help choosing a car.... headache after 3 days of searching

help choosing a car.... headache after 3 days of searching

Author
Discussion

UnluckyTimmeh

3,460 posts

214 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
Obviously working for a Mazda dealer I'm one sided but mainly for the reason I havn't driven any of the others.

The previous 3mps 06 onwards is great but it does chew through front tyres fairly quickly if you really push it. But saying that I imagine most FF cars with that sort of power would.

The mk2 3 mps is a bit heavier but with slightly more power on tap. We sent one on a rolling road brand new and it came back with 276 at the fly rather than the 260 it's supposed to have. The best thing about the mk2 is it's LSD. It makes all the difference.

Apart from this there's not a lot else I can tell you they're as reliable as all modern Mazdas. I would recommend buying from a dealer. Purely so you can check it's digital service history (there's no service books to stamp)

hth. Any questions on these don't hesitate to ask. I'm sure Johnny671 will be along in a mo. He's based at another dealer and I'm sure will agree with the above smile

Tim.

Edited by UnluckyTimmeh on Saturday 1st January 14:09

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

209 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
Civic type r for 5k will be reliable.

essexrobb

Original Poster:

77 posts

161 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
thanks for all the replies, bit of a result last night (probably the beer talking lol) but mothr in law said she would lend me another 5k for a car (now in R32 territory!!!) so even more confused on what to do, always dreamed of a R32 but always been out of my reach....

seen some examples in the blue i like for about 15k with appx 30k on the clock....

decisions, decisions..... probably just made my life harder, if thats possible when choosing a car...

happy new year everyone by the way.

will look at the mazda 3 mps again aswell.

Also i know i havent shown the car, but do you think a dealership would give me PX on the MG ZR, mot due FEB, 02 ZR 1.4.

UnluckyTimmeh

3,460 posts

214 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
Hand on heart I'd go for the r32.
Dealer should offer you px on anything. Even if they just trade it straight out. That's what we do anyway, trader comes in tells you his px ££££ and you say yes or no smile simple.

VX Foxy

3,962 posts

244 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
Jonboy_t said:
Not exactly a PH response, but why not go for something cheaper/older/leggier and save a few quid, spend it on the house where you will make money and then when you sell it, use some of the profit you've made to get a £20k car instead of a £13k one.

Sorry..........
Did you honestly think about that before you typed it?

RobCrezz

7,892 posts

209 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
R32 are nice, but not that quick or fun for the price.

essexrobb

Original Poster:

77 posts

161 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
just had a look at the reviews of the r32, and quite alot suggest keep the extra money and just get a gti, a bloke at work had a R32 for about 6months and lvoed the sound, part of the appeal for me!! lol

Deerfoot

4,902 posts

185 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
How about a 130i?

I`ve just had a trawl of the classifieds and they`re excellent value now.

Backtobasics

1,182 posts

184 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
I'd pass on the r32, go for the gti. The 4wd system isn't that great either on the r32.

essexrobb

Original Poster:

77 posts

161 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
thanks once again for the replies.... going have a look at the price guide but after spending this afternoon looking at current adverts, the general price bracket for a 2007/08 with about 30k on the clock and leather seats seems to be about 15k

quick question i did see one which isnt too far from me spec as above 2008 18k miles, FSH.... its from a franchise dealer not VW though. Quick question when do the sevices come up for gti' every 10k or 12k?

thanks
rob

Edited by essexrobb on Saturday 1st January 16:47

FamilyDub

3,587 posts

166 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
You really, really need to want an R32 to justify it over a GTI.

MKV GTI is a great motor... I'm biased.

Steameh

3,155 posts

211 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
As bad as the R32 is, the sound of the engine will always make me choose it over the GTi

Carlique

1,631 posts

165 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
ABARTH ftw !

Deerfoot

4,902 posts

185 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
Ahem. I`d take this over a Golf R32 anyday.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2229807.htm

Steameh

3,155 posts

211 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
Deerfoot said:
Ahem. I`d take this over a Golf R32 anyday.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2229807.htm
He's knocking on for 135i money.

essexrobb

Original Poster:

77 posts

161 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
Deerfoot said:
Ahem. I`d take this over a Golf R32 anyday.

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/2229807.htm
missus prefers that over the golf, are BMW more reliable then the golfs, servicing etc are they mroe expensive..

RobM83

108 posts

160 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
I know this means very little in the real world... but my only experience of the Mazda 3 MPS was at an 'experience' day at Thruxton and it left me seriously impressed. Seemed like a great place to spend time if you cover a few miles, with a decent interior and standard trim. Even better, the pace was superb and although it leaned a bit, it was very confident in the corners.

The only other input I can give is in regards to the MK5 Golf. I had an 08 plate MK5 GT Sport and it was very disappointing, as the build and interior quality were not what you'd expect from VW. The MK4 was great, the MK6 also great, the MK5... disappointing. It rattled much more than you'd expect and suffered a few odd complaints from time to time, like the clutch pedal jamming to the floor when on the move!

Personally though if I were in your shoes, I'd probably save a few pound and opt for a cheaper Focus ST or slightly older Seat Leon FR or Cupra and bank the rest.

Bullett

10,889 posts

185 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
We had similar demands and similar budget after the mrs managed to bin her S3.

Looked at the Fabia vrs, Golf GTI, Audi a3 before settling on an 09 Focus ST with 15k miles.
The Audis were all poverty spec 1.6s the Golf we just felt had too smaller boot and was overpriced for what it was.
The Fabia was brand new, too expensive, too small and a long waiting list.
She fell for the ST first time she sat in it. Ticked all the boxes, spec, size, a bit of go, price and availability.

adycav

7,615 posts

218 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
As other PHers have said the 130i is a great choice for your needs.

Great fun to drive, nicely made, and surprisingly cheap to run.

essexrobb

Original Poster:

77 posts

161 months

Saturday 1st January 2011
quotequote all
Bullett said:
We had similar demands and similar budget after the mrs managed to bin her S3.

Looked at the Fabia vrs, Golf GTI, Audi a3 before settling on an 09 Focus ST with 15k miles.
The Audis were all poverty spec 1.6s the Golf we just felt had too smaller boot and was overpriced for what it was.
The Fabia was brand new, too expensive, too small and a long waiting list.
She fell for the ST first time she sat in it. Ticked all the boxes, spec, size, a bit of go, price and availability.
fabia despite the good reviews i just dont like the way it looks, i cat seem to get a decent riced new mazda 3, seem they are around 18k!! looked at the ST's but lots of reviews suggeste it was heavy on the gas, not sure how that compares to the golf and the BMW, will look at the 130i a bit more closely bt i'm sure i struggled when i first started looking to get one with comaparable mileage to the golfs to get that golf sort of money.