help choosing a car.... headache after 3 days of searching
Discussion
RobM83 said:
The ST is a thirsty fellow, even compared to the other models you're looking at. Early 20's to the gallon seems the norm.
i think thats what put me off, every reviewer seemed to enjoy the car but even though i dont do many miles a day that put a downer on me....wish i hadnt shown the missus the bmw now.... gonna read some comparison reviews....and i though choosing a mobile phone contract was hard work.
You might get this one down to near £14k:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Would be my choice because of the proper LSD and a mid-range that leaves the others for dead. Best bang for your buck and a far less common sight than the ubiquitous ST or GTi. Mazda reliability and cheap servicing is the icing on the cake.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2010...
Would be my choice because of the proper LSD and a mid-range that leaves the others for dead. Best bang for your buck and a far less common sight than the ubiquitous ST or GTi. Mazda reliability and cheap servicing is the icing on the cake.
UnluckyTimmeh said:
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
Tim.
When you say the best thing about the mk2 is its LSD is it any different from the mk1 then??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
Tim.
Edited by UnluckyTimmeh on Saturday 1st January 14:09
In the last few days my T/C just packed in quite an issue it seems on the mk1 :-(
You've got a tough choice on your hands there, some nice cars to choose from,
BMW 130i stands head and shoulders above the rest for me, it drives better than the R32, is quicker and cheaper to run, having better fuel economy and cheaper road tax, the servicing may be a little more expensive. If you can get over the looks try one, you will not be disappointed, I loved the way our lowly 118d drove, it was just lacking in the go dept. If you can try and find one with decent spec (Nav, Xenons, Bluetooth, etc) it WILL help come resale time.
Golf GTI would be my next choice, purely because I've fallen back in love with VWs again, the mk5 Golf was a major turning point for VW, they drive brilliantly, go well and actually handle very well too. Driving dynamics is a HUGE leap over the mk4 although interior trim isn't as robust as it's predecessor, but again I'd have one over an R32 as they are much better value for money, and after a simple remap as quick, if not slightly quicker
Mazda 3 MPS, a friend has not long bought one, quite a Q car, it doesn't shout out hot hatch to me at all, never driven but I hear they are not at all bad, but it is certainly not a car I have ever listed over or wanted.
If it were me, I'd be looking for a 130i, if you can get over the awkward looks (it took me a while) and appreciate what they are, debadge it and you have yourself a very very capable car, that unless you know what to look for, appears to be no different to a 116i M Sport, which in turn makes it blend in, a very important factor for me.
However the mk5 Golf GTI comes a close second, and If I seen the right mk5 whilst looking for a 130i I'd probably end up buying it.
BMW 130i stands head and shoulders above the rest for me, it drives better than the R32, is quicker and cheaper to run, having better fuel economy and cheaper road tax, the servicing may be a little more expensive. If you can get over the looks try one, you will not be disappointed, I loved the way our lowly 118d drove, it was just lacking in the go dept. If you can try and find one with decent spec (Nav, Xenons, Bluetooth, etc) it WILL help come resale time.
Golf GTI would be my next choice, purely because I've fallen back in love with VWs again, the mk5 Golf was a major turning point for VW, they drive brilliantly, go well and actually handle very well too. Driving dynamics is a HUGE leap over the mk4 although interior trim isn't as robust as it's predecessor, but again I'd have one over an R32 as they are much better value for money, and after a simple remap as quick, if not slightly quicker
Mazda 3 MPS, a friend has not long bought one, quite a Q car, it doesn't shout out hot hatch to me at all, never driven but I hear they are not at all bad, but it is certainly not a car I have ever listed over or wanted.
If it were me, I'd be looking for a 130i, if you can get over the awkward looks (it took me a while) and appreciate what they are, debadge it and you have yourself a very very capable car, that unless you know what to look for, appears to be no different to a 116i M Sport, which in turn makes it blend in, a very important factor for me.
However the mk5 Golf GTI comes a close second, and If I seen the right mk5 whilst looking for a 130i I'd probably end up buying it.
martin mrt said:
You've got a tough choice on your hands there, some nice cars to choose from,
BMW 130i stands head and shoulders above the rest for me, it drives better than the R32, is quicker and cheaper to run, having better fuel economy and cheaper road tax, the servicing may be a little more expensive. If you can get over the looks try one, you will not be disappointed, I loved the way our lowly 118d drove, it was just lacking in the go dept. If you can try and find one with decent spec (Nav, Xenons, Bluetooth, etc) it WILL help come resale time.
