Left-field daily car advice needed

[alex-1991]

Hi all,

I love reading what car threads on here so thought I'd sign up and ask my own.

I've just finished uni and got a job for which I need a car. Its a 55 mile commute a day with 32 miles being on the motorway. Taking annual leave into account I estimate I will do 15,000 miles a year.

My requirements are:
2 seats or more
Space to fit a pedal bike in the back with a wheel off (seats can be folded down permanently).
35 mpg+
Reasonable running costs
£4000 or less, could push to £5000 if I borrowed some money.

I'm 27 and have 9 years NCB and no crashes or points.

I'm not fussed about comfort and my commute seems to be reasonable in that I don't necessarily need a large diesel barge.
I'd either like something fun to drive or unique. Here are the following cars I've thought about.

Initially I wanted a type R (ep3) as these are pretty cheap and reliable, the mpg has put me off a bit though (most people seem to struggle to get over 30 mpg even on long trips).
So here is what I have so far:

Celica 190 VVTLI - Off lift they should get 35 mpg and way cheaper than a type R, big boot and a bit more comfy than a type R.
Alfa 147 or GT coupe 1.9 JTD - Nice looking, diesel economy, Q2 have LSD which I would seriously like, build quality and reliability an issue?? I do have a well respected Alfa and Fiat specialist nearby.
Fiat Grande Punto Abarth - Bigger than a 500, 1.4 turbo should be economical.
Smart ForFour Brabus (older style) - 1.5 Colt engine so should be reliable and pretty weird looking
BMW 325ti - Should be good on a motorway, RWD, sounds nice. Poor MPG?
Skoda Fabia VRS - A diesel warm hatch, the pd engine is supposed to be reliable.

Also would people choose a petrol or diesel at this millage? Seems to be little in it once fuel price difference is taken into account.

I would like a car that won't leave me stranded but I don't mind minor niggles like windows not working or leaking. I'm used to shoddy cars
I also like modifying and I'm quite good with spanners.

Any other cars I've missed?

I've borrowed my mum's diesel Zafira which I'm allowed to use for 4 months so I have that long to decide and purchase.
Thanks for the help

[alex-1991]

Hi,

Yes being able to fit the bike in the back is quite important. I have fancy racing bikes and I don't want to leave them on a roof rack while I'm away from the car nor do I want to leave them in a bike rack where they may get bashed around.

The Megane is a very good recommendation, probably one of the best FWD diesel hatches. If I see a good example I will certainly go have a look.
The 250 will be out of my price range for now, although a yellow one would be something I would look at in a year or two.

Blanchimont how would you say the Punto and type R compare? Were both pretty good cars or is one far superior?

I don't mind noise on the motorway having come from a CRX with shorter final drive, Suzuki Ignis sport, kit car and two motorbikes so the Celica would fit right in. https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/imgs/9.gif
How do you find the Celica compared to something like the Saab?

[alex-1991]

So are we thinking that an ep3 for 15000 miles per year will be feasible?
The fuel cost seems to come out at £900 more a year compared to a 50 mpg diesel (type R at 30 mpg and assuming diesel is 10p more a liter).
I will save on some service costs as Hondas are pretty easy to DIY (I've done a headgasket and gearbox rebuild on a B series engine, so the K20 shouldn't be much more difficult).

Thanks