5k do everything car?
Discussion
Long time lurker here and i wondered if anyone has some input on the conundrum i'm trying to solve!
After moving to a home with only one parking space and loosing my workshop space i've decided to go from running 3 cars that fulfill most of my needs to go down to one that will do most things quite well.
I've just sold my mk3 mr2 track/weekend car so i now have a A5 3.0 tdi auto and a mk1 honda Jazz auto, whilst those two do fulfill my practical needs (the audi is a great mile muncher and the Jazz is like a small van with the seats down) neither of them are particularly engaging or fun plus parking is an issue so one or both need to go.
One advantage of the recent move is that my commute has dropped to 20 miles a day total mostly motorway so i dont really need a car that does more than 30MPG (although its always nice) or an auto box because i wont be sitting in traffic.
So i'm on the lookout for something a bit more fun but still somewhat comfortable and capable of doing the odd tip run to use as my only car (my days of sitting in a fixed bucket seat every day are over), most days i'm just on the motorway but i do end up going down b roads most weekends. this took me down two schools of thought.
a larger hot hatch or a smaller (more chuckable) estate. I'm quite happy to do a few mods to whatever car i get so something that comes alive with some suspension work is fine by me.
Budget is quite tight at £5k but i can probably stretch that up to 7k for the right car if it needs less fettling to be a hoot
mileage doesn't bother me whatsoever so something that nips into the budget for a leggy example is okay.
initially im thinking either
-mk5 gti or
- Renault sport megane 225 (or 250 if a ropey one nips into budget) or
- a manual 6 cylinder e36 touring, i have considered an e46 touring too but ive had e36 and e46s before and i've always preferred the drive and looks of the e36.
ULEZ is not an issue for me as i only drive into clean air cities about once a month so i'm happy to pay the daily charge
Any input or suggestions welcomed!
After moving to a home with only one parking space and loosing my workshop space i've decided to go from running 3 cars that fulfill most of my needs to go down to one that will do most things quite well.
I've just sold my mk3 mr2 track/weekend car so i now have a A5 3.0 tdi auto and a mk1 honda Jazz auto, whilst those two do fulfill my practical needs (the audi is a great mile muncher and the Jazz is like a small van with the seats down) neither of them are particularly engaging or fun plus parking is an issue so one or both need to go.
One advantage of the recent move is that my commute has dropped to 20 miles a day total mostly motorway so i dont really need a car that does more than 30MPG (although its always nice) or an auto box because i wont be sitting in traffic.
So i'm on the lookout for something a bit more fun but still somewhat comfortable and capable of doing the odd tip run to use as my only car (my days of sitting in a fixed bucket seat every day are over), most days i'm just on the motorway but i do end up going down b roads most weekends. this took me down two schools of thought.
a larger hot hatch or a smaller (more chuckable) estate. I'm quite happy to do a few mods to whatever car i get so something that comes alive with some suspension work is fine by me.
Budget is quite tight at £5k but i can probably stretch that up to 7k for the right car if it needs less fettling to be a hoot
mileage doesn't bother me whatsoever so something that nips into the budget for a leggy example is okay.
initially im thinking either
-mk5 gti or
- Renault sport megane 225 (or 250 if a ropey one nips into budget) or
- a manual 6 cylinder e36 touring, i have considered an e46 touring too but ive had e36 and e46s before and i've always preferred the drive and looks of the e36.
ULEZ is not an issue for me as i only drive into clean air cities about once a month so i'm happy to pay the daily charge
Any input or suggestions welcomed!
Thanks for your replies guys, Much appreciated!
Gad-westy I've seen the advert to that e46 you're reffering to, does seem a bit of a bargain.thanks for your input about the golf I've had a short drive in a MK5 gti a few years ago and did find it a bit torque steer prone but i'd put this down to the ditch finders that it was shod in and hoped theyd be better with half decent rubber. The e90 hadnt even crossed my mind, the n52 is a peach i didnt realise that 330i tipped under budget so i'll keep an eye out for one. A friend suggested a 130i which would probably tick all the boxes and has that great engine.
Vsix and vtec I didnt realise the FN2 had the same seats as the jazz, i'd always written them off based on the reviews when it was new. having previously had a few hondas (dc2,ek and eg civic) i've always loved how they drive and assumed the fn2 would be disappointing in comparison. but i think i ought to look more closely at them before writing them off altogether
Shabaza unfortunately i'm after something with a bit of larger boot/load area opening than the s60 hence the preference for a touring over coupe e36.
WIWs r53 is definately off the list for me, whilst i like the way they drive i've ended being traded a few of them over the years against other vehicles i was selling and each time a gremlin or niggle has reared its head within a week or so and cost me considerable time and/or money so i'm shy of them.
Fasteddie i hadnt even considered a hawk eye, i've heard bad things about that 2.5 engine from friends in the aftermarket/tuning business but maybe that was more to do with what had been done to the cars they dealt with. if theres an easy/ cheap path to reliabliity i think those will be worth looking at thank you
ultimately after mulling it over an e36 touring is what i want, so i should probably try and find a nice one of those. but you've given me a lot to think about guys. i'm going to see if theres an fn2 locally i can test drive as that would be the decider with one of those likewise with the impreza
Gad-westy I've seen the advert to that e46 you're reffering to, does seem a bit of a bargain.thanks for your input about the golf I've had a short drive in a MK5 gti a few years ago and did find it a bit torque steer prone but i'd put this down to the ditch finders that it was shod in and hoped theyd be better with half decent rubber. The e90 hadnt even crossed my mind, the n52 is a peach i didnt realise that 330i tipped under budget so i'll keep an eye out for one. A friend suggested a 130i which would probably tick all the boxes and has that great engine.
Vsix and vtec I didnt realise the FN2 had the same seats as the jazz, i'd always written them off based on the reviews when it was new. having previously had a few hondas (dc2,ek and eg civic) i've always loved how they drive and assumed the fn2 would be disappointing in comparison. but i think i ought to look more closely at them before writing them off altogether
Shabaza unfortunately i'm after something with a bit of larger boot/load area opening than the s60 hence the preference for a touring over coupe e36.
WIWs r53 is definately off the list for me, whilst i like the way they drive i've ended being traded a few of them over the years against other vehicles i was selling and each time a gremlin or niggle has reared its head within a week or so and cost me considerable time and/or money so i'm shy of them.
Fasteddie i hadnt even considered a hawk eye, i've heard bad things about that 2.5 engine from friends in the aftermarket/tuning business but maybe that was more to do with what had been done to the cars they dealt with. if theres an easy/ cheap path to reliabliity i think those will be worth looking at thank you
ultimately after mulling it over an e36 touring is what i want, so i should probably try and find a nice one of those. but you've given me a lot to think about guys. i'm going to see if theres an fn2 locally i can test drive as that would be the decider with one of those likewise with the impreza
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