashed.

Yeah I've had quotes to give a rough idea;

a £500 corsa is about £650 on insurance - cheaper insurance but likely to need repairing and a horrible place to sit

a £4-5k car is £950 - nicer cars but insurance is then not much cheaper than some more premium options.

the 135i was about £1,350

[acasserole]

samoht said:

Maybe worth considering a good diesel? It might give you torque, mpg and a lower insurance rating all in one. Just be cautious, as there are quite a few unreliable models out there between turbo, DPF and other expensive failures.

I do about 9 miles to work and a number of small journey's to the supermarket and gym which makes me think diesel isn't a good idea. We've had a diesel in the family before and they seem to always need repairs though could just be bad luck!

[Welshbeef]

Skoda Mk1 Fabia vRS a superb car.

[anonymous-user]

Ford Fiesta ST150 or a Suzuki Swift Sport (1.6 N/A)

Cheap to insure and above the BHP of your wreck.

[acasserole]

TrackDays29 said:

Ford Fiesta ST150 or a Suzuki Swift Sport (1.6 N/A)

Cheap to insure and above the BHP of your wreck.

What age/price ball park would you recommend?

[anonymous-user]

acasserole said:

What age/price ball park would you recommend?

For the Suzuki Swift Sport, i'd go for the later years of the previous generation. 7-8K gets you low mileage examples.

Extremely reliable and rev happy engines (7000 RPM) and an absolute blast around the back roads.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010114...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010034...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007101...

And the Ford Fiesta ST150 can be had for a lot cheaper, but they are harder to come by in good condition. Great for modding if you're into that sort of thing.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007251...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009254...

[Actus Reus]

RenaultSport Clio 182 Trophy. Won't lose money on it, plenty rapid enough, a bit special to those 'in the know'. Though I worry it'll cost you a bomb to insure - I only spend £400 on mine with no NCB (as it's used on my BMW). Perfect for round town and short journeys, not so great on a long run I suspect.

[cerb4.5lee]

Scootersp said:

Ignore the digs about the accident

No slight on the OP...but they did make me smile though.

[Glosphil]

If your driving only consists of 9 miles to work & other short journeys why is power even a consideration? Buy a lower powered car & build up your no claims. Or is it a macho thing?

[Pistonheader101]

Glosphil said:

If your driving only consists of 9 miles to work & other short journeys why is power even a consideration? Buy a lower powered car & build up your no claims. Or is it a macho thing?

Someone sounds bitter

[loskie]

9 miles to work the bike maybe is a good suggestion!

[ZX10R NIN]

Glosphil said:

If your driving only consists of 9 miles to work & other short journeys why is power even a consideration? Buy a lower powered car & build up your no claims. Or is it a macho thing?

Because he wants to