Golf GTI would be my next choice, purely because I've fallen back in love with VWs again, the mk5 Golf was a major turning point for VW, they drive brilliantly, go well and actually handle very well too. Driving dynamics is a HUGE leap over the mk4 although interior trim isn't as robust as it's predecessor, but again I'd have one over an R32 as they are much better value for money, and after a simple remap as quick, if not slightly quicker
Mazda 3 MPS, a friend has not long bought one, quite a Q car, it doesn't shout out hot hatch to me at all, never driven but I hear they are not at all bad, but it is certainly not a car I have ever listed over or wanted.
If it were me, I'd be looking for a 130i, if you can get over the awkward looks (it took me a while) and appreciate what they are, debadge it and you have yourself a very very capable car, that unless you know what to look for, appears to be no different to a 116i M Sport, which in turn makes it blend in, a very important factor for me.
However the mk5 Golf GTI comes a close second, and If I seen the right mk5 whilst looking for a 130i I'd probably end up buying it.
nicely said, and bang on the nail, andprobably exactly where i am right now. tbh reading some reviews there are raving about it, how comes i overlooked this i dont know, proably just assumed audi, bm's mercs etc way out of my price range. Will need a 5 seater 130 though. in a quirky kind of way i do like the looks...BMW 130i stands head and shoulders above the rest for me, it drives better than the R32, is quicker and cheaper to run, having better fuel economy and cheaper road tax, the servicing may be a little more expensive. If you can get over the looks try one, you will not be disappointed, I loved the way our lowly 118d drove, it was just lacking in the go dept. If you can try and find one with decent spec (Nav, Xenons, Bluetooth, etc) it WILL help come resale time.
Golf GTI would be my next choice, purely because I've fallen back in love with VWs again, the mk5 Golf was a major turning point for VW, they drive brilliantly, go well and actually handle very well too. Driving dynamics is a HUGE leap over the mk4 although interior trim isn't as robust as it's predecessor, but again I'd have one over an R32 as they are much better value for money, and after a simple remap as quick, if not slightly quicker
Mazda 3 MPS, a friend has not long bought one, quite a Q car, it doesn't shout out hot hatch to me at all, never driven but I hear they are not at all bad, but it is certainly not a car I have ever listed over or wanted.
If it were me, I'd be looking for a 130i, if you can get over the awkward looks (it took me a while) and appreciate what they are, debadge it and you have yourself a very very capable car, that unless you know what to look for, appears to be no different to a 116i M Sport, which in turn makes it blend in, a very important factor for me.
However the mk5 Golf GTI comes a close second, and If I seen the right mk5 whilst looking for a 130i I'd probably end up buying it.
probably looks as if i keep switching between cars just like, and i probably am lol, but this is exactly why i posted on here, havent got much experience with cars like this and i can read all the reviews in the world , but wanted tips from people that had owned them and driven them. keep them coming please, missus happy that the 130 is in the mix....
Edited by essexrobb on Saturday 1st January 21:15
My advice would be to not get carried away here. It sounds to me like £13k is your top whack and any more will really stretch you. How about you approach this from a different angle? Instead of looking at how much car you can get for £13k, think about how much you need to spend on a car that will make you happy.
£13k just about gets you some quite tasty stuff, but you're probably looking at poor mpg, highish road tax and insurance and you've already spent all your £13k. Drop down to £9-10k and see what you can get. You might not be able to wave your willy around in the pub quite as much, but you'll have a car that puts less stress on your finances. One of the sure fire ways to ruin car ownership is to have a car that you can just about afford, but places significant restrictions on the rest of your life. Every fill up, tax bill, service etc niggles. Stick within your budget rather than try and spend all of it.
£13k just about gets you some quite tasty stuff, but you're probably looking at poor mpg, highish road tax and insurance and you've already spent all your £13k. Drop down to £9-10k and see what you can get. You might not be able to wave your willy around in the pub quite as much, but you'll have a car that puts less stress on your finances. One of the sure fire ways to ruin car ownership is to have a car that you can just about afford, but places significant restrictions on the rest of your life. Every fill up, tax bill, service etc niggles. Stick within your budget rather than try and spend all of it.
SonicHedgeHog said:
My advice would be to not get carried away here. It sounds to me like £13k is your top whack and any more will really stretch you. How about you approach this from a different angle? Instead of looking at how much car you can get for £13k, think about how much you need to spend on a car that will make you happy.
£13k just about gets you some quite tasty stuff, but you're probably looking at poor mpg, highish road tax and insurance and you've already spent all your £13k. Drop down to £9-10k and see what you can get. You might not be able to wave your willy around in the pub quite as much, but you'll have a car that puts less stress on your finances. One of the sure fire ways to ruin car ownership is to have a car that you can just about afford, but places significant restrictions on the rest of your life. Every fill up, tax bill, service etc niggles. Stick within your budget rather than try and spend all of it.
appreciate what your saying here, not about waving my willy in the pub.... I no longer drink!! lol anyways i'm 35 with three girls, house etc and well ive wanted to own a m3 i just cant see any chance of me getting a little hot hatch before i look to old to drive one... girls will be grown up in no time and off to college etc and then i really wont have have money... my only true hot hatch was a renault 5 gt turbo when i was 18, yep it killed me on insurance, and everything else but loved every minute of it tbh. I want some of that back. I know i can get a GTI for 10k,but then i worry about the mileage and if i get a dog that keeps going wrong, probably because ive always had old cars that i seem to have problems.....£13k just about gets you some quite tasty stuff, but you're probably looking at poor mpg, highish road tax and insurance and you've already spent all your £13k. Drop down to £9-10k and see what you can get. You might not be able to wave your willy around in the pub quite as much, but you'll have a car that puts less stress on your finances. One of the sure fire ways to ruin car ownership is to have a car that you can just about afford, but places significant restrictions on the rest of your life. Every fill up, tax bill, service etc niggles. Stick within your budget rather than try and spend all of it.
Edited by essexrobb on Saturday 1st January 22:04
danneth said:
UnluckyTimmeh said:
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
Tim.
When you say the best thing about the mk2 is its LSD is it any different from the mk1 then??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
Tim.
Edited by UnluckyTimmeh on Saturday 1st January 14:09
In the last few days my T/C just packed in quite an issue it seems on the mk1 :-(
essexrobb said:
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.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.
Realise the Focus can be thirsty but coming from an S3 it won't be much of a shock and she won't thrash it(I might though), so we will see.
Can I throw in the Octavia vrs, golf platform and GTI engine. Slightly bigger of course but a good drive. I love mine (one of the reasons the Fabia was on the list).
UnluckyTimmeh said:
danneth said:
UnluckyTimmeh said:
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
Tim.
When you say the best thing about the mk2 is its LSD is it any different from the mk1 then??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
Tim.
Edited by UnluckyTimmeh on Saturday 1st January 14:09
In the last few days my T/C just packed in quite an issue it seems on the mk1 :-(
morning quick question to people in the know, are these AA warrantys for £599 for 3 years worth the paper they are written on, does the garage get a kickbak from it or is it cheaper to go direct. Theres a 2007 gold that i'm going to see today and just noticed the garage say it as the remaining manufacturers warranty plus they do these offers of extended warranty.
might try and squeeze a bmw 130i in aswell.
might try and squeeze a bmw 130i in aswell.
If it's still within the 3 years manufacturers warranty, VW do an extended warranty through Mondial which is a reasonable cost. They ofer an number of options regarding mileage. You need to take it out before the original one expres. Have a lok on VW website for more details.
I took it out with my R32 and used it with no problems, dealer takes care of everything.
As with all warranties you pays your money you takes your choice You kight not need it.
I took it out with my R32 and used it with no problems, dealer takes care of everything.
As with all warranties you pays your money you takes your choice You kight not need it.
cuprabob said:
If it's still within the 3 years manufacturers warranty, VW do an extended warranty through Mondial which is a reasonable cost. They ofer an number of options regarding mileage. You need to take it out before the original one expres. Have a lok on VW website for more details.
I took it out with my R32 and used it with no problems, dealer takes care of everything.
As with all warranties you pays your money you takes your choice You kight not need it.
cheers will take a look on there, another question that has been bugging me, one trader is quoting full service history doesnt mean that its been serviced at VW does it, it could mean that if they are a trader they have serviced it themselves.I took it out with my R32 and used it with no problems, dealer takes care of everything.
As with all warranties you pays your money you takes your choice You kight not need it.
